Classics Bowl

Academic Enhancement
ACSI Region: South-Central

San Antonio Christian Elementary School

Summary of Program

The Classics Bowl is a reading contest designed for 4th- and 5th-grade students.  Each year, the program focuses on five books that are widely considered classics in children’s literature. Students read the selections and create teams of four to discuss the selections and prepare for the competition. The students attend after-school review sessions on each of the books to get the most out of their readings. Students then participate in a game show question-and-answer competition that quizzes them on the books.

This program is unique among other reading contests because it emphasizes careful reading of classical literature by children who are just beginning to learn how to critique what they are reading. By reading works known for their literary merit as well as their outstanding moral and spiritual qualities, such as Helen Taylor’s work (2006) that is based on John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s
Progress, children begin to understand the power of the well-written word.

Children will not usually search out such works on their own, and many will not choose to participate in a mentally challenging activity on their own. They typically need a strong incentive,
so San Antonio Christian Elementary School decided on the innovative use of a game show format. The game show is fun, it’s unusual for a school setting, and it provides the participants with a position of recognition. The students hear announcements beforehand of the coming awards—ones they consider cool: all participants receive medals, and the leading three teams receive Sonic gift cards, Academy store gift cards, and season passes to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

On the day of the contest, the 3rd graders and the remaining 4th and 5th graders who are not participating can watch in the audience, which also includes parents, grandparents, siblings,
and friends who root for the students.  Participants experience the thrill, nervousness, and excitement of performing in front of an audience of their peers. And because they are working as
a team, students support and encourage one another.

Parent involvement in this program is the driving force behind its success. Our parent volunteers have served on the committee in charge of selecting the books and coordinating the book discussions.  Each team of students finds a team coach, usually one of the students’ parents, who will serve as their encourager and motivator. Teams and coaches select a name for their group and design T-shirts and a poster to advertise their group. Other parent volunteers have made posters for display in the school and have created bookmarks for students to have as mementos and study aids. Parents have also provided snacks for the after-school discussion times.

Although team coaches do not have to read the assigned selections, many of these coaches read the material so that they can more effectively quiz their team’s students. Many parents have commented that they have never before read these quality works. They also express how grateful they are that they are finally reading them and that their children are reading them at an early, impressionable age. Many of these families say that they are enjoying discussions with their children on a much deeper level than they have experienced previously.

Because of the difficult reading level of the chosen works and because the contest is optional, we were pleasantly surprised when about half of the students who were eligible to participate
actually did so during the first year. The same number participated in the program during the second year. Several of the participating students claim that the books from this reading program are now their favorites, and they encourage their nonparticipating classmates to read the books. And those classmates do!

Reference

Taylor, Helen L. 2006. Little pilgrim’s progress: From John Bunyan’s classic. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

Classics Bowl