RE 3240-103 World Literature for Children



[pic]RE 3240-103 World Literature for Children

Spring 2008

Instructor: Amie B. Snow

Wednesday 3:00-5:30 - EDH 227

Email: amiesnow@ Phone: Home- 336-985-0992

Cell- 336-577-9370

Office Hours: 127B

Tuesdays: 10:00 - 10:45 & 1:45-2:45

Wednesdays: 1:00-2:45

Fridays: 9:30 – 10:45

“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.” (1952)

~ Mary Ellen Chase ~

“To be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and in the way he understands it.”

~Soren Kierkegaard~

Course Description

This course introduces students to the range of children’s literature across cultures. Students will read and analyze translations and other children’s books in English from countries around the world. Literary analysis of the books will form the basis for comparing and contrasting cultures, historical periods, and differing national worldviews of childhood. Other issues such as racism and sexism will also be examined. A major focus of the course will be how to introduce the concepts of story and information to children through books, storytelling, and multi-media. Course designators: Writing, Multicultural

Course Materials

Course Textbook:

• Temple, C., Martinez, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (Eds.). (2006). Children’s books in children’s hands: An introduction to their literature (3rd ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Required Children’s Books to Be Purchased from ASU’s Bookstore:

□ The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida

□ Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford

□ What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Robin Page & Steve Jenkins

□ Lon Po Po by Ed Young

□ Swamp Angel by Anne Issacs & Paul O. Zelinsky

□ The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

□ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Required Children’s Books to Be Purchased from Black Bear Books:

□ Carnival at Candlelight by Mary Pope Osborne

□ Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Ida B and her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

□ Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan

□ Darby by Jonathon Scott Fuqua

□ Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

□ The Witches by Roald Dahl

□ Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

** NOTE: There are two weeks where you will choose from one of two books. For February 20th you will read either Because of Winn-Dixie or Ida B. You ONLY need to buy ONE of these two books. On April 9th, you will choose from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone or The Witches. You will only need to buy ONE of these books. We will decide who will read which books the first week of class. **

Selected Articles and Websites

Self-selected children’s literature (25 books across genre, culture, and grade level)

Goals and Objectives

□ Students will read from and identify characteristics of the many genres available in children’s literature, and they will develop critical criteria for evaluating and appreciating these materials.

□ Students will explore literary theory in relation to international literature for children. Elements of story as derived from personal story and the oral storytelling tradition will be examined.

□ Students will read and experience a wide range of children’s books from around the world and become familiar with significant authors and illustrators.

□ Students will come to understand their own transactions with literature through reader response. They will expand their knowledge of censorship and intellectual freedom and develop critical reading skills to identify the literary qualities of children’s books.

□ Students will examine historical and cultural worldviews represented in children’s literature, including the significance of children’s books as they reveal race, ethnicity, gender and social mores.

□ Students will identify developmental characteristics of children as readers of literature to improve their ability to select materials appropriate for children’s abilities and preferences.

□ Students will become familiar with strategies to support and enhance children’s development as readers of literature by:

• Reading aloud and storytelling

• Identifying instructional and assessment tools to increase children’s knowledge of literature

• Using internet sources to complement literature instruction

• Exploring effective complementary uses for children’s literature across the curriculum.

DPI/NCATE Standard 1: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in English Language Arts and Literacy.

Indicator 3: Teachers know and understand a diverse range of historical and contemporary literatures, including various genres of American, British, and World, as well as literatures written by women and authors of color and works written for children and young adults.

Methods of Instruction

A combination of lecture, demonstration, modeling, and whole and small group learning situations, as well as a discussion board will be the major modes of instruction. Literature discussion groups and literature circles will be used to explore many novels in class. Videotape, film, internet examples, guest lecturers, and possible classroom visits will be used to connect theory to practice.

Course Requirements

Regular class attendance and timely completion of readings and assignments (30 Points)

Active participation and engagement promotes deeper learning – come to class prepared and express your thoughts. Missing more than one class will result in lowering your final grade by 5 percentage points for each absence. Two times tardy is equivalent to one absence.

