Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | EDU-2075-VO01 - Literature for Children

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Suzanne Purcell
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

Course Description

Survey of historical and contemporary literature for children. Topics include who and what defines literature as 'for children' and how books impact children's lives personally, socially, and educationally. Examines censorship and the selection of books for children.

Essential Objectives

1. Discuss the importance of children’s literature for social emotional development, academic readiness, and cultural competence.
2. Analyze and discuss a variety of books representing the major categories of children's literature, as well as the classics.
3. Analyze and discuss a range of books that portray the experiences of individuals with diverse backgrounds in terms of culture, language, race, ethnicity, gender, familial constructs, socioeconomic conditions, religion, age, and abilities.
4. Identify and discuss criteria and resources for the evaluation of children's books and apply these criteria to evaluate books read during the course.
5. Develop strategies to make literature available and engaging to children.
5. Examine current issues in children’s literature, including the censorship of children's books, and formulate a personal philosophy regarding children's intellectual freedom.
6. Summarize historical and cultural trends in children's literature, including the significance of landmark titles.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

EDU-2075-VO01 Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

Topics:
Topics covered in this course include Defining Children’s Literature; Understanding Children’s Responses to Literature; Exploring Genres, Authors, and Illustrators: Literature across the Curriculum; Planning the Literacy Program; Understanding Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences as it pertains to literature for children; Fostering the development of passion for literature.

Methods:
Activities and projects covered in this course include the following: Assessing personal relationships to literature; writing annotated bibliographies; learning about and assessing the value of literary awards; researching authors and illustrators; devising strategies for assessing cultural diversity in the classroom, and ensuring that collections reflect this diversity; exploring the various genres in children’s literature; helping children develop personal connections to literature; and The Library Bill of Rights.

Evaluation Criteria

Grading

A few words about grading: It is not my favorite part of teaching. However, it is necessary and gives you an idea of how you are doing throughout the class. I will make every effort to post your grades for the week as soon as possible.

The grading system for this course is based on a scale of 10. You can earn as many as 10 points for each week’s assignments, which include posts, submission of assigned projects, essays, and responses. The final project is worth 25 points.
The total number of points you can earn for the course is 155. This means the grading for the semester looks like this:

GRADING POLICY FOR 15-WEEK COURSE (Fall and Spring Semester):

Final Grade:

122 - 135 = A

107 - 121 = B

95 - 108 = C

82 - 94 = D

< 81 = F

Midterm Grade:

64 – 70 = A

57 – 63 = B

50 – 56 = C

42 – 49 = D

< 41 = F

WEEK 14 ASSIGNMENT GRADE (WORTH 25 POINTS)

22 – 25 = A

20 – 21 = B

17 – 19 = C

< 16 = F

Weekly Grading:

9-10 points = Excellent post which includes information from the reading assignments and critical thinking on your part. Responses are spread throughout the week and indicate that you have not only read the assigned reading, but your peer’s posts as well.

7-8 points = Post which includes some references to the reading material, and more than two responses to peers, which are posted at different times.

5-6 points = A post which addresses the question in a very general way, and one or two responses that are written at the same time. Canvas tracks posting times, so it is evident when you have spent 15 minutes on your posts for the week. Even though you may in fact be reading every post all week, I have no way of knowing this if you do not interact with your peers.

3-4 points = A post which addresses part of the question and one or two responses.

1-2 points = A single post, either an initial post for the week, or a reply to one of your peers.

0 = An absence is recorded for the week.

As the above criteria indicates, I am looking for meaningful synthesis of the reading material, quality interactions spread over the course of the week, and “critical thinking” on your part. Critical thinking is indicated by your opinion on the topic, and why you feel the way you do. Please always state the name of the person to whom you are responding, as this helps discussions stay organized and clear.

If you ever have questions or comments about grades or anything else, do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone. It is always better to address issues sooner rather than later.

Suzanne
suzpurcell@gmail.com

207.460.9900

CCV ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

MY ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Consistent attendance is critical to your success in this course. Attendance is defined as active participation on the discussion board, with initial posts submitted by Friday night and responses to your peers by Sunday night. Failure to meet these deadlines results in an absence for the week, and three absences results in failure of a 15 week course; no more than two absences are allowed during a 12 week summer course. If you know your post is going to be late and you have a valid reason, you must notify me prior to the weekly deadline.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity