MAKING CULTURAL AND
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
THROUGH THE
CORETTA SCOTT KING BOOK
AWARD WINNERS
SCCAAS Conference – Columbia, South Carolina
Presenter Information
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Veteran Educator and District Administrator
Director, Instructional Technology Services – Richland
School District One
Former School Library Media Specialist
Member ALA, AASL, SCASL, SCLA, SCIRA
Member, Follett Library Media Advisory Comm.
Board Member, Columbia Writers Alliance
Member, Augusta Baker Storytelling Festival
Member, USC Literacy Leaders Awards Committee
About the Coretta Scott King Award
The CSK Book Awards is the most
prestigious book awards given by the
American Library Association through the
Ethnic and Multicultural Information
Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) – part of
the Office for Literacy and Outreach
Services (OLOS)
About the Coretta Scott King Award
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Founded by the Black Caucus of the American
Library Association in 1969
Winners announced annually at the ALA Mid-winter
Conference
Winners recognized each summer at the ALA
Conference (June/July)
Winning entries and honor books noted by special
seals
About the Coretta Scott King Award
The books selected for recognition
promote an understanding and
appreciation of African-American
culture and experience.
About the Coretta Scott King Award
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The awards are further designed to commemorate
the life and legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King for
her courage and determination in supporting the
work of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for
peace and world brotherhood.
Purpose of the CSK Awards
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Purpose
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To encourage the artistic expression of the African
American experience via literature and the graphic arts,
including biographical, historical and social history
treatments by African American authors and illustrators.
Selection Criteria
Must portray some aspect of the African American
experience, past, present, or future.
 Must be written/illustrated by a African American.
 Must be published in the U.S. in the year preceding
presentation of the Award.
 Must be original work
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Selection Criteria for the CSK Awards
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Must be written for a youth audience in one of the three
categories:
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Preschool–grade 4
Grades 5–8
Grades 9–12
Must meet established standards of quality writing for youth
which include:
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Clear plot
Well-drawn characters which portray growth and development
during the course of the story
Writing style which is consistent with and suitable to the age
intended
Accuracy
Selection Criteria for the CSK Awards
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Particular attention will be paid to titles that seek to
motivate readers to develop their own attitudes
and behaviors as well as comprehend their personal
duty and responsibility as citizens in a pluralistic
society.
Illustrations should reflect established qualitative
standards as identified in the statement below.
About the Coretta Scott King Award
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Given to encourage the artistic expression of the
black experience via literature and the graphic
arts, including biographical, social and social
history treatments.
The awards honor African-American authors and
illustrators for outstanding contributions to
literature for children and young adults.
About the Coretta Scott King Award
Seal Design
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Designed in 1974 by internationally known artist
Lev Mills
 Artist
in residence at Atlanta University
 Currently affiliated with the Spelman College Art Dept.
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The elements convey the principles to which Dr. King
was dedicated
Originally done in bronze; in 1990s printed in a
more environmentally friendly format – black
background with bronze details
John Steptoe New Talent Award is detailed in green
Coretta Scott King Award Seal
About the Coretta Scott King Awards
40th Anniversary Facts
About the Coretta Scott King Award
40th Anniversary Facts
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The CSK Award has honored over 113 authors and
illustrators over the past 40 years
Sharon Draper was the first author to win the
CSK/John Steptoe New Talent Award (1995)
In 2000, Christopher Paul Curtis became the first
author to win the CSK and Newbery Medal for the
same book – Bud, Not Buddy.
About the Coretta Scott King Award
40th Anniversary Facts
Lillie Patterson, first winner for Martin Luther
King, Jr. - Man of Peace
 Walter Dean Myers has won the most CSK
Book Awards (5)
 Jerry Pinkney has won more CSK illustrator
awards (5) than anyone else
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About the Coretta Scott King Award
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The CSK Award Jury also chooses the winners of the
John Steptoe Award for New Talent Award
winners. These books affirm new talent and offer
visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the
beginning of a career as a published book creator.
John Lewis Steptoe, creator of
award-winning picture books for
children, died at age 38
About the Coretta Scott King Awards
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The award is presented at the annual conference of the
American Library Association.
The award consists of a plaque
 Cash award of $1,000 donated by Johnson Publications to
the author and Book Wholesalers to the illustrator.
 Encyclopedia Britannica and World Book donate sets of
encyclopedias (Britannica to the author, and World Book to
the illustrator).
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Deadline for nominations is December 1 of each
year.
Africa
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Africa Dream (Greenfield)
Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of
Sudan (Christie)
The Captive (Hansen)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Steptoe)
Art
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Bird
Tells the poignant story of a boy whose
loving family, friends and a gift for
drawing help him navigate difficult
emotions surrounding the deaths of his
grandfather and drug-addicted
brother.
