Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl

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• Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
• A Grassroots Program Spreads Across Georgia
• Mrs. Barbara Hallstrom, Teacher-Librarian
• Canby Lane Elementary
• Dr. Mary Etta Thomas, Teacher-Librarian
• Hambrick Elementary
• Dr. Juanita Buddy, Educational Media Coordinator
• DeKalb County (GA) School System

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A Brief History of the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
Mrs. Helen Ruffin explains how to motivate
children to read.
3
Helen Ruffins Philosophy

• Children who read become adults who lead.

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Goals of the HRRB

• Excite students about reading.
• Encourage independent reading for pleasure.
• Improve reading comprehension skills.
• Foster strong support for the media center which
  is the key to successful reading programs in the
  schools.
• Encourage reading through friendly team
  competition.

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HRRB Connection to the DeKalb County School
System

• The mission of the DeKalb County (GA) School
  System is to form a collaborative effort between
  home and school that maximizes students' social
  and academic potential preparing them to compete
  in a global society.
• Goal TwoIncrease rigor and academic achievement
  in language arts, mathematics, and science in
  PreK-12

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A Great Idea Takes Root in Three
Elementary Schools in DeKalb County
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Original Team Coaches in the First System wide
Bowl - 1999
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The Growth of the HRRB in DeKalb County Schools

• Elementary Middle High
  Total
• 
  
• 2000 14 2 0
  16
• 2001 22 12 3
  37
• 2002 29 13 5
  47
• 2003 35 16 5
  56
• 2004 37 17 6
  60
• 2005 43 18 7
  68
• 2006 42 18 8
  68
• 2007 44 19 9
  72

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Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team Growth

• 
  E M
  H Total State Total
  
  
• 2003 1st Ga. HRRB
  
  4
• Columbia High, DeKalb County, Ga.
  3 1 0 4
• 2004 2nd Ga. HRRB
  21
• Columbia High, DeKalb County, Ga.
  10 5 7 21
• 2005 3rd Ga. HRRB 55
• North Regional
• Elm Street Elementary, Rome, Ga.
  18 16 8 42
• South Regional
• Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Ga.
  5 5 3 13
• State Finals

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Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team Growth

• E M H Total State Total
• 2006 4th Ga. HRRB
  77
• North Regional
• Carrollton High School Carrollton,
  Ga. 24 22 11 57
• South Regional
• Valdosta State University, Valdosta,
  Ga. 8 9 3 20
• State Finals
• University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
  2 2 2 6
• 2007 5th Ga. HRRB 96
• North Regional
• University of West Georgia.
  Carrollton, Ga. 16 16 8 40
• South Regional
• Valdosta State University, Valdosta,
  Ga. 9 11 4 24
• East Regional
• Augusta State University, Augusta,
  Ga. 6 6 3 15
• West Regional-
• Ola High School, Henry County, Ga.
  4 10 3 17
• State Finals

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Interviews with 2005 2006DeKalb County (GA)
Winning Teams

• 16 Elementary level students
• 14 Middle school level students
• 6 High school level student
• (Same team won in 2005 and 2006)

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Preparation Strategies for the HRRB

• Elementary Level read books, take notes, write
  questions, quiz teammates, conduct regularly
  scheduled practices
• Middle School Level read books, take notes,
  write questions, quiz teammates, conduct
  regularly scheduled practices, use Accelerated
  Reader or Reading Counts
• High School Level read books, take notes, write
  questions, quiz teammates, conduct regularly
  scheduled practices

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Primary Individuals Preparing HRRB Team

• Elementary Level coaches, library media
  specialists, parents
• Middle School Level coaches, library media
  specialists, parents
• High School Level coach/library media specialist

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Interview Comments from Students

• Students identify how parents were helpful in
  preparing for the HRRB.
• Elementary Level-
• Our parents encouraged us to read.
• My parents discussed with me at dinner and
  quizzed me right before the bowl.
• My mom checked out books from the public
  library.
• Middle School Level-
• My parents helped by driving me to the games and
  picking me up after practice.
• My parents read the books and quizzed me.
• My parents attended the competitions.

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Interview Comments from Students

• QUESTION What three tasks are you able to do
  now that you could not do before participating in
  the HRRB?
• Elementary Level-
• Now I am able to skim a book and I wasnt able
  to do that before I entered the HRRB.
• Now when I reread a book I find details I missed
  the first time.
• Middle School Level-
• It HRRB helped me remember formulas for
  science and math.
• Ive learned to appreciate different genres a
  little better.
• It helped me organize data better.

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Interview Comments from Students

• Elementary and middle school students connect
  participation in HRRB to ease testing experience
  with GA Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests
  (CRCT)
• In the reading part of the test there were a lot
  of hard words and I knew them so I tested
  faster.
• I think the CRCT wasnt that hard after reading
  books for HRRB, but it CRCT was still a
  little challenging.
• I didnt really think the reading section of the
  CRCT was really much different, but it was a
  little easier after the Reading Bowl HRRB.

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Interview Comments from Students-GA High School
Graduation Test

• I just got my scores back and I did the best in
  language arts because I do like reading. And once
  youve read so many books you go through those
  little sections its a breeze. It helps you
  comprehend it. When youre on the HRRB its not
  just about reading, it is about comprehending and
  understanding what youre reading so it made it a
  lot easier.

