What is Battle of the Books Jr.?
Battle of the Books Jr. is an optional reading incentive program that was created at Rosecrest Elementary a few years ago, allowing all students to participate in the Battle of the Books program. It has been a great success and Upland is one of a few schools in Granite District implementing the program this year.
Rather than having students read specific books on a reading list, Battle Jr encourages students in grades K-2 to read books of their own choosing from specified categories. Students can count a book read independently, one read with parents, or one read by the teacher at school. For this program, there will not be a specific number of pages or time required to pass off the category. Any book completed, if it fits the category, is acceptable. We will not police books, but rather leave that up to the parents’ judgement. Parents help students keep track of books at home and sign off on a reading sheet. Students get to earn buttons for each category when they read 3 or more books. There are 2 categories assigned to months November – March in order to help students pace their reading. April will be a bonus/catch up month, but students can go back anytime after categories are introduced, read books for those categories, and earn the pins.
Here is a list of the 10 categories:
November: Adventure Animals/Nature
December: Fairy Tale/Fable Famous People and Places
January: History Humorous
February: Math Rhyming
March: School Space
April: Catch up/finish program
Every student will receive a red ribbon lanyard with a name card attached. These lanyards will stay at school and be worn to library time. Students who want to participate can read 3 books from each category and keep track of their reading at home. Once the tracking sheet is filled, parents will sign the sheet and send it to school by the last Monday of each month. The last Wednesday of the month will be “Button Day,” when students will be awarded the buttons they have earned and pin them to their lanyard.
Are there any Prizes?
In addition to earning the buttons for each category, students can earn a prize at the half-way point and at the end. After students have completed 5 categories, they will get a pencil and a scratch and sniff bookmark. After students have completed all 10 categories, they will get to choose a new book from our school supply of books purchased with Scholastic Dollars.
Where do I find more info?
To check out the district Battle of the Books Jr. website, click here: https://sites.google.com/granitesd.org/botb/schools/battle-of-the-books-junior
To find the take-home packet for Battle of the Books Jr., click the link below:
For a copy of the monthly summary sheet, click the link below:
