ElementaryBattleoftheBooks

 The Chicago Public Schools' Battle of the Books program encourages ongoing reading and teamwork throughout the course of a year. Teams are comprised of students in two categories: 4th through 6th grade, and 7th and 8th grade. Each school may register 1 team per grade level. Each division has a separate reading list of 21 books. In the Spring, student teams work together to score points during three rounds of online competition, answering questions about the books with bonus points for giving the full name of the author. The highest scoring 15 teams from each grade level advance to the City Finals live competition, cheered on by family and friends.

Each team needs at least one set of books to read. As students read titles from the list, they are encouraged to write questions about the books as they read. Some questions can be used for in-depth exploration and conversations during book club meetings and some questions are knowledge level questions that can be used to prepare for the online battle competition. Participation in the Battle of the Books program promotes greater depth and breadth of student reading, encourages cooperation, teamwork, reading motivation and accomplishment. Everyone’s a winner in the Battle of the Books!

Click the link below to register a team for the 2019 Battle of the Books Program! = [|2019 Battle of the Books Registration Link] =

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 * [|2019 First Five titles] **

= Coach survey = = Student survey = = Parent Surveys =

**2018 Timeline** ====** August - November: **Recruit team members, register your team, order books, begin meeting with team members and ask team members and parents to write questions and answers about the books as they read.====

** September 1: **Complete 2018 book lists posted to the wiki.
Procure a set of books. Begin meeting with team members regularly, ensuring access to books as they become available. Share the TeachingBooks.net resources to inspire further reading. Collect questions from team members as they read, for practice battles in your school. Coaches read at least one book and write 20 questions about the book. Coaches submit 20 questions to template. **Grade 4-6** [|Question Template] [|CPS Student Video - Battle of the Books Is Fun!] - Beaubien Elementary Battle Team 2018 2019 Official Title Lists will be posted September 1st, 2018!
 * November - January: **
 * December: ** Coaches are asked to write 20 questions for one Battle of the Books title by January 9th. Please see below for templates.
 * Grade 7-8 ** [|Question Template]
 * January: ** Interested students may create designs for the 2018 Battle of the Books T-shirt contest. Designs must be received by February 14th. Please see your team coach for details.
 * February : ** Elect a team captain to memorize titles and authors and practice gathering information from team members to choose a final answer. Receive a link through e-mail for a short Practice Battle. Gather your team together to take the Practice Battle at any time you like, prior to March 19th. This battle is not scored and is only available to familiarize students with the online format.
 * February 14th: **T-shirt designs due to Dorsey Chambers.
 * March: ** Practice answering questions about books as a team. Determine the 6 students and one alternate that will represent your school.
 * March 20th: ** Receive a link to the __ **Grade 4-6** __ Online Battle. Gather your team to take the Online Battle at some point today. The top scoring 30 teams will advance to the City Finals.
 * March 21st: ** Receive a link to the __**Grade 7/8**__ Online Battle. Gather your team to take the Online Battle at some point today. The top scoring 30 teams will advance to the City Finals.
 * March 23rd: ** City Finalist Teams and Network Winners announced!
 * Sat. April 21st: ** City Finalists gather on Saturday morning from 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon at Little Village / Lawndale High School Campus, located at 3120 S. Kostner Ave.


 * What kinds of questions will be asked during the online quiz and championship rounds?** Three types of questions will be asked: “In what book..” questions, short answer questions and quotes will all be asked in the online battle. Questions will span a range of difficulty levels.

6 extremely challenging questions.
September 1st. = Grade 7-8 Question Template: [|Click here for the Grade 7/8 Question Template] =
 * Grade 4-6 Question Template: [|Click here for the Grade 4-6 Question Template] **

Participating in the Battle of the Books, has a myriad of opportunities for students to participate in high level questions and thinking. Battle of the Books Team Members have numerous benefits: [|Overview for Brand New Coaches]
 * Members have the opportunity to talk about books with peers - since reading is traditionally a solitary activity, talking about books with teammates, particularly guided by a coach, provides a variety of perspectives and opportunities for high level discussions that take place during team meetings @http://qcsdsi.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/0/3/8703164/7929096_orig.jpg
 * Participants have the opportunity to work as a collaborative team
 * Battle of the Books encourages students to read a variety of books they might not normally read to broaden their perspectives
 * Battle of the Books helps make reading a habit, increasing fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension
 * Battle of the Books helps bring new books and multiple copies into school libraries to make them available for all students in subsequent years
 * The competitive nature of the program can be very enticing to some students who might not normally be enthusiastic readers

