- LAR
- Battle of the Books
- Book Fair
- Project Cornerstone
- Birthday Book Club
- Birthday Book Club Recognition Page
- Spelling Bee
- Spelling Bee Recognition Page
Silver Oak offers several Language Arts and Reading Programs:
Battle of the Books is a national reading incentive program that Silver Oak has participated in since 2012. Silver Oak students who will be in grades 3-6 in Fall are invited to challenge themselves and join the fun!
Students have from summer break through October to read as many books as they can from their grade's book list. In the fall, 3rd-6th graders that choose to participate will form teams and compete in a game show style venue where two teams face off at a time to answer questions related to any of the stories on their list.
The top 2 teams for each level will meet in the Championship Competition to see which 3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade teams win the BATTLE OF THE BOOKS!
Celebrate your child’s birthday and help build their classroom or school library collection by participating in the Birthday Book Club. This long-standing tradition that allows parents to recognize their child's birthday by donating books to their classroom or our school library. Click on the Birthday Book Club tab above for more details. Click on the Birthday Book Club Recognition page to see a list of students that have donated a book for their birthday.
Silver Oak's Scholastic Book Fair takes place in every year in November. All proceeds raised In this event benefit our school library.
Spelling Bee offers all Silver Oak students in grades 4-6 the chance to showcase their spelling prowess in January.
Get ready for the 2025-2026 Battle of the Books!
We're thrilled to announce this year's reading lists for grades 3-4 and 5-6. Dive into a summer of exciting adventures. Start reading the books now and keep going all summer long. You can borrow them from our school library or check them out from the San Jose Public Library.
The Battle of the Books is a fun, voluntary program where students can test their knowledge against classmates. It's a fantastic way to explore a variety of genres, improve reading skills, and prepare for the competition in the fall. This program is sponsored by the Silver Oak PTO and encourages students to read books that are just right for their grade level. Here are the two lists for grades 3-4 and grades 5-6. Happy reading!
Here are the book lists for 3-4 and 4-6 grades. Pick your favorites or the ones you have not read or the ones you never would have if not for the BoB...which ever way you pick, have fun reading!
Each list consists of 20 excellent titles, a mix of classic and new, selected by the America's Battle of the Books organization.
Battle of the Books 2025-2026 Reading List
Book List 3-4 Grades 2025-2026
|
Author |
Title |
|
Arnold, Elana K. |
A Boy Called Bat |
|
Bulla, Clyde R. |
The Chalk Box Kid |
|
Birney, Betty G. |
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs |
|
Brown, Peter |
The Wild Robot |
|
Byars, Betsy |
Wanted. . . Mud Blossom |
|
Coville, Bruce |
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher |
|
Creech, Sharon |
Moo |
|
Draper, Sharon M. |
Out of My Mind |
|
Fagan, Cary |
Wolfie & Fly |
|
Guglielmo, Amy |
Pocket Full of Colors |
|
Gutman, Dan |
The Million Dollar Shot |
|
Hobbs, Will |
Bearstone |
|
Kehret, Peg |
Earthquake Terror |
|
Levine, Ellen |
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the… |
|
Look, Lenore |
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other… |
|
Lord, Cynthia |
A Handful of Stars |
|
Lowry, Lois |
All About Sam |
|
Rappaport, Doreen |
Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller |
|
Robinson, Barbara |
The Best School Year Ever |
|
Tarshis, Lauren |
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 |
Book List 5-6 Grades 2025-2026
|
Author |
Title |
|
Barnhill, Kelly |
The Girl Who Drank the Moon |
|
Creech , Sharon |
Ruby Holler |
|
Curtis, Christopher P. |
Bud, Not Buddy |
|
DuPrau, Jeanne |
City of Ember: the First Book of Ember |
|
Elliott, Zetta |
Dragons in a Bag |
|
Haddix, Margaret P |
Found |
|
Hale, Nathan |
One Dead Spy: Hazardous Tales #1 |
|
Hannigan, Katherine |
Ida B…and Her Plans to Maximize Fun… |
|
Klise K. & Klise, M. Sarah |
Regarding the Fountain: A Tale, in Letters… |
|
LaFaye, A. |
Worth |
|
Law, Ingrid |
Savvy |
|
Lord, Cynthi |
Rules |
|
McSwigan, Marie |
Snow Treasure |
|
Morpurgo, Michael |
War Horse |
|
Nielsen, Jennifer A. |
The False Prince |
|
Paterson, Katherine |
Bridge to Terabithia |
|
Rowling, JK |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone |
|
Ruckman, Ivy |
Night of the Twisters |
|
Shurtliff, Liesl |
Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin |
|
Stewart, Whitney |
Who Was Walt Disney |
Happy Reading!
