Master of Science
LIM – Library and Information Management
MLIM6202:
Literature for Young People in a Digital Age
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Education
Division of Information & Technology Studies
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MLIM
6202
Literature for Young People in a Digital Age
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Module Description
This module provides an overview of the history of children’s literature with a discussion of major authors and
contributors and an emphasis on contemporary literature for children and young adults. The impact of new
technologies on the publication and use of children’s fiction and non-fiction are discussed. Interactive
multimedia, online reading and digital libraries for children are evaluated.
Aims
Through seminars, readings, collaborative work with colleagues and assignments students will:

Get acquainted with the recent history of children’s and young adult’s literature through immersion into
a variety of authors, illustrators, and genres
Develop an appreciation for children’s literature and to develop a critical approach to children's
literature, taking into consideration the current trends and issues in the field
Build up strategies for engaging children and young adults in literature and reading and to develop
activities to introduce literature, construct meaning, and extend understanding
Explore the influence of the digital environment on literature for children and youth and look at its
capacity to enrich enjoyment of literary text
Encounter tools and skills for designing educationally effective digital stories with user-friendly
technologies




Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
There are no pre-requisites and co-requisites for this module.
Module Learning Outcomes (LO)
LO No.
LO Statement
Related PLO*
1
Comprehend and appreciate children’s literature as a valuable
source of intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic encounter
enriching children’s and young adults’ experience
Examine critically how children's literature reflects and
promotes society's views of childhood, gender roles, etc. from
early books to current publishing trends
Analyze and select high quality and developmentally appropriate
literature for children, their authors, and illustrators in a range of
genres and age levels for K12 students
Use evidence- and theory-based reasoning to design ageappropriate activities intended to stimulate and extend children's
literary experiences and reading enjoyment
Recognize and reflect on the impact of new information
technologies on children’s literature and reading
Develop skills and strategies for creating a multimedia book in a
collaborative manner
2
Related
Assessment
Task(s)
2,3,4
2
2,3,4
2
2,3,4
6
1
2
4
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
*List of MSc[LIM] Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) and links to the University’s Educational Aims is available at
http://web.edu.hku.hk/programme/mlim/
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MLIM
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Literature for Young People in a Digital Age
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Module Facilitator
DR SAMUEL KAI WAH CHU
Faculty of Education
The University Hong Kong
Room 111B, 1/F, Runme Shaw
Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Phone: 2241-5894
Email: samchu@hku.hk
Structure
The module is based on 8 sessions of three hours duration each, involving class discussions, group projects,
assigned readings, and assigned papers.
Schedule
Session No.
Date
Time
Venue
Session 1
12 Jun
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Session
Topics: Introduction to children’s literature, Poetry
 Introduction to the module
 Digital storytelling
 Chapter 1 “Children’s literature yesterday, today and tomorrow”
 Chapter 2 “Poetry and verse”
Related
Learning
Outcomes
1
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
 Briefing students on assignments
Session 2
19 Jun
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Picture Books, Graphic novels
 Chapter 3 “The Art of Picture Books”
 Chapter 4 “The Content of Picture Books”
1, 2
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
 Getting ready for a group project
Session 3
26 Jun
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Folklore, Nonfiction
 Chapter 5 “Folklore”
 Chapter 10 “Nonfiction”
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
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MLIM
6202
Literature for Young People in a Digital Age
Session 4
3 Jul
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Fantasy and Science Fiction (Guest speaker – Michael Sullivan)
 Chapter 6 “Fantasy and Science Fiction”
Session 5
10 Jul
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Realistic and Historical Fiction
 Chapter 7 “Contemporary Realistic Fiction”
 Chapter 8 “Historical Fiction”
Page 4
2
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
4
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
Session 6
17 Jul
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Biography (Guest speaker – Alice Tung)
 Chapter 9 “Biography”
Session 7
24 Jul
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
Topics: Literature-based classroom activities and instruction (Guest speaker –
Dr. Dana Dukic)
 Chapter 12 “Developing Responsive Readers”
 Chapter 13 “Literature-Based Instruction in Preschool and Primary
Grades”
 Chapter 14 “Literature-Based Instruction in Intermediate Grades and
Middle School”
1
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
4
Activities
 Group activity and discussion
Session 8
31 Jul
18:00 to 21:00
RM101
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Topics: Group project presentations
Activities
 Each group will do 20 minute presentation, followed by a 5 – 10
minutes Q&A session.
1
MLIM
6202
Literature for Young People in a Digital Age
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Assessment Tasks
Task No
Title
1
Group project
Mode
of Assessment
Group
Total
Points
40
Related LO
4,6
Assessment Task Description (see the details of the group project assessment on Moodle):
Students will form groups of 3-4 people and work on a project of creating a multimedia book,
fiction or nonfiction. The main content of the book should be in the length of 20-50
pages/slides.
Students will also need to submit a report (appendices included) on the book writing process.
The best student project will win the “Best Multimedia Children Story Award” – a $2,000
book coupon sponsored by Longman-Pearson.
 Note: Students do not need a technical or a literature background to do well in the group
project / the course. Some of the former best student projects were created by simple
techniques in PowerPoint.

