Lancaster-Lebanon Reading Olympics - IU13
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Lancaster-Lebanon Reading Olympics

Home > Students & Families > General Education (PreK-12) > Student Activities (General Education) > Academic Competitions > Lancaster-Lebanon Reading Olympics

hand holding up sign that says, "Shh! Round in Progress."The Reading Olympics is a student event that promotes independent reading skills, teamwork, and collaboration. After reading the preselected books listed below, teams of 8-12 students answer questions in three rounds, earning points for correct responses. All participants will receive recognition.

This quiz bowl-style event assesses students’ knowledge of plot, summary, and characters from each book on the list. Teams are responsible for determining their own approach to covering the reading material.

2025 Reading Olympics

Registration for Reading Olympics is now open through February 3, 2025!

  • Elementary School (grades 4-5) – February 18, 2025 
  • Middle School (grades 6-8) – February 28, 2025
  • High School (grades 9-12) – February 28, 2025

All events take place in The Conference and Training Center at IU13 and are closed to spectators.

Cost

$125 per team and includes lunch for students and team volunteers (ex: chaperones, moderators, judges)

Team Formation: 

  • Space is limited to up to 20 teams per event.
    • Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Each team must have a coach who will travel with and supervise students AND a volunteer to serve as a moderator or judge.
  • Teams are comprised of between 8-12 students (Olympians). 
    • No more than 10 Olympians may participate during each round, with the remaining Olympians serving as alternate players.
    • Many districts with higher interest than team space have found hosting an in-house/informal Reading Olympics prior to the IU event to be a good way to accommodate learners you may be unable to invite to the final event.
  • A Team Captain will need to be selected prior to the event.
    • The Team Captain is responsible for providing answers or designating a team member to respond. Before answering, the Captain may consult with team members.

Reading Lists:

Each year, librarians and reading specialists are invited to participate in selecting books for the upcoming year’s reading lists. Volunteers are then recruited to read the chosen books and develop questions for the events. If you feel that certain books on the list are not suitable for your students, they are not required to read them. Please share your concerns with us, and we will pass along your feedback. However, during the Reading Olympics event, all questions are included, even if a team hasn’t read a particular book. No questions will be withheld or excluded based on a team’s reading coverage.

2024-2025 Booklists:

Event Scoring:

The Reading Olympics events are not designed as a competition, but rather a celebration of the reading that has occurred throughout the school year in our counties.

During the event, teams are presented with a total of 60 questions, divided into three rounds of 20 questions each. Each correct answer earns 1 point, providing all teams with an equal opportunity to answer all 60 questions and potentially earn a maximum of 60 points.

Ribbon Categories:

  • Blue Ribbon = 50 points and above
  • Red Ribbon = 40 – 49 points
  • White Ribbon = 30 – 39 points
  • Yellow Ribbon = 29 points and below

If you are interested in more information about this academic competition, please email Megan Smith at megan_smith@iu13.org.