transylvaniaschools
TCS Elementary Battle of the Books, March 2016
TC Henderson Wins 2016 Elementary Battle of the Books Competition
BREVARD, NC (March 15, 2016)—Teams from Brevard, Pisgah Forest, Rosman, and T.C. Henderson Elementary Schools gathered recently at the Transylvania County Library to compete for the countywide Elementary Battle of the Books championship trophy.
In a climactic, hard-fought round-robin tournament, T.C. Henderson rose to the top of the field, defeating their closest opponent by 7 points. Brevard and Pisgah Forest tied for second in this year’s competition.
Heather Finch, media specialist and team coach for T.C. Henderson, reported that it was not without sacrifice that students performed well in the Battle of the Books.
“Our team is made up of students who have given up their lunches or many days to work together here in the school library,” said Finch. “The online practice rounds with other schools significantly helped our energetic readers to test their skills and prepare for competition.”
She added, “We already know that we have the first question of the first round in the regional battle, which is very exciting!” To answer a question, all students listen to a fact-based reference from one of the 18 books. A designated student from the team taking its turn may consult with teammates, then must recite the complete title and author’s name for the correct book. Answering incorrectly opens up a question to the other team for a steal.
Team members spent many hours during the school year preparing for the competition. They individually read from the regulation list of 18 books, up from 8-12 books in recent years’ competition at the Transylvania County level. This expanded list was daunting, and while some read the minimum of six in order to compete, other students took the challenge in stride and read all 18!
While some participants had read two or three of this year’s books prior to the season, others navigated the entire list during the school year to reach peak form for the competition. From a roster of as many as 12 students, six compete at one time for each school. Selection for the competition team at each meet is made according to the number of books each student has read.
To get ready for the county competition, teams decided how to approach the books and then participated in mock competitions at their schools during lunch and after school. Sabrina Rhodes, 4th-grade teacher at Pisgah Forest Elementary, explained that her team’s first steps were to browse the books and explore which books the team planned to start with.
“Students created flashcards and spent time memorizing authors and titles,” Rhodes said. “Students kept logs of the books they had read, and every week each student would discuss their book, plot lines, characters, and so on. In addition, they created questions to quiz each other, then we pulled questions from internet as well.”
Because of the much-longer book list, students had to be very aware of time, and make sure they reviewed books from earlier in the year to stay fresh on each book’s plot. Since some stories had similar plot lines, students had to listen carefully to questions and discussion, and make notes of differences and similarities.
Rhodes felt that this showed real dedication to the books, and their team. “Many students took personal notes at home as they read so they could review as needed. It really challenged the students to persevere and pushed them academically to succeed.”
T.C. Henderson used online practice sessions during lunch periods to help their team train competitively against students statewide. The challenge of tackling 18 new books, and taking on other teams from next door as well as across the state, motivated their team and dozens of students throughout Transylvania County Schools.
Winning the county contest earned T.C. Henderson Elementary an invitation to compete against all the Region 8 winners at the central office of Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, on Friday, April 22, starting at 10:00 a.m.
T.C. Henderson students reported that on top of the thrill of the competition itself, they were excited about a planned side trip to Fuddrucker’s to make the trip complete. The excitement wasn’t limited to the champions, either. The Pisgah Forest team gathered for one last practice the week after the competition and saluted their accomplishments with pizza, donuts, and dancing.
Officiants for this year’s Transylvania County Elementary Battle included Audrey Reneau (moderator), Director of Curriculum and Title I; Sarah Justice (scorekeeper), school librarian, Rosman High School; Amy Galloway (timekeeper), school librarian, Brevard Middle School; and Stefanie Tomlin (judge), AIG Teacher , Brevard and Pisgah Forest Elementary Schools.
In 2010, the North Carolina School Library Media Association became the sponsor for the Elementary Battle of the Books program in our state. The purpose of the program is to encourage reading in elementary school.
Because the books are drawn from fiction for young readers, plot lines often draw on very similar or closely related elements. It can be tough to recall which book features a particular episode about sons and daughters, parents, dogs, thieves, long journeys, even bicycles and balloons. Such themes may often be found in more than one book.
When asked, T.C. Henderson students reported that they might have read more books if not for taking on the list of 18 from the competition; however, these challenging books also introduced them to new authors whose works they have come to love.