You will be completing readings and assignments that will be due every class. To gain the most from this class, you need to be here, be involved and be prepared. Remember that you are working toward becoming a teacher. With that career decision, there comes a great deal of responsibility, starting with your willingness to work hard and learn new things. I want you to be excited about this class and the work you are completing for it. I expect that you complete each assignment to the best of your ability, keeping in mind that your contributions to our class enhance the learning of your classmates as well as yourself.

All assignments – both daily assignments and major assignments - are to be submitted on time. All readings must be completed for each class period. Your preparation is essential to the success of this class. Late work will be accepted but be aware that your grade will be lowered accordingly.

Academic Honesty and Integrity are expected of all students. Any work that you or your team submits must be your own work. Any ideas, information, approaches, or formats that you use based on the work of others must be acknowledged by citing the appropriate sources.

Personal Preferences: Please come to class with your cell phone on silent or vibrate mood. When you come to class, you should be prepared to give yourself and your classmates the time you need to discuss and engage with the materials. Text messaging or answering your cell phone for anything other than an emergency is not acceptable during class time.

Major Assignments

*Multicultural Study: Celebrating Cultural Diversity (25 points)

You will work with a group of 3 or 4 to explore children’s literature, which accurately portrays distinct cultural groups. You will choose your cultural group from the following:

African Americans Jewish Americans

Chinese Americans Native Americans

Latino/Hispanic Americans Korean Americans

Japanese Americans Middle Eastern

Later in the semester we will visit the IMC where we can explore the literature available to you in each of these cultural groups. In the mean time, the following websites may be helpful to you as you begin to think about your project:

Celebrating Cultural Diversity through Children’s Literature



Multicultural Resources for Children



How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books



Multicultural Children’s Literature



Children’s Literature Resources



Your Mission: Create a presentation supporting the thesis that children can learn about other cultural groups by reading children’s literature that accurately portrays those cultures. As you choose books and prepare to explore and celebrate, keep in mind what information about a country or culture really interests children in grades K-6.

The Requirements:

□ Read at least 5 books about your cultural group. Select a variety of genres that depict your cultural group – realistic fiction, traditional tales (fables, fairy tales, folktales), historical fiction, information books, biographies, etc.

□ As you read the books, note insights about race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social mores, history, customs, traditions, etc. that the books reveal about the people of the country or cultural group.

□ Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation describing your findings. Highlight your research about the cultural group and what you learned about children’s literature in the area you explored. This presentation should not exceed 20 minutes.

□ Include in your presentation brief descriptions of each book and noteworthy information from the book that supports the thesis. For example, you may want to describe a celebration/holiday, which a book includes as a significant event as evidence that children can learn about that culture by reading that book.

□ Plan to read aloud one of the books your group read and explored as part of your presentation. Include a brief description of how you could use this book with students.

□ Mention any significant similarities or differences between your country/cultural group & mainstream United States as seen through children’s literature.

□ Teachers are constantly sharing and collaborating with one another. It’s important to start doing that now! Please prepare a one to two page handout for our class, which highlights the most important features of your presentation. Include the bibliography of books.

The Assessment: 25 points

|___________/5 Oral presentation shows evidence of planning and enthusiasm for cultural group. |

|___________/5 Research on history, geography, culture, social mores, customs and traditions of cultural group is evident. |

|___________/5 Descriptions of at least 5 children’s books are included and cited, representing realistic and historical fiction, |

|traditional tales, and informational books. |

|___________/5 Connections are made between children’s books and information about geography, history, culture, etc. relevant to |

|K-6 students. |

|___________/5 Writing is focused, well organized, and incorporates appropriate sentence variety and word choice to convey meaning |

|clearly. Grammar and usage are correct. |

*Reader Response Log (100 points – 50 points for each set)

You are invited to read and respond to 25 high-quality children’s books. Your response logs will be turned in two times during the semester, on October 10th (13 entries due) and November 14st (final 12 entries due).

