LIT 105 - Children’s Literature

1. Summarize the history of children’s literature
   1. Review the history of childhood
   2. Identify key figures in the evolution of children’s literature such as John Newbery, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Randolph Caldecott
   3. Describe milestones of development of children’s literature such as the printing press and hornbooks
2. Apply theories of child development to texts
   1. Summarize basic cognitive, moral, and language development
   2. Determine appropriate age and reading levels for works
   3. Discuss varieties of children’s responses to literature
3. Analyze elements of fiction
   1. Identify the major theme(s)
   2. Describe the plot, including conflict and resolution, as well as the climax
   3. Explain the type of narration
   4. Discuss the author’s point of view
   5. Show the ordering of events (e.g., flashback, chronological)
   6. Determine setting and its relation to the characters and theme
   7. Compare and contrast round versus flat and dynamic versus static characters
   8. Analyze dialogue in the work
   9. Interpret symbolism in the work
4. Analyze elements of poetry
   1. Distinguish sounds in poetry
   2. Discuss types of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and symbolism
   3. Classify forms of poetry
5. Assess the value of and need for diversity and inclusion in children’s literature
   1. Critique books related to ethnicity and culture
   2. Support books that focus positively on gender awareness, while avoiding stereotyping of roles and behavior
   3. Examine books about the challenges of life, such as death, divorce, violence, and war
   4. Explore texts about alternative family relationships
6. Evaluate picture books
   1. Interpret the collaboration of words and pictures
   2. Examine artistic elements such as line, shape, space, color, and texture
   3. Analyze the design, style, and artistic media used in picture books
7. Examine literary genres and identify children?s books for each genre
   1. Differentiate categories of children?s literature such as Mother Goose rhymes, alphabet and counting books, folk tales, fables, and fairy tales
   2. Identify varieties of adolescent and young adult fiction such as fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, mythology, and contemporary realistic fiction
   3. Review varieties of nonfiction such as biographies, autobiographies, memoirs; informational literature such as history, culture, science, nature, how-to’s and crafts; and sports and leisure
8. Design teaching or presentation strategies for a variety of children’s literature and adapt the projects to a variety of learning styles
   1. Use research techniques
   2. Construct and present a read aloud experience
   3. Create a reading journal/bibliography that demonstrates an understanding of a wide variety of children’s literature
   4. Report on one or more of the strategies in an oral/written format to classmates and instructor
9. Evaluate First Amendment issues in regards to children’s literature
   1. Distinguish between restricting, banning, and censoring
   2. Identify the importance of intellectual freedom
   3. Assess the merits of a challenged book according to the First Amendment