Well, it is nation wide reading incentive program that is probably a little bit different depending on your state and district. At my school, students experience a modified battle of the books in 2nd grade where they read fairy tales only. In 3rd grade, the reading list gets a little bit longer and by the time they hit 4th grade, the reading list has grown to 18 books!
All 4th graders in the district are encouraged to read as many battle books as possible throughout the year. Each classroom puts together a team of students in the spring. Quotes and clues from the books are read and students must identify the book and/or the author from the selected text. The school champion goes on to compete at the district level.
The Battle of the Books challenges kids to read books outside of their usual genres, builds classroom community, excites kids about reading, and is a lot of fun! I'm lucky because the awesome librarian at our school organizes everything, so all I have to do is promote reading and encourage my students. Easy!
The list of books includes many Bluebonnet Award nominees. For more information about the Texas Bluebonnet Award click here. To see a complete list of Battle Books for the 2011-2012 school year click here!
Last year, my third graders won the battle. I was so proud! This year, I'm hoping my fourth graders are ready to continue the tradition. In an effort to support my students more effectively this year, I have taken on my own reading challenge this summer. I am trying to read all the battle books before the year begins and time is running out! Follow my journey through all 18 battle books on the Battle Books page.
1...2...Ready...Read!!
This is such a neat idea and a great way to encourage reading! At my school we do a couple big events to encourage reading of a variety of genres. My favorite one is called the Reading Olympics. Students read and record their minutes at home and can earn a gold, silver or bronze medal depending on how many minutes they read. You can count being read to, listening to reading, reading to siblings and family members and of course reading to yourself. At the end, we have an all school assembly and announce classes and medal winners. Last year all the gold medal winners were put in a drawing and one name for primary and intermediate were chosen. These 2 students got to be principal and librarian for the day. Fun stuff!!
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