Odyssey Charter School is excited to be participating in the national Battle of the Books (BoB) this school year. It is a voluntary reading incentive program for students in 3rd—6th grade. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while competing with their peers.
How Does a Student Participate?
Students participate by reading books from the book lists provided. Students may count books they have read before, however to qualify for prize drawings they need to fill out a “Memory Jogger” for each title (also on the website) and give them to the librarian. They may NOT count books that they have only seen as a game or movie; they must read or listen to the books. The librarian will return the Memory Joggers in time so they can review the information before our “School Battles” in March/April.
There will be prizes throughout the year as incentives to keep the children interested in reading the books. Anyone who reads five books and produces five Memory Joggers to the librarian by August 31st of the new school year will receive a prize. They will also receive a prize if they read five (or another five) books before Christmas break. For each Memory Jogger turned in during the school year, they will be given a ticket to put in a jar in the library for a monthly prize drawing. Students who read 15 of the books on their book lists will be eligible come to an awesome BoB related activity, with those reading all 20 books receiving special recognition!
The book lists include the genres for each book so that the students can select from those books for their monthly book reports. These titles will be automatically considered “approved.” Teachers will also be using some of the books in their regular classroom activities.
In January or February, the students will form teams of 4 students from their same grade. (Students do not have to be in the same class.) The librarian will coordinate this.
Where Do the Students Get the Books?
The school library will have all of the books for students to check out. However, the books should also be available at local or online libraries.
When Do the Students Read the Books?
Students have between early May and the end of March to read as many books as they can.
Does a Student Have to Read ALL of the Books to participate in the Battles?
No. The average participating student will read 8-10 of the books on their list. It’s wise to fill out the (optional) Memory Jogger for each book after they have finished reading it so they can review them before the “School Battles.” Students who choose to read 15-20 of the books on their book lists will be eligible attend a special BoB Activity!
What is and When is the “Battle”?
The “Battles” take place about the last week of March. They are conducted Family Feud style and teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list. They answer with book title and author’s name. At the end of the competition, points are totaled and winners announced. There will be prizes for the winners of each grade level.
What If My Student is not a “Good Reader”?
Everyone can participate!! Students are welcome to listen to audio books or read with a parent or older sibling. Each list of books is comprised of some “easy” books as well as some “challenging” books.
If you have any questions, email the librarian at sbeckstrand@odysseycharter.net.