When I brought the idea of a mock Caldecott to my grade six students in January, my passion for picture books easily spilled over. The Caldecott Medal is awarded every year to the most distinguished American picture book. Read aboutour process, including how we came to understand the criteria used by the Caldecott committee and which books won us over at: http://langevingrade6-210.weebly.com.
The real magic happened on February 2nd, when we arrived at school ready to select our winner and eager to hear what the actual committee had decided. Following our own selection process, we watched the ALA Youth Media Awards. With the entire class huddled together on the floor, there were cheers for each honour book announced that was familiar to us. We paused the recording before the medal winner was announced and wondered if our medal book could be the actual winner. Sure enough, the cover of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat appeared on the screen. The entire class erupted,jumping up and cheering. They were ecstatic that the committee had agreed that Beekle deserved thedistinguished prize.
Students are now regularly bringing my attention to books they are reading that have won various awards, noticing the silver or gold seals on the cover. We are currently developing a mock Caldecott for the kindergarten class and have been inspired to learn art in the style of the books we examined. We certainly have found a love of picture books!
Brianne O’Sullivan (@brianne_o) strives to engage students in meaningful and authentic ways and aims to give students voice and ownership in their learning. She is a passionate learner, always wondering and seeking to grow.
The real magic happened on February 2nd, when we arrived at school ready to select our winner and eager to hear what the actual committee had decided. Following our own selection process, we watched the ALA Youth Media Awards. With the entire class huddled together on the floor, there were cheers for each honour book announced that was familiar to us. We paused the recording before the medal winner was announced and wondered if our medal book could be the actual winner. Sure enough, the cover of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat appeared on the screen. The entire class erupted,jumping up and cheering. They were ecstatic that the committee had agreed that Beekle deserved thedistinguished prize.
Students are now regularly bringing my attention to books they are reading that have won various awards, noticing the silver or gold seals on the cover. We are currently developing a mock Caldecott for the kindergarten class and have been inspired to learn art in the style of the books we examined. We certainly have found a love of picture books!
Brianne O’Sullivan (@brianne_o) strives to engage students in meaningful and authentic ways and aims to give students voice and ownership in their learning. She is a passionate learner, always wondering and seeking to grow.
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