INFO 263-01
Materials For Children
Spring 2017 Syllabus
Joni Richards Bodart
E-mail
Phone: (408)924-2728
Syllabus Links Textbooks CLOs Competencies Prerequisites |
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Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 26th, 6am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one unit or two unit class that starts on a different day. In that case the class will open on the first day that the class meets.
You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.
Course Description
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. Collection development tools and techniques for this material will also be included.
Note: This course will also cover "toy" books, board books, picture books, and various media and technology appropriate for the age group of 0-9 years, and how they can meet developmental needs.
ADD THIS ARTICLE: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/nyregion/long-line-at-the-library-its-story-time-again.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_2015110
DISCLAIMER
I make every effort to proofread the Greensheet and the Canvas website, but errors can occur. Please contact me with any errors you see or any questions or may have so I can correct or explain them.
Instructional Philosophy
I want each of you in this course to succeed, and I will do everything I can to