English 306A: Children's Literature
Dr. Jeanette Shumaker
Spring 2013, Wed. 4:10-6:50
Office Hours W, Th 2-4 p.m in east corner of West Faculty Building #157, and by appointment.
(760) 768-5524 (or from campus phones, x65524)
jshumake@mail.sdsu.edu
This course will acquaint teachers, librarians, and parents with the vast array of children's books available for
preschool through twelfth grade. Students will learn how to devise creative, interesting ways to bring children and
books together so that children will become avid readers. The course will also help students become more insightful
interpreters of literature. Both analytical and creative approaches to children’s literature will be stressed, as well as
the development of reading, writing, critical thinking and speaking skills.
Goals
1. Provide an historical background for genres and issues in children's literature.
2. Explore a variety of ways of introducing literature to children.
3. Become more perceptive analysts of literature, as speakers and writers addressing adult and child audiences.
After the course is over, students should be able to:
1. Present literature to children through storytelling, drama, visual aids, and writing.
2. Write incisively for adults about children's literature.
3. Use literature to build children's appreciation for diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and historical periods.
4. Design inventive assignments that will connect literature to children's writing, art, music, history, and science
projects.
Texts: make sure you use complete, unabridged versions
Hesse, K. Out of the Dust
Burnett, F. H. The Secret Garden
White, E.B. Charlotte's Web
Ryan, P.M. Esperanza Rising
Curtis, C. The Watsons Go to Birmingham
DiMillo, K. The Tale of Despereaux
Fenner, C. Yolonda's Genius
Lowry, Lois. The Giver
Milne, A.A. Winnie the Pooh
Anderson, H.C. The Little Mermaid and other Fairy Tales (Dover)
Yep, Laurence. The Dragon's Child
Gaiman, N. Coraline
Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Grading
Final Exam--essay format
Midterm—essays
Oral Report
Play written & performed for children & our class
(group assignment)
Informal Writings and Class Participation
Storytelling
Illustrated Children’s Book
20%
20%
10%
10%
25%
5%
10%
Assignments
You will give a ten-minute oral report on an assigned book or topic. No more than three minutes should be spent on
plot summary; just hit the high points of the plot--don’t try to cover every scene and character. Focus instead on the
book’s themes and symbols, and on what assignments you would create to complement it at a stated grade level.
Background material about the author is not required, but it is always interesting. Make comparisons between your
assigned book and others the class has read, if possible.
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Try to speak rather than read from a script; use eye contact and vocal variation to keep your audience interested.
Bring copies of your handout about your book for each person in the class; save these to use in later TE classes. If
you use sources other than your assigned book, put your references at the end of your handout in a Works Cited list
to avoid plagiarism.
Midterm and Final Exam essays should be analytical, avoiding plot summary. Use MLA format to cite quotations
and avoid plagiarism, as in “The secret garden was no longer secret” (Burnett 182). Exams are open-book, but no
notes may be used; bring blue books. We will discuss sample questions at the class meeting before the first exam.
In groups of up to four students you will write a 15-20 minute play based on a work of children's literature studied in
our class. You will arrange to present the play to at least six children, and will also present it to our class. You may
use scenery, props, puppets, and costumes to the degree you feel that they're helpful, and you may provide a Spanish
summary of the play if the children you present it to primarily speak Spanish. You may invent your own dialogue,
and/ or quote from the book. Please turn in your typed, double-spaced play when you present it to our class.
Evidence (i.e. photos etc.) that you performed your play for at least six children needs to be brought to me by the
final exam for you to get credit for the play assignment.
Storytelling for five minutes in front of the class will help you to develop an important skill. Don’t read the book
you have chosen aloud; instead, put the story into your own words, or tell it without referring to a book, pretending
we are an audience of children. Or you may make up your own story if you prefer. If you choose to tell your story as
a pair of students, it should last ten minutes instead of five. Be dramatic, use eye contact, and, if you wish, use props
or visual aids.
You will write and illustrate a children’s book based on a story you invent. Your book should be at least 500 words
long, with at least five illustrations. You may paper clip your book together, or hand bind it with a cover, like a real
book.
Informal class writings and homework cannot be made up as they are meant to reward students who manage to come
to class well-prepared, despite the inevitable problems of personal illness or relatives’ passing. Informal writings are
assessed on a 1-3 point scale, instead of being given letter grades. You can only get credit for an informal writing or
homework assignment if you are present for the class when it is due.
Class participation is assessed by whether you attend and participate in discussion at each class meeting.
Rescheduling, Phone, Lap Top, Courtesy, and Late Policies
Exams and oral assignments will only be rescheduled in advance--by talking to me personally, not to a secretary.
Late exams, projects, plays, and oral reports receive a grading penalty of one letter (i.e. a B becomes a C). This
penalty may be waived if you produce a written excuse from a doctor or counselor.
Good manners foster an environment where all of us can learn and feel comfortable. If your cell phone or pager goes
off during class, your course participation grade goes down by one step; if your phone or pager beeps during the
midterm or final exam, course participation goes down by an entire grade (i.e. a B becomes a C). Using cell phones,
iPads or laptops during class results in losing class participation points.
