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Winship Elementary wins annual Battle of the Books
  
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By OBSERVER STAFF REPORTS
Teams of fifth-graders from elementary schools districtwide met at Northgate Crossing Elementary School on March 28 for the annual Spring Independent School District Battle of the Books competition.
Winship Elementary School won the coveted traveling trophy this year.
A team of Winship students, Blake Butschek, Megan Soetaert, Brett Randall, MacKenzie Dillman and Elizabeth Braaten, won first place by answering the most questions correctly about 10 books that were required reading on the Battle of the Books list. Meyer Elementary School came in second and Reynolds Elementary School took third.
Brenda Bayer, Winship librarian and Battle of the Books coach, said the competition began in 1998 with a grant from the Spring ISD Education Foundation and has continued with funding provided by the district. Each year the battle is waged over 10 books selected by Spring ISD elementary librarians.
Fifth-graders districtwide begin reading the selected books in the fall and every fifth-grader takes a test to determine who will get to serve on a battle team. Winship has four fifth-grade classes that each formed a team to battle it out for the honor of representing their school at the district competition.
Bayer said team members answer a variety of questions that require higher-level thinking, such as drawing a conclusion or making a comparison, in addition to detailed knowledge of the books.
“The competition exposes kids to many different types of books that they may not normally read, as many genres as possible, including historical fiction, realistic fiction and fantasy,” Bayer said. “Every year I have kids tell me that they enjoy those books so much.”
The books selected for the competition sit on shelves in each elementary school library and are designated for fifth-graders who are competing in the battle. The books are not made available to the younger grades until after the final competition, which adds to the mystique of the books and generates interest in the contest among the younger grades.
“After the battle is over, the third- and fourth-graders start swarming the shelves,” Bayer said.
The competition requires not only a commitment from the students who participate but also a commitment from the elementary librarians who are already beginning to select books for next year’s battle. During the summer, the librarians will write competition questions based on the 10-book list selected for the next school year.
Next fall, the fourth-graders who have been waiting their turn will get their chance.
Winship Elementary School won the coveted traveling trophy this year.
A team of Winship students, Blake Butschek, Megan Soetaert, Brett Randall, MacKenzie Dillman and Elizabeth Braaten, won first place by answering the most questions correctly about 10 books that were required reading on the Battle of the Books list. Meyer Elementary School came in second and Reynolds Elementary School took third.
Brenda Bayer, Winship librarian and Battle of the Books coach, said the competition began in 1998 with a grant from the Spring ISD Education Foundation and has continued with funding provided by the district. Each year the battle is waged over 10 books selected by Spring ISD elementary librarians.
Fifth-graders districtwide begin reading the selected books in the fall and every fifth-grader takes a test to determine who will get to serve on a battle team. Winship has four fifth-grade classes that each formed a team to battle it out for the honor of representing their school at the district competition.
Bayer said team members answer a variety of questions that require higher-level thinking, such as drawing a conclusion or making a comparison, in addition to detailed knowledge of the books.
“The competition exposes kids to many different types of books that they may not normally read, as many genres as possible, including historical fiction, realistic fiction and fantasy,” Bayer said. “Every year I have kids tell me that they enjoy those books so much.”
The books selected for the competition sit on shelves in each elementary school library and are designated for fifth-graders who are competing in the battle. The books are not made available to the younger grades until after the final competition, which adds to the mystique of the books and generates interest in the contest among the younger grades.
“After the battle is over, the third- and fourth-graders start swarming the shelves,” Bayer said.
The competition requires not only a commitment from the students who participate but also a commitment from the elementary librarians who are already beginning to select books for next year’s battle. During the summer, the librarians will write competition questions based on the 10-book list selected for the next school year.
Next fall, the fourth-graders who have been waiting their turn will get their chance.
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