• Jeannette Rankin Battle of the Books

    List of Books for the 2024-2025 Battle of the Books

    Battle Schedule - Please see  attached times

    Battle #1 -- Monday, December 9th

    Battle #2 -- Wednesday, February 26th 

    Battle #3 -- Monday, April 28th

    General Battle Rules and Procedures

      • There is a third grade division and fourth/fifth grade division. Third-graders will participate in school battles, but will not go on to a district battle.
      • The fourth/fifth grade team with the highest cumulative points after the third battle will go on to compete in the district battle.
        • Parents will be contacted if their children are on the winning team. At that point, they can arrange transportation to the district battle. Families are welcome to attend!
      • Students will be asked to sign up in teams of 2-3 within their grade levels. 
      • Once teams are established, team members may not be changed.
      • Battles take place during the school day, with the exception of the District Battle in the late spring.
      • If a team member is absent on the day of the competition or has dropped out of the program, the remaining team members must continue without him/her.
      • There will be three in-school battles this year.  Each battle will focus on three titles for third grade teams and three/four titles for fourth/fifth grade teams. See link above for titles. 
      • There are 6-10 copies of each title in the JRE library for student checkout. Students can also check out Battle books from the public library, purchase their own copies, or check their classroom libraries for copies to read.
      • Mrs. Fuller will help teams manage their reading. Not every team member will be able to check out a book right away, as we don't have enough copies for each student. Mrs. Fuller will make sure that each team member has the same opportunity to check out and read their book(s) before each battle.
      • Battle books checked out from the JRE library must be returned within two weeks, so students must be diligent in reading every day and finishing their books.

    How do the battles work?

    • Each team will be asked eight questions. The first five will be Phase I questions. The last three will be Phase II. 
      • Phase I questions: Teams will have 30 seconds to collaborate on both the title and author of the books for Phase I questions. Five points will be given for the correct book title. Three points will be given for the correct author. No score is earned for the author’s name unless the book title is given first.
        • Example: In which book did a spider spin words into a web?
      • Phase II questions: Teams will have 20 seconds to collaborate on the answer to Phase II questions. Ten points will be given for the correct answer. No bonus points are awarded for naming the author. Phase II questions are short, factual ones. 
        • Example: in Where the Red Fern Grows, what were the names of the dogs?
    • Each team will elect one spokesperson to share answers. 
    • Teams have the right to challenge answers declared incorrect by the judges if they are CERTAIN they can give a correct response. Challenges must be made immediately. Teams will have three minutes to prove that their answer is correct by using the text.