EDUCATION 465-4 CFAften l s Literature

Instructor: M. S.

IMCmnell

Spring Semester, 1980

Thursday Evenings

TEXTS:

Egoff, Sheila. The Republic of Childhood (A Critical Guide to Canadian

Children's Literature in English), Second Edition. Toronto: Oxford University

Lukens, Rebecca J. A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature. Glénview:

Scott, Foresman, 19Th.

OBJECTIVES:

A. That students become familiar with the scope of children's literature

through a survey of:

1. fiction, fantasy, poetry, lore...

2. the resources and criticism in the field

3. award-winning books, evaluative criteria,...

B. That students have in-depth knowledge of one genre (fantasy, poetry,...)

within the field of children's literature.

C. That students know ways of integrating children's literature with an

elementary school program.

tljIt'1

1.

Write a paper on one genre within the field of children's literature.

Your paper should be one that-you could share with a teacher who has expressed

a wish to know more about the selected genre (e.g. fantasy for pre-teen

children; Canadian fiction for older children; Indian legends.....). List

references used in order of their value to you.

2.

Plan and present withHa group of four (approx.) a workshop that illustrates

a way or ways of either integrating children's literature with a class project

or generating a class project as an outcome of reading a book or several books.

3. Outline (on no more than two pages) the books you would use and the

points you would make if you were invited to give a "book talk" to the parents

of children in a selected age range.

TOPICS:

In addition to the literary elements discussed by R. Lukens in Chapters Two

through Eight, and the Canadian children's literature (in English) discussed

by S. Egoff, the following topics will be considered:

1. Children's literature as a way of knowing

2.

Books of yesterday - an historical perspective

3. Censorship and children's books

4. Storytelling

S. Creative writing

6.

Films and filmstrips as resources in children's literature

7.

Children's books from the perspective of a publisher, an author and

an illustrator

8.

Death in children's literature

9. Other topics requested by students