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Caldecott Medal 2021 Predictions

The 2021 Caldecott award ceremony is quickly approaching. Which means it’s time for me to give my prediction for who will win the coveted medal. The ALA awards will be given out sometime in mid-January. Members of the Caldecott committee have been working all year to choose the book they think is worthy of this prestigious award. Members of the committee read thousands of picture books throughout the year. Then they must narrow their choices down to 7 titles each. Once they have this much smaller list, they spend hours debating about which book should receive the top honor. Every year I always come up with my own list of titles that I believe will be contenders. This year I have come up with 15 books that I believe should be on the list (although I have not read nearly as many as the committee members do). Read my
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Caldecott Medal 2020 Predictions

I have always wanted to sit on the Caldecott selection committee. What could be better than having hundreds of wondrous, imaginative and awe-inspiring picture books delivered to your door? And you have to read every single one. Sounds pretty amazing doesn’t it? Realistically, I know this is a tough job and requires an extraordinary commitment. It’s not just sitting around drinking coffee and reading books all day. But still…it would be pretty cool. And when the day of the announcement comes around I anxiously await the news. Will my favorite be on the list? Will I be totally shocked by the winner? Members of the Caldecott committee have to narrow their choices down to 7 titles each. They spend hours debating about which book should receive the top honor. Every year I always come up with my own list of titles that I believe will be contenders. This year
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Holding a Mock Caldecott Election

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.
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Caldecott Medal Teaching Techniques & Daily Activities

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
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Staying Cool in the Library is my blog, where I share my passion for fostering a love of reading with children. As a librarian, I believe reading should be fun and accessible to all students. That’s why I share engaging and interactive lesson plans, creative ways to build exciting library collections, and resources to inspire even the most reluctant readers in any classroom or library. Check out my blog posts and products in my store, and join my email list below.

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