LIBR 263-01
LIBR 263-10
Materials for Children Ages 5-8
Spring 2013 Greensheet

Dr. Susan E. Higgins
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Greensheet Links
Textbooks
SLOs 
Competencies 
Prerequisites
Resources
D2L Login and Tutorials
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D2L Information: This course will be available beginning January 23. You will be enrolled into the site automatically. Students meet in the D2L online classroom on Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Attendance in the online classroom is optional. A report based on the archives of a missed session is required. A headset will be required to listen and speak in the Collaborate classroom.

Course Description

This class is a survey of materials in a variety of formats including nonfiction, beginning chapter books, fictional genres, paperback series and electronic resources, and how they can help meet developmental needs of children. Collection development tools and techniques for this material will also be included.

Course Requirements

There are seven assignments in this class. They are three scholarly critiques, an illustrator assignment, observation and analysis activity, a material selection activity and reading log, and a grade for participation. Participation includes discussion board postings, a presented powerpoint and any reports based on the archives of each missed D2L session.

Descriptions for Graded Assignments

  • Scholarly Critiques – 10 points each

    Read three substantive, subject related journal articles (scholarly, peer-reviewed) one article per critique.  The definition of "substantive" is approximately ten pages.  One half to two thirds of the critique summarizes the main points. The relevance of the article to the LIS discipline is described if applicable.  A brief description of methodology is included. Include your personal opinion of the conclusions reached by the researcher(s). Selected articles are available on the content page.  Use these or choose from subject related King Library online databases. 

    Student Learning Outcomes Addressed:  1, 4

  • Illustrators Assignment - 10 points 

    Choose two children's illustrators (living or dead) and compare and contrast them.  Provide biographical sketches (150-300 words) of the illustrators.  Many children's book authors illustrate their own books. Answer this question:  How does the illustrator's background, experiences, and cultural perspective influence his or her illustration technique? Write a short analysis of the technique that each illustrator focuses on in his/her work.  Provide a brief, annotated bibliography of each illustrator's works.  Include photographs and cover art if you like.  Provide a list of sources that you used to learn about the illustrators. 

    Student Learning Outcomes Addressed 3, 5.

  • Observation and Analysis Activity - 20 points 

    Observe a live storytime session at your local classroom or public library to explore the literature presentation skills demonstrated.  Permission may be required.  Family storytimes are fine for this assignment.  Write a six page report on the experience.  Include the resources used and your observation of the storyteller or librarian's performance.  Answer these questions - what emergent literacy behaviors did you see as you looked at the children observing the storyteller?  Why did you consider these important?  How would you explain the appropriateness of the selection to a parent or caregiver? Your report should include the 1)Date and time of the activity, 2) Group Age 3) Name of Activity 4)Developmental Goals, 5) Learning objectives (outcome), and 6) How the learning objectives are linked to the guiding principles California Department of Education. (You may use the DOE guiding principles from your State of residence). Mention any materials which were used to market the program.  Finally, evaluate how the activity was successful or what might be improved. 

    Student Learning Outcomes Addressed 4, 5.

  • Material Selection Activity and Reading Log - 20 points

    Select materials appropriate for children 5-8.  Select and create 12 records for 12 different resources.  Use a complete citation prior to describing the resource.  Single space your annotations, and double space between them.  One page can contain two single spaced annotations.  A chart may be used.  Write annotations for at least one of the following formats:  nonfiction, beginning chapter books, fictional genre, paperback series and electronic resources.  Describe the item and quote and paraphrase the reviewing sources chosen.  The Child Development Tracker can be used as a reviewing source.  Give your opinion as to whether the reviewing source accurately depicts the selection and comment on the usefulness of the item in your collection.  Each record is an annotation which describes the material using a summary.  Use the following fields to describe information related to the book or electronic resource.  Bibliographic information:  1) title, author, illustrator, publisher, date of publication, ISBN#, number of pages or viewing length. 2) Setting 3)Plot 4) Description of the illustrations or the writing style and tone of the author.  5) Theme(s), 6) Characterization 7) Curricular connections (how you might use it with students in a K-3 classroom or school library) or simple programming connections (how you might use this book in a public library setting).  8) Personal response to the item.

    Student Learning Outcomes Addressed 3, 5.

  • Participation Rubric - 20 points  

    Participation is calculated at 50% Classroom attendance and 50% Discussion board postings. (assigned periodically throughout the semester.) Write a report if you are unable to attend an online class session. 

    Student Learning Outcomes Addressed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Course Calendar
Assignment due dates are subject to change with fair notice.

Assignments Points Due Date
Scholarly Critique 1 10  Feb 6
Scholarly Critique 2 10  Feb 20
Scholarly Critique 3 10  March 6
Illustrator Assignment 10  April 3
Observation & Analysis Activity 20  April 24
Material Selection Activity and Reading Log 20  May 8
Participation 20  ongoing assessment
Total 100  

Late Assignment Policy
Each assignment is due on the date specified. A student may negotiate a revised due date if necessary, but this must be done in advance of the due date.  Assignments will be accepted late only at the discretion of the instructor.

Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

LIBR 200, LIBR 260A or LIBR 261A

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces that influence children's choices of recreational and informational sources and materials.
  2. Evaluate selection tools, and demonstrate the ability to use appropriate resources to develop a collection of materials for the elementary school-aged child (ages 5-8), including all appropriate formats.
  3. Critically examine representative materials designed for the elementary school-aged child (ages 5-8), including books, television, movies, and theĀ Internet, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multicultural concerns, and meeting the informational and recreational needs of thisĀ age group.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of learning to read and how to work with parents, caregivers, and teachers in the teaching of reading.
  5. Create an appropriate materials collection for this age group (ages 5-8), including print and nonprint materials.
  6. Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 263 supports the following core competencies:

  1. A Articulate the ethics, values, and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom.
  2. F Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital items and collections.
  3. I Use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.
  4. M Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional collaboration and presentations.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

  • Horning, K. T. (2010). From cover to cover: Evaluating and reviewing children's books (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins. Available through Amazon: 0060777575 arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain
  • Tunnell, M. 0., Jacobs, J. S., Young, T.A., & Bryan, G. (2012). Children's literature briefly (5th ed.). Pearson. Available through Amazon: 0132480565 arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

  • "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
    • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
    • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
  • "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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