Your Mission: You will be responsible for reading books (picture books and at least 5 novels) from each of the following genres:

Traditional Literature Biography

Fantasy/Science Fiction Informational

Realistic Fiction Poetry

Historical Fiction

Select authors and titles from the recommended lists at the end of the book chapters, the book appendices, the American Library Website, etc. The following webpages will also provide additional book lists and genre descriptions to help you choose books. We will also discuss these genre descriptions in class.

American Library Association



Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site



Belk Library IMC



The Genres of Children’s Literature



The Requirements:

Please select books (most but not all) that have been published in the last 20 years. These may also include the titles from your author/illustrator study. At least 12 titles in your collection should represent cultural diversity and authors/topics from other cultures and nationalities. You will also need to include at least 5 Caldecott Award or Honor Books and at least 3 Newberry Award or Honor books. These award books can also count toward the cultural diversity requirement. For example, the Newberry Award book, Kira-Kira, is about a Japanese American family. This book would count toward your diversity requirement and your Newberry requirement.

Each entry in your reading log should be typed. Please include one entry per page. In addition, please organize your entries according to genre. Include the following in each entry:

A. Title

B. Author (last name, first name)

C. Illustrator (last name, first name) (if applicable)

D. Publisher and date of publication

E. Genre (Indicate if multicultural)

F. Age range for which the book is appropriate (K-3 or 4-6)

G. Summary (a 4 to 6 sentence summary of the book written in YOUR own words)

H. Response – This is your personal reaction to the book. This should be 6 to 8 sentences.

a. What is your overall opinion of the book?

b. What did you notice in the book?

c. How did the book make you feel?

d. How does the book relate to your own experiences?

e. Did you make any connections between this book and other books you’ve read?

I. Teaching Ideas – This should be 6 to 8 sentences. Take time to think about the book and how it could be used effectively with students.

a. How might you use this book in the classroom?

b. How would you use it to integrate other areas of the curriculum?

The Assessment: 50 points

|___________/15 At least 30 high-quality books by a variety of authors are represented. All required information is provided and |

|typed. Entries are organized by genre. Multicultural, Caldecott, and Newberry books are clearly indicated. |

|___________/15 Summaries are organized and clearly written. They explain the basic plot of the book. It is clear that the student |

|has read and understands the book. |

|___________/10 Personal responses show evidence of higher-level thinking. The student expresses a personal reaction that |

|demonstrates insight and depth of thinking about the book. |

|___________/10 Teaching connections and curricular uses are varied and creative. They provide specific ideas for implementation in|

|the classroom. |

*Reader Response Discussion Board (20 points)

Throughout the semester we will interact on a discussion board. This discussion board will allow us to prepare for each class meeting and give us the opportunity to think a little more deeply about each common book we are reading together. In addition it can offer a place for us to discuss the books that you are reading for the Reader Response Log. My hope is that this discussion board will become a place we go to when we are excited about a new discovery or what to share a new question about children’s literature.

The discussion board will not be used formally each week. There will be a few weeks where I will not post a prompt for you to write about. However, that does not mean that you cannot post on your own in those weeks. The more we think and write about the literature we are experiencing, the better we become at sharing it with others – especially your future students.

On the weeks when the discussion board is being formally used – the weeks when I post a specific prompt of assignment, you will be required to respond twice. The first posting will be an initial response to what I have suggested for the week’s discussion. These postings may be personal responses or reflections, double entry journals, poems, graphic organizers, etc. My hope is to make it a “multigenre blog” where we have the chance to respond to literature in a variety of ways. Do not feel limited by only responding through prose. Try to expand your mind and leave your comfort zone. The assignment will be posted by Wednesday morning of each week. Your initial response must be posted by Sunday at 5:00 pm. The second posting will be a response to a classmate’s initial posting. This second posting must be completed by Tuesday at 11:00pm. This discussion board should be a discussion, therefore prompt responses are necessary.

Your second response is a chance to respond to your classmates. This response is important because you are reading the responses of other people and then making a connection to your self. Take time to think from the other person’s perspective while continuing to respect their response and reaction to the literature. You will be surprised by how different some of our responses will be and how similar some of our responses will be.

You should type all postings in a word processing program and simply copy and paste the document onto the discussion board. This way you will have a hard copy of your learning.