2
Individual assignment
Individual
40
1,2,3
Assessment Task Description (see the details of the individual assignment on Moodle):
Each student will select a piece of children literature (poems, song books, bilingual story book,
etc.) in printed, multimedia, or online format and write a 3-5 pages critique on it (font size 11
or 12 and paragraph spacing of 1.5). Appendices are limited to 10 pages.
3
Pre-class assignments
Individual
10
1,2,3
Assessment Task Description (see the details of the pre-class assignment on Moodle):
Students are required to read a few pieces of children literature and submit remarks which are
no more than one page (font size 11or 12, double or 1.5 spacing). The remarks can be a brief
evaluation of the book, comments on whether it is a good book, etc.
4
Class participation
Individual
10
1,2,3,5
Assessment Task Description:
Students are expected to be active participants in class discussions and class forums. Much of
what students learn in the class will come from large and small group discussions and
activities. That’s why it is important to attend each and every class session.
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Key References and Resources
Suggested textbook:
 Galda, L. & Cullinan, B.E. (2002/2006/2010)1. Literature and the Child, 5th/6th/7th Ed., Wadsworth:
Thomson Learning. (Available in Main Library’s Reserve)
Additional references:
 Barone, D. (2011). Children's literature in the classroom: engaging lifelong readers. New York: Guilford
Press.
 Duncan, D. (2009). Teaching children's literature: making stories work in the classroom. London; New
York: Routledge.
 Fredericks, A. D. (2008). More science adventures with children's literature: reading comprehension and
inquiry-based science. Westport, CT: Teacher Ideas Press.
 Hahn, M. L. (2002). Reconsidering read-aloud. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse Publishers.
 Lerer, S. (2008). Children's literature: a reader's history, from Aesop to Harry Potter [electronic resource].
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C. M. & Short, K.G. (2011). Essentials of children's literature. Boston:
Pearson.
 Morrow, L. M., Freitag, E. & Gambrell, L. B. (2009). Using children's literature in preschool to develop
comprehension: understanding and enjoying books. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
 Silvery, A. (Ed.). (2002). The essential guide to children's books and their creators [electronic resource].
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
 Stoodt-Hill, B. D. & Amspaugh-Corson, L. (2009). Children's literature: discovery for a lifetime. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.
 Wooten, D. A. & Cullinan, B. E. (Eds.). (2009). Children's literature in the reading program: an invitation
to read. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
 Yopp, R. H. (2010). Literature-based reading activities. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
All titles are available in the HKU Library.
Academic Conduct
Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of
the source, the use of another’s idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, report,
project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing.
Any student who fails due to plagiarism may be referred to the University Disciplinary Committee, which may
then recommend discontinuation. Plagiarism is a serious matter. If you have any doubts about whether or not
your use of sources constitutes plagiarism, ask your lecturer or course coordinator.
The students are required to use the tool Turnitin to check your assignment for correct scholarly practice in
citing other's work. You will be provided with a “class ID” and “password” to enable you to check your
assignments via appropriate “class” in Turnitin. Further details about Turnitin and how it works are obtainable
from http://www.turnitin.com.
The accepted referencing style is APA (http://www.apastyle.org/). The details and examples of APA formatting
and style can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
1
The lecture notes are mainly based on the 2002 edition.
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