Instructional Approaches to Literature for Children and Adolescents – EDUC 315

Course Description

Rationale

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the use of children’s literature from early childhood and adolescent settings with a focus on format, genre, curricular connections, and overall utility in broadly diverse classrooms.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt. The candidate must also provide replies to two classmates' threads.

Discussion: Examining Quality Literature and Discussion: Literary Elements have the same requirements and are graded using the same rubric. Each thread must be 300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to two other classmates' threads. Each reply must be 100 words.

Discussion: Adolescent Text Talk

The candidate will choose a selected theme. Using one or two texts from commonlit.org, the candidate will create a text talk with realia/objects, images, and other visual representations of a text he or she plans to use in a future/current upper elementary to middle grades classroom. The Text Talk will be posted as a Discussion initial thread. A template is provided. The thread must be 450-500 words and demonstrate course related-knowledge. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to two other classmates' threads. Each reply must be 150-200 words. (CLO: A, B, C)(CLO: A, E, F, G)

Literacy and Me Assignment

The candidate will write a reflective paper of at least 750 words that describes personal experiences with literacy and discusses how these experiences have shaped their goals for teaching literacy. The first section of the paper is an invitation to recall and record the experiences that have shaped his/her relationship with, and attitudes and feelings toward, reading. The second section is an invitation to discuss how these experiences have shaped the candidate's goals for future literacy instruction. The paper must include at least 2 scholarly references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. A template is provided. (CLO: B, G)

Building Content Knowledge through Literature Assignment

The candidate will use the common core and state standards to choose a topic for knowledge building within a grade-level classroom. The candidate will choose four high-interest children’s books of various genres and create a plan for content rich instruction focused on a single topic. The candidate will use research-based principles to target these specific areas of instruction for building knowledge: 1. Big Ideas & Key Takeaways 2. The Use of Multiple Genres, 3. Word Knowledge, 4. Distributed Review, and 5. Intentional Opportunities for Language Development. A template is provided. The student will write a 250-word reflective summary of the article at the beginning of the template and a one-paragraph summary explaining how the student will provide opportunities to discuss the content (150-200 words) at the end of the template. (CLO: A, C, D, E, F)

Genre Study Log Assignments (2)

The candidate will discuss, evaluate, and critique quality children’s and adolescent literature in these assignments. Each Genre Study has a distinct focus: Fantasy or science fiction picture books, Diverse Perspectives in books, and Realistic or Historical fiction books. The candidate will select and read 3 books for each genre and apply state standards and instructional activities for each genre study. The first genre study log focuses on fantasy or science fiction (3 books). The second genre study log focuses on two genres: diverse perspectives (3 books) AND realistic or historical fiction (3 books). A template is provided. Each assignment will have summary responses, personal responses, and pedagogical responses that will be 100-150 words each. (CLO:  A, B, E, F, G)

Interactive Read Aloud and Reflection Assignment

The candidate will record himself/herself reading a high-quality children’s book and completing an interactive read aloud. The video will be 10-12 minutes in length. After viewing the video, the candidate will write a reflective summary. A template is provided. An additional submission in Livetext is required. (CLO: A, E, F, G)

Windows and Mirrors Project Assignment

As a common analogy used for books, the “Mirrors and Windows” project is a culminating project for this course. There are 4 parts to the project:  1) Mirror Books  - Select 5 books that act as mirrors for you and identify which parts of yourself are reflected in those books (75-150 words), 2) Window Books - Select 5 picture that act as windows that allow you to understand others' perspectives and experiences (75-150 words), 3) Class Collection  - Choose a grade level and develop a diverse class collection that includes 20 books that represent both windows and mirrors for your classroom (50-100 words), 4) Interview - Share your collection with a teacher/educator and gain their perspective of the collection (150-200 words). A template is provided for the assignment. An additional submission in Livetext is required. (CLO: A, B, C, F, G)

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Reading & Study material for the assigned modules/weeks. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20–30 questions, and have a specified time limit. (CLO: A, B, D, E, G)