Mock Caldecott Award Elementary Lesson and Scavenger Hunts

Introducing Mock Caldecott to your students? This Caldecott Award Library Lesson introduces students to the Caldecott Award and Honors, eligibility requirements, and who chooses the winners. Includes fun facts, trivia questions, vocabulary, sign language, and more!

Updated to include the 2026 Award Winners!

This lesson has 70 slides and pages, and it includes:

• 45-slide Lesson Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint + Google Slides
  • All body text is editable; you choose which slides you want to use.
  • 11 slides are whole class lesson slides.
  • 32 slides are “scrolling presentation” slides that are great for extending lessons or scrolling in the library during checkout and downtimes.
  • Please note that this presentation is designed to complement a read-aloud. The actual read-aloud story comes from you! Due to copyright laws, read-aloud videos of the books are NOT included.
• Two (2) editable, differentiated scavenger hunts (3 pages, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • Students “hunt” for images and information in the Part 2 scrolling slides part of the presentation. This gives students something to focus on during library checkout and downtime.
  • “Easier” version – Students color the objects as they find them.
  • “Harder” version – Students answer questions about the information in the slides, plus find smaller images.
  • Answer key is included.
• List of all Caldecott Award-winning books from 2020 to 2026 to accompany this lesson (1 page, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • The list is editable and great to hand out to parents, teachers, and students looking for related books.
• Take-Home Extension Activities (2 pages, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and PDF)
  • Text is editable, and includes several ways for students to share what they learned during the lesson.
• Detailed, pre-filled Library Lesson Plan in editable PDF and PowerPoint formats (7 pages), aligned to:
  • AASL National School Library Standards for Learners,
  • National Common Core ELA Standards, and
  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
  • Includes “I Can” statements to accompany this lesson.
• Lesson tips and tricks for librarians on a “specials rotation” (6 pages, PDF)
• Troubleshooting help and instructions on how to set up PowerPoint slide timings for scrolling slides (2 pages, PDF)

12 Lesson Slides:

Part 1 is a guided whole-class discussion and read-aloud. The slides walk you through the entire class discussion, from start to finish.

• Introduction to the Caldecott Medal
• ASL sign language for “book” — includes video links and step-by-step directions for making the signs
• Caldecott Medal criteria for selection
• Difference between Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Honor books
• Information about the Award Ceremony, which are announced live online every year (late-January)
• Slide for your read-aloud (paste the book cover on the slide).
• Checkout reminders slide — Add your own reminders!
• “What Should We Do Now?” slide — This is very clear instructions on what students should be doing after the lesson.

32 Scrolling Slides:

Part 2 is the scrolling slides. Set them on a timer to scroll on a screen during library checkout. Students can use the scrolling slides to complete one of the two Scavenger Hunts.

• Vocabulary Word of the Week: “illustrator” and “accolade”
• Library Skills Review: copyright date of a book, and call numbers for picture books
• Previous Caldecott Medal winners
• Would Your Rather question slides
• Trivia question slides with answers
• This week’s birthdays

Take Home Extension Activities:

Students love sharing their knowledge! With the editable 2-page take-home activities, students can:

• quiz siblings, friends, and family members about some of the Caldecott facts they learned in the lesson,
• decorate a cupcake themed for The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Caldecott winner, 1963),
• read Caldecott picture books from 2020-2026,
• review vocabulary words from the lesson,
• learn to draw a box of crayons using simple, step-by-step directions,
• remember how to sign “book” in American Sign Language, and
• complete a bookish maze.

Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text. 

• Inquire –  C.1. – D.1.
• Include –  C. 2. – D.2.
• Collaborate – D.1.
• Explore – A.1. – C.1

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.10.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.6. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.10.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10.

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