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The competition, although intense, was still really fun. - Jocelyn R.
Book choices are selected based on a variety of factors including: [Battle of the Books] helped me gain back the fun of reading! - Christian A. ** We were crying from happiness! - Disney II Student ** **T-Shirt Design contest winner! **  Congratulations to Courtney Hau, an 8th grader at Healy elementary school, who won the CPS Battle of the Books t-shirt design competition. City finalists and volunteers will be wearing t-shirts with her design at the City Finals!!!
 * Books that have won literary awards, such as Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpre, Caudill, Bluestem, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best list and more
 * Newly published books are selected to add new titles to school libraries
 * Only the first of a series is selected to encourage students to seek out and read the rest of the series independently
 * Diversity must be represented in the book lists
 * Variety of genres including informational books to support Common Core standards and provide a range of reading options and expose students to a variety of literary styles
 * Student, coach, and parent choices with student appeal
 * Companion texts to build background knowledge, vocabulary and literacy skills

Enthusiasm for reading comes from reading for fun( as shown to me by my team)! Coach Stephens, Farnsworth School



 Congratulations 2018 CPS Elementary Battle of the Books City-Wide Champions!!!! During the 2017/2018 school year, 148 student teams from 97 Schools across the city participated in the CPS Elementary Battle of the Books Program! Teams of students read and answered questions about 21 books in online qualifying competitions. Congratulations to all participating teams! On Saturday April 21st, the top-scoring 30 teams participated in a live City Finals competition, cheered on by family and friends.

= 2019 Battle of the Books Registration Link =

Grade 4-6 City-Wide Champions
 * 2019 First Five titles **
 * Grades 4-6 || School || Coaches || Principal ||
 * 1st Place || Sauganash Elementary School || Jessica Hadfield || Christine Munns ||
 * 2nd Place || Edison Regional Gifted Center || Sarah Suway || Karen Valentine ||
 * 3rd Place || Edgebrook Elementary || Donna Puccini || Camille Unger ||

Grade 7-8 City-Wide Champions


 * Grades 7-8 || School || Coach || Principal ||
 * 1st Place || Lane Tech Academic Center || Elizabeth Cramarosso || Brian Tennison ||
 * 2nd Place || South Loop Elementary || Lisa Martin-Eatinger and Ann Kaminski || Tara Shelton ||
 * 3rd Place || Beaubien Elementary || Paula Wyatt, Mary Beth Steigerwald, Jennifer Axelsen || Michelle Ludford ||



2018 CPS Elementary Battle of the Books City Finalists and Network Winners **City Finalists** *City Finalists are the teams that received the top scores on the online qualifying battles and represented their schools at the City Finals competition at the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus on Saturday, April 21st 2018 from 10:00AM-12:00 Noon

