January Curriculum
ALA Youth Media Award season is underway! Students in Kindergarten to fifth grade learned about the major Youth Media Awards, such as the Caldecott and Newbery Medals, in anticipation of January's award announcement. We explore titles under consideration and discuss which of the books might win and which books we just love. Kindergarten to second grade explores elements of fiction and visual literacy related to picture books and, our read alouds center on past winner's work.
Additionally, the second grade started examining reference sources including the World Book Online. Third grade continued working with Google apps, fourth grade built floodgates using the Lego WeDo kits to prevent river flooding, and fifth grade learned the ins and outs of searching on Google.
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Caldecott Winner: Hot Dog by Doug Salati Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: “Hot Dog,” illustrated and written by Doug Salati, is the 2023 Caldecott Medal winner.
| Newbery & CSK Award: “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson Newbery & Coretta Scott King Author Award: “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson Additonal Newbery Honor titles:
| Coretta Scott King Awards and More
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Caldecott Winner: Hot Dog by Doug Salati
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: “Hot Dog,” illustrated and written by Doug Salati, is the 2023 Caldecott Medal winner.
- “Ain’t Burned All the Bright,” illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds
- “Berry Song,” illustrated and written by Michaela Goade
- “Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement,” illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy
- “Knight Owl,” illustrated and written by Christopher Denise
Newbery & CSK Award: “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson
Newbery & Coretta Scott King Author Award: “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson
Additonal Newbery Honor titles:
- “Iveliz Explains It All,” written by Andrea Beatriz Arango
- “The Last Mapmaker,” written by Christina Soontornvat
- “Maizy Chen’s Last Chance,” written by Lisa Yee
Coretta Scott King Awards and More
- “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson
- “Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler,” written by Ibi Zoboi
- “The Talk,” written by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
- “Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice,” written by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile
- “Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual,” illustrated by Frank Morrison, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book is written by Carole Boston Weatherford
- Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: “We Deserve Monuments,” written by Jas Hammonds,
- Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award: “Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till- Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement,” illustrated by Janelle Washington
Elements of Fiction Kindergarten and First Grade
Reading picture books is more than words. In Kindergarten and first grade, we learn to identify characters in books by looking at their physical traits and character traits. We examine the setting by identifying when and where a story takes place, and lastly, describe the beginning, middle, and end of the story. First grade goes further in learning about using question words to retrieve information from the pictures and to further their understanding of the narrative. Visual Literacy studies continue through grade five incorporating primary sources, video sources, and other nonfiction materials.
First Grade Biography Intro: The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
What did dinosaurs look like to early paleontologists? Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, a British artist with a deep interest in science and nature, built incredible models of dinosaurs using the science of the day. These sculptures still reside at the Crystal Palace in England delighting visitors with their history. These sculptures are classified as buildings and on a list of protected resources.
Read More in The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley; illustrated by Brian Selznick.
Watch the short video on the history of the National Landmark.
- My child has a library book from before quarantine. What should I do with it? Please bring it back! There is no penalty for pre-quarantine books and I would love to have them back in the library so other kids can enjoy them.
- Will kids check out books this year? No, our library is still in storage and the number of books is limited. Kids will have a chance to enjoy books during library class this year which will, hopefully, inspire some ideas for outside reading.
- Where can we access the databases and encyclopedias? Use the Lowell Library website and under SEARCH find a list of the databases students have access to through the school.
- What will students learn without the library? Don't worry! I selected a lot of books to continue our read alouds each week. We will also take this time to explore more aspects of our digital learning curriculum such as digital citizenship and computers as tools.