Holding side conversations during class discussion or other students’ presentations will also result in your course
participation grade being lowered. Courtesy is an essential skill for future professionals to master.
Grading Standards
The grades for your exams are based on the quality of your ideas, your ability to prove them using quotes and
examples from the assigned readings, and on style, spelling, and grammar. A grade of C on an assignment means
that you have competently completed it, whereas a grade of A denotes an outstanding performance in terms of
content, organization, and style, with a B being given for a good performance. Grammatical correctness, decent
spelling, and clean copy are required for passing (C) work.
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In terms of equivalency with the 4.0 campus-wide grading scheme, 3.85 and higher is an A; 3.5-3.84 is an
A-; 3.15-3.49 is a B+; 2.85-3.14 is a B; 2.5-2.84 is a B-; 2.15-2.49 is a C+; 1.85-2.14 is a C; 1.5-1.84 is a C-; 1.151.49 is a D+; .85-1.14 is a D; .5-.84 is a D-; 0-.49 is an F.
In terms of the common percentage grading system, 95% and above is an A; 90-94% is an A-; 85-89% is a
B+; 80-84% is a B; 75-79% is a B-; 70-74% is a C+; 66-69% is a C; 62-65% is a C-; 57-61% is a D+; 52-56% is a
D; 48-51% is a D-; 0-47% is an F.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Plagiarism means not giving credit to published or unpublished sources for ideas or information in your writing.
Plagiarism hurts other students and your professors, as well as degrading your self-esteem and preventing you from
learning and growing. Studies show that college cheaters usually continue cheating in the workplace until caught
and fined or jailed; if you are writing assignments for a friend or concealing a friend’s cheating, you are codepending a dangerous addiction.
Plagiarizing or cheating in other ways (such as not attributing information or ideas from published sources during an
oral report) will result in failure of the course and, for serious offenders, suspension or expulsion from the
university. I punish plagiarists and cheaters in the most severe way that SDSU allows.
See the Modern Language Association (MLA) manual in the library’s reference section for how to avoid plagiarism,
look at the short version of the MLA manual in the library’s PAC catalog, and talk to me during office hours about
time-management strategies that help discourage cheating.
Eng. 306A Assignment Schedule (changes and informal writing TBA in class)
Focus
Assignment
1/23 Introduction to the course, as well as to picture books, poems, and fables. Write a poem and a fable.
1/30 Storytelling due. Young children’s classics. Discuss Winnie the Pooh.
2/6 Growing-up stories. Fantasies about animals. Discuss Charlotte’s Web.
2/13 Classic fairy tales. Discuss The Little Mermaid and Other Stories.
2/20 Modern U.S. fiction. Learning disabilities, bullies and weight. Discuss Yolanda’s Genius.
2/27 American historical fiction. Racism. Discuss The Watsons.
3/6 British fantasy. Discuss Harry Potter.
3/13 Midterm. Read first half of The Secret Garden, which is not included in the midterm.
3/20 British classics. Discuss The Secret Garden.
3/27 Fairy tales about animals. Discuss The Tale of Desperaux.
4/10 Gothic, Freudian fantasy. Discuss Coraline.
4/17 Chinese-American historical fiction. Immigration. Discuss The Dragon’s Child.
4/24 Latina historical fiction. Unions. Immigration. Discuss Esperanza Rising.
5/1 Poem-novel, historical fiction, diary. Discuss Out of the Dust.
5/8 Science fiction and sustainability. Discuss The Giver.
5/15 Final Exam. Illustrated 500-word children’s book is due.
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Oral Report Schedule (use unabridged versions of books)
1/30 Dr. Seuss picture books
Maurice Sendak picture books
Simon Silva picture books
2/6 Almond, David Skellig
Cleary, Beverly Ramona books (choose your favorite)
St. Exupery, Antoine. The Little Prince
2/13 Norton, Mary The Borrowers
Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tiger Rising
2/20 Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three
Henry, M. King of the Wind
Hartnett, Sonya. The Silver Donkey
2/27 Curtis, C.P. Bud, Not Buddy
Fiske, Pauline. Midnight Blue
Lindgren, A. Pippi Longstocking
3/6 Hoban, Russell. The Mouse and His Child
Hartling, Peter. Crutches
Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
3/20 Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach
Spyri, J. Heidie
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremaine
3/27 Sachar, L. Holes
L’Engle, M. A Wrinkle in Time
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me
4/10 Blume, Judy Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Konigsberg, E.L. The View from Saturday
Twain, Mark Tom Sawyer
4/17 Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit
Langrish, Katherine. Troll Fell
O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins
4/24 Soto, Gary. Baseball in April
Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima
Snyder, Zilpha K. The Velvet Room
5/1 Farmer, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
Paulsen, G. Dogsong
5/8 Pullman, P. The Golden Compass
London, Jack. Call of the Wild or White Fang
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