 <span style="color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <span style="color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">** The schools listed below received the highest overall scores for their grade level and will compete in the live City Finals Battle of the Books event on Saturday, April 21st at Little Village Lawndale High School Campus at 10:00 AM. ** <span style="color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> **​** **The schools listed below received the highest scores of all the schools in their Network and will receive a Network trophy through the Mail Run.​**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000ff; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The schools listed below received the highest overall scores for their grade level and will compete in the live City Finals Battle of the Books event on Saturday, April 21st at Little Village Lawndale High School Campus at 10:00 AM. **
 * ** Grade 4-6 CITY FINALIST Schools ** || Network || Coaches ||
 * Academy for Global Citizenship || Charter || Meredith McNamara ||
 * Alcott || Network 4 || Jennifer Benson ||
 * Chappell || Network 2 || Sarah Hagen ||
 * Disney II Elementary || Network 1 || Bonnie Hoffman & Lynne Wagner Rhodes ||
 * Disney, Walt Magnet School || ISP || Gundry Rowe, Stefanie Herceg and Ms. Albarran ||
 * Edgebrook Elementary || Network 1 || Mrs.Puccinni ||
 * Edison Regional Gifted Center || Network 1 || Sarah Suway ||
 * Falconer || Network 3 || Lisa Warchol and Christina Bartik ||
 * Hawthorne Scholastic Academy || Network 4 || Lies Garner, Deters, Sagami ||
 * Healy, Robert || Network 6 || Luisa Santos ||
 * Jackson, Andrew Language Academy || Network 6 || Mrs.Gonzalez ||
 * LaSalle Language Academy || Network 4 || Ms. Lopez and Ms. Murphy ||
 * Lenart RGC || ISP || Ms. Smolen ||
 * Mayer, Oscar || Network 4 || Talia Delpino and Alyssa Shibona ||
 * Sauganash Elementary || Network 1 || Jessica Hadfield ||
 * ** Grade 7-8 CITY FINALIST Schools ** || Network || Coaches ||
 * Academy for Global Citizenship || Charter || Meredith McNamara ||
 * Agassiz, Louis || ISP || Calli Leventis ||
 * Alcott || Network 4 || Jennifer Benson ||
 * Beaubien || Network 1 || Wyatt, Axelsen, Steigerwald ||
 * Burbank, Luther || Network 3 || Ms. Sauer ||
 * Chappell || Network 2 || Faith Bejar ||
 * Ebinger, Christian || ISP || Cathy Hayden ||
 * Healy, Robert || Network 6 || Noreen Aderman ||
 * Kinzie Elementary || ISP || Amanda Boyle; Patty Allison ||
 * Lane Tech Academic Center || Network 4 || Elizabeth Cramarosso ||
 * LaSalle Language Academy || Network 4 || June Andalcio ||
 * Newberry Academy || Network 4 || Karina Brand ||
 * Peirce, Helen C. || Network 2 || Tiffany Brugman ||
 * Sauganash Elementary || Network 1 || Biesty-Kurzydlo ||
 * South Loop Elementary || ISP || Lisa Martin-Eatinger, Ann Kaminski ||
 * Network Winners **
 * **Grade 4-6 N****ETWORK WINNER** ** Schools ** || Network || Coaches ||
 * Edgebrook Elementary || Network 1 || Mrs.Puccinni ||
 * Chappell || Network 2 || Sarah Hagen ||
 * Falconer || Network 3 || Lisa Warchol and Christina Bartik ||
 * Mayer, Oscar || Network 4 || Talia Delpino and Alyssa Shibona ||
 * n/a || Network 5 || n/a ||
 * Healy, Robert || Network 6 || Luisa Santos ||
 * Corkery || Network 7 || Cath Garrity ||
 * Nightingale, Florence || Network 8 || Debbie Essig ||
 * Ray, William H. Elem || Network 9 || Linda Sue Collins ||
 * Stevenson Elementary || Network 10 || Laura Ward and Bozena Wasilewsk ||
 * Earle STEM Academy || Network 11 || Ms. Butler ||
 * Pirie || Network 12 || Stacie Bell ||
 * Washington, George || Network 13 || Anne Minard ||
 * Casals School of Excellence || AUSL || Sarah Reardon ||
 * Academy for Global Citizenship || Charter || Meredith McNamara ||
 * Disney, Walt Magnet School || ISP || Gundry Rowe, Stefanie Herceg and Ms. Albarran ||
 * ​The schools listed below received the highest scores of all the schools in their Network and will receive a Network trophy through the Mail Run.​**


 * ** Grade 7-8 NETWORK WINNER Schools ** || Network || Coach ||
 * Beaubien || Network 1 || Paula Wyatt, Axelsen, Steigerwald ||
 * Peirce, Helen C. || Network 2 || Tiffany Brugman ||
 * Burbank, Luther || Network 3 || Ms. Sauer ||
 * Lane Tech Academic Center || Network 4 || Elizabeth Cramarosso ||
 * n/a || Network 5 || n/a ||
 * Healy, Robert || Network 6 || Noreen Aderman ||
 * Saucedo, Maria || Network 7 || Danielle Klein ||
 * Nightingale, Florence || Network 8 || Nancy Heil ||
 * Murray Language Academy || Network 9 || Eileen Holzhauer ||
 * Byrne || Network 10 || Mary Beth Corbin ||
 * Fulton, Robert || Network 11 || Ms. Andrea Parker ||
 * Washington, Harold || Network 12 || Sharnetta Klyce ||
 * Washington, George || Network 13 || Cheryl Strus ||
 * Casals School of Excellence || AUSL || Teresa Chavez ||
 * Academy for Global Citizenship || Charter || Meredith McNamara ||
 * Kinzie Elementary || ISP || Amanda Boyle, Patty Allison ||

== "Incredible incentive for building comprehension and desire to read." - Betsy C., Teacher

"[Battle of the Books] was so suspenseful and joy-filled!! It shows that reading can and IS fun and we should be thankful for books." - Ibraheem K., Team Captain