Biography
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Becoming Billie Holiday
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou)
Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary (Myers)
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
(Schroeder)
Rosa (Giovanni)
Civil Rights Movement
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Ellington Was Not a Street (Shange)
Martin’s Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. (Rappaport)
Rosa (Giovanni)
Education
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Bronx Masquerade (Grimes)
Goin’ Someplace Special (McKissack)
The Road to Memphis (Taylor)
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys (Howard)
Family Relationships
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Just Us Women (Caines)
The Land (Taylor)
Miracle’s Boys (Woodson)
Money Hungry (Flake)
The Patchwork Quilt (Flournoy)
The Road to Paris (Grimes)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham (Curtis)
Father/Son Relationships
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Bud, Not Buddy (Curtis)
Dark Sons (Grimes)
Keeping the Night Watch (Smith)
Somewhere in the Darkness (Myers)
Folktales/Folklore
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Little Eight John (Wahl)
The People Could Fly (Hamilton)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Steptoe)
Sukey and the Mermaid (San Souci)
Music
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Aida
Becoming Billie Holiday
Before John Was a Jazz Giant
Duke Ellington (Pinkney)
Jazz (Myers)
Personal Growth, Self-Concept, Pride
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The Blacker the Berry (Thomas)
The Moon Over Star (Pinkney)
My People (Nelson)
The Skin I’m In (Flake)
Soul Looks Back in Wonder (Feelings)
Uptown (Collier)
Poetry/Songs
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Ashley’s Bryan ABCs of African American Poetry
(Bryan)
The Blacker the Berry (Thomas)
Let It Shine (Bryan)
Langston Hughes (Hughes)
Meet Damitra Brown (Grimes)
Visiting Langton (Perdomo)
A Wreath for Emmett Till (Nelson)
Slavery
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Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue (Lester)
The Middle Passage (Feelings)
Copper Sun (Draper)
Elijah of Buxton (Curtis)
Which Way Freedom (Hansen)
Sports
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Slam! (Myers)
Twelve Rounds to Glory (Smith)
We are the Ship (Nelson)
Charles R. Smith with WLTX19 Anchor Ashley Walters
Sports
Charles R. Smith’s Richland One Visit
Interview on ESPN Radio with Ernest
Robinson and Bobby Gist
Standards Alignment
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African American History
The purpose of the African American History
program, as referenced in legislation ( S.C. Code
Ann. § 59-29-55), is to ensure that the history of
Africa and African Americans, their culture and
experiences, is integrated into the existing K-12
social studies curriculum. This Web site will provide
educators with resources and training that will assist
them with infusing the African American experience
within the school curriculum.
Standards Alignment
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Standard USHC-7:
The student will demonstrate an understanding of
the economic boom-and- bust in America in the
1920s and 1930s, its resultant political instability,
and the subsequent worldwide response.
Indicators: USHC-7.2 Explain cultural responses
to the period of economic boom-and-bust, including
the Harlem Renaissance; new trends in literature,
music, and art; and the effects of radio and movies.
(H, E)
Ellington was not a Street
Standards Alignment
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Standard USHC-9:
The student will demonstrate an understanding of
the social, economic, and political events that
impacted the United States during the Cold War era.
Indicators: USHC-9.5 Explain the movements for
racial and gender equity and civil liberties, including
their initial strategies, landmark court cases and
legislation, the roles of key civil rights advocates, and
the influence of the civil rights movement on other
groups seeking ethnic and gender equity. (H, P)
Rosa
Remember: the Journey to School Integration
Standards Alignment
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The student will demonstrate an understanding of
Reconstruction and its impact on race relations in the
United States.
5-1.5 Explain the purpose and motivations behind the rise
of discriminatory laws and groups and their effect on the
rights and opportunities of African Americans in different
regions of the United States. (P, G, E, H)
Coretta Scott King
Martin’s Big Words
Rosa
Remember: the Journey to School Integration
Standards Alignment
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Standard 4-6:
The student will demonstrate an understanding of the Civil War and its
impact on America.
Indicators: 4-6.2 Summarize the roles and accomplishments of the
leaders of the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad before
and during the Civil War, including those of Harriet Tubman, John Brown,
Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, and William
Lloyd Garrison. 4-6.3 Explain how specific events and issues led to the
Civil War, including the sectionalism fueled by issues of slavery in the
territories, states’ rights, the election of 1860, and secession.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
Escape to Freedom: A Play About Young Frederick Douglass
Elijah of Buxton
Online Resources
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http://www.teachingbooks.net/crc.cgi?id=1
TeachingBooks.net
With Nick Glass
Award Winning Authors
Walter Dean and
Chris Myers
Award Winning Authors
With Traci Jones
Award Winning Authors
With Kadir Nelson
Award Winning Authors
With Nikki Giovanni and
Bryan Collier
Award Winning Authors
With Nikki Grimes
Award Winning Authors
With Floyd Cooper
Award Winning Authors
With Ashley Bryan
Award Winning Authors
With Kitt Lisenby and
Christopher Paul Curtis
With Christopher Paul Curtis
And Brian Selznick
Award Winning Authors
With R. Gregory
Christie and agent
Award Winning Authors
With Jerry Pinkney
Award Winning Authors
“No, TJ, I’m the tallest!”
(Chris Myers)
Award Winning Authors
With Sharon Draper
Award Winning Authors
With Kadir Nelson
(Chicago)
Preparing for the Awards Breakfast
SCASL Volunteers: Ida, Kitt
and Valerie
California Committee Volunteers
Preparing for the Awards Breakfast
Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast
Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast
Student performers
Christopher Paul Curtis and
Publisher Representative
Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast
Richland One, RCPL and SCASL
Representatives
Award Winning Authors
Caldecott/Newbery Award Dinner
Jacqueline Woodson
Kadir Nelson
Christopher Paul Curtis
CSK Breakfast Committee Members
(Atlanta Section)
Guess Who?
Contact Information
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Ida W. Thompson
Instructional Technology Services – Waverley Annex
1225 Oak Street – Columbia, SC 29204
803.231.6803
ithompson@richlandone.org
http://tinyurl.com/ycs8nhg