The book list, chosen by the NC School Library Media Battle of the Books Committee, offers students an opportunity to read a variety of genres on different levels by prominent authors in children’s literature.
Questions are developed by the State Elementary Battle of the Books committee and delivered to each district's facilitator one week prior to the competition. Questions are kept under lock and key until the competition.
Rosman Elementary school librarian and coach Peggy Bayne noted that her students have already begun reading the books for next year's competition.
“We had a wonderful experience at this year's Battle of the Books, and many of our students will be back next year to compete. We'd also like to thank Ericka Brock, Youth Services Librarian, for our tour of the library facilities,” said Bayne.
Many students on the teams this year expressed how much fun the competition was and how they have found some favorite new authors and series to read! The book list for elementary or middle school students interested in participating next year can be found at www.ncslma.org/ebob.
Brevard Elementary: Julia Grace Hardy (4th), Ethan Huggins (4th), Brett Bradley (4th), Piper Suttles (5th), Molly Kyne (4th), Ella Leatherwood (5th), Ruby Harris (4th), Tyler Case (5th), and Coach Charlene Cali, School Librarian.
TC Henderson Elementary: Trey Galloway (5th), Caitlyn Brooks (5th), Elisabeth Qualls (4th), Tanner Burrell (4th), Chantelle Moll (4th), Marley McCall (4th), Austin Lee (4th), Ava Persons (4th), Emma Cunningham (4th), Colin Ross (4th), Garrett Gainey (4th), and Coach Heather Finch, School Librarian.
Pisgah Forest Elementary: Lucy Murray (5th), Amaya Harris (5th), Elizabeth Chapman (5th), Elizabeth Caroway (4th), Kinslee Clark (4th), Olivia Nichols (4th), Makayla King (4th), Macayle Stevens (4th), Coaches Sabrina Rhodes, Tammy Ducker, Cheryl Smith.
Rosman Elementary (L to R): Kevin Policarpo Hernandez, Jeshua Whited, Hagan Chmelar, Reagan Chapman, Emma Moretz, Arie Leonard, Olivia Dwyer, Abby McCall, Alex Moody, Daelynn Morgan, Sandy Enriquez, Chance Chmelar, Coach Peggy Bayne
© 2016, Transylvania County Schools. All rights reserved.
TCS Elementary Battle of the Books, March 2016
TC Henderson Wins 2016 Elementary Battle of the Books Competition
BREVARD, NC (March 15, 2016)—Teams from Brevard, Pisgah Forest, Rosman, and T.C. Henderson Elementary Schools gathered recently at the Transylvania County Library to compete for the countywide Elementary Battle of the Books championship trophy.
In a climactic, hard-fought round-robin tournament, T.C. Henderson rose to the top of the field, defeating their closest opponent by 7 points. Brevard and Pisgah Forest tied for second in this year’s competition.
Heather Finch, media specialist and team coach for T.C. Henderson, reported that it was not without sacrifice that students performed well in the Battle of the Books.
“Our team is made up of students who have given up their lunches or many days to work together here in the school library,” said Finch. “The online practice rounds with other schools significantly helped our energetic readers to test their skills and prepare for competition.”
She added, “We already know that we have the first question of the first round in the regional battle, which is very exciting!” To answer a question, all students listen to a fact-based reference from one of the 18 books. A designated student from the team taking its turn may consult with teammates, then must recite the complete title and author’s name for the correct book. Answering incorrectly opens up a question to the other team for a steal.
Team members spent many hours during the school year preparing for the competition. They individually read from the regulation list of 18 books, up from 8-12 books in recent years’ competition at the Transylvania County level. This expanded list was daunting, and while some read the minimum of six in order to compete, other students took the challenge in stride and read all 18!
While some participants had read two or three of this year’s books prior to the season, others navigated the entire list during the school year to reach peak form for the competition. From a roster of as many as 12 students, six compete at one time for each school. Selection for the competition team at each meet is made according to the number of books each student has read.
To get ready for the county competition, teams decided how to approach the books and then participated in mock competitions at their schools during lunch and after school. Sabrina Rhodes, 4th-grade teacher at Pisgah Forest Elementary, explained that her team’s first steps were to browse the books and explore which books the team planned to start with.
“Students created flashcards and spent time memorizing authors and titles,” Rhodes said. “Students kept logs of the books they had read, and every week each student would discuss their book, plot lines, characters, and so on. In addition, they created questions to quiz each other, then we pulled questions from internet as well.”
