Children's Literature in EFL Teacher Training – on line
Instructor: Dr. Vitela Arzi varzi@012.net.il 03-9362516
Course Description:
An on-line interactive Children's Literature course. (one semester).
Using links to various resources on the Internet, the course surveys children's
literature as it appears in English speaking countries. The approach is generic,
covering topics from simple nursery rhymes, through various genres of children's
literature to specifically Jewish trends. The on-line course enables distance-learning
by providing suitable exercises and sample activities, and is also accompanied by a
Booklet.
Address : http:// highlearn.macam.ac.il
Username and Password will be distributed at the beginning of the course.
Course Objectives:

The students will examine the adaptability of classic children's literature to
the English classroom in Israel, and integrate the literary analysis of the text to
teaching matters such as pre - reading activities , guided reading , post-reading
activities, visual dimensions and other issues.
 Students will participate in a Forum in which they will present their lesson
plans and Tasks, discuss them with their peers, assess the work of their peers
and interact with the instructor.
Assessment :
Assessment will be as follows:
Tasks 1-4 = 10%
Final Task = 40%
Forum and Polls participation – 20%
Syllabus
Unit 1 (week1)
Introduction: The Domain of Appreciation of Literature and Culture. The
purposes of teaching children's literature. Reading skills that are developed
through Children's Literature. Genres and trends.
Unit 2 (weeks 2-4)
Nursery Rhymes, Literary Rhymes, Nonsense Verse, Limericks.
Texts:
See, specific online links in the unit , or pp. 1-18 in Booklet.
Bibliography: Tucker , chapter 1 : "First Books."
 You will be required to prepare Task 1.

Unit 3 (weeks 5-6)
Folk and Fairy Tales, motifs and themes, Andersen's allegories, pre-reading
activities, guided reading, post –reading activities, visual dimensions, cultural
differences, characterization
Reading Skills : attention to facts, visual dimension, prediction.
Texts:
Andersen, The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea. ( on-line links or,
pp.19-28 in Booklet)
Bibliography for this unit:
1) Sale, chapter 3 : "Written Tales : Perrault to Andersen. "
2)Bettelheim, Introduction (pp.3-28)
3) Peregoy and Boyle, Chapter 4 :
"Reading and Literature Instruction for Second
Language Learners."
 You will be required to prepare Task 2.

Unit 4 (weeks 7-8)
Fables. Origin and development to contemporary animal stories.
The value of short texts in the EFL classroom.
Reading Skills : making inferences, analysis, classification.
Texts:
Aesop’s Fables. ( on-line links or, pp. 29-31 in Booklet). Bibliography for this
unit: Sale, chapter 4: "Animals."
 You will be required to prepare Task 3.
Unit 5 (weeks 9-10)
Fantasy . What is a fantasy story? Fantasy in the EFL Classroom.
Teaching Matters : Steps in Guided Reading
Reading Skills : reading for a purpose, comparisons, distinguishing fact from
fantasy, sensing the humour in a situation.
Texts :
1)Barrie, Peter Pan. , Chapters1-2. ( on-line links, or, pp. 35-39 in Booklet).
2) St. Exupery, The Little Prince , Chapter 2 ( on-line links or, pp. 32-34 in
Booklet)
Bibliography for this unit : Carpenter, chapter 6, " J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan"
Unit 6 (week 11)
Biography (brief note leading directly to Unit 7).
Unit 7 (weeks 12-13)
Jewish Trends (The sequence of this Unit will be adapted to the Jewish
calendar.)
Jewish themes in Children's Literature, (biblical stories, Talmudic legends,
the Diaspora, holidays, traditions).
Holocaust and Survival Literature.
Teaching Matters : Post Reading Activities
Texts:
Segal, Uncle Eli's Passover Haggadah (on-line link)
Eisenberg and Globe, Honest Scales , The Bar Mitzvah of Private Cohen.
Selections from "The Diary of Anne Frank"

You will be required to prepare Task 4
Unit 8 (week 14)
Graphic Organizers and their contribution to EFL literature instruction. (online links)
 You will be required to prepare the Final Task.
Course Requirements:
Reading of Texts and Bibliography according to specific assignments.
Preparation of written Tasks which will be e-mailed to me and presented to
students for peer evaluation, and participation in Forum discussions and Polls.
Bibliography
Arbuthnot, M. H. et al . (1971) The Arbuthnot Anthology of Children's Literature, 3rd ed.
Glenview, Illinois.
Bettelheim, B. (1976) The Uses of Enchantment : The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.
London.
Brown, D. S. (1988) A World of Books: An Annotated Reading List for ESL EFL Students.
Washington D. C.
Carpenter, H. (1985) Secret Gardens : A Study of the Golden Age of Children's Literature.
Boston.
Cullinan , B. E. Ed. (1992) Invitation to Read : More Children's literature in the Reading
Program. Delaware.
Egoff, S. Ed. (1969) Only Connect : Readings on Children's Literature. Toronto.
Huck, C. S. (1986) Children's Literature in the Elementary School. New York..
Kujoth, J. S. (1970) Reading Interests of Children and Young Adults . Metuchen,
N. J.
Peregoy, S. F. and Boyle, O. F. (1993) Reading Writing and Learning in ESL : a Resource Book
for k-8 Teachers. N.Y.
Raemer, A.A. (1998). Using Holocaust Literature in an ELT Program. English
Teachers Journal. October, pp. 66-68.
Sale, R. (1978) Fairy Tales and After : From Snow White to E.B. White.
Cambridge.
Steiner, J. (1995) Reading for Pleasure. Jerusalem.
Tucker, N. (1981) The Child and the Book: A Psychological and Literary
Exploration. Cambridge.
Zarnowki, M. and Gallagher, A. F. Eds. (1993) Children's Literature and Social Studies : Selecting
and Using
Notable Books in the Classroom. Iowa.
Instructor: Dr. Vitela Arzi
Orot Israel College of Education
Elkana