"You remember stuff better and you read good books that you never would have read or known existed!" - Ella, Team member "I came to the U.S. two years ago. I was a very slow English reader. Now I can read a book in a day!" - Liel, Agassiz Elementary

"We have a Principal's Book Club and use Battle of the Books selections. It's the high point of my week...Thank you for doing this, we love it!" - Principal Reese, Hitch Elementary
"[Battle of the Books] made me a better person." - Stephen D., Solomon School

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Since I got my computer, I didn't read as much as I used to, but the Battle of the Books got me back on track again." - Tikal R., Pritzker School <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: left;">For my free time I wasn't just watching TV, I was reading books! - Brianna M., Sauganash School <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">"I learned to absorb the details more so I can understand the books." - Nicole C., Blaine School   //" I read more, developed more interest in different genres and have a love for reading. Thank you for this program// - Brenda, Swift School "[Participating in the Battle of the Books] makes me think more about author's motives. I met the American Girl author and she gave me some good advice." - Gabrielle O., Farnsworth School "I read more and like books more. Battle of the Books is Awesome!!!!!" - Anais R., Scammon School Book Discussion Techniques [] [] [] Read, Write, Think.org - How to Encourage Higher Order Thinking []
 * Fostering Engaging and Active Discussions in Middle School Classrooms**
 * Raising Urban Students' Literacy Achievement by Engaging in Authentic Challenging Work**
 * Book Club Ideas for Tweens and Families**

In 2010, Mayor Richard M. Daley welcomed nearly 1,400 students to the fifth annual Elementary Battle of the Books at the Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School “Books open up doors and allow us to experience places and situations outside of our normal everyday lives. They inspire our imaginations and take us on wonderful journeys,” the Mayor said. “I can’t stress enough the importance of reading. Reading is the key to enhancing education, stimulating creativity and ensuring a positive, successful future for all of you.” - Mayor Richard M. Daley April 17, 2010 at the CPS Battle of the Books []

[] =Media Consent Forms in English, Spanish and Polish= []
 * Check out the wonderful Chicago Works television video about the Elementary Battle oft he Books program 2010 available on YouTube. (YouTube must be accessed from home computers.)**

We need Volunteers [[image:20040522_1443__modem_photos01.jpg width="99" height="88"]]
===Please consider volunteering for our 12th Annual Battle of the Books City Finals Event on Saturday, April 29th! Teams of wonderful CPS students and their coaches have been busy preparing for the Battle of the Books online qualifying competitions in April. The top scoring 30 teams will advance to the live City Finals event on Saturday morning, April 29th, 2017.===

Click this link to Volunteer to help at the City Finals event on Saturday, April 21st! [|City Finals Volunteer Form]
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Dear Battle of the Books Coaches, <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> We would like to feature student artwork on the Battle of the Books City Finals 2017 T-shirts! <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Students in grades 4-8, currently participating in the 2017 Battle of the Books program may participate in the design contest.
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 24pt; line-height: 1.5;">Battle of the Books T-shirt Design Contest! **
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Who is eligible? **

Designs that encourage or celebrate reading or participating in the Battle of the Books will be considered.
 * What is theme of the Design contest?**

Each coach may send in up to 1 entry per participating student The entries will not be returned. Please drop off or send the art through the mail run to: Dorsey Chambers GSR / Mail Run #39 CPS Bridgeport Office Dorsey Chambers - 1st Floor - 222 501 W. 35th St. Chicago, IL 60616 =<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">[|English Media Release Form] = = = =<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">[|Spanish Media Release Form] = = = =<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">[|Polish Media Release Form] =
 * How many designs may each school submit?**
 * The design should be drawn with a marker with a thicker line.
 * Students may use no more than 3 colors in their design.
 * Please ask student artists to write their name on the front of their design.
 * Please write the students’ name, grade and school name on the back of the art.
 * Designs must be original artwork. No clip art may be included in the design.
 * The text "Battle of the Books City Finals 2017" does not need to be included in the design.
 * We reserve the right to adjust student designs as necessary.
 * Designs may be submitted on any kind of white paper.
 * Designs should be sent in the mail run by Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day, to be sure they are received by Feb. 21st.
 * The winning artist will have her or his design featured on the City Finals t-shirts and will receive several free t-shirts to keep
 * Where do you send your entries?**

Please contact Dorsey Chambers at DJChambers-Malewi@cps.edu or (773) 553-6218 for additional information, to donate a set of books to a team or to volunteer to help with the Battle of the Books.