LLED502:

LL ED 502 Studies in Literature for Children (3):

Study of various genres of children's literature from various critical perspectives; emphasis on role of literature in children's lives. Prerequisite: LL ED 402.

The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date.

Overview | Student Expectations | Objectives | Materials | Library Resources | Technical Requirements and Help | Course Requirements and Grading | Course Schedule | Academic Integrity | Student Success and Support Resources | Additional Policies

Overview

This course is about ideas, the kinds of ideas that help teachers, teacher educators, librarians, parents, and scholars think more deeply about children's literature. Frank Smith wrote in Reading without Nonsense that teachers have no shortage of advice on how to teach reading to children. There are hundreds of books available that advise teachers on which methods to use and how to use them. What teachers do need, according to Smith, is theory, theory that helps them understand what reading is, select the most appropriate advice, and develop their own practice. This course is based upon the premise that there is nothing so practical as a good theory. Theory helps us to see the possibilities of a book and the possible pedagogical practices we might employ around that book. Theory focuses our attention on text and shapes the meanings we make of that text.

We use ideas with which to think. This means how we build theory, the ideas we hold and eventually make tacit, are vital to what we believe about ourselves, about others, about children, about teaching, and about literature. This course is about provoking those assumptions and asking the reader to consider other possibilities of meaning.

Reading children's literature, like reading any genre of literature, is about reading what is there in the text so that we might fill in what the text doesn't state explicitly. Put another way, we attend to the signs of the text so that we can fill in the gaps. It is how we attend and how we fill in the gaps that give form to the interpretations of literature we make.

To read literature we need a repertoire, a body of knowledge about language, literature, and life and as part of that repertoire a set of strategies for using our knowledge to interpret text. This course is about stretching the repertoire of teachers and expanding their strategies for making meaning of children's books.

Learning isn't something we do alone. We learn from each other and with each other. Carole Edelsky and other progressive language educators have argued persuasively that demonstration is vital to children's literacy learning. According to Edelsky, children need to see demonstrations of the literacy they are trying learn. The teacher-parent-librarian, then, isn't just another reader in the classroom but a demonstrator of what is possible in reading literature. The teacher's repertoire and the strategies the teacher employs are loud and clear calls to children on potential ways to approach and interpret the books they read.

As much as some educators talk about "exploring" books with children, the teacher or any adult for that matter, isn't just another explorer. Students in classrooms take their interpretive cues from the teacher. By showing what she attends to in a text, by the questions she asks, the teacher demonstrates an interpretive posture. If children are going to grow as interpreters of texts, they are going to need to see demonstrated various ways of interpreting literature. If the teacher or other adult isn't showing much, if anything, in how he or she attends to literature, then the children are left to interpret their reading by reproducing strategies they pick up elsewhere. Some children may be fortunate enough to have accomplished readers of literature at home and thus may see demonstrated many possible strategies for interpreting text. But for most children the most accomplished readers they will encounter will be their teachers. Thus it is vital to the learning of children that their teachers continue to grow as readers of literature. This course addresses this need.

Typically, we tend to divide pedagogy into teacher-centered or child-centered education. Because the focus of this course is upon the teacher as a reader of children's literature, the temptation may be to see this course as advocating teacher-centered pedagogy. That would be a mistake. This course is neither teacher-centered nor is it child-centered. It is relationship-centered; the relationships readers form with texts and with one another. This course is about exploring, exploring something in particular, children's books, with a knowledgeable guide. This course is about the repertoire of children's literature and the strategies knowledgeable guides might employ to understand this literature and to teach to their fellow explorers. The focus, then, is neither with teacher nor with child nor with the text, but rather the focus is upon the interpretive space that resides among the three.

In this course you are going to try on different theoretical lenses to gaze at children's books. We will be doing this in a playful manner, not seeking for one, absolute correct meaning, but rather to enjoy the mysteries and ambiguities that fine literature offers readers. For the most part we'll be reading middle grade novels with a few picture books sprinkled in. These books are books that have been well-reviewed and/or are wildly popular.

So, this class will take a tour of several important theories and ideas from literary criticism on children's literature and show the connection these theories have on which books get read in classrooms and how these books get read. Because these theories are all anchored in dominant culture, they often play out in educational practice in unconscious forms. The point of the course is to make these theories explicit and conscious to adult readers of children's books.

