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English 246-01COURSE SYLLABUS
(Composition II) Fall 2002 SEMESTER |
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Meeting Days/Times: MWF 1: Classroom: L-214 Instructor: Pete Kearly Instructor’s Office: A-208 (see attached map) Instructor’s Office Hours M-F: Instructor’s Phone: (313) 317-6682 Instructor’s E-mail: pkearly@hfcc.net Philosophy: I believe children’s literature
is a vital part of the general field of literature written by professional
authors and read and reviewed by professional educators and critics. I also believe that quality children’s
books encourage creativity and self-reflection and not merely
consumption. For instance, I view a
book on Barbie as less about encouraging a child’s self-esteem and
more about selling a popular type of toy and a questionable ideal body
image. However, a book such as Kevin
Henke’s Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse creatively explores a child’s
attachment to a particular object. |
Required Materials: 1
two-pocket folder to store handouts 1
manila folder to submit articles/essays Required Texts: Saltman, Judith. (2001) The Riverside
Anthology of Children’s Literature, 6th ed. Lukens,
Rebecca J. (2001) A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature, 6th
ed. Recommended
Texts: Horning,
K. (1997) From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books. Huck,
C. Hepler & Hickman, J. (1997) Children’s
Literature in the Elementary School, 6th ed. Norton,
D. (1998) Through the Eyes of a Child, 5th ed. Course Description: English
246 introduces students to the forms, themes, history, and uses of literature
written for children between the ages of three and twelve. Students will learn to evaluate and select
literature critically and to understand its use in preschool and elementary
classrooms. Genres to be studied
include traditional fiction/folktales, contemporary realistic fiction,
picture books, fantasy/science fiction, historical fiction, biography,
nonfiction, and poetry/verse. Pre-Requirements: Successful
completion of ENG 131 with a grade of C or better. Measurable Objectives: 1. Students
will develop an appreciation for children’s literature as a legitimate and
important part of the general field of literature. 2. Students
will become aware of the variety of types of literature available for use by
children (particularly those living in an urban setting), grades pre-K
through 8, and will be able to categorize books into appropriate genres. 3. Students
will know how to use professional reference texts to locate and evaluate
children’s books on specific topics for children, grades pre-K – 8. 4. Students
will develop an understanding of fundamental aspects of the field of
children’s literature such as a basic sense of the history of children’s
literature, major literary awards in children’s literature, and basic
understanding of the literary elements of plot, character, theme, setting,
and point-of-view. 5. Students
will improve their ability to think analytically and critically. 6. Students will develop an understanding of a variety of strategies for employing children’s literature in the elementary and middle school curriculum. |
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Student Responsibilities:
1.
You
are required to attend all class meetings. If you cannot attend a class due to
extenuating circumstances, you must notify me well in advance by telephone
(313) 317-6682 or by email (pkearly@hfcc.net). Please see Attendance below.
2.
Each
student is responsible for reading any assigned text and handouts and not
relying entirely on the instructor presenting every detail. Your primary goal is to become an independent
learner!
3.
Any
dishonesty with homework or assignments will result in a grade of zero. The most egregious act of dishonesty is
plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of
submitting work that is not the result of your own labor and thought, including
quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing the work of others without citation,
submitting work that has been written by a friend, family member, or anyone
other than you. Remember, DO NOT
copy or steal information!
4.
I
will not grade any late assignments. In order to earn the opportunity to receive
feedback from me as well as the opportunity to revise the assignment for a
better grade, you must submit assignments on time.
5.
You
are responsible for keeping your work neat and well organized in a two-pocket
folder that will be submitted at the end of the semester as your
“Portfolio.”
6.
You
must record your own grades on assignments on the grade sheet attached to this
syllabus. If you need another grade
sheet, request one from me. Portfolios
without a grade sheet will receive an automatic “incomplete.” You must learn to keep track of your own
progress.
Assignments:
· You must write one
· You must complete a booklist that demonstrates your ability to select quality books
that fit the following genres: Realistic, Fantasy, Traditional, Poetry, and
Non-Fiction. (See chart on genres in
Chapter 2 of A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature) For each genre, you must list ten books: five
books for younger children (grades pre-K – 3) and five books for older children
(grades 4-8). The booklist should be
typed (no exceptions) with the bibliographic information in the following
format: Title, Author, Illustrator, Publisher, Date of
Publication. Place a star (*) next to
any book excerpted in the Riverside Anthology.
· You must complete
one 250-word professional-style book review for
one of your favorite children’s books, expressing the plot, author’s use of
literary devices like character, theme, setting, and point-of-view, and the
limitations and successes of the story.
Revisions:
I
allow no more than two revisions of all assignments until
Discussion Panels:
To
assist with classroom discussion, I will assign Discussion Panels. Each Panel will have at least three
members. On assigned dates, each Panel
will be required to lead classroom discussion on assigned readings for the
class. Each Panel member will select a
story or poem appropriate to the genre and topic being studied and lead
discussion. Panels will be expected to
create a quiz to distribute to the rest of the class to test their
understanding of what the Panel presented for discussion.
Name Phone
Number e-mail
Attendance
Policy:
Attendance is taken daily. Consistent and punctual class attendance is necessary to successfully complete this course. Do not arrive late or leave the class early. Remember that the instructor indicates the time to leave. The instructor will notify students if the class will be cancelled for any reason.
A student will be asked to drop the course if she or he receives six or more unexcused absences (each unexcused absence subtracts 20 points from the 100 possible for the Attendance grade).
Additional Resources:
Students may meet with a tutor in the Writing Lab in the
office to work on assignments as a way to receive points
against absences. Any conference with
the instructor will earn 20 points against unexcused absences. Students will receive 20 attendance
points for meeting with a tutor in the Learning Lab if proof is provided.
Determination
of Final Grade
The grade you receive on your report card
is calculated by your point total divided by the total possible points for each
individual student. Point totals may
vary between students, depending on effort.
Nonetheless, percentages align with the following grades: 98-100% (A+),
92-97.9% (A), 90-91.9% (A-), 88-89.9% (B+), 82-87.9% (B), 80-81.9% (B-),
78-79.9% (C+), 72-77.9% (C), 70-71.9% (C-), 68-69.9% (D+), 62-67.9% (D),
60-61.9% (D-), 0-59% (E). You will
receive a grade sheet to help keep track of your own progress. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE GRADE SHEET. Failure to complete the Grade Sheet means
that I will not grade your portfolio.
Portfolio Assignment Sample of Your Points Possible Points
1 Booklist 100 100
3 Book Review 80 100
4 Panel Presentation 80 100
5 Attendance 80(-20 for each unexcused absence) 100
Total Points
Earned/Total Possible Points 440 500
Final Grade 440÷500=88%=”B+”
·
Grading: For
each assignment and essay, points are taken off to tell you to work on one of
the following: punctuation and spelling (-1), comma use (-1), pronoun use (-1),
singular-plural agreement (-1), paper format (-1), quotation marks (-1), sentence construction (-2), transition
(-2), organization of idea (-2), mixed metaphor (-2), missing definition of a
concept (-2), MLA citation guidelines (-2), logic of idea (-3), valid use of
source (-3), valid observation and detailed description (-3), missing
supporting evidence (-4), logic of overall argument (-5), valid conclusion
(-5). I calculate these point
subtractions based on the importance of the given skill (see Guide for Revision
on Blackboard Course Documents).
Important Dates: Class
Begins August
22
Last
day for 100% refund by
Labor
Day—College Closed September
2
Last
day for no-record drop by
Last
day for 50% refund by
Book
Review Due! October
14
Last
day to drop classes in Registrar’s Office November
1
Research
Paper Due! November
4
Booklist
Due! November
18
Last
Day for Revisions! November
25
Thanksgiving
Final
Portfolio Due! December
2
Pick
Up Portfolio December
9
The
following schedule is tentative and may be subject to change, but due dates are
Final (no exceptions).
Date Day Class
Work
Aug 23 Fri Introduction, discussion of
syllabus, and completion of personal ID
cards. Homework: purchase class supplies: textbooks,
pen/pencil, folders, etc.
Aug 26 Mon Discuss Ch. 1: “Literature: What is
It?” from Lukens, A Critical Handbook.
Each
student should bring some favorite children’s books to share with the class on
Wednesday and Friday.
Aug 28 Wed Discuss
Aug 30 Fri Continue
Discussing
Sep 2 Mon No Class! Labor Day. Remember to bring some favorite children’s
books to class on
Wednesday and Friday.
Sep 4 Wed Discuss and practice documenting
children’s books for Booklist project.
Sep 6 Fri Discuss selecting “quality” books
for the Booklist.
Sep 9 Mon Discuss
Sep 11 Wed Examine “character” from the
following selections from the Riverside Anthology:
Heidi,
p. 731-738; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, p. 760; and Harriet the Spy,
p. 685-694.
Sep 13 Fri Discussion Panel #1
Sep 16 Mon Discuss
Sep 18 Wed Examine “plot” from the following
selections from the Riverside Anthology: The Velveteen
Rabbit,
p. 824-826; The Hobbit, p. 911-918; and
The Wind in the Willows, p. 918-925.
Sep 20 Fri Discussion Panel #2
Sep 23 Mon Discuss
Sep 25 Wed Examine
“theme” from
the following selections from the Riverside Anthology:
The
Golden Touch, p. 494-502; The Buddha, p. 557-559; Aunt Sue’s
Stories, p. 121-122;
and The Pied Piper of
Hamelin, p. 106-109.
Sep 27 Fri Discussion Panel #3
Sep 30 Mon Discuss
Oct 2 Wed Examine “setting” from the following
selections from the Riverside Anthology:
Little
House in the Big Woods, p. 675-679; The Sedna Legend, p. 535-536; and
The
Night Journey, p. 560-561.
Oct 4 Fri Discussion Panel #4
Oct 7 Mon Discuss
Oct 9 Wed Examine “point-of-view” from the
following selections from the Riverside Anthology:
A
Wrinkle in Time, p. 935-940.
Oct 11 Fri Discussion
Panel #5
Oct 14 Mon Book Review Due!
Discuss
Oct 16 Wed Examine
“style” from
the following selections from the Riverside Anthology:
The
Oct 18 Fri Discussion Panel #6
Oct 21 Mon
Discuss
Oct 23 Wed Examine
“tone” from
the following selections from the Riverside Anthology:
Little
Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, p. 103-104; Charlotte’s Web, p.
880-883;
and The Highwayman,
p. 109-111.
Oct 25 Fri Discussion Panel #7
Oct 28 Mon Examine “Critics” section from The
Riverside Anthology, p. 1097-1123 to help explore
ideas for the Research Paper.
Oct 30 Wed Review essay format. Discuss Research
Paper topics and approaches.
Nov 1 Fri Outline
thesis and topic sentences for the Research Paper and show outline
to the instructor prior to the end of class.
Nov 4 Mon Research Paper Due!
Discuss
Nov 6 Wed Examine literary elements in “Picture
Book” section of Riverside Anthology, p. 165-206.
Nov 8 Fri Discussion
Panel #8
Nov 11 Mon Discuss
Nov 13 Wed Examine literary elements in Nursery
Rhymes selections from The Riverside Anthology,
p.
22-42 and in Poetry selections: What is a Tingle-Airey?
p. 86; dance poem, p. 124;
A
narrow fellow in the grass, p. 135; and Macavity:
The Mystery Cat, p. 145-146.
Nov 15 Fri Discussion Panel #9
Nov 18 Mon Booklist Due! Discuss
Nov 20 Wed Examine literary elements in
Nonfiction selections from The Riverside Anthology:
Lobo
of the Tasaday, p. 1003-1004; Journey toward
Freedom: The Story of Sojourner
Truth, p. 978-983; and Oak
and Company, p. 1039-1042.
Nov 22 Fri Guest speaker: Early Childhood books.
Nov 25 Mon Last Day
Revisions will be accepted (no exceptions)!
Nov 27 Wed Discussion Panel #10
Nov 29 Fri No
class. Thanksgiving Break.
Dec 2 Mon Portfolios Due!
Dec 4 Wed Discuss some favorite stories
examined in class and why they were favorites.
Dec 6 Fri Complete Evaluations
of Teacher.
Dec 9 Mon Pick up Portfolio in
class.
Peter Kearly’s
Office
Location
Room
A-208, 2nd Floor
Office Phone: (313) 317-6682