SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

October 15, 2019 by Travis Jonker

Our 2020 Mock Caldecott Program

October 15, 2019 by Travis Jonker   9 comments

Soon it will be November. Around these parts of the school library world, November means Mock Caldecott.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I’ve talked about it in the past, but it seems like every year we’re tweaking things. Here’s a quick summary of how we’re Mock Caldecotting this year at my K-3 elementary school.

Week 1

  • I introduce the Caldecott. I show the honor and the medal. I explain it’s given for the best illustrations. I talk about how it’s chosen. I explain that soon we’ll be reading books that might win and our school will be choosing our favorite.
  • We read a past winner. I’m reading Kitten’s First Full Moon with kindergarten, This is Not My Hat with 1st grade, Beekle with 2nd and Officer Buckle and Gloria with 3rd grade. When finished, I ask students why they think it won. Discussions about art ensue.
  • We watch the most recent (2019) Caldecott announcements to get a feel for what it’s like.

2018 YMAs

Weeks 2-4

  • We read two books back to back. After we finish each one, I ask students if anything stood out to them about the illustrations. Discussions about art ensue.
  • After reading the two books, students pick the one they thought had the best illustrations. For K-2 it’s a show of hands, for 3-4 we are going to try voting via a google form – this is just an informal “Which of the two had the strongest illustrations?” vote. The official vote comes in week 5.

Week 5

  • We review all the books. I remind students that the Caldecott Medal is an award for the illustrations. K students get a ballot with pictures of each book on it. They circle their top pick. 1-4th grade students vote via a google form

After

  • I add up the votes. Most votes gets the medal, the next closest batch of vote getters receive honors. I announce the winners to students!
  • Fast forward to Monday, January 27, 2020. I show the 2020 Youth Media Awards video to students. Did any of our Mock Caldecott picks get awards?

Here are the books we’re reading this year (be sure to check out the Mock Caldecott list on Goodreads, the discussion list at Calling Caldecott, and the Caldecott predictions at A Fuse #8 Production for more ideas):

How do you Mock Caldecott? Leave advice in the comments.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2022

2022 Books from American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

Ditched Dewey? I Have an Oddly Specific Question for You

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

'This crap really fires me up' FRED GETS DRESSED Gets Challenged

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

2022 Books from APAA Winners

by Travis Jonker

April 2022

Book Vandalism or The Most Deeply Appropriate Thing I've Ever Seen?

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who (#167)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

My Little Pony | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

Many May Suggestions: First Quarter Mock Newbery Possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Middle School Angst in the Sunshine State, a guest post by Nina Moreno

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

Farewell From The Classroom Bookshelf

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Grant Snider Visits The Yarn!

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

29 Books that Celebrate All Aspects of Jewish Life | Jewish American Heritage Month

Time to Refresh the Canon: Here Are Our Picks

45 Superb Works by Rachel Isadora, Christina Soontornvat, & Candace Fleming | Starred Reviews, May 2022

9 High Stakes Survival Stories for Readers of 'Hatchet'

11 Nonfiction Titles for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erika Victor says

    October 15, 2019 at 6:27 am

    Just those 6 books? I really should have a shorter list (especially since books are so expensive here!). You are inspiring me to trim my wish list, after all, it is not likely I will have the winner in my pile and that really isn’t the point after all!

    • Travis Jonker says

      October 15, 2019 at 8:20 am

      Hi Erika! Yes, just 6. We’ve done as many as 12-14 in the past, but it just ended up taking too long. So the last couple years we’ve really tried to keep it to 6. Have a great Mock Caldecott

  2. Fuse #8 says

    October 15, 2019 at 9:58 am

    Go, Vroom, go!

    • Fuse #8 says

      October 15, 2019 at 9:58 am

      (… and every other book as well)

  3. Kari says

    October 29, 2019 at 9:31 am

    Travis, I am curious as to whether you have read The Undefeated to Kindergarten yet and how it went? I don’t think the kids at my school would understand it but of course the pictures are marvelous. I’m torn about including it in my Mock Caldecott this year.

    • Kari says

      October 29, 2019 at 9:32 am

      (For kindergarten, I mean. I am going to include it for older kids.)

  4. Danielle Larca says

    October 30, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    How did you decide on those 6 in particular?

    • Travis Jonker says

      October 31, 2019 at 3:38 pm

      A whole bunch of factors went into it, but mostly it’s books I think have the best shot

  5. Amanda McCoy says

    October 31, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    Thanks for sharing, Travis! I always look forward to your list. I love Mock Caldecott season!!!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2022


    COPYRIGHT © 2022