Department of Library and Information Studies

LIS 617 - Materials for Children

COURSE PROSPECTUS

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

None.

Required Text(s):

None.

Description:

A study of the materials (books, magazines, video & film formats, audio, television, computer software, CD ROMs, Internet resources, etc.) created for children with emphasis on the process of evaluation in order to meet the educational, cultural and recreational needs of children. (3 s.h.)

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • To acquaint students with a wide range of materials for children to meet their educational, cultural, emotional and recreational needs, and with techniques for their use.
  • At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:
    acquire knowledge of the relationship between children's needs and interests, at various levels.
  • develop general criteria for evaluating and selecting books and materials for children, and to apply such criteria to a wide range of books and materials, including electronic formats.
  • become acquainted with the various genres in literature for children, including characteristics, special criteria, representative titles and major authors in each by reading widely and critically.
  • become acquainted with outstanding authors and illustrators for children and with their work, and to develop an understanding of their aims and methods.
  • recognize the role of the adult in relation to children and their materials, and to learn techniques for introducing children to literature and for evaluating and encouraging their response to books and materials.
  • become acquainted with current issues and trends in the field of literature and materials for children.
  • briefly survey the history of children's literature, and contemporary literature for children.
  • become aware of major professional publications and sources of information which can help the adult who is using books and materials with children.
  • develop in students a permanent interest in the field, so that they will continue to explore new books and materials for children, and will keep in touch with new developments in the field.
  • become acquainted with a variety of online resources for children's materials, including online discussion groups, electronic magazines, online books, and World Wide Web sites for accessing current information about awards, authors, illustrators, as well as lesson plans and bibliographies.

Requirements:

  1. Class participation:

    Students are expected to come to class on time and remain for the whole class, returning after the break. Habitual tardiness will be counted as absences. Students are also expected to conduct themselves in a courteous manner, and refrain from talking when the instructor or another classmate has the floor.
    Students are encouraged to share their opinions and observations, even if they disagree with the instructor or their classmates. Love of literature, like other art forms, is an individual taste; and much can be learned from a free flow of ideas. All opinions are equally valid.
    Each student is expected to have read all of the materials for each class and have completed the assignments as given. Although participation may be difficult to evaluate, the following indicators will be used to assess your participation:
    a. Preparation: Is the student able to respond to questions related to the assigned readings? Do the student’s responses to questions indicate familiarity with the assigned material?
    b. Understanding: Do the student’s comments reflect a superficial or a substantial understanding of the material? Are the student’s comments relevant to the topic being discussed?
    c. Frequency: How frequently does the student contribute to class discussions in a meaningful way?
    d. Group Awareness: Does the student use class time for questions, comments, or activities that do (or do not) enhance the learning of others? In small group exercises, does the student play a constructive role?

  2. Reading Evaluations:

    Students will be required to keep a weekly record of the children's books that they are reading for this course. The purpose of this record is to guide your critical thinking so that you will be effective in helping children select books. The only way you can truly understand, know, and appreciate children's literature is to read it yourself. Use this opportunity to read new titles and discover authors and illustrators that are unfamiliar to you. Try to read at least one title for each of the genres discussed in class. The following is a list of suggested categories:
    1 Newbery Award or Honor book
    1 Caldecott Award or Honor book
    1 Coretta Scott King Award Book or Honor book for literature
    1 Coretta Scott King Award Book or Honor Book for illustration
    1 children’s biography of a children’s author or illustrator
    1 poetry anthology
    1 Mother Goose anthology
    1 folktale anthology
    1 title from a series
    1 humor, romance or mystery title
    1 science fiction title
    1 fantasy title
    1 historical fiction title
    1 Holocaust title
    1 biography
    1 diary or letter-format title
    1 nonfiction title
    1 book that has been challenged or banned
    2 multi-cultural titles
    2 titles for comparisons of something old and something new---the new must be contemporary realistic fiction published after 1980--the old is one title published prior to 1970.

  3. Required Readings:

    Students must read a total of 20 intermediate books and 50 picture books.
    Students may use the evaluation forms provided in the course packet
    When evaluating a book, try to use supportive examples from the book to justify your comments. Rather than just saying "this was a good book" or "I did not like this book", use specific examples to support those statements. Compare your book to the checklist for selecting that genre.
    Intermediate children’s fiction books can usually be evaluated using literary criteria: plot, characters, theme, setting, etc. However, be sure to address the specific criteria for the genre where appropriate. Picture books have the additional consideration of their artistic elements

  4. Picture Books:

  5. TV Logs:

    For this assignment, please watch 5 hours of children's television. Please select from a variety of programs--Saturday morning cartoons, after school specials, MTV, as well as programs not intended for children but which children might watch, i.e. public, commercial, and cable as available. You need to watch a wide variety of programs, not just one or two. As you watch, look at the content and structure of the shows.Take enough notes to enable you to address the following questions: What views of the world are presented? What assumptions are made about children? How did the programs meet the needs or interests of children? What did you think of the commercials? What challenges do the programs present to parents, teachers, and librarians?
    Try to spread your viewing out over the semester to give yourself time to think about what you have seen. Write up the answers to these questions, as well as the conclusions you have drawn from this experience.You also need to note the times, dates, length, and channels for each program that you watch. You also need to include a specific plot summary for each program, and support your conclusions with specific examples taken from the programs that you viewed. Be sure that you both express and support the conclusions you drew from this experience.

  6. Electronic Resources:

    You may choose to do one of the following:

    a. Evaluate CD ROM products suitable for children
    b. Evaluate a live action feature film length film or video adaptation of a specific book.

  7. Extra Credit

    Awareness:
    You are encouraged to begin collecting a portfolio of related materials which you will collect from the "real" world, which reminds you, for a variety of personal reasons, of the world of children's literature, i.e. news clippings, cartoons, magazine articles, photographs, and other material where you least expect it. This hunt should both please and challenge you. Please be sure to note where you found each item and how it relates to the field of children's literature.

Department of Library and Information Studies
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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