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Last revised December 5, 2005

Course Syllabus for Children's and Young Adult Literature in a Multicultural Society

Link to Course Outline

Spring 2006 Instructor: Patricia Montiel Overall



COURSE NAME, NUMBER, AND PREREQUISITES

Children's and Young Adult Literature in a Multicultural Society

521-791

None
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COURSE DESCRIPTION

"The purpose of this course is to survey a wide variety of children's and young adult literature with an emphasis on bilingual, multilingual, multicultural and mulitethnic literature in order to develop an understanding of this literature. This course examines the characteristics and special qualities of children's and young adult literature, and develops an understanding of the use of children's and young adult literature to develop literacy in school and public library settings. " (3 units)

What will we be covering in this course?

Students will read a broad variety of current literature for children and young adults. A total of 100 children's and young adult literature will be read during this course. Student interested in specializing in one specific age group (children or young adults) may focus their literature selections on literature appropriate for specific ages. Genres of children's and young adult literature will be examined and criteria for selection and renewing collections for school and public libraries will be discussed. Notable author's, poets, and illustrators of children's and young adult literature will be studied with an emphasis on those who contribute to bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural, and multiethnic collections. The use of children's and young adult literature to develop literacy, particularly for English language learners (ELLs) will be studied. and the use of children's and young adult literature in meeting national, state, and district standards will be discussed. Children's and young adult literature will be examined from diverse perpectives in particular literature reflecting African American, Asian, Latino, and Native American cultures. However, students will read literature from all cultural groups including traditional children's and young adult literature.

In addition, required texts and e-reserve articles will be required reading. E-reserve article will be located at the Univiersity of Arizona library. A password will be provided on the course management tool, Desire to Learn (D2L) during the first weekend meeting.

Group and individual activities and discussions will take place during class meetings and online. D2L technical support is provided by SIRLS and the University of Arizona. The course is designed to engage students in a social learning environment and to provide students with experience using children's and young adult literature in "real" settings. Online discussions through D2L and service learning provide the social interaction for learning in this course. Lectures are not part of this course.

Weekly homework assignments and a final web project are requirements of the course. In addition, students will engage in 25-30 hours of service learning. Service learning will provide an opportunity to learn about children's and young adult literature in a public or school library setting and to put into practice concepts learned regarding development of literacy through children's and young adult literature. Service learning sites are selected by students and should be identified by the third week of the semester. Sites may include either a school or public library. Online discussions will include service learning experiences and on assigned readings.

Quizzes may be given throughout the semester. These quizzes are designed to assist student evaluate their understanding of content but are ungraded.

So how are we going to do this?

This course is a "blended" course involving three weekend meetings and online instruction. Students are responsible for individual assignments and also participate in collaborative discussions which take place in D2L in discussion groups and chat rooms. Attendance at all six class meetings in Tucson is required. Students should expect to log into D2L 3-5 times a week for asynchronous discussions. Students are expected to complete assigned readings and participate in service learning. Requirements for online chats and discussions will be provided on the course homepage of D2L for those enrolled in the course.

Is this an independent learning course, or are there other students pacing through the course at the same time (as they would in a face-to-face class)?
Students will pace themselves during the online portion of this class. Specific assignments will be required for the face-to-face portion of the course. Dates for the weekends are Feb. 4-5, Feb. 25-26, and April 8-9. The first class on Feb. 4 will begin at 9:00 am. The class will be held in Tucson in the multipurpose room of SIRLS at 1515 E. First Street. Weekends will feature guests lecturers, small group work, field trips, and other learning activities.

How is this course broken down? (e.g. into lessons, modules, etc.; and how many of these are there?)
Modules will be used for instruction. Students will participate in cohorts to complete the modules. Cohort membership changes several times during the semester to provide students with an opportunity to meet and work with other students enrolled in the class.

What general kinds of course materials will be used? (i.e. Will there be print materials? On-line resources? Perhaps a CD ROM?)
Students will select children's and young adult literature that reflects a multicultural society. Students will also be required to read from required texts and e-reserve articles. A CD ROM is included in back of the required text and may be used for assignments.

