Oak Street Battle of the Books

Reading, Teamwork, Competition, Fun!

April 5 and 7, 2010 6:30 PM
Oak Street Auditorium

Hosted by Mrs. Philhower

4th Grade Books

5th Grade Books

Teams

Important Dates

Tips & FAQs

Contact Us

Mrs. Phil

Room 18

• Have your team sit in the formation they’ll be in on Battle night:

• Go online and find summaries of the books to make up your own practice questions. Skim the books or actually read them to come up with some questions. Or wait for the practice questions on their way from Mrs. Philhower.

• When asking questions to the team, always ask them in the form “In what book….?” And have them respond “Name of book by name of author”.

• After you ask the question, have the team huddle together and discuss QUIETLY what their answer will be. Remember they have 30 seconds to come up with their answer. Encourage them to use this time to discuss the possible answers and not to rush.

• Have the spokesperson practice standing up and talking into a microphone to deliver the team’s answer loud and clear.

• Quiz the team on book titles and authors including proper pronunciation!

• Don’t let them be anything but good sports and good teammates to each other.  Help them enjoy this experience! Good luck!

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Some parents have expressed concern about teams of 4 being at a disadvantage. “Not true!” says Mrs. Philhower. Even though mathematically in teams of 4 there will be 4 books that only one child will be reading, the battle experience will still be a great one.

Not to worry: Mrs. Philhower says “The 4 person teams have all the books covered, so they are fine.”

Proven Success: Not only have many teams of 4 made it to the championship rounds in years past, some have won the entire Battle!

Tips: If you are still concerned, have the team members briefly describe their books to one another. That may encourage a child to read another book or it may simply familiarize the other members of the team with the storylines of books they aren’t reading so they can make an educated guess during the Battle. Or suggest that one of the stronger or more enthusiastic readers on the team read a 4^th book.

Most importantly…don’t lose sight of the goal:  Remember the goals of this program are to get each child to read 3 new books; to have them work with and contribute to their team; to have fun and to do their best!

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Q. What day is the BOTB competition and where is it going to be held?
A. This year's BOTB competition will be held on two nights: Monday, April 5 for 4th Graders and Wednesday, April 7 for 5th Graders. Both competitions will be held at the Oak Street School Auditorium.

Q. What time does the BOTB competition start and what time should Battle Students arrive?
A. The competition will begin at 6:30pm. Battle Students should arrive by 6pm. Parents, siblings and friends can also arrive at 6pm and purchase baked goods from the 5th Grade Baking Committee.

Q. Why is BOTB at night?
A. BOTB is going to be held at night so family members can come and watch the event. It's going to be very exciting.

Q. How long is the actual BOTB competition?
A. Approximately two hours.

Q. I have never done BOTB before. What do I actually do at the competition?
A. Teams will sit together on the stage. One person will be the designated spokesperson (this should be decided before the competition) who will be the only person allowed to answer the questions. Mrs. Philhower will ask a question to each group one at a time. The team has a certain period of time to discuss the answer and then the spokesperson must answer the question. All questions will start with the words "In which book". All answers must include the book title and the author, for example, "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau. The winning team of each round will compete in the final round and the winner of that round will be declared the winner.

Q. Are we supposed to wear something special to the competition?
A. Dressing up is completely optional and is each team's choice as to whether or not it chooses to dress up. If a team does choose to dress up, it should be done in good taste with matching shirts or hats or something else appropriate to show your team spirit.

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Q. How is this year's BOTB different?
A. Instead of having practice battles at school, teams are encouraged to meet once or twice after school or on the weekends for practice. You can get together at a team member's house, at the town library or in Room 18 at Oak Street School. Please email BOTB@oakstreetpto.org for room availabilities.

Q. Why should I participate in BOTB?
A. You will read a variety of books you may not have chosen on your own, you will be part of a team, you can discuss the books with your friends and teammates and you will share your knowledge in a competition.

Q. What if I can't find anyone to be on my team?
A. Mrs. Philhower will be available during lunch on January 11 to help you put together a team. She will make sure that everyone who wants to participate will be able to participate.

Q. Where can I get the books?
A. Books will be available to borrow from the Oak Street Library and the Bernards Township Library and for  purchase at the Bookworm.on January 13. There will also be a few audio books available. 

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