Celebrating the 10th Annual Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books is a team-based reading incentive program that strives to nourish the hearts and minds of children with excellent literature. The Bear Creek School Libraries have sponsored this program each spring for ten years with increasing participation and enthusiasm. The program is introduced in the fall to grades 4 – 6 classes and interested students read from Bear Creek's designated list of 18 books (a subset of the book list found at the official Battle of the Books site, www.battleofthebooks.org). The program was a smashing success this year with a record 51 students participating (22 in grade 4, 13 in grade 5, and 14 in grade 6) on nine teams comprising five or six students each.

But the true story of this year’s Battle is more than just numbers who attended, it was found in the incredible attitude of all the competitors. Each participant was eager to be a part of this special reading community. Students freely shared what they had read and learned during the six organized grade-level lunchtime practice sessions, and they dove into practicing quizzing formats and question styles. In preparation for and during the Battle, the group read 609 books, answered 540 Jeopardy-style questions, played 4 rounds of Kahoot!, and opened 16 Flipgrid topics. Library Teacher Dianna Kadeg and Library Assistant Tram Jones dedicated many hours to generating so much virtual content for the students.

Although much of the preparation and competition revolves around the content found in each of the Battle books, there are some aspects that are just for fun, including picking a team name and designing a team poster. The team names are generally quite long and incorporate the titles of many of the Battle books, e.g., “City of Unteachable Losers Named Benjamin Franklin Who Ate a Single Baseball in April Sitting on a Redwall.” Both remote and in-person students engaged with virtual tools to help prepare for the Battle days, in addition to sharing book and library jokes over Flipgrid. (“Why did the librarian fall down? She was in the non-friction section!”) 

Sixth graders reached out to younger students (some of whom they have never met in person) to help them stay on track and on schedule, and younger ones reached out to elder students for help and advice. Teams worked together to help, support, and encourage each other in all activities, games, and sessions. Dr. Katy Steinkraus, who manages our C.E. "Ted" Kindel Library and runs the Battle of the Books program, remarks, “Our students created and participated in a great sense of community, all united in their love of great books and reading. It was truly a joy to be a part of this program this year!”

During the Battle on March 18 and 19, 2021, individual questions were posed using Flipgrid and Kahoot!, while teams answered Jeopardy-style questions. Team scores were generated by totaling all the individual points earned and adding the team’s Jeopardy scores. The team with the highest combined score was the overall winner. A hearty congratulations to “The Unteachables Club on the Far Side of the Moon” for coming in first place and to all the Battle teams and individual competitors.

Read more about Bear Creek's Battle of the Books program.