Because of the much-longer book list, students had to be very aware of time, and make sure they reviewed books from earlier in the year to stay fresh on each book’s plot. Since some stories had similar plot lines, students had to listen carefully to questions and discussion, and make notes of differences and similarities.
Rhodes felt that this showed real dedication to the books, and their team. “Many students took personal notes at home as they read so they could review as needed. It really challenged the students to persevere and pushed them academically to succeed.”
T.C. Henderson used online practice sessions during lunch periods to help their team train competitively against students statewide. The challenge of tackling 18 new books, and taking on other teams from next door as well as across the state, motivated their team and dozens of students throughout Transylvania County Schools.
Winning the county contest earned T.C. Henderson Elementary an invitation to compete against all the Region 8 winners at the central office of Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, on Friday, April 22, starting at 10:00 a.m.
T.C. Henderson students reported that on top of the thrill of the competition itself, they were excited about a planned side trip to Fuddrucker’s to make the trip complete. The excitement wasn’t limited to the champions, either. The Pisgah Forest team gathered for one last practice the week after the competition and saluted their accomplishments with pizza, donuts, and dancing.
Officiants for this year’s Transylvania County Elementary Battle included Audrey Reneau (moderator), Director of Curriculum and Title I; Sarah Justice (scorekeeper), school librarian, Rosman High School; Amy Galloway (timekeeper), school librarian, Brevard Middle School; and Stefanie Tomlin (judge), AIG Teacher , Brevard and Pisgah Forest Elementary Schools.
In 2010, the North Carolina School Library Media Association became the sponsor for the Elementary Battle of the Books program in our state. The purpose of the program is to encourage reading in elementary school.
Because the books are drawn from fiction for young readers, plot lines often draw on very similar or closely related elements. It can be tough to recall which book features a particular episode about sons and daughters, parents, dogs, thieves, long journeys, even bicycles and balloons. Such themes may often be found in more than one book.
When asked, T.C. Henderson students reported that they might have read more books if not for taking on the list of 18 from the competition; however, these challenging books also introduced them to new authors whose works they have come to love.
The book list, chosen by the NC School Library Media Battle of the Books Committee, offers students an opportunity to read a variety of genres on different levels by prominent authors in children’s literature.
Questions are developed by the State Elementary Battle of the Books committee and delivered to each district's facilitator one week prior to the competition. Questions are kept under lock and key until the competition.
Rosman Elementary school librarian and coach Peggy Bayne noted that her students have already begun reading the books for next year's competition.
“We had a wonderful experience at this year's Battle of the Books, and many of our students will be back next year to compete. We'd also like to thank Ericka Brock, Youth Services Librarian, for our tour of the library facilities,” said Bayne.
Many students on the teams this year expressed how much fun the competition was and how they have found some favorite new authors and series to read! The book list for elementary or middle school students interested in participating next year can be found at www.ncslma.org/ebob.
Brevard Elementary: Julia Grace Hardy (4th), Ethan Huggins (4th), Brett Bradley (4th), Piper Suttles (5th), Molly Kyne (4th), Ella Leatherwood (5th), Ruby Harris (4th), Tyler Case (5th), and Coach Charlene Cali, School Librarian.
TC Henderson Elementary: Trey Galloway (5th), Caitlyn Brooks (5th), Elisabeth Qualls (4th), Tanner Burrell (4th), Chantelle Moll (4th), Marley McCall (4th), Austin Lee (4th), Ava Persons (4th), Emma Cunningham (4th), Colin Ross (4th), Garrett Gainey (4th), and Coach Heather Finch, School Librarian.
Pisgah Forest Elementary: Lucy Murray (5th), Amaya Harris (5th), Elizabeth Chapman (5th), Elizabeth Caroway (4th), Kinslee Clark (4th), Olivia Nichols (4th), Makayla King (4th), Macayle Stevens (4th), Coaches Sabrina Rhodes, Tammy Ducker, Cheryl Smith.
Rosman Elementary (L to R): Kevin Policarpo Hernandez, Jeshua Whited, Hagan Chmelar, Reagan Chapman, Emma Moretz, Arie Leonard, Olivia Dwyer, Abby McCall, Alex Moody, Daelynn Morgan, Sandy Enriquez, Chance Chmelar, Coach Peggy Bayne
© 2016, Transylvania County Schools. All rights reserved.