by Karen Tackmann, Red Hawk Teaching Coach

Are you like many people in the United States, consumed by college basketball, March Madness?  This spring Red Hawk Elementary combined two of our favorite things (sports and reading) to create March Battle of the Books Madness.  Eighteen books getting judge by the biggest fans and the harshest critics of books for kids – 6^th grade students!  Every morning we anticipate who will win and move on to the next round.  We discuss, vote, cheer, moan, and discuss a little more.

Battle of the Books is an accelerated reading program in which students read 5 – 16 books and come together to discuss and test their knowledge of the books they have read.  The competitions (battles) are similar in style to the TV series, Family Feud.  On May 14, students will be randomly placed in teams of four to compete in eight preliminary rounds of battle with the final battle taking place May 18.  The suspense is mounting and so are the piles of books the 6^th grade students are reading!