Caldecott Champions
by Patty Fraser, pfraser@ebrschools.org

Content Area(s)
English/Language Arts

Grade Level(s)
2, 3, 

Overview
The teacher will introduce students to Caldecott books with a classroom book display and an oral reading of one of them. Students will be placed in collaborative groups, assigned a book to read and illustrate in Sketchy. Each group will present/retell their interpretation and illustration of their book to the class. After each group has presented, the class will vote on the best team of illustrators and award them the Classroom Caldecott Team medal.

Software
• Sketchy
• Word to Go
• Printboy (or similar)

Technology
• Handheld with Voice Recorder
• Margi Presenter
• Printer

Objectives
• ELA-2-E1: Draw, dictate and write compositions that clearly state or imply a central idea with supporting details in a logical, sequential order (beginning, middle, end) using transitional words within and between paragraphs
• ELA-2-E3: Create written texts using the writing process
• ELA-4-E3: Tell and retell stories in sequential order including setting, character, and simple plot, explicit and implicit main ideas with supportive facts and details from the story
• ELA-4-E4: Give rehearsed and unrehearsed presentations
• ELA-5-E4: Using available technology to produce, revise, and publish a variety of works (e.g., book reviews, summaries, short research reports)
• ELA-7-E1: Use comprehension strategies (e.g., sequencing, predicting, drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting, making inferences, determining main ideas) to interpret oral, written, and visual texts

Procedures
1. The teacher will introduce the lesson by introducing the children to a display of Caldecott books. Explain to the students that the Caldecott medal/award was established in 1938 by the American Library Association and named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. It is presented annually to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States in the preceding year. The recipient must be a citizen or resident of the United States. In addition to the yearly Caldecott award, there are also books recognized as Honor selections.
2. The teacher will then read aloud to the whole class one of the Caldecott books and instruct them to listen to the words and pay attention to the pictures that the artist has drawn.
3. Discuss the story with the class. Ask them questions such as:
-What is the central idea?
-Who are the characters, the setting, and the supporting facts?
-What happened in the beginning, middle and end of story?
-Do you think the pictures gave an accurate visual representation of the story?
-If you could not see any pictures, would the words paint a picture in your mind of the story?
-Who can retell the story in sequential order, including setting, character, simple plot, supportive facts and details from the story?
-Ask the children why they think the artist was chosen for this recognition.
4. Divide the students into groups of 4 and give each group one of the Caldecott books to read. Beam each group member a set of scrambled sentences in Word to Go about their book and instruct them not to read them yet.
5. Ask each group to take turns reading aloud their book and discuss the illustrations. (NOTE: www.unitedstreaming has video on several of the Caldecott and Honor books. Depending on the size of the file, clips could be downloaded to the handheld or classroom computer.)
6. Instruct them to close the book and put it away.
7. Ask them to turn on their handhelds and open their list of sentences in Word to Go. Tell them they are scrambled and need to be put in the correct sequential order. This can be done by just numbering the sentences in order.
8. After collaborating as a group and putting the sentences in proper order, each group is to open Sketchy and illustrate their book using the correct sentence order. Draw an appropriate illustration for each. Tell them to include a sketch of a book cover and a page with the names of the group.
9. Tell them they are competing for the Classroom Caldecott Team Medal.
10. After drawing their story, each group will print it out and present/retell it to the class. Students may use the voice recorder and record their interpretation of their story and illustrations.
11. The class will vote for the best team of illustrators, worthy of receiving the Classroom Caldecott Team Medal, after all groups have presented.
12. As an extension, students can open Word and individually rewrite their story in more detail. Remind students to use words that help the reader visualize the story and give details to support the main idea. It should be written in correct sequential order and include the characters, plot, setting, and supporting details. Correct grammar, spelling and punctuation are expected.

Other Supporting Material
The%20Little%20House
Sylvester%20and%20the%20Magic%20Pebble
Where%20the%20Wild%20Things%20Are

Submitted on: 11/27/2004 12:04:22 AM