Participating students engage with an extensive reading list and collaborate as a team to prepare for the competition.[1] Teams of 6 to 12[3] or 8 to 16[4] students spend several months reading books from a curated list of 45 titles.[4] The teams comprise students from grades 4 through 6 (Intermediate teams) and grades 6 through 8 (Middle School teams).[3] Teamwork is meant to foster a distinctive learning environment where students enhance their literacy, competitive spirit, and interpersonal skills by working together toward a shared goal.[1] The curated reading lists are carefully designed to align with the team's age group and reading levels, and are updated annually by a collaborative group of teachers and librarians from multiple counties.[4]
The teams are led by a volunteer team coach.[3] The team coach meets with the team periodically to make sure all books are being read before the competition and prepares their team by practicing the competition protocol from the coaches manual.[3]
During the program, students meet regularly to share their insights, discuss interpretations, and deepen their understanding of the reading material.[4] Students explore significant themes, plot developments, and character dynamics through discussion.[1] Beyond improving literacy skills, the program aims to cultivate a genuine love of reading, laying a strong foundation for students' current and future success.[1]
The Reading Olympics culminates in a competition where all the teams are invited to attend and participate.[4] The teams meet at a college campus location to answer questions about the books they read.[1][3] Intermediate teams (4th grade through 6th) answer 20 questions and middle school teams (6th through 8th) answer 15 questions.[3] Team members collaborate on the answers and one team member (the team captain or designee) responds.[3]
Each question answered correctly earns one point for the team.[3] If the first team cannot answer their question in 15 seconds, the second team will have an opportunity to do so, earning an additional point for their team.[3] Team scores are cumulative for all rounds.[3] Teams are awarded blue, red, or green ribbons based on the total number of points earned.[3] All participants receive a ribbon after the competition.[4]
Corporate and community volunteers act as moderators and scorekeepers.