SDSU-Imperial Valley Campus English 306A: Children s Literature Spring 2014 Instructor Contact Information Instructor: Dr. Jeanette Shumaker Office: West Faculty 157 Office hours: T 3:45-5:15, W 3-4 & 6-7:15, Th 2-3 Phone: 760-768-5524 (or x65524 on campus) Email: jshumake@mail.sdsu.edu Website: See SDSU-IV Campus website, Faculty web pages Wait several days for replies to email. Section and Enrollment Information Class meeting: W 7:25-10:05 Class location: C10 Schedule Number: 60012 Course prerequisites: English 200 or Rhetoric and Writing Studies 200. English 306A and 306W must be taken concurrently. Satisfies Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement for students who have completed 60 units; completed Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 8 or higher (or earned a C or higher in RWS 280, 281, or LING 281 if score on WPA was 7 or lower); and completed General Education requirements in Composition and Critical Thinking. Proof of completion of prerequisites required: Test scores or verification of exemption; copy of transcript. Course Description Reading, analysis, and discussion of classic works of children's literature. This course will acquaint teachers, librarians, and parents with the vast array of children's books available for preschool through twelfth grade. Students will learn how to devise creative, interesting ways to bring children and books together so that children will become avid readers. The course will also help students become more insightful interpreters of literature. Both analytical and creative approaches to children s literature will be stressed, as well as the development of reading, writing, critical thinking and speaking skills. Goals include: 1
1. Provide an historical background for genres and issues in children's literature. 2. Explore a variety of ways of introducing literature to children. 3. Become more perceptive analysts of literature, as speakers and writers addressing adult and child audiences. Student Learning Outcomes 1. Present literature to children through storytelling, drama, visual aids, and writing. 2. Write incisively for adults about children's literature 3. Use literature to build children's appreciation for diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and historical periods. 4. Design inventive assignments that will connect literature to children's writing, art, music, history, and science projects. Required Readings and Materials Our campus bookstore has copies of our books for rent or sale for $5-$10 each for most of these books. Many of our books are also available at public libraries and the campus library. Make sure you read complete, unabridged versions of each book. HESSE, K. OUT OF THE DUST BURNETT. A LITTLE PRINCESS SELZNICK. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET WHITE, E.B. CHARLOTTE'S WEB RYAN, P.M. ESPERANZA RISING CURTIS, C. THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM DIMILLO, K. THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX FENNER, C. YOLONDA'S GENIUS LOWRY, LOIS. THE GIVER ANDERSON, H.C. THE LITTLE MERMAID AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (DOVER) YEP, LAURENCE. THE DRAGON'S CHILD GAIMAN, N. CORALINE Course Website See Blackboard. 2
Assessment and Grading Assignments and Exams Final Exam--essay format 30% of course grade; Oral Report 15%; Play written & performed for children & our class 10% (group assignment); Informal Writings and Class Participation 30%; Storytelling 5%; Illustrated Children s Book based on your own story 10%. Final Grades 3.85 or higher = A 3.5-3.84 = A- 3.15-3.49 = B+ 2.85-3.14 = B 2.5-2.84 = B- 2.15-2.49 = C+ 1.85-2.14 = C 1.5-1.84 = C- 1.15-1.49 = D+.85-1.14 = D.5-.84 = D- 0-.49 = F Grading Policies No weekly informal writings will be accepted late, even if an excuse of illness etc. is provided. This portion of the course grade is meant to reward students who manage to come to class well-prepared and on time despite the vagaries of life. No laptops, phones, ipods or ipads etc. may be used during class or the student s class participation grade will be reduced. The same penalty is applied for holding side conversations during class. Class participation will be assessed via students willingness to speak up thoughtfully during class discussion along with their attendance. 3
Course Activities and Schedule Date Topics Readings to be completed prior to class Assignments / Activities 1/29 Talking animals, fables Read all of Charlotte s Web. Informal writing 2/5 Fairy tales Read first half of Little Mermaid and Other Stories. 2/12 Fairy tales, continued Read the rest of Little Mermaid and Other Stories. Bring a question about each tale. Informal writing 2/19 Fairy tales and talking animals Read all of Tale of Desperaux. Bring 3 discussion 2/26 Graphic novels Read all of Hugo Cabret. Bring 3 discussion 3/5 Realistic fairy tales Read all of A Little Princess. Informal writing 3/12 American historical fiction. Racism. Humor. Read all of The Watsons. Bring 3 discussion 3/19 Gothic fantasy Read all of Coraline. Informal writing 3/26 Learning disabilities, bullies, weight Read all of Yolonda s Genius. Bring 3 discussion 4/9 Poem-novel, diary Read all of Out of the Dust. Informal writing 416 Chinese immigrants, racism Read all of The Dragon s Child. Bring 3 discussion 4/23 Latina historical fiction, racism Read all of Esperanza Rising. Informal writing 4
