Shoredecott Expo Encourages A Love Of Reading
The Grade 4 Shoredecott Expo is a unique project paying homage to the Caldecott children’s book awards and is widely recognized as one of the annual highlights of Shore’s library program. Parallel to the real Caldecott awards, students immerse themselves in the rigorous process of reviewing, voting, and ultimately selecting their favorite children’s book of the year from a field of numerous books. Students read a set number of books, and then work together with their peers to determine finalists and vote.
The fun doesn’t stop there, however, as students are also tasked with designing a customized Shoredecott medal for their books and that goes down to a vote as well. Watching our students proudly show off their hard work and hearing how passionate they are about their chosen book is incredibly rewarding and is a testament to the strength of Shore’s library programming. Finally, the winning medal is copied and attached to the front of Shore’s copy of the winning book, where it will stay for however long the book is in the library. This unique project not only provides an opportunity for students to be creative and learn with one another but encourages each individual student to engage with a wide variety of modern children’s literature and in turn grow in their understanding of current events and the world around them. “My book taught me not to take stuff for granted and to spend as much time as you can with the people you care about,” said Pearl W. “My favorite part of my book was the illustrations,” commented Lucy R., “the author used charcoal colored pencil and natural colors to show the wolf in the wild. I also made my medal a cheeseburger!” she added. Other students loved the process of creating their medals too, and went in depth about themes and what the project meant to them as a whole.
The entire project comes together in an event called the Shoredecott Expo, when Grade 4 students each select a favorite book from their reading and become an ‘expert’ on it. Then, faculty, staff, and parents and caregivers gather in the library and students go all-out to convince the assembled crowd to vote for their book of choice. The fun gets competitive in a good way as the votes are tallied up, and a winning book is chosen and receives the Shoredecott award!
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.