When and how will this course begin?
Students will log onto D2L as soon as the semester begins (Wednesday, January 11, 2006). D2L software can detect when students log on. At that time, students be able to read additional information on the course homepage on D2L. All assignments prior to the first face-to-face meeting in February will be carried out individually. The course will oficially begin a few days after the start of the semester.

The first module will begin on February 6, 2006. Instructions about the Modules and participation by cohort members will be provided on D2L and will be discussed during the first face-to-face meeting on February 4, 2005.

How will you communicate with the instructor?
To communicate with the instructor, students will use D2L mail. This d-mail is checked daily and responses to inquiries can be expected promptly by the instructor or teaching assistant. Students may also contact the instructor during online office hours via d-mail or d2l pager. Evening online office hours (MST) will include chat room or d-mail discussions. Students may also contact the instructor by d-mail to make an appointment.

How should students communicate with each other?
Students should use D2L mail to communicate with each other. D2L has a pager system. It also have a Chat room facility where students can arrange to meet virtually to discuss class assignments. Chat can be archived and a copy can be provided to the instructor when necessary.

Do you expect them to interact with fellow students?
You will be expected to participate in online discussions with students in your cohort. Three or four students will be assigned to each cohort.

How do you expect them to conduct themselves in their interactions with you and/or their fellow students? 
Try to express yourself clearly and concisely. Reread what you've written to make sure that it says what you meant it to say. Be polite. Be considerate. Be patient. Comments should pertain to the module. You can share a personal experience if it is relevant to the discussion but social information should not be included in discussions (i.e. Where should be go to lunch when we're in Tucson?). Share insights. Disagree respectfully and explain why you disagree. Discuss the relationship between the course readings and what you are discovering in your service learning. Share resources you know about. Explain how concepts developed in the literature you're reading apply to your own life. Strike a balance between being a giver and a taker.

Do you expect them to stick to a prescribed pace of study or can they work through the course at their own pace?
Students are expected to actively participate in group online discussions. Each student's response is important to develop ideas and concepts presented in the readings. Students are expected to particupate fully in the online discussions and be come prepared to the weekend meetings. The pace is set by leaders in each cohort. Those who don't participate until the last week have not provided others in the group the benefit of their thoughts, comments, reflections, and experiences from service learning and the readings and full credit for the assignment will not be given.

 

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course is designed to provide experiences that help students:
1. Develop an appreciation and an understanding of a broad range of literature for children and young adults living in a multicultural society.
2. Understand how to select and develop collections of literature for school and public libraries for children and young adults living in a multicultural society.
3. Develop an understanding of diverse cultural perspctives presented through a variety of genres and topics in children's and young adult literature.
4. Recognize and identify notable and emerging authors/illustrators/poets of children's and young adult literature and the types of awards presented for their works.
5. Understand how to develop literacy through children and young adult literature in school and public libraries particularly for English language learners (ELLs).
6. Be able to critically analyze children's and young adult literature from diverse perspectives by
developing criteria for selecting and evaluation of this literature public and school libraries.
7. Experience using children's and young adult literature to develop their appreciation of reading.

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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

Children's Literature: An Invitation to the World by Diana Mitchell (2003) Pierson Education, Inc.
Literature for Today's Young Adults by Alleen P.Nilsen and Kenneth L. Donelson (2001) Longman
(Seventh Edition only)

These texts provide information about current literature for children and young adults. The literature recommended in these texts provide you with a broad range of literature appropriate for use in your service learning experience and/or for the assignments for this course.

Recommended:

Hadaway, N. L., Vardell, S. M., & Young, T. A. (2002). Literature-Based Instruction with English Language Learners K-12.

E-reserve articles. Password will be provided by the instructor.

100 + children's and young adult literature across a variety of genres. The books selected should include bilingual, multilingual, multicultural, and multiethnic children's and young adult literature. Further details are described under reading record. At least 10 young adult books should be included in the selection of literature. Two young adult books will be selected for discussion by groups of students.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This course requires students to be engaged learners (virtually and face-to-face), thoughtful in their discussions, thorough in the completion of assignments, timely in presenting information, and actively involved during weekend sessions and on fieldtrips.

