Battle of the Books Q & A
Q: Where can I find information about the rules and procedures?
A: All of the BOTB information is available online at
http://www.mpsaz.org/library/books/battle/ for students and families. The schedule for district
& regional battles is updated as soon as those dates are set.
Q: How do I get books?
A: In past years, a Mesa Foundation grant has been used to purchase copies of the new battle
titles. Schools that have participated in the past should have copies of the battle books.
Depending on funding, grant money will be used to purchase some (usually 2-5) copies of the
titles for new schools. Most schools find that five to ten copies of each title is sufficient.
If you need more copies, here are some suggestions:
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ECA funds
Scholastic (if you have bookfair credit)
Ask PTO or Student Council
Ask for parent donations
Grants: Donors Choose, Mesa Foundation, etc.
Some titles) are available as eBooks through the Destiny Catalog.
Q: When should I schedule the battles?
A: Schedule the first battle end of October or November; the second battle January through
February; and final battle March through April 13th. Schedule battles at least 8 weeks apart.
Look at your school's master calendar and check with the 5th and 6th grade and music teachers
to avoid schedule conflicts (concerts and field trips), then pick three dates and times and
submit to your secretary and/or principal. If those days are approved, they should add them to
master schedule (so other events don't get scheduled that might conflict).
Schedule one hour for each battle, usually during the school day. Battles might be a little
shorter or longer, but usually about an hour.
Q: Can 5th and 6th graders be on the same team?
A: Yes, a team can have 5th and 6th graders and also students from different classes.
Q: I sent permission forms out last week and I have only received a few back. How long can I
wait before there is a cutoff date?
A: You can accept permission forms up until the first battle. Literally, right until it starts.
If you want to set a cut-off date, you can, but you can accept them afterwards, too.
Q: What is the next step after I get the permission slips back?
A: After you receive permission slips, file them. You may want to keep a roster of participants
and their homeroom teachers (in case you needed to send notes home) and shirt sizes (if
ordering shirts). Be sure that the battles are on your school's master calendar and on the
website. Other than that, besides scheduling and running the 3 battles and checking out the
books to students, the rest is optional. You can communicate about the battle via school
announcements and/or newsletters. You can also put it on your Architeck webpage. It's nice to
send an invitation to families telling them the time and location for the battle a week or two
before. You can invite participants to an optional practice session before the battle, but you
have to create your own practice questions. You can hold your practices during students' lunch
or do whatever works for your school.
Q: Do I need to submit the names of my student participants?
A: No. After your 3rd battle you will send the names of your winning team.
Q: How soon do the students need to start reading the 1st set of books?
A: They should start reading them as soon as they can. It is totally their responsibility to get
those books read. Sometimes teams split up the reading responsibilities but it is best if they
each have read them all. However, it is not your responsibility to keep track of who has read
the books. It's up to the kids how prepared they wish to be. You can suggest that they write
notes while reading so they can review the notes before the battle. It is a good idea to save the
notes so if they represent your school at the semifinals, finals or regional competitions they can
review their notes beforehand.
Q: Is it okay for teachers to read and talk about the Battle books in their classes?
A: Yes, that is fine. The Battle books make great study units for a class.
Q: How can I promote BOTB?
A: Promote the program on daily announcements.
Talking to each class is ideal. Print and distribute bookmarks.
Posters are a great way to advertise BOTB.
Some schools use a bulletin board for BOTB which can include a slogan, book covers, lists,
shirts, and pictures of the teams.
An idea for an incentive to sign up quickly that won't cost you anything: Let the teams that have
all three forms turned in choose a team name or color. You can even post their names,
pictures, etc. at the library or on a bulletin board. "The Lightning Thieves! Sarah Johnson, Josh
Smith, and Jose Munoz" If you have a digital camera and color printer, the kids might enjoy
posing for a fierce picture, ready for battle.
Q: How do I order shirts?
A: Shirts are optional, but they are a fun way to promote BOTB. At some schools the kids make
their own, others get them printed. You can order the standard Battle of the Books T-shirts
from B.C. Distributors at (480) 831-9970 or you may design your own and use any vendor.
Q: Can parent volunteers be used to coach the teams &/or run the program?
A: Yes.
Q. How many staff members usually run the program?
A: One person can easily run it. If you have a committee, three or four is nice to split up reading
the books to write practice questions, and to help run battles. It is nice to have one person to
read the questions, one to time them, and at least one to keep score. But if you needed to, one
or two people could do it all.
Other responsibilities include printing and distributing permission slips (this form is provided by
the district). Battles only take about an hour, and there are only three. The coordinator needs
to schedule them at the beginning of the year (check with the 5th and 6th grade teachers,
band/orchestra teachers, and master calendar for possible scheduling conflicts). It doesn't take
long to set up and run a battle. Score sheets, rules and directions are all on the website. The
official questions are usually delivered in school mail. There may also be some preparation of
battle books before they are checked out. The district usually gets a grant to help purchase
some copies of new titles, but you might want to purchase additional copies with your own
school funds.
Other than that, the rest is optional: You can promote participation and communicate about
the battles via school announcements and/or newsletters. You can also put it on your Architeck
webpage. It's nice to send an invitation to families reminding them the time and location for
the battle, which can be sent home a week or two before. Practices are optional. Some schools
have a party or reward at the end of the year. You can also choose to give out certificates (some
are available on the website) and/or trophies. This is all optional. All you really have to do is
organize three one-hour battles.
Q: How do you coach a team? -- What is involved? -- When do you meet? Where do you get
the practice questions for the books, or are they student/teacher generated?
A: Technically you don't have to coach. The kids form their own teams and it is their
responsibility to read the books and prepare. However, many schools do choose to provide
practice sessions for the battle participants. Everybody does it their own way. At some schools
they read on their own and then are invited to come to an OPTIONAL practice session before
the battle. You have to create your own practice questions. If you partner with other people
you can split the books to write practice questions. Or you can ask the kids to write practice
questions. You can also sometimes find questions online (such as at
www.bookadventure.org). You can hold a practice during students’ lunch or whenever works
for your school. Save the practice questions that you create, because titles are rotated and will
probably be used again in 2 or 3 years.
Q: If a student on a team moves away, can there be an alternate, or is that team down one
person?
A: That team is down one person. The only way another student is supposed to be allowed to
join midyear is if they were participating in Battle of the Books at their former school. Teams do
not need to have 3. They can have two, or even one.
Q: When do the students/schools get the book lists for the next year?
A: Usually those lists are not available until April, May or August, but we try to work out the
next year's list as soon as possible.