How can you respond to literature? Check out these websites:

Personal Responses to Literature



Literature Responses



*HOW DO I GET ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD??*

1. First go to .

2. Click on “Login to Moveable Type”.

3. This should take you to the log in page. Type in the following information:

Username: RE3240_snow

Password: abc123

4. Click on the link “RE3240_103_Snow.

5. This link will take you to a page where you can post a new entry. Click on the link “New entries”. Then you may type your entry.

6. Select the appropriate category at the top of each entry. These categories will go along with the book we are reading at the time.

7. Be sure that you save each entry and change the bottom pull down from “unpublished” to “published”. It will not post unless it says “published” at the bottom.

8. Be sure to sign each of your entries. Since each person signs in the same way I will have no way of knowing who wrote what if you do not put your name at the bottom of each entry.

9. I will show you how to get on during our first class.

*Author or Author/Illustrator Study (40 points)

Your Mission: For the author/illustrator study you and a partner will select an author and/or illustrator (many are both) from the list provided by your instructor.

The Requirements: You and your partner will complete the following tasks:

□ Read at least 3-6 books (depending on length) written and/or illustrated by this person.

□ If your author/illustrator is the recipient of a Caldecott or Newberry medal or honor book, or has won another award, be sure that you read the award book(s).

□ Locate at least 3 references about the author/illustrator’s life and work. You are required to use at least one print resource. Something about the Author (IMC Ref 928 S696) and Children’s Literature Review (IMC Ref 028 52 C536) are good sources. These are biographies and autobiographies about many children’s authors and illustrator’s available in the IMC biography section. Feel free to also use other print resources or websites that you know to be reliable.

*Using your research, you and your partner will create a PowerPoint presentation or other professional presentation to share with the class.

You presentation should include the following:

□ Biographical Information related to the person’s career (a timeline would be appropriate here)

□ Genre, subjects, themes, or concepts addressed by the author/illustrator

□ Description of what makes this person’s work distinctive

□ Writing style and/or artistic style and media

□ Creative display of books by the author/illustrator

□ Most important awards this person has received

□ Comprehensive list of all books by newer authors OR a selected list of an experienced author’s most noteworthy books

□ An overview of one book with specific teaching suggestions by each person

□ References (At least 3)

Be excited and proud of the work you have done for this presentation. As a teacher you must be prepared to engage your students at all times. Being excited about a topic is the best way to get your students excited too. Choose an author/illustrator that you want to spend time with and get to know.

*Part of being a teacher is collaborating with other teachers. You will need other people to rely on and two heads really are better than one! Keeping this is mind, each pair will develop a hand out or brochure for the rest of the class. Please include the following information:

□ Picture of the author/illustrator

□ Brief profile of interesting facts about the author/illustrator

□ Comprehensive list of all books by newer authors OR a selected list of an experienced author’s most noteworthy books

□ Meaningful quotations from the author reflecting his/her craft

□ Additional information or graphics for added interest

□ Related websites

□ Bibliography of sources of information (include at least one print resource)

□ Teaching connections for the book presented by each partner in the presentation

□ Any other helpful information you found while you researched

*Both the presentation and the brochure/hand out will be done with your partner. Individually you will create a literary critique for a book your author has written or illustrated. This critique will not be a part of your presentation; it will be turned in individually. Your critique will include the following information:

□ To begin your literary critique you will need an introduction explaining your reasons for choosing this author/illustrator – both aesthetic and efferent. Answer the question: Why do I like this author’s work?

□ Explain how this author contributes to children’s education and the field of children’s literature.

□ Provide a brief summary of the book, including the major elements of the story – characters, setting, plot, theme, etc. If it is an informational text, highlight the important features of the text.

□ Include a brief explanation of the genre of the book. Use your Temple text as a reference for writing this explanation.

□ Comment on the criteria for a good book – again use your Temple text and the IMC handout to help you. You will continue by highlighting why this book appeals to you – what elements do you consider to be the book’s strengths?; what elements are the book’s weaknesses? You should be focusing on character development, the plot, the mood, the illustrations, the author’s craft – his or her ability to weave a story with vivid descriptions and vocabulary, etc. We will be discussing these elements throughout the semester.

