Pupils Engage in 'Battle of the Books'

Sunny Sands Elementary Pupils Participate in ‘Battle of the Books’

CATHEDRAL CITY — A significant and sometimes-raucous battle occurred Friday morning at Sunny Sands Elementary. It was a battle of brain power as 40 fourth and fifth graders demonstrated their reading skills during the annual Battle of the Books.

Joan Boiko, Coordinator of Communications & Community Outreach for Palm Springs Unified School District, described it as a “fun and educational competition.”

The Battle of the Books was based on a series of seven books the children had three months to read. The following are this year’s selected titles:

Abe Lincoln, The Boy Who Love Books by Kay Winter
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Hatchet by Gary Paulson

Teachers were allowed to read one title of his or her choice aloud to the class. The remainder of the books were required to be read independently, said Marjorie McGihon a fifth-grade teacher.

McGihon said the goal of the Battle was, “Getting students to read!”

In order to qualify for participation in the battle, students needed to read six of the seven selections and pass the Accelerated Reading test for each with a minimum score of 60%. The AR test is the short quiz administered at the end of a reading book used to determine a student’s reading level. It is a multiple-choice test, and students take the test at a computer. The quiz usually lasts about 15 minutes. Students also had to write 10 questions for every book.