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The Battle is ON!
On March 19 and March 25, 2021 more than 190 students on 24 teams from 9 local school districts competed in the 2021 “Battle of the Books.”
The Washington Saratoga Warren Hamilton Essex BOCES School Library System coordinates this competition that was held virtually.
Students in grades 3-6 prepared for the Battle of the Books for many months by reading five fiction and five non-fiction books. The teams, which consist of 5 or fewer students each on the day of the competitions, test themselves on every kind of detail imaginable, from the plot to the dedication. During the competition, teams had 45 seconds to a minute, depending on the round, to answer a question by selecting the correct title.
“The competition engages students, encourages them to choose books they might not read on their own, and opens up a whole new side of reading for them,” says WSWHE BOCES School Library System Coordinator, J’aimé Pfeiffer. “Students who participate love it! They make new friends and connections with their peers,” adds Pfeiffer.
Normally, volunteer “readers” ask the students’ questions, and make the decisions on accepting challenges. This year, all of the questions were online in the form of a game on the Nearpod® platform. Part of the excitement is that students can see where all the players are “on the mountain” after each question. Several volunteers returned this year to help with this new virtual competition because they look forward to seeing the many students excited about reading!
Each grade level competition is set up in a bracket system, and a first, second, and third place team is determined in the end. Each of the winning teams will be awarded a banner to have in their schools that they can proudly display.
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