Washington Students Return to Battle!

Organized by Wheaton Public Library, Battle of the Books challenges fourth- and fifth-graders to read and become familiar with 50 specific book titles. Washington then joins 13 local grade schools and a team of homeschoolers for an 8-week competition which highlights details drawn from the books. Picture the show “Jeopardy” – except for book lovers.  Though the program’s primary purpose is to expose students to a variety of books and encourage a love of reading, Washington School has done extremely well in the competition phase winning 2nd place overall (1st place among D200 Schools) in 2016-2017, and 2nd place in 2015-2016.

Washington’s program is designed to welcome students who want to enjoy engaging literary themed activities simply for the fun of it AND for those who want to test their knowledge in a competitive environment.  In late October, students will decide if they will continue with the competitive phase of Battle of the Books. In January, “travel meets” with other local grade schools will begin.

Nearly 40 students have been reading since May, and as a group they have already read more than 119 books! They meet each week during the recess/lunch hour to practice the wide array of Battle facts in fun and innovative ways – highlights have included a treasure hunt where students matched characters to their titles and graffiti posters where students practiced working together to visually communicate important facts from the stories.  Upcoming activities will include a book discussion with Mrs. Craig, a Taste of Battle where students will sample foods featured in various books, and an around the world tour where students locate on maps the settings from various books. 

Thank you to our Battle of the Books Coaches/Chairpersons, Kelly Aten, Krista Boba and Judith Zapf for your dedication to our students and this program. For more information, click to contact Battle of the Books Co-Chairs directly.