• I also got my scores back this morning I too
  had my highest score in English. I do think the
  Reading Bowl contributed to it because the
  majority of the thing test is reading and once
  you get used to reading it helps.

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Teacher-Librarians saw evidence

• Sharon B. noticed increase in reading scores for
  students on the HRRB because of the scores of
  these individual students they carried their
  respective classes.
• While non-readers at her school received
  extensive assistance thru Title I and reading
  intervention programs, the HRRB offers
  opportunities for good readers to improve their
  skills and receive recognitions.
  Mary N.

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Professional evidence continue

• 6 former HRRB team members visited in May after
  their high school graduation exercises, all
  graduated in the top 10 of the 2007 class,
  shared how the HRRB influenced their reading and
  academic achievement since leaving elementary
  school.
• Mary T.

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HRRB Game Format

• 1. Each school will have one team consisting of
  five members and up to five alternates.
• 2. Each school will participate in six rounds.
• 3. Each round will consist of 10 questions.
• 4. Teams will receive 10 points for each
  correct answer.
• 5. No penalties are given for incorrect
  answers.
• 6. Alternates may be substituted between
  rounds.

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• Sample Questions for the HRRB
• 1. In the book, Ghost Canoe, who is the
  author?
  
•   Answer The author is Will Hobbs.
• Page Title Page
•  
• 2.   In the book, Ghost Canoe, how old is
  Nathan?
•   Answer He is 14 years old
• Page 8
• 3. In the book, Ghost Canoe, what is
  the name
• of the lighthouse which Nathan
  helps his
• father operate?
•   Answer It is called the Tatoosh
  Light Page 5

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Determining the Winning Teams

• The teams with the highest total points from all
  six rounds will be the winners of the
  competition.
• Teams winning first and second place in
  elementary, middle, and high school divisions
  will represent the school district in the
  regional competition in the respective divisions.
• Teams in first place in each of the three
  divisions will represent their region in the
  state competition.
• State champions are determined in each division
  by the cumulative score of each team at the state
  competition.

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Growth of Support for the HRRB within DeKalb
County Community

• School Principals
• School Superintendent
• Board of Education
• Professional leave time for Steering Committee
• Parental support
• Politicians

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Outgrowth Award and Activities of the HRRB in
DeKalb County Schools

• The Georgia Peach Teen Readers Choice Award
• Ruth Johnson Reading Advocacy Award
• HRRB T-shirt Art Contest
• Listening Bowl in Elementary Schools

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Collaboration with External Organizations in
Sponsoring HRRB

• Universities
• Public librarians
• Library vendors
• Organization of DeKalb Educators (ODE)
• Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA)
• Georgia Association of Educators (GAE)
• Private and Independent Schools
• Georgia Childrens Literature Conference
• Sororities and Fraternities

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Funding to Continue the HRRB

• Grant writing
• In-kind Donations
• Monetary Donations
• Sponsorships
• Sororities
• Parent Teacher Associations
• Volunteers

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How to Replicate the HRRB

• Start with a steering committee
• Use any state award book nominees
• Choose a competition date and location
• Develop rules and guidelines for the local and
  school district competitions
• Choose method of scoring
• Encourage selection of school teams and coaches
• Provide school teams sample competition questions

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How to Replicate the HRRB

• Promote school-based discussions of the books
• Encourage school teams to write
• questions and conduct practice rounds
• Read books and write competition
• questions
• Select volunteers to assist during
• competition
• Find support in staff, PTA, administration,
  community
• Select appropriate prizes and awards
• Quizzmatic buzzing system

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What Is the Big Deal? Lets play a round!
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Are you Ready for the Questions?
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Prepare for the Bowl!!
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Get Involved!

• Encourage your students to read
• Read with your students
• Discuss the content of the books
• Help create practice questions
• Join the coaching team
• Buy T-shirts
• Be a sponsor
• Volunteer at the bowl

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Volunteers at the Bowl
Score Keeper
Moderator
Time Keeper
Console Judge
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HRRB Is Fun and Improves Reading Skills and
Enjoyment!

• Its fun and rewarding.
• Each team receives a trophy.
• And every participant is a winner.

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Comparison of HRRB and Battle of the Books
Program

• Complete list of books change every year
• GA Childrens Book Award Nominees
• Created in 1986 by a Teacher-Librarian in DeKalb
  County (GA)
• Questions based on setting, characters, plot,
  problem, resolution, title, author
• Sample question
• In the book, Ghost Canoe, what is the name of
  the lighthouse which Nathan helps his father
  operate?
•   Answer It is called the Tatoosh Light
• Page 5

• List of titles changes slightly every year.
• Books are selected by a team of library media
  specialists with experience in administering the
  district battles.
• Beginning in the 1930's, the Battle of the Books
  was a Chicago radio program.
• All of the questions in the competition begin
  with the words "In which book" and the correct
  answer is always the title and author of the
  book.
• Sample Question
• In which book is there a book of letters?
• Answer Teacher's Pet by Johanna Hurwitz
• page 93

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This could be your team!
Bethune Middle 2006 State Champions
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• Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
• A Grassroots Program Spreads Across Georgia
• http//www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/
• http//www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/booklist.html