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What is a Mock Caldecott? One popular activity that many libraries do around this time of year is a mock Caldecott election. A mock Caldecott is simply where students read and vote on which book they think should receive the Caldecott Medal. There are many ways to do a mock Caldecott. I am going to explain two ways I have done i Holding a Mock Caldecott Election in your library Alternative Idea Digital Mock Caldecott Ideas If you are doing distance or hybrid learning, you may want to try and hold a digital Mock Caldecott. It is definitely more challenging if you are not able to physically be with your students, but it can still be done. The biggest challenge will be finding ways for your students to read the books you have chosen for the election. You can record yourself reading them and share with students that way.
What is the Caldecott Medal? The Caldecott is an award that is given to a “distinguished American picture book for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year.” It is given annually by the American Library Association as part of their Youth Media Awards. When teaching about the Caldecott Medal, you can always go to the ALA’s website you can read all the criteria and guidelines used for selecting the winner. Here they are in a nutshell: Introducing to Students to the Caldecott Medal – Day One Very important: The first thing you want to do is pull all of the Caldecott and Honor books in your library. You will need these books as you go through your lessons. And once you begin talking about them with students, they will all want to check them out. I begin by telling students