Battle of the BooksBattle of the Books
April 2015
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS – STUDENTS VS. TEACHERS
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS CHAMPIONSHIP
TEACHER BATTLE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS – ROUND 3 THE SEMIFINALS
TEACHER TEAMS READY FOR BATTLE
March 2015
LET THE BATTLES BEGIN!
Starting Thursday, April 9, 17 teams of 4th and 5th graders will face off against each other in Round 1 of the 2015 Battle of the Books. Round 1 will consist of 9 battles, in which two teams compete in quiz-like battles to get as many points as they can to move on to the next round.
Each battle consists of 40 questions, 2 from each of 20 books selected from the 2015 Illinois Bluestem list (see titles below). Each team gets their own questions, such as: “In this book, a boy buys a bus ticket to New York City.” A correct answer, given with the author’s name, earns the team 6 points. An incorrect answer means the opposing team gets a chance to “steal” the question – and get the points. At the end of the battle, each team’s scores are announced.
Out of 17 teams, 8 move on to Round 2, and 4 teams will advance to Round 3. Our final championship battle will take place on Friday, April 17.
This year, teachers are getting in on the action too! Our two teacher teams, The Procrastinators and Four Girls & a Guy, will battle against each other on Thursday, April 17. The teacher champs will battle the student champs in a Final Spectacular Battle of Friday, April 17.
August 2014
Our 4th and 5th graders will soon be getting ready for battle…Battle of the Books! Starting in September, students will form teams and begin reading the 20 books nominated for Illinois’ 2015 Bluestem Award. Each team member will be responsible for reading 5 of the 20 books as their team prepares to face off against other teams in March. The battles will culminate in a Championship battle, following which the winning team will battle one last time…against the Teacher Team!
Battle of the Books is a chance to read great books, engage in learning about their settings and characters, develop teamwork and sportsmanship, and experience the spirit of friendly competition.
This year’s Bluestem nominees are:
- Chained by Lynne Kelly
- A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
- Dogs on Duty: Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
- Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
- The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (ill)
- Frindle by Andrew Clements
- Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
- If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche
- Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
- Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
- Niagara Falls, or Does It by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
- Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel Book by Nikki Grimes and R. Gregory Christie (ill)
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Small Steps : The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret
- The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
- Truth About Poop by Susan E. Goodman and Elwood H. Smith (ill)
- Wild River by P.J. Petersen
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
April 2015
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS – STUDENTS VS. TEACHERS
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS CHAMPIONSHIP
TEACHER BATTLE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS – ROUND 3 THE SEMIFINALS
TEACHER TEAMS READY FOR BATTLE
March 2015
LET THE BATTLES BEGIN!
Starting Thursday, April 9, 17 teams of 4th and 5th graders will face off against each other in Round 1 of the 2015 Battle of the Books. Round 1 will consist of 9 battles, in which two teams compete in quiz-like battles to get as many points as they can to move on to the next round.
Each battle consists of 40 questions, 2 from each of 20 books selected from the 2015 Illinois Bluestem list (see titles below). Each team gets their own questions, such as: “In this book, a boy buys a bus ticket to New York City.” A correct answer, given with the author’s name, earns the team 6 points. An incorrect answer means the opposing team gets a chance to “steal” the question – and get the points. At the end of the battle, each team’s scores are announced.
Out of 17 teams, 8 move on to Round 2, and 4 teams will advance to Round 3. Our final championship battle will take place on Friday, April 17.
This year, teachers are getting in on the action too! Our two teacher teams, The Procrastinators and Four Girls & a Guy, will battle against each other on Thursday, April 17. The teacher champs will battle the student champs in a Final Spectacular Battle of Friday, April 17.
August 2014
Our 4th and 5th graders will soon be getting ready for battle…Battle of the Books! Starting in September, students will form teams and begin reading the 20 books nominated for Illinois’ 2015 Bluestem Award. Each team member will be responsible for reading 5 of the 20 books as their team prepares to face off against other teams in March. The battles will culminate in a Championship battle, following which the winning team will battle one last time…against the Teacher Team!
Battle of the Books is a chance to read great books, engage in learning about their settings and characters, develop teamwork and sportsmanship, and experience the spirit of friendly competition.
This year’s Bluestem nominees are:
- Chained by Lynne Kelly
- A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
- Dogs on Duty: Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
- Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
- The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (ill)
- Frindle by Andrew Clements
- Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
- If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche
- Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
- Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
- Niagara Falls, or Does It by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
- Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel Book by Nikki Grimes and R. Gregory Christie (ill)
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Small Steps : The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret
- The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
- Truth About Poop by Susan E. Goodman and Elwood H. Smith (ill)
- Wild River by P.J. Petersen
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