COMPETITION RULES FOR BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Students in 3rd-6th grades are signed up, have formed teams, and are ready to battle in our upcoming 2025 Battle of the Books competition that begins begins in October.
Teams are made up of 4-6 students and are grouped in two grade spans where 3rd and 4th graders play against each other and 5th and 6th graders compete amongst each other. This year we have twelve 3/4 grade teams and ten 5/6 grade teams. Over the next 5-6 weeks, these teams will prepare to go to "battle" with each other by reading 20 books from the Battle of the Books list.
How "Battles" Work
The tournament starts with each team playing 2 games to get a feel for the types of questions being asked and how answers should be given. There are 24 questions in each game worth 2 points a piece. An example of a question might be: In what book did students participate in a Quidditch game? Teams earn 1 point for providing the title of the book and a second point for naming the author.
After the initial 2 games are played, teams are ranked and play in the elimination rounds, meaning their team wins they move on, their team loses they are done for this year's competition.
Championship Prize and Recognition
The winning team will earn the title of Silver Oak BOB Champions.
The Book Fair is arriving! Please join us starting Monday, November 18th in B2 (Steam Lab) for our 2024 Book Fair. We accept all major credit cards, checks, Apple/Google Pay and cash.
Schedule:
| Day | Time | |
| Mon, Nov 18 | 7:45am - 3:00pm | Open to Shop |
| Tues, Nov 19 | 7:45am - 3:00pm | Open to Shop |
| Weds, Nov 20 | 7:45am - 3:00pm | Open to Shop (Conference Day) |
| Thurs, Nov 21 | 7:45am - 8:30am | Dudes & Donuts |
| 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Parents & Pastries | |
| Fri, Nov 22 | 7:45am - 2:00pm | Last Day to Shop |
Location: B2 Steam Lab
Special Event: Thursday, November 21st "Dads and Donuts" 7:45-8:30am & "Parents and Pastries" 12-1pm
The Book Fair has quality books at affordable prices. We'll have a daily raffle and many fun activities. All proceeds (online link below & in person purchases) from this event benefit PTO programs at our school!
There will be many AR books available for your child to choose from - both Fiction and Non-Fiction books. We invite you to join us in B2 (Steam Lab) to make your choices in person. Students can purchase items at recess, lunchtime or after school with eWallet, cash or checks payable to Silver Oak PTO (remember there will be 9% sales tax).
Help your child's classroom increase its library with the Classroom Wish List program.Look for the classroom wish list display in B2 near the front door.
If you are not able to make it in person, please go to our virtual book fair. Purchases made online using this link contribute directly to the Silver Oak Elementary School PTO programs.
We need more volunteers! Please join us by signing up at the link here.
We look forward to seeing you all at our 2024 Book Fair!
Project Cornerstone's ABC program provides our children with the tools and skills to trive. We rotate through the three year program with the first year being our "ASSET" year, second year being our "BUILDING" year, and the third year, our "CHAMPION" year.
2024-2025 is the ASSET year of ABC (Assets Building Champions) and the theme is being UPSTANDER An UPstander is someone who stands up for others by using kindness and empathy to do the right thing.
2023-2024 was the Champion year of ABC program. The focus of these books is “Connect with Empathy”. Through the power of books, caring adults can model appreciation for different types of people, guiding children to understand and care for those who may face challenges different from their own. and promoting equality through diverse and inclusive communities.
2022-2023 was the Building year of ABC program. The focus of these books is "Inclusion" It's for everyone.
