- 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.
2025 Battle of the Books is Here!
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 much anticipated Fall Book Fair is here and we will need volunteers for this exciting event!
Location: B2 Steam Lab
Decorating: Monday, 11/3 - Friday, 11/7 & Monday, 11/10 & Thursday, 11/13
Student Teacher Previews: Wednesday and Friday 11/12 - 11/14
Book Fair Hours
Open Daily: Monday, 11/17 - Friday, 11/21
- Monday, November 17: 7:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Open to Shop
- Tuesday, November 18: 7:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Open to Shop
- Wednesday, November 19 (Conference Day): 7:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Open to Shop
- Thursday, November 20:
7:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Open to Shop
7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Dudes & Donuts
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Parents & Pastries - Friday, November 21: 7:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Last Day to Shop
This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books they’ll dive into again and again as well as shop for gifts for the holidays! The Book Fair has quality books at affordable prices. All proceeds (online link below & in person purchases) from this event benefit our school library!
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).
The easiest way to let your child shop the Scholastic Book Fair independently is by creating an eWallet account. It’s easy to set up and easy for others to add funds to. For full details, and to create an eWallet, visit our school’s Scholastic Book Fair homepage.
Help your child's classroom increase its library with the Classroom Wish List program. Look for the classroom wish list display (boxes) in B2 near the front door.
Can't come to B2 during the week? Shop at our Online Book Fair from November 12 to November 22 here. More than ever, we need to get students reading.
We look forward to seeing you all at our 2025 Book Fair!
Project Cornerstone's ABC program provides our children with the tools and skills to thrive. 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.
2025-2026 is the BUILDING year of ABC program. The focus of these books is "Inclusion" It's for everyone.
2024-2025 was 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.
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.
2025-2026 Books
October 2025 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 is time to start studying for the 2026 Silver Oak Spelling Bee! This spelling bee contest offers all students in grades 4-6 the chance to showcase their spelling prowess in a classic Spelling Bee contest in January. All grade 4-6 students will take the written spelling bee test in their respective classes on Wednesday January 14, 2026. Top finalists from the written bee will advance to the oral spelling bee on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Permission slips will be sent home to those students who qualify for the oral spelling bee.
The Regional Qualifier Online test will be held between 2/10/26 and 2/17/26 and SNSB California Regional Bee is on March 28, 2026 in San Ramon. More information will follow for the winner of the school spelling bee, and where they will compete next!
A big thank you to Silver Oak PTO for sponsoring this event.
Important Dates:
-
Written Spelling Bee: Wednesday, January 14, 2026 during regular school hours.
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Oral Spelling Bee: Thursday, January 21, 2026 1 - 3 p.m. in Multi Purpose Room
Words used in the Silver Oak written Spelling Bee event will be selected from the following:
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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)
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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:
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Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, Copyright 2002, Merriam Webster Inc., and its Addenda Section
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2025 Great Words, Great Works Book lists can be found here, which is the source for all the spelling words.
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.