PLUM BOROUGH S CHOOL NE WS
Plum Borough
Battle of the Books 2016
While the Plum High School gymnasium may soon be overflowing
with cheering basketball fans, the crowd that filled the gym on
November 2nd was just as enthusiastic and energetic. Over 120
of the fifth and sixth grades’ most avid readers participated in the
15th annual Battle of the Books. If you have experienced this display
of reading prowess first hand, then you know what a marvelous
educational experience it is for our students.
This elective reading incentive program requires small groups
of between four and six students to read a total of twelve books
from various genres. The competition also promotes reading
comprehension, teamwork, and leadership skills as the groups
allocate the workload in a very strategic and precise fashion. While
preparing for the competition, the students are exposed
to quality literature that was thoughtfully selected by
the district’s librarians to include a variety of styles and
viewpoints. In preparation for the competition, the teams
often spend countless hours deeply discussing and
analyzing the books to increase their chances of correctly
answering the program’s twenty-four comprehension
questions. Through collaboration and teamwork with peers
and teachers, the students work to become experts on
these books. If you were to ask any of the participants to
list the authors of the twelve tested books, I am sure that
they would be able to recite them with ease!
The success of this program is a true testament to
the students’ dedication and passion for reading, as
well as our communities’ commitment to our students.
This event would not be possible if not for the help and
encouragement of all those involved. Because of the unfailing support
of administrators, teachers, parents, and community members, this
yearly event will continue to thrive and grow as our children continue
on their paths to become lifelong learners.
“The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.”
– Dr. Seuss
Booksburgh
Students at Center Elementary are eagerly participating in the school’s
annual “Booksburgh” reading competition. Classrooms, in every gradelevel, are on teams that reflect our own city’s spectacular sports teams:
Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates. The teams compete against each other
by reading books that earn them AR points.
In addition to the school’s group competition, students are
recognized for their individual reading accomplishments. A model of
Pittsburgh’s Incline is displayed in the hallway, promoting the students
to “climb up” to the top of the “Booksburgh” incline, based on number of
points earned. When students reach the top, they are recognized as part
of the reading “Hall of Fame.”
Center students are looking forward to reaching the building goal
of 20,000 books by the end of the school year. Fueling their motivation
is the incentive of Mr. Knisely shaving his hair into a Mohawk hairstyle,
along with dying it purple.
The students are having a great time reading their hearts out and
demonstrating comprehension through successfully earning AR points.
Plum | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 33