ELE 616
Research in
Children’s Literature

Course Syllabus:  Fall  2008

Last updated:  Wednesday, August 20, 2008 

Table of Contents

II.        Catalog Description

 

An in-depth study of chosen areas of children’s literature with emphasis on books and articles about children’s books. 

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III.          Purpose

 

The purposes of this course are to provide students with opportunities for extensive readings in the various genres of children’s literature; readings and discussion of research informing the reading and teaching of children’s literature; and thorough and extensive research into a chosen area of children’s literature.

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IV.          Course Objectives

 

Class activities will be centered on the attainment of the course objectives listed below. These objectives are understood to be reflective of, but not limited to those behaviors advocated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act guidelines. 

Each of the objectives has been associated with corresponding

Kentucky Teacher Standards (KTS),

  
the ALA/AASL/NCATE Program Standards, (AASL)

and the

Murray State University College of Education Student Dispositions associated with the Conceptual Framework.

1.     Be able to evaluate selections of children’s literature in accordance with a set of established criteria. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 4) (COE 1, 2, 5)

2.     Understand the benefits of children’s literature and develop their own criteria for evaluating children’s literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1, 2, 4, 5)

3.     Have an in-depth understanding of a particular issue in children’s literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1-6)

4.     Have an in-depth knowledge of a particular genre or other subdivision of children’s literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1-6)

5.     Write a professional paper suitable for submission to a professional journal on a topic related to children’s literature. (KTS 1, 7) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 2, 5)

6.     Understand the elements of literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 4)

7.     Be familiar with the different genres in children’s literature and criteria for evaluating books in each genre. (KTS 1) (COE 1-5)

8.     Identify strategies for using literature in the classroom. (KTS 1, 2) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 1-6)

9.     Be familiar with a variety of reading strategies. (KTS 2, 4) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 1-6)

10.     Be able to use technology in the study or teaching of children’s literature. (KTS 2, 6) (ALA 1, 4)

11.     Be able to work collaboratively, display team membership skills, and analyze their collaborative experiences to improve future collaborations. (KTS 8, 9) (ALA 3) (COE 1-6)

12.     Be able to reflect upon their reading habits, evaluate their teaching of literature, and identify a plan for future growth and improvement. (KTS 7, 9) (ALA 2) (COE 2, 5)

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V.              Content outline  

 

Topics and Readings
August 20-August 31 Welcome and Introductions
September 2-September 14 Defining  and Valuing Children’s Literature Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 1 Learning About Children and Their Literature: Definition of Children's Literature The Personal Value of Literature to Children The Academic Value of Literature to Children
September 15-September 21 Traditional or Folk Literature Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 6 Traditional Literature
September 22-September 28 Multicultural and International Children’s Literature   Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 11 Literature for a Diverse Society
September 29-October 5 Picture Books and Graphic Novels                           Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 5 Picture Books
MSU FALL BREAK October 3
October 6-12 Graphic Novels and Manga
October 13-19 Fantasy and Science Fiction                Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 7 Modern Fantasy
October 20-October 26 Poetry and Drama Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 3 Poetry and Plays
October 27-November 2 Realistic Fiction     Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 8 Realistic Fiction
November 3-9 Historical Fiction Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 9 Historical Fiction
November 10-16   Nonfiction Books, Biography and Autobiography              Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 10 Nonfiction:  Biography and Informational Books
November 17-25
Choosing Children’s Literature Essentials of Children's Literature ch.  2 Choosing Books for Children Learning about Books
December 1-5 Teaching Children's Literature Essentials of Children's Literature ch. 2, 12 and 13 Planning the Curriculum Developing teaching Strategies Additional readings:

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VI.          Instructional Activities

 

Because active involvement through speaking, writing, and interaction with ideas brings about in-depth learning, students will be expected to participate in diverse activities.

Course discussion will take place on

1. Students will actively participate in class discussions and activities on edu2.0.

2. Students will read and discuss children’s books.

3. Students will reflect upon what they have learned through reflective writing activities

4. Students will write a professional-quality, publishable paper.

5. Students will develop literature units to use in their classrooms.

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VII.      Field and Clinical Experiences

 

None.

 

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VIII.  Resources
 

A page of links to library and internet Resources for Research in Children's Literature is available at

 http://coekate.murraystate.edu/professors/koren/ELE616/ChildLitResources.htm 

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IX.          Grading Procedures
 

A.   Grading Scale

Students will be evaluated on class participation, contributions to the class and the quality of presentations, papers and collaborative projects and tests.  The grading scale will be:
 

93-100%=A         86-92%=B           79-85%=C           72-78%=D           0-71%=F


 

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B.   Course Assignments

For more information on the assignments, see Blackboard at http://estudy.murraystate.edu/ and the course site at

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C. Style Guide

Remember to include your name and class either on the header of the first page or on a cover page.  With the exception of lesson or unit plans, always double-space your papers.

All papers will conform to styles described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001), 5^th ed. 

http://www.apastyle.org
Editorial style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. Editorial style concerns uniform use of such elements as

• punctuation and abbreviations

• construction of tables

• selection of headings

• citation of references

• presentation of statistics

• as well as many other elements that are a part of every manuscript

The American Psychological Association has established a style that it uses in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences have adopted this style as their standard as well.

APA Samples for a Bibliography Library Resources and Methods of Research

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/apa.html

The samples on this page reflect the rules found in the latest APA Manual. Consult the 5th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for more complete information. The APA provides its own advice and examples on the APAStyle.org Web site. For items that do not quite fit any one rule, combine rules. CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY! The examples provided have not been approved or sanctioned by the American Psychological Association. They are non-authorized best guesses.

How do I get help using APA?

Click the links below for examples of citations for various types of resources.

• In-text citations

• Reference List

For a general overview of how to use APA style, take the USM Libraries APA online tutorial.

LEO:Literacy Education Online APA In-Text (Parenthetical) Documentation

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/apaintext.html

In APA style, source material is cited using a system that emphasizes the author and date of publication in its in-text citations. These in-text citations—used when source material is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized—point to full bibliographic citations located in the reference page at the end of the document. Here are general guidelines for in-text citations that cover the use of authors' names, placement of in-text citations, and treatment of nonrecoverable and electronic sources.

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X.              Attendance Policy 

This course adheres to the policy published in the current Murray State University Graduate Bulletin.

Class attendance is required. Completion of blog assignments within one week of their posting will constitute attendance for virtual class sessions.

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XI.      Academic Honesty Policy
 

This course adheres to the policy published in the current Murray State University Graduate Bulletin. 

Only your own work can prepare you to accomplish your professional teaching goals and to contribute significantly to the success of KERA. Using the work of others (for example, published lesson plans) as a starting point for course work is certainly acceptable, although you must credit your sources. Your own work beyond this point must be clearly identified and your sources fully cited.

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XII.          Text and References

Essentials of Children's Literature

6th edition

by Carol Lynch-Brown and Carl M. Tomlinson

Companion Website: 
http://www.ablongman.com/lynchbrown6e

Some of the features in this site include:

•  This site is intended as an aid for students and professors in understanding, applying, and extending many of the concepts in the text.
  
  The main features corresponding with each chapter in the text are: Chapter Overview, True/False questions, Topics for Investigation, Matching questions, Essays and Assignments.

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XIII.          Prerequisite
 

None