From October through May, each month, a school-wide book will be read by assigned parent volunteers in every classroom in Grades K through 4. The book and discussion will build developmental assets like respect, tolerance, friendship and perseverance and teach life skills and tools to deal with social conflicts.
ABC (Assets Building Champions) program is Project Cornerstone's literature–based program addressing important issues like respect, tolerance, honesty, peaceful conflict resolution, taking a stand against bullying behaviors, and refusing to participate in gossip. It provides our entire school community, from principal to student, a shared vocabulary and collective strategies for dealing with difficult situations both in school and out.
Ideally, each classroom has a volunteer parent reader team of 2 per classroom to share the reading, classroom management, discussion and activity for each monthly visit.
Would you like to be part of our Project Cornerstone ABC Reader Team? Do you love to read to children in the classroom and have about 2 – 3 hours to spare a month? Then this opportunity is for you – Read a Book – Change a life.
Volunteer Responsibilities:
- Participate in a monthly one–hour training session for the book you will read in class and plan activities.
- Prepare activity, read the book to the class, facilitate a discussion, and present the activity to the class each month.
ABC readers make a difference by making Silver Oak Elementary School a safer and more caring place to learn and grow. Click here or below to volunteer today!
2024-2025 Books
October 2024 Book:
|
About Silver Oak Birthday Book Club
Celebrate your child’s birthday and help build their classroom or school library collection by participating in the Birthday Book Club. This long-standing tradition that allows parents to recognize their child's birthday by donating books to their classroom or our school library.
Flyers are sent home with students with upcoming birthdays. Those who wish to participate can return the completed form and payment to their classroom. The students is then invited to choose a book, write their signature on it and donate it to their classroom or the school library.
These books are long lasting gifts that all the students of Silver Oak School can enjoy for years to come. We greatly appreciate your support.
For more information please contact Nicole Rotter at rotter.nicole@yahoo.com.
Birthday Book Club Recognition Page
Thank you Birthday Book Club Participants!
PTO is happy to report the following students have chosen books to be donated to their classroom or the school library.
Bzz...Bzz...Silver Oak Spelling Bee
It's time to start studying for the 2025 Silver Oak Spelling Bee! This Spelling Bee contest offers all students in Grades 4 through 6 the chance to showcase their spelling prowess in a classic Spelling Bee contest in January. All grades 4 through 6 students will take the written Spelling Bee test in their respective classes on January 8, 2025. Top finalists from the written Spelling Bee will advance to the oral Spelling Bee by January 16, 2025. Look out for the permission slips, which will be sent home to those students who qualify for the oral Spelling Bee.
The Regional Qualifier Online test will be held between February 10, 2025 and February 21, 2025. The SNSB California Regional Bee will be held on March 23, 2025 in the Fountain Room at the San Ramon Community Center at Central Park. More information will provided to the winner of the school Spelling Bee, including information on where they will compete next!
Important Dates:
- Written Spelling Bee: January 8, 2025 (Wed) during regular school hours.
- Oral Spelling Bee: January 16, 2025 (Thu) 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.
Words used in the Silver Oak written Spelling Bee event will be selected from the following:
- In preparation for the written Spelling Bee, visit www.myspellit.com for free word lists. (Click on a language of origin to see the word lists)
- Visit spellingbee.com/word-club if you wish to purchase National Spelling Bee Club preparation kits.
Words used in the Silver Oak oral Spelling Bee event may be selected from the following:
- 2025 Spelling Bee Study List
- Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, Copyright 2002, Merriam Webster Inc., and its Addenda Section
- 2025 Great Words, Great Works Book lists can be found here, which is the source for all the spelling words
For more information on the oral Spelling Bee, click here.
A big thank you to Silver Oak PTO for sponsoring this event.
Please contact PTO L.A.R Director, Koko Su at silveroakreads@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Silver Oak held its 19th annual Spelling Bee competition on
January 16, 2025
Congratulations to our 1st place winner:
Avleen G.
Congratulations to our 2nd place winners:
Aahana V.
Congratulations to our 3rd place winner:
Ayaansh S.
Congratulations to our 4th place winner:
Akash S.
Congratulations to our 5th place winner:
Samridhi K.