Student Expectations

A Web-based course grants you a great deal of freedom, but also a great deal of responsibility. While you don't have a fixed schedule of classes, you do have a fixed schedule of deadlines by which assignments must be completed. In general, you should expect to put in about as much work, and about as many hours, as you would for a traditional resident-instruction course.

Be aware that there is much reading in this course. Pace yourself accordingly and don't allow yourself to get behind. This class is also highly participatory as you will be in electronic discussions with your classmates throughout the term.

Objectives

Throughout this course you will:

• Learn about children as readers and creators of meanings.
• Consider the importance of stories in children's lives.
• Learn about the "Tell Me" framework for exploring stories.
• Consider childhood as an idea and children's literature as a social project.
• Stretch your strategies and repertoire for reading children's literature.
• Consider issues of race, class, gender, and social justice in children's literature.
• Look at the role subversion plays in children's books.
• Consider what role colonialism and ideology might play in children's literature.
• Consider how children's literature can be used for advocacy.
• Read in a playful manner.

Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

Library Resources

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

• access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
• borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
• get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
• much more. 

You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service.  The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.

Technical Requirements and Help

Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)

During the semester you will receive information about completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.

If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.

For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!

Course Requirements and Grading

Major Assignments

1. Posting on Discussion Forums (30% of your grade). Because we meet only in cyberspace, it is vital to post during each lesson. I expect you to post in a thoughtful and pertinent manner to each of the threaded discussions. Not only should you respond to the readings, but you should also respond to the ideas and questions put forth by your fellow classmates. At a minimum, you are expected to make at least one initial post and two replies to classmates for each threaded discussion. Each lesson is active for a week, which runs from Wednesday to Tuesday (unless noted otherwise on the course schedule). I encourage you to complete your initial posts by Sunday evening so that there will be ample time for discussion.
2. Response Assignments (50% of your grade) Throughout the course you will be asked to submit a variety of response assignments. Response Papers #1 and #3 will be a 1,000-1,250 word reaction to the readings that were assigned in the previous weeks (please, read the weekly announcements for the specifics). The response paper is an opportunity for reflection, further exploration, and synthesis. If there is overlap between what you shared in a forum and your paper, be sure that you are saying something new. Response papers may focus primarily on one particular scholarly piece and one children’s book. Responses #2 and #4 will be slightly different. More guidelines to follow.
3. Tell Me Paper (20% of your grade). There are two options: the first considers you as a reader and the second centers the child as a reader. Select a children's book of your choice that is not a required book for this course. If you're especially interested in a series, you could select one book from that series. Read or reread the book, looking at it through the lens of one or two of the theories discussed in the course. Tell the story of your reading of that book in a paper of 1,500 to 2,500 words. You should use a minimum of five scholarly sources in your paper, and papers should be written in APA or MLA style. Or tell the story of a child's reading of a book of choice. More guidelines and rubrics to follow via the weekly announcements.

Late Policy

Assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the due date and will be considered late if submitted after this deadline.  Unless you have contacted me beforehand and received an extension, two points will be deducted.  In the event of an emergency, contact me as soon as possible.

Course Philosophy

A Note on Risk Taking. In this course we value risk taking. If you can connect your idea to the assigned readings, or to your own research, or to something you read on the discussion forum, then please take the risk and share your idea.

Shared Student Resources Repository and Discussion

As you work through this course, you will discover and engage in a variety of resources outside of the required material. You are encouraged to share the resources you have uncovered with your classmates in this collaborative space. The Shared Student Resource Repository and Discussion is nestled in its own lesson, which is located after Lesson 14: Spirituality and Caring. Note: As this is not a graded activity, you are not required, only encouraged to participate.

When posting your resources, please use the title of the resource and correlating lesson number for the title of your post. Furthermore, when posting a resource, please try to:

• submit a URL link to the resource (if available),
• submit your post in standardized format like APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
• submit your thoughts on why you found this resource useful or of interest and ways your classmates might utilize it. 

Please copy these resources before the conclusion of the course (i.e., copy/paste them into a Word / Google Doc, Evernote, OneNote, etc.).

Semester Grading