Highcroft Drive Elementary's Book Battle 

This spring we will be kicking Highcroft’s first book battle. Our PTA-driven initiative aims to provide our students with an environment to build curiosity for reading and to explore other books they would not normally read. Students will read amazing books and participate in a quiz bowl battle against other Highcroft peers. 

 

At this time, we are inviting 4th and 5th graders to join us. 

Enrollment

If your child is interested in being a part of the Huskie’s Book Battle, we encourage you to sign them up. We have a maximum capacity of 12 students per grade, and enrollment will be on a combination of first-come/first-serve and an assessment of participation in other school/PTA sponsored clubs. A separate enrollment email will be sent out to all 4th and 5th grade families and an acceptance email will be sent to the selected 24 students no later than January 12th, 2024. 

Meeting Frequency and Location

Meetings occur once a month(Thursdays) from 8:15AM to 8:45AM

 

January 18th

 

February 8th

 

March 14th

 

April 11th

 

May Competition (TBD)

 

Students will meet in the Highcroft Media Center.  

 

Volunteer Registration is required if you would like to help when needed. 

 

If you have any questions, please email Angie Baughman. ( highcroftptasecretary@gmail.com)

 

 

Resources

Huskies Book Battle Journal

 

Husky Book Battle Book Overview 2023/2024

 

Parent FAQs

 

What is the Huskies Book Battle?

Battle of the Books  is a voluntary reading incentive club for students in 4th and 5th grades. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while competing with Highcroft peers. It is also a great opportunity to learn responsibility and teamwork because teammates depend on each other to read the books within a given timeframe. At this time, we are not planning to compete outside of our Highcroft peers.

 

Why should a student  participate in the Huskies Book Battle?

The Huskies Book Battle encourages students to read great books. The books are from a wide range of genres, characters, and award-winning books. One of the best things about participating in the challenge is reading and enjoying books that the students may have never chosen on their own.

 

How many books are the students expected to read? 

Our battle is new to Highcroft and considered a pilot. Therefore, we have started small and have selected 3 books to read for each grade. The students have approximately 4 months to read all 3 books. 

 

How are teams formed?

As part of the first meeting, students will be assigned to teams consisting of four students. During the enrollment period, there is a question about team members/friends. Please assure you fill this out and we will do our best to keep these requests in mind. 

 

What will the monthly meetings entail? 

During the first meeting, an overview of all the books that need to be read by the team will be provided. Once students have read some of the books, the team will discuss the ins and outs of each book so that everyone on the team has a general understanding of the book. Then, games may be played to sharpen their knowledge of each book. Finally, the teams will prepare for their  competition. The meetings will be student-driven and are to keep them accountable to their team. 

 

Does my child need to attend every meeting?

Yes. Attendance at monthly meetings is not optional.

 

Are volunteers/parents needed at the meetings?

For this 1st meeting, we will work with the students. Should we decide after this 1st meeting that additional help could be beneficial, we will reach out to the parents who offered to volunteer. 

 

What are the questions like?

The questions will not be interpretive questions. They will relate to a character, the setting, or important events of the plot and have concrete answers. In all cases, the answer will be the title of the book. 

 

Sample question:

 

Question: In what book, does the main character sleep with a stuffed gorilla each night?

Answer: The One and Only Ivan

 

 

Do we have to buy the books?

No. The Highcroft library will have copies for students to borrow. However, if your child prefers their own copy to keep or make notes etc., then we recommend the parent to purchase a copy at a local or online bookstore. 

 

The books are also available at the Wake County Public Library. We have selected  books that have a high number of copies at the Wake County library. Students are encouraged to put in a request for the books as soon as they have been accepted into the program if this is an option you would like to explore.

 

Do they have to bring all three books to every meeting?

No. Only to the first meeting. They will bring the book they are reading at the time. 

 

Will the books change every year? Can we recommend books for next year?

At this time, we do not have plans on changing the books every year as it requires a larger investment. If interest continues to grow, we will explore expanding the program and incorporating more books that can be used in years to come. 

 

How did you choose the book titles?

Choosing titles can be a fun and challenging task and were selected while adhering to the BOE (Board of Education) policies ! The good news is we have another local school that has had multiple years of success with these titles with the same targeted audience. Additionally,the selected books were chosen based on public library availability ,costs and a cross reference with other programs that may already be reading books such as AIG students or within your students regular classroom. The titles are a diverse subject matter and characters, are award winning titles, and have a representation of a wide variety of genres. Should you have a concern about any of these titles, please feel free to contact Angie Baughman at the email listed above.

 

Can I come and watch my child participate?

To be determined. As the date for the final battle gets closer we will determine if parents can come in to watch.

 

What can I do to help my child?

Help to obtain books and discuss the books with your child to help them comprehend the story and remember some of the important details of the story. Encourage your child to be positive with their team members and with the other teams. Make sure they are staying on-task of reading 3 books. And most importantly, make sure they are having fun!

 

How will I find out if a meeting has been rescheduled?

For last minute reasons, parents will be notified either the day before or by 7am the day of the meeting.

 

What else does my child need for these meetings?

This program is new to us and we are learning as we go.

 

We have decided it would be great to have the students keep a journal tracker as part of reading the books. This will help them prepare for the questions asked. The document will be shared with the students at the 1st meeting and has also been posted here on the website should you need additional copies. 

 

We are open to parent and student ideas for how to best prepare for a book battle.