Nearly
200 students in fourth through sixth grades from more than 30 schools
throughout the county will test their knowledge April 30 at the 13th
annual Battle of the Books in the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO)
auditorium.
About
8,000 students in public schools countywide have been challenged to read as
many books as possible from a pre-selected list of 30 to qualify for the event.
These books will be the source of the questions and challenges that the
students will face at the “battle.”
Students
are encouraged to read all 30 books, but they must read at least 15 to attend
the Battle of the Books. Each school can send a maximum of five students.
This
year, a partnership with Granada Books, a new community bookstore in downtown
Santa Barbara, has given students an added incentive: Participating students
can earn certificates for free books to keep.
“This
annual competition is an entertaining opportunity for students from throughout
the county to come together for a friendly ‘literary battle,’ but it’s also an
important reading incentive program,” said county Superintendent of Schools
Bill Cirone, whose office coordinates the event.
Granada
Books will offer a free book for every five books a student reads, with
certification from a teacher, up to the entire 30 on the official list. That
means each child could earn up to six free books.
“This
is a win-win opportunity for Granada Books and our sister nonprofit,
Pomegranate Arts, to give back,” said Emmett McDonough, co-owner of Granada
Books. “One of our core beliefs is that by providing children with an
opportunity to earn their own books to keep, we help encourage more reading, as
well as the love of books.”
Many
schools will have more than five children who have read multiple books, so the
bookstore’s owners will offer the same incentive to students who are not chosen
to attend the “battle.” South County children and parents can redeem their
certificates at Granada Books, and North County families will be able to redeem
theirs at a temporary “store” that Granada will set up in Santa Maria after the
event.
In
addition to encouraging literacy and making reading fun, the Battle of the
Books rewards reading comprehension and teamwork. Two teams of six or seven
students compete against each other by answering 20 comprehension questions
based on the 30 books. The students must agree upon and offer their answers as
a group.
All
teams will compete in a round-robin tournament of four battles, and then the
highest-scoring teams will take the stage for the final battle, facilitated by
guest author Robin Mellom.
“When
they arrive for the Battle of the Books, the students will be re-blended into
teams so that no one school competes against another,” said Matt Zuchowicz,
director of Educational Technology Services, the SBCEO department that conducts
the event. “Regardless of who wins the final battle, every student is rewarded
with certificates, and the winners receive books and T‑shirts,” he added.
“Students also have an opportunity that day to vote for a book they’d like to
see on the list for next year’s event, which is a fun way to motivate and
engage the young readers.”
For
more information, call Rose Koller at SBCEO, 964-4710, ext. 5222, or Granada
Books at 845-1818.
