Using Children's Literature in the Classroom Spring 2014 Instructor: Susan Wansor Email: swansor@wells.

edu Phone: 364-3359 or 729-5448 Office: Macmillan 100 A Office Hours: Monday 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-3:00, Thursday 2:00-3:30 or by appointment Course Website: EDUC275childrensliterature.weebly.com Overview This course is designed to develop students' understanding of quality children's literature. It will provide them with the skills necessary to select, evaluate and utilize literature with elementary and intermediate students. Students will study notable authors and illustrators in children's literature and learn methods for sharing and integrating literature into the classroom. They will also gain an understanding of how social and environmental influences, age, gender, culture, ethnicity, and family structure affect students' book choices. Course Policies: All assignments must be typed. No hand written assignments will be accepted. Electronic submissions will be accepted; however, you must watch for a reply email from me stating that I received your paper. I will provide a rubric for all projects. Be sure to pay close attention to all parts of the rubric. You papers will be graded holistically. However, your paper must be well written with proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. Numerous mechanical errors will severely impact your grade. Attendance Each time you miss a class your participation grade will be impacted. If you miss class due to circumstances beyond your control, you will need to bring in the proper documentation. Discussion and sharing are large components of this course. A large part of this course is based on active learning, and if you are not prepared and alert, your inattentiveness will have an impact on the entire class. You are expected to come to class ready to share your thoughts and seek clarification. Using your cell phone or a personal internet device during class, attending to other coursework, talking while others are talking, and all other activities that are disrespectful of others in the class will not be tolerated. I expect you to have highly intellectual conversations that dig below the surface. Everyone is part of this learning community. Everyone is expected to be involved in our discussions. Field experience will be completed as a group. However, you may need to go back to the school on your own to complete the project you will be working on with students. If you set up a time to work with students, it is expected that you will be there. Expectations Be engaged in the subject matter and go the extra mile to learn as much as you can in our limited time frame read journals, reflect on your practice, have discussions with peers and professionals, seek out resources, etc. Perform in a professional manner be punctual, come prepared, dress like a professional when you are out in the field, work hard, communicate, and LISTEN. Be present and take initiative.

Policy on Late Work Assignments related to the reading that will be discussed in class will not be accepted late. You must have them in class in order to be prepared for the discussion related to the text. I do realize that sometimes there are extenuating circumstances; therefore, I will drop the lowest grade for your weekly assignments. If a paper is late, I will only accept it during the week that it is due. Each day that it is late you will lose 4 points from your overall score. Students with Disabilities: If you have a physical, sensory, health, cognitive, or mental health disability that could limit your ability to fully participate in this class, you are encouraged to contact the Coordinator of Academic Achievement, Megan Riedl to discuss accommodations that will help you succeed. Your conversations with her are highly confidential, and she will not supply details of your disability to anyone without your signed permission. Do understand that Ms. Riedl will need to notify your faculty about accommodations you might need and are supported by your disability documentation. Contact information for Megan Riedl: Academic Achievement offices, middle/main floor of the library. An appointment sign-up sheet is on the desk in the central reception area. Ms. Riedl can be reached at x 3432 or mriedl@wells.edu. Policy on Technology You are welcome to use a laptop in class. However, it is disrespectful to be engaged in material that is not related to the course during class meetings. If you are using your laptop for purposes other than what is being discussed in class, you will be asked to refrain from bringing it. Your participation grade will also be an F for the day. This also holds true for cell phone use. If you are using your cell phone during class you will receive an F for participation.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Plagiarism is any use of another persons ideas or words as if they were your own. Note that plagiarism is not simply using others ideas or words academic research requires you to draw on the work of others. As long as you acknowledge that you are using another writers ideas or words, you have upheld the code of honesty that links us as members of the academic community. As a college student you are expected to understand what constitutes plagiarism and use appropriate methods of citation in your writing. According to the University of Washington, one of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism, using another's words or ideas without proper citation. When students plagiarize, they usually do so in one of the following six ways: 1. Using another writer's words without proper citation. If you use another writer's words, you must place quotation marks around the quoted material and include a footnote or other indication of the source of the quotation. 2. Using another writer's ideas without proper citation. When you use another author's ideas, you must indicate with footnotes or other means where this information can be found. Your instructors want to know which ideas and judgments are yours and which you arrived at by consulting other sources. Even if you arrived at the same judgment on your own, you need to acknowledge that the writer you consulted also came up with the idea. 3. Citing your source but reproducing the exact words of a printed source without quotation marks. This makes it appear that you have paraphrased rather than borrowed the author's exact words. 4. Borrowing the structure of another author's phrases or sentences without crediting the author from whom it came. This kind of plagiarism usually occurs out of laziness: it is easier to replicate another writer's style than to think about what you have read and then put it in your own words. The following example is from A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker (New York, 1989, p. 171). o Original: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists. o Unacceptable borrowing of words: An ape who knew sign language unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists. o Unacceptable borrowing of sentence structure: If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior. o Acceptable paraphrase: When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise. 5. Borrowing all or part of another student's paper or using someone else's outline to write your own paper. 6. Using a paper writing "service" or having a friend write the paper for you. Regardless of whether you pay a stranger or have a friend do it, it is a breach of academic honesty to hand in work that is not your own or to use parts of another student's paper. Source: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm

Outcomes By the end of the course, you will Read and be exposed to numerous children's books Identify different genres of children's literature and the characteristics of each genre Identify characteristics of quality literature Develop methods for responding to literature and encouraging critical thinking skills Develop ways to integrate children's literature across the curriculum Identify ways to differentiate learning using children's literature Identify the affects that social and environmental influences, age, gender, culture, ethnicity, and family structure have on students' book choices Utilize strategies to assist students with comprehension Education Program Outcomes Students will . . . Engage in collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools, and effectively communicate their understandings. Understand the concepts and issues underlying classroom diversity in order to develop meaningful learning experiences and inclusive classroom practices. Analyze the NYS ELA Common Core Standards and apply their understanding of these guidelines when developing authentic learning opportunities and assessments. Apply varied technology to enhance curriculum, instruction and assessment. Develop the knowledge and skill base to manage literature in the classroom effectively. Use their understanding of education / schools within the larger systems of society, culture, and politics to create equitable, quality learning opportunities for all students.

Required Text Babbitt, Natalie (1975). Tuck Everlasting. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. ISBN: 0-14-130352-2 Curtis, Christopher (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN: 0-440-41328-1 Daniels, Harvey and Steineke, Nancy (2004) Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann ISBN 0-325-00702-0 Peck, Richard (1998). A Long Way From Chicago. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN: 0-14-130352-2 Reilley, Patricia Giff (2004). Pictures of Hollis Woods. Random House ISBN: 0-44-041578-0

Suggested Texts Doe, Holly (2003). Technology Through Children's Literature. Portsmouth, NH: Teacher Ideas Press. Stoodt-Hill, B. & Amspaugh-Corson, L. (2001). Children's Literature: Discovery for a Lifetime 3rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Trelease, J. (2001). The Read-Aloud Handbook. New York, NY: Penguin Books

Recommended Websites www.nysed.gov www.ala.org www.ala.org.bbooks/challeng.html www.registration.beavton.k12or.us/lbdb/FMPro www.iblist.com www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/index.htm www.cbcbooks.org www.reading.org http://middleton.skokie735.k12.il.us/Media_Center/bks04.05a.htm http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/~lee.elementary/arrdglevel.htm http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Classroom/English/Literature/Elementary_Literature.html