Primary GATE with Caldecott -- Owl Moon Pop-up and Critical Thinking

Now with a more kid-friendly pop-up option:

Owl Moon is incredibly rich in critical thinking potential, rich in artwork, and rich in the feelings words evoke.

Come along for a challenging lesson and a fun extension activity with the poetic 1988 Caldecott Award winner Owl Moon. Critical thinking about poetry, participatory reading, and figurative language along with a project in which we create an owl to “pop up” and spread its wings poetically will energize your students.

Caldecott books are perfect for our highly visual 21st Century Learners. I use this lesson with my 1st grade advanced readers at the end of the school year. 2nd and 3rd graders should be right on target as well. Got a gifted kindergarten group? This will be an especially tough challenge for them but promises to stretch kids’ imaginations and critical thinking skills across 4+ grade levels. I also use Caldecott books with whole class 4-5th grade classrooms (with some modifications) when teachers have asked me to come to their classes to provide a full class extension. The picture book format makes it easier for us to springboard from content to critical thinking—and the 4-5th graders still love picture books.

With this lesson, you’ll get critical thinking questions to guide your students, ready-to-print activity sheets which delve into the language of poetry, and templates with a complete guide to completing the pop-up.