All students are expected to set up a "U-System Account"
The final project for this class is a Web-page on children's and young adult literature in a multicultural society. The web-page will be your personal web page developed for this course.

INSTRUCTIONS :Be sure that you have a U-System Account. (U-System accounts are not automatically established when you create an email account.) If you have not established a U-System Account, go to https://account.arizona.edu/ click on Create CCIT computer accounts, and add the U-System account. It can take up to 24 hours for this account to be added.

If you have any questions about this, the best way to get help is from the reference desk. They can either come in (the reference desk is staffed all hours the library is open), or call the reference desk at 520-621-6442, or use chat/online reference at http://www.library.arizona.edu/askalibrarian.

Service Learning:

This course is designed to engage students in a social learning environment and to provide students with experience using children's and young adult literature in a "real" setting. Virtual discussions through D2L and face-to-face discussions with a librarian through service learning provide social interaction for learning in this course.

Students will engage in 25-30 hours of service learning. Service learning will provide an opportunity to put into practice concepts about teaching and learning through children's and young adult literature discussed in this class. Each student will make arrangements to work with a public or school librarian throughout the course. Service learning sites must be identified by the third week of the semester. Sites may include a school library, public library, or may involve a combination of school and public library with the consent of the instructor. Prior experience in a public or school library is not required. Online discussions will draw on service learning experiences. Discussions will also draw on students' prior experience with children and/or young adults. Service learning hours will begin as soon as the service learning agreement has been submitted to the instructor. Each participating librarian should be given an information sheet on service learning.

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COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity, see . 'The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.' If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.

Accommodating Disabilities

The University has a Disability Resource Center . If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignment Policies

How do you want students to submit assignments?
Students should post assignments to their discussion group as an attachment. The instructor does not have to receive a copy of the assignment. Grades for assignments will be posted on D2L. A D-mail may be sent by the instructor to provide guidance to the student regarding assignments.

When are assignments due?
Assignment due dates are indicated on the schedule. Please do not submit late assignments.

What is writing style should be used for papers?
APA should be used for all papers. Online resources are available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
The fifth edition of the APA Manual is much more complete and is available at all university libraries.

Points will be deducted from papers that are turned in late and that do not follow APA style for citations and references.

Incompletes

The 1997-8 University of Arizona General Academic Manual, p.23 reads

The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case the grade of E must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incompete grade before the end of the semester ...

If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.

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GRADING

Homework: 40%
Participation: 10%
Major Project: 50%
Total: 100%

METHOD OF EVALUATION
Students begin the semester with 100 points. Students lose points for late assignments, incomplete assignments, poorly written assignments, lack of participation with cohort members, inaccurate information, etc. At the end of the semester the points will be converted to a letter grade as follows:

A=90-100 (Superior Work)
B=80-89 (Very Good)
C=70-79 (Marginally Satisfactory)
F=0-69 (Failed to meet requirements)

Grading criteria will be posted with assignments. Below is an example of criteria for written work.

Superior Work= Work submitted is of the highest quality. Ideas discussed are thoughtfully formulated and demonstrate a thorough understanding of content and an openness to diverse perspectives. All assignments are submitted on time. Written work is grammatically correct and punctuation is excellent.

Very Good=Work submitted is well written. Discussions indicate a good or very good understanding of content. Most assignments on time. Few grammatical-punctuation errors are noted.

Marginally Satisfactory=Work submitted meets the minimum requirement. Discussions reflect limited understanding of course content or do not indicate course readings were completed. Written work is marginally satisfactory. Errors are found in work submitted indicating the need for editing. Work is not submitted in a timely manner.

Failure=Work submitted failed to meet the requirements.

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CONTACTING ME

Patricia Montiel Overall
Office 520-626-8984
E-mail overall@u.arizona.edu
D-Mail is preferred way to contact me for this course.

There will be online office hours in the evening at 7:00pm one evening per week (MST). Students may contact the instructor for chatroom or d-mail discussion.

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