Sixth-graders at Liberty Middle School are in a heated competition.

It’s not on the field or court, but on the bookshelf, through  the READBowl, a free global reading competition where PreK-12th grade aged teams around the globe compete to read for the most minutes.

The READBowl kicked off Jan. 13  and will end on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, with the crowning of the World Reading Champions.

LMS got involved in the program after the sixth grade ELA teacher Melissa Murphy watched  a video featuring Malcolm Mitchell, a professional football player who struggled to read well  but took the initiative to improve his skills and has since become an author. He is also chief executive officer of the Share the Magic Foundation, which hosts the READBowl.

Mrs. Murphy shared the READBowl idea with the other sixth-grade ELA teachers and they decided to join.

To start the process, a book tasting event was held Jan.3. There, students were told more about the ReadBowl, set reading goals, were introduced to a variety of reading genres and selected books they’ll read throughout the READBowl. The competition kicked off at LMS with an evening of fun and games on Jan.13.

“The goal is to encourage a love of reading, teamwork, and healthy competition,” Mrs. Murphy said.

To add to the fun, the classes are also competing against each other in a Harry Potter-inspired competition. The ELA teachers leading the respective Houses are:

• Ravenclaw: Mrs. Murphy and Ms. Feliciano
• Hufflepuff: Ms. Cummins
• Gryffindor: Mr. Golden and Ms. Davis
• Slytherin: Mrs. Abplanalp and Ms. Davis

Students track their reading minutes weekly. Teachers will enter the minutes for their students on the READBowl website. All reading counts—books, articles, recipes, instructions, and more. Each week is considered a “quarter,” and teachers will share the leaderboard each week.