Date Topics Readings to be completed prior to class Assignments / Activities 4/30 Science fiction, utopias and dystopias Read all of The Giver. Bring 3 discussion 5/7 Final essay exam Bring blue books, a pen, and all 12 books we have read. 5/14 Storytelling Tell your own children s book s story for five minutes. Turn in illustrated children s book. Bring props if you wish. Course Assignments You will give a ten-minute Oral Report on an assigned book or topic. No more than three minutes should be spent on plot summary; just hit the high points of the plot--don t try to cover every scene and character. Focus instead on the book s themes and symbols, and on what assignments you would create to complement the book at a stated grade level. Background material about the author is not required, but it is always interesting. Make comparisons between your assigned book and others the class has read, if possible. Try to speak rather than read from a script; use eye contact and vocal variation to keep your audience interested. Bring copies of your handout about your book for each person in the class; save these to use in later TE classes. If you use sources other than your assigned book, put your references at the end of your handout in a Works Cited list to avoid plagiarism. Final Exam essays should be analytical, avoiding plot summary. You will write about four of the books our class read during the semester. Use MLA format to cite quotations and avoid plagiarism, as in The secret garden was no longer secret (Burnett 182). Exams are open-book, but no notes may be used; bring blue books. We will discuss sample questions at the class meeting before the first exam. In groups of up to four students you will write a 15-20 minute Play based on a work of children's literature studied in our class. You will arrange to present the play to at least six children, and will also present it to our class. You may use scenery, props, puppets, and costumes to the degree you feel that they're helpful, and you may provide a Spanish summary of the play if the children you present it to primarily speak Spanish. You may invent your own dialogue, and/ or quote from the book. Please turn in your typed, double-spaced play when you present it to our class, including a list of the written sources you used. Evidence (i.e. photos etc.) that you performed your play for at least 5
six children needs to be brought to me by the final exam for you to get credit for the play assignment. You will write and illustrate a children s book based on a story you invent. Your book should be at least 500 words long, with at least five illustrations. You may paper clip your book together, or hand bind it with a cover, like a real book. Storytelling for five minutes in front of the class will help you to develop an important skill. You will tell the story you wrote and made into a children s book. Don t read your book aloud; instead, put the story into your own words, or tell it without referring to a book, pretending we are an audience of children. Be dramatic, use eye contact, and, if you wish, use props or visual aids. Course Policies Plagiarism means not giving credit to published or unpublished sources for ideas or information in your writing or speaking. Plagiarism hurts other students and your professors, as well as degrading your self-esteem and preventing you from learning and growing. Studies show that college cheaters usually continue cheating in the workplace until caught and fined or jailed; if you are writing assignments for a friend or concealing a friend s cheating, you are co-depending a dangerous addiction. Plagiarizing or cheating in other ways (such as not attributing information or ideas from published sources during an oral report) will result in failure of the course and, for serious offenders, suspension or expulsion from the university. I punish plagiarists and cheaters in the most severe way that SDSU allows. Students with Disabilities Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately, to discuss specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you need accommodation due to a disability, but have not registered with Student Disability Services via adviser Barbara Romero in Student Affairs, please do so before making an appointment to see me. Oral Report Schedule (use unabridged versions of books) 1/29 Dr. Seuss picture books Maurice Sendak picture books Simon Silva picture books 6
2/5 Almond, David Skellig Cleary, Beverly Ramona books (choose your favorite) St. Exupery, Antoine. The Little Prince 2/12 Norton, Mary The Borrowers Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Gardner, Sally. I, Coriander 2/19 Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three Henry, M. King of the Wind Hartnett, Sonya. The Silver Donkey 2/26 Curtis, C.P. Bud, Not Buddy Gant, John. Dead End in Norvelt Lindgren, A. Pippi Longstocking 3/5 Hoban, Russell. The Mouse and His Child Nesbit, E. The Railway Children Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 3/12 Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach Spyri, J. Heidie Anderson, Laurie. Chains 3/19 Sachar, L. Holes L Engle, M. A Wrinkle in Time Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me 3/26 Blume, Judy Are You There God? It s Me, Margaret Konigsberg, E.L. The View from Saturday Twain, Mark Tom Sawyer 4/9 Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit Langrish, Katherine. Troll Fell 4/16 Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima 4/23 Snyder, Zilpha K. The Velvet Room Farmer, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 4/30 Law, Ingrid. Savvy Pullman, P. The Golden Compass 7
5/14 London, Jack. Call of the Wild or White Fang Schlitz, Amy. Splendors and Glooms 8