□ Describe how you would use this book in the classroom. Be specific with describing what you could do with this book. Also, be specific with which parts of the book allow for the best classroom connections and be sure to point those parts out by page number. Spend time envisioning how you would use this book and try to develop a description of how it would play out in a classroom. Again, we will be doing this with all of the books we read this semester, so it will become more natural over time.

When you have completed this assignment, you will have turned in the following:

□ Your presentation on a disc or other format

□ A literary critique

□ A brochure/ hand-out

The following websites will guide you to authors and illustrators and their websites:

Children’s Authors and Illustrators



The Assessment: (40 points)

|_____/5 Biographical information is up-to-date, informative and connected to the author/illustrator’s career. |

|_____/5 The author/illustrator’s work is described thoroughly – mention of the author/illustrator’s style, genre, distinctive |

|characteristics, and awards make up part of the presentation. |

|_____/5 Presentation and book display is well organized and informative. |

|_____/5 Each partner overviews one book by offering a quick summary with specific teaching suggestions. |

|_____/10 The brochure is well-developed and complete. All necessary information can be easily found and used. |

|_____/10 Literary critique is well-written and complete. The author has thoughtfully planned their critique and has delved deeper into |

|questions and thoughts on the author’s style and design. Specific critiques are made and citations from the book are used to provide support|

|and justification. |

*Reader’s Theatre Group Presentation (35 points)

“Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre.”

Gail Godwin

Being a teacher involves many different skills and abilities. One of the most important abilities that a teacher must have is the ability to engage a crowd no matter what must be done. You have to be willing to be silly, serious, dramatic, etc. in order to be an effective teacher. You have to be comfortable with yourself and willing to share yourself with your students. For me, I enjoyed teaching because I could be, actually needed to be, dramatic and full of energy to get my kids excited about learning.

Your Mission: As a way to practice this kind of drama and as a way to show you another way to share literature, you will be acting in a Reader’s Theatre performance with some of your other classmates. As a group you will choose a Reader’s Theatre to act out and perform for the class. Most of the Reader’s Theatre performances that I have to choose from will only take 10 minutes to perform. However, I do want you to be creative by developing your characters through costume and attitude. I also would like for you to stage your Reader’s Theatre with a few props or background scenery. It does not need to be elaborate but it must be evident to me that you took time to think about the play and created an appropriate atmosphere for the play. The last requirement is that you HAVE FUN with this activity. It is important, as a teacher, to remember what it feels like to be a student and keep that energy with you. You will have time to work with your group in class as we get closer to showtime!

Summary of Assignments, Due Dates & Points

|Assignments |Due Dates |Points |

|Attendance, Participation, Attitude & Daily |Daily | |

|Assignments | |30 points |

|Multicultural Project |April 16th, April 23rd, & April 30th |25 points |

|Reader Response Log |March 5th & April 30th |100 points |

|Discussion Board |Weekly |20 points |

|Author/Illustrator Study |February 20th, February 27th, & March|40 points |

| |5th | |

|Reader’s Theatre Project |April 9th |35 points |

|Final Exam |Take Home |25 points |

|Total Points | |225 points |

| | | |

94-100 = A 73-75 = C

90-93 = A- 70-72 = C-,                                   

86-89 = B+ 60-69 = D

83-85 = B below 60 = F

80-82 = B-

76-79 = C+

GRADING CRITERIA

 (A ) Exceptional/Outstanding

Work shows excellence, demonstrates in-depth thought, critical thought, goes above and beyond requirements; shows creativity, critical thinking; is technically superior; and is well organized.  Demonstrates considerable effort.

(B ) Very Good

 Work meets the basic expectations of the assignment; is technically accurate and organized.  Evidence of original thinking; clearly shows connections and understanding.

(C) Satisfactory

Work meets the minimum requirements but has some problems with technical expertise (mechanics).  Includes general information but lacks descriptive detail. Needs more substantive content or details. Needs more organization and structure.

(D) Limited

 Work does not meet the minimum requirements

                                                         

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