EDUC 4161 Children’s Literature

About the Course

Children’s Literature is designed for students preparing to teach in elementary schools and for elementary school teachers who wish to expand their knowledge and expertise in using books with children. The course may also be of value to any person who works or lives with children including childcare personnel, recreation leaders, social workers, and parents.

Objectives/Outline

• Define the major genres in children’s literature and identify specific titles for each
• Evaluate books for children using appropriate criteria
• Select books for specific grade levels, curriculum needs, and student interests
• Integrate literature into classroom learning activities;
• Use appropriate websites and Internet resources to locate award winning books, national standards in education, and materials related to specific topics

Grade Breakdown

Unit 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 deal with the formats and genres of children’s literature. Assignments for each of these units are evaluated and graded upon completion. Unit 3 is a proposal or rough draft for the final project (Unit 10). Unit 3 does not receive a grade. The evaluation of this unit is either “GO” or “Revise and Resubmit”.

The final grade for the course is an average of the grades for the nine assignments submitted. If this average results in a grade that is near the line between two grades (could be either a B+ or an A-), the grade on the final project is given extra weight in determining the grade for the course.

Required Text

Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature, Tenth Edition by Barbara Z. Kiefer. McGraw Hill, 2010.

ISBN: 13: 978-0-07-337856-5
ISBN: 10: 07-337856-9

Instructor Contact

Dr. Kennemer received her BA and MA degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. She earned a Specialist in Education in Library Media Degree and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado.

She has previously taught intermediate grades in various elementary schools in Colorado and has worked with students in kindergarten through sixth grades as a Library Media Specialist in Jefferson County School District. She has taught courses for the University of Colorado (Boulder and Denver Campuses), Metropolitan State College of Denver, Emporia State University of Kansas, the University of Phoenix, and Front Range Community College.

Dr. Kennemer has served on both the Newbery and Caldecott Award Committees and on the ALA Notable Books for Children Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Children’s Services Division of the American Library Association which sponsors these committees. She has chaired the committee for Integrating Literature across the Curriculum for the American Association of School Librarians and has been a member of various other ALA committees. She served on the Colorado Children’s Book Award Committee for ten years.

Her book, Using Literature to Teach Middle Grades about War (Oryx Press, 1993), continues to be a resource for teachers and librarians in elementary and middle school settings. She has written numerous articles and books reviews for state and national publications, including School Library Journal, Language Arts, and Colorado Libraries. She belongs to a number of professional organizations and has been a frequent presenter at professional conferences throughout Colorado and the nation.

Currently, Dr. Kennemer does freelance writing for a number of publications. She also writes books reviews for The Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (www.childrenslit.com). Some of this database is free to the public, including the profiles of authors and illustrators. Dr. Kennemer has contributed profiles of several Colorado authors, including Victoria Hanley, Ellen Javernick, Claudia Mills, and Barbara Steiner.

Phone: (970)622-0858

Email: pkkbooks@comcast.net