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LATEST RESULT: Brisbane Heat (AUS)
1st: Bray Park State High School
2nd: Moreton Bay College, Team 1
3rd: Citipoint Christian College, Team 2
NEXT QUIZ: Canberra Heat (AUS)

Thursday 4th April, 9.30 am

Merici College, Wise St, Braddon ACT 2612

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Tips for Schools

Wayne offers these tips for schools:

  • Select kids who enjoy reading (formalized tests are no indication) In fact many schools when they administer the pretest(s) do so to teams of four rather than to an individual.
  • Advertise - aim to intrigue.
  • Visit: www.kidslitquiz.com
  • Encourage a library club which may be brought together during arts time, e.g. chess club, reading club, origami club, etc.
  • Some schools run an after school ‘Chocolate biscuit club’ where kids stay after school and discuss books they're read over a biscuit and drink or organize a Breakfast Club. One school in South Africa called these sessions the Nib club (Nose in Books) where kids came to discuss informally books of their choice.
  • Invite an ex-librarian to take some sessions with the kids.
  • Similarly arrange a parent/grandparent mentor for these kids.
  • I have heard of schools who have called in past KLQ members, currently at high school, to mentor their students in the current KLQ team and the books discussed are recorded and circulated.
  • Teachers ought to be reading aloud to their classes regularly.
  • Encourage SSR throughout the school. (Sustained Silent Reading, also known as FVR, Free Voluntary Reading.)
  • Follow the Awards, e.g. NZ Post, Carnegie, Newbery, Guardian and Red House Children's Book Award, etc.
  • Have children prepare quizzes, e.g. ten nursery rhyme questions or ten questions about witches or ten about famous animals or just prepare random book questions.
  • Some schools have inter-class heats with the final being held in front of parents at a special parents' evening.
  • Ensure that the school library receives at least one reviewing journal, e.g. Magpies, Carousel, Books for Keeps, etc.
  • Enter the date in the school calendar NOW and begin preparing.
  • Have one teacher a week introduce a book at assembly.
  • Library sessions ought to begin with a 'book selling' or book promotion. Ask the librarian to talk about the new books purchased.
  • Read widely and frequently. Remember the quiz questions are general rather than specific.
  • Checkout the quizzes on www.bookadventure.com or www.funtrivia.com
  • A book filled with ideas is titled: Books Every Child Should Know: the Literature Quiz Book by Nancy Polette, Libraries Unlimited, 2006. ISBN 1591583543.
  • Seek home support.
  • Look at the booklists available for kids at your local library. In NZ two good examples are the Christchurch and the Auckland public libraries. Visit http://www.story-go-round.net.nz
  • When students are asked to pick a joker round, encourage them to brainstorm the ten categories before selecting one.
  • Encourage children to write reviews on their school web pages.
  • Daringly set reading as the only homework that night/week/year.
  • Set a task where children have to locate info about an author from at least three different websites.
  • Join a book chat, http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/bookchat/.
  • Read newspaper reviews.
  • Organize a trip to local bookstore.
  • Listen to stories on CDs.
  • Browse.
  • Have fun!

Additionally, try out teams using our sample questions.

KLQ in progress