It’s only a *few* weeks late (ha!), but I wanted to share with you the results of our March Madness – Tournament of Books. If you missed the initial installment of our event, you can check it out here and snag the updated file here!
As recorded throughout the year, the Sweet Sixteen on the court playing for all glory and honor were Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, I Funny, Football Genius, Stick Dog, The Witches, Number the Stars, Wonder, The One and Only Ivan,Stranded, I Survived, Nancy Drew Clue Crew, Bad Kitty, Bone, and Origami Yoda.
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As each round of the NCAA Tournament took place, we used Google Forms to tally our votes!
I must say the most riveting round of the Tournament was the revealing of the Elite 8. We had our finger drum-roll going, dramatic basketball music playing, and I revealed that THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN BEAT WONDER!!!!!!!!!!!! There were cries of foul play and cheating. A recount was demanded. I gave in. Votes were re-tallied. The results had not been tampered with – Wonder lost by 5 votes. It was a travesty. Dramatic basketball comparisons were made “It’s like the dfsnjfdkjsdfsdjf upset again sklfjskldfjsd. {Sorry, friends. I know zero basketball.} My bracket was already in shambles. WONDER WAS SUPPOSED TO WIN THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT, I say.
From the Elite 8, we moved on to the Final 4 in which four worthy opponents were named…
Drum-roll, please…..the winner of the 2014 Tournament of Books is The Hunger Games! {insert standing round of applause and cheers of 5th graders}
Our final bracket came together to look like this!
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With quiet a few upsets and a ridiculous number of “Whats?!?!?!!” it was such a fun activity for my kids. They ate it up. It was teaching gold.
My 5th graders loved having voice on our ‘Book of the Year’ and it was a great motivator for students to finish reading some of the books their classmates loved. Overall, it was a fantastic season that is sure to happen again next year.
So, what do you think? Did Wonder get a raw deal? Who did you have your money on? Let me have it!
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Kim says
April 27, 2014 at 1:33 amThis is awesome, Catherine! I was "wondering" which book would win…
🙂
Kim
Finding JOY in 6th Grade
Kate says
April 27, 2014 at 3:42 amHahaha. Nice one, Kim! 🙂
Leanna says
April 27, 2014 at 3:17 amSuch a cute idea! I think I'll try this next year too 🙂 I had a feeling Hunger Games would win. One of the 4th graders in another class just borrowed mine because he loved the movie too much haha. You have the coolest ideas to engage reading.
Leanna
lilismilee.blogspot.com
Kate says
April 27, 2014 at 3:42 amThank you so much, Leanna! I was dead set that Wonder was going to win. I was in SHOCK with Ivan pulled it out – ha. 🙂
Diane R says
April 27, 2014 at 3:31 amThis is an awesome idea. If I teach reading next year, I will definitely use it!
Susan K. says
April 27, 2014 at 11:53 amGreat idea! I would have thought the finalists would have been Wonder vs. Number the Stars. I absolutely love both of these books – it would have been a tie for me. Both books are timeless stories.
jivey says
April 27, 2014 at 12:27 pmYou know what…? After reading The One and Only Ivan to my class, I can see why it won. I don't know how to choose between it and Wonder to be honest. You couldn't make me!!! 😛
Jivey
Kate says
April 27, 2014 at 2:17 pmWhat?!?!? I loved the writing of Ivan, but truly thought Wonder had the compelling story. We'll agree to disagree 😉 And I know – crazy talk!
Stacey Blount says
April 27, 2014 at 8:12 pmWonder won in our fifth grade class. 🙂 My class had fun with this activity, too…
Melissa says
April 29, 2014 at 7:43 pmI LOVE this, but I can't believe Wonder lost to Ivan!! That was the best book ever to me, and Ivan (or any other book for that matter) just couldn't compare!
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