Battle of the Books (BOB) is a multi-step process:

• Students read as many titles from the pre-selected list of books (see attachment below)

  • students record their daily reading on their reading logs (one for each book)

  • BOB books remain in the library for all classes to use

  • students may check out BOB books from public libraries or if the title is a part of the McCormick library's regular collection

    • the more books a student reads, the stronger a competitor they become, and the better their team will perform. 

• Once a student completes a book they must generate 10 questions on index cards that require the respondent to recall a book's details

  • questions must follow a specific format

    • EXAMPLE: In which book does a character commit a crime that hurts a loved one?

    • ANSWER: The book's full title, full author's name, page number that details of that question can be found

  • once questions are completed the students will check that book off their list and move on to another selection

Grading:

• Students will be graded on the following items:

  • reading conferences (10 points) students will conference with the librarian about their book over literary elements. I will check their reading logs for completion and comprehension of the reading material.

  • reading logs (10 points) I will check student reading logs to be sure they are pacing themselves to cover as many novels as possible. I will also use this to decide who will need assistance while reading (reading with the teacher)

  • title/author quizzes

  • *competing in the Battle of the Books tournament (May 24, 2024)

    • *Being present for the competition is a requirement of the class. Students missing school that day must have a doctor's excuse/completed vacation slip (seen by the teacher before absence) or it will result in a "0" for a grade. Students also must be present for the competition to be eligible to participate in the winning prize should their team win in their absence. 

Competitions:

• once we have a decent amount of practice questions created we will begin holding mini- competitions in the library so students can get a feel for the format of a competition

• teams will be asked a series of questions and must respond with the full book's title and author

  • If a team is told they are incorrect but they feel they are right, they can challenge the question. The challenge consists of three-minutes to locate the perceived answer in the book they claim it came from. If they can locate the answer and show the judge (and the judge concurs) they can keep the point. If the judge denies the claim then the point-loss stands. 

• classes will be split into teams to compete

  • teams will design their own mascot/team name

• during the final competition in May teams will split and compete against each other in a bracket-format for multiple rounds until we get to the final remaining teams. 

Final Prize to the Winners:

• The winning team will receive a prize in addition to their 100% grade (prize TBD)

Volunteers Will Be Needed!

• I will be seeking parents, community leaders, retired teachers, school board members, etc. to help facilitate the final competition. More information will follow!