BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

2016

INSPIRED BY:

• CBC’S CANADA READS• SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL YEARLY BATTLE OF THE BOOKS• HTTP://WWW.SLJ.COM/2016/02/PROGRAMS/BATTLE-OF-THE-BOOKS-SLAM-DUNK-PR

OGRAMMING-FOR-ALL-AGES/#_

• MARCH MADNESS NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

HOW I CHOSE THE BOOKS?• I USED THE CIRCULATION RECORDS FROM FEBRUARY 2015 – FEBRUARY 2016• ONLY FICTION & GRAPHIC NOVEL TITLES WERE INCLUDED• FROM THE TOP 50 TITLES, I WHITTLED IT DOWN TO 32 (I ONLY INCLUDED

ONE BOOK FROM A SERIES, EVEN IF MORE THAN ONE WERE IN THE TOP FIFTY). I WANTED THE MIX TO BE MADE UP NEW AND OLD TITLES, AND ACCESSIBLE TO A VARIETY OF READERS

HOW I CHOSE THE BRACKETS?

• I INQUIRED WITH OUR ATHLETIC / TOURNAMENT GUY, HE INFORMED ME “THERE IS A SYSTEM” -- #1 VS.#32, #2 VS. #31 ETC.

FIND LOADS OF COPIES OF BOOKS• I TRIED TO HAVE 10+ COPIES OF EACH TITLE, THEY CAN LATER BE USED FOR

LIT. CIRCLES, ETC.• RAIDED MY PERSONAL STASH• MADE NUMEROUS VISITS TO VALUE VILLAGE • ORDERED FROM BOOKDEPOT – TOTAL $130.05 FOR 52 COPIES• STUDENTS COULD ALSO USE TEACHER/CLASSROOM LIBRARY COPIES

SET THE STAGE AND BUILD HYPE

SET THE STAGE AND BUILD HYPE• I USED MY BLOG TO PROMOTE TITLES VIA BOOK TRAILERS BEFORE THE FIRST

VOTE.• HTTPS://LAKIELIBRARY.WORDPRESS.COM/• TO LOOK AT JUST BATTLE ENTRIES, USE ‘EVENTS IN THE LIBRARY’ IN CATEGORY

SEARCH

SET THE STAGE AND BUILD HYPE• I CREATED EXCERPT BOOKLETS (THE HOOK), FOR STUDENTS TO READ. MADE

THEM AVAILABLE TO L.A. TEACHERS, AND WOULD SHARE ONE OR TWO AS A READ-ALOUD DURING LIBRARY TIME.• ANNOUNCEMENTS• SHOW PUBLISHER MADE BOOK TRAILERS, AUTHOR INTERVIEWS, ETC.

SET THE STAGE AND BUILD HYPE

• WORK WITH AN AWESOME TEAM

HAVE SOME FUN• STUDENT SHOUT OUT BULLETIN BOARD• DRESS AS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER DAY• EDIBLE BOOK FEAST• STUDENT MADE BOOK TRAILERS / PROMO MATERIALS

HAVE SOME FUN PHOTOS

TALLY THE VOTES

• STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON BOOKS THEY HAVEN’T READ – THEY HEARD EXCEPTS, THEY HEARD CLASSMATES, THEY WATCHED BOOK TRAILERS – ‘DO YOUR BEST’ IS WHAT WE TOLD THEM

CROWN THE WINNER

• I THINK I’LL MAKE TROPHY STICKERS FOR THE WINNER, SO THEY’LL ALWAYS BE RECOGNIZED IN THE FUTURE.

RESPONSE FROM TEACHERS• WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS?• I LOVE THIS IDEA AND LOVE THAT OUR LIBRARIAN IS ALWAYS USING DIFFERENT WAYS TO CHALLENGE US AND THE KIDS TO READ.

• HOW HAS THE TOURNAMENT EFFECTED YOUR CLASSES?• MY CLASS HAS BEEN TOTALLY ON BOARD WITH THE CHALLENGE.  THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT PROMOTING THE BOOKS THEY HAVE READ AND

LIKED. 

• WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE TITLE SELECTION? AND THE AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS?• YES.  I’D BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW YOU PICKED THE ONES YOU DID AND WHY YOU PITTED THEM AGAINST THE ONES YOU PIT THEM

AGAINST.  • WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN LIKE WITH YOUR STUDENTS?• I THINK THE MAJORITY OF MY CLASS HAS BEEN MAKING AN EFFORT TO GET THE BOOKS ON THE LIST READ.  CERTAINLY THEY ARE

PROMOTING THE ONES THEY LIKE. 

• WOULD YOU SEE THIS AS A VALUABLE ENDEAVOR TO PURSUE AGAIN?• ABSOLUTELY.

• DAWN KING-HUNTER GR.7

RESPONSE FROM TEACHERS• WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS?• BATTLE OF THE BOOKS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING WAY TO ENGAGE STUDENT IN READING. SOME OF MY MOST RELUCTANT READERS HAVE ENTHUSIASTICALLY PICKED UP CHAPTER BOOKS THEY NEVER

WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED OTHERWISE.  THE BATTLE HAS ALSO BEEN A GREAT CONVERSATION TOPIC FOR STUDENTS, AND I OFTEN FIND THEM DISCUSSING BOOKS OF THEIR OWN ACCORD! I HAVE TRIED TO READ QUITE A FEW OF THE TITLES MYSELF IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE BOOKS WITH STUDENTS. THIS DISCUSSION HAS BEEN ANOTHER GREAT BY-PRODUCT OF THE CHALLENGE.  

• HOW HAS THE TOURNAMENT EFFECTED YOUR CLASSES?• IT HAS DEFINITELY MADE FOR GOOD DISCUSSION AND MORE FOCUSED READING. IT HAS ALSO BEEN A FANTASTIC TIE-IN FOR MY PERSUASIVE WRITING UNIT!

• WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE TITLE SELECTION? AND THE AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS?• THERE WAS A GREAT SELECTION OF TITLES, AND THE STUDENTS DIDN’T SEEM TO HAVE TO WAIT VERY LONG TO READ THE TITLES THEY WANTED TO READ.

• WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN LIKE WITH YOUR STUDENTS?• AMAZINGLY POSITIVE! I HAVE LOVED TO SEE HOW ENGAGED THEY HAVE BEEN AND HOW PASSIONATELY THEY ARGUE FOR OR AGAINST CERTAIN BOOKS.

• WOULD YOU SEE THIS AS A VALUABLE ENDEAVOR TO PURSUE AGAIN?• DEFINITELY! I THINK IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS! THANK YOU, CATHY!

• WERE YOU ABLE TO BRING THE TOURNAMENT INTO YOUR LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM – IF SO HOW?• I BROUGHT THE BATTLE INTO CLASS BY CONNECTING IT TO MY PERSUASIVE WRITING UNIT. I ALSO ALLOWED STUDENTS TIME TO WORK ON EXTENSION ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS VISUALLY REPRESENTING

THEIR FAVOURITE BOOK THROUGH A POSTER OR DOOR DECORATION. WE ALSO VIEWED SEVERAL MORE OF THE BOOK TRAILERS AND MADE PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE CONTEST.

• TARYN RODZINYAK GR. 7

RESPONSE FROM TEACHERS• WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS?

• BATTLE OF THE BOOKS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING ACTIVITY. BOTH OF MY CLASSES HAVE REALLY GOTTEN EXCITED ABOUT THE BOOKS AND THEIR INTEREST IN READING HAS GROWN. IN CLASS STUDENTS ARE HAVING DEBATES ABOUT THE CHARACTERS, PLOT LINES AND CONFLICT WITHIN THE BOOKS AND THIS HAS PAIRED REALLY WELL WITH OUR OWN STORY WRITING. 

• HOW HAS THE TOURNAMENT EFFECTED YOUR CLASSES?

• ALL POSITIVE RESULTS. MORE READING AND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LITERATURE IS TAKING PLACE. THE KIDS ARE EXCITED AND I THINK THEY ARE READING MORE!

• WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE TITLE SELECTION? AND THE AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS?

• THE BOOKS YOU SELECTED WERE GREAT. LOTS OF VARIETY IN BOTH GENRE AND LENGTH. THERE WAS A BOOK FOR EVERYONE!

• WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN LIKE WITH YOUR STUDENTS?

• THE STUDENTS GET INVOLVED AND VERY PASSIONATE WHEN WE ARE VOTING. CHANTING, CHEERING AND HOLLERS OF “NOOOOOO!” ERUPT WHEN THE RESULTS ARE ANNOUNCED. IT IS SUPER FUN TO WATCH!

• WOULD YOU SEE THIS AS A VALUABLE ENDEAVOR TO PURSUE AGAIN?

• I WOULD LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IF WE DID THIS AS AN ANNUAL EVENT!

• WERE YOU ABLE TO BRING THE TOURNAMENT INTO YOUR LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM – IF SO HOW?

• MY STUDENTS WROTE DAILY WRITING PROMPTS ABOUT THE BOOK BATTLE AT THE START OF CLASS. WE USED EXAMPLES FROM THE BOOKS IN THE BATTLE WHEN WRITING OUR SHORT STORIES IN PREPARATION FOR PATS.

• LAURA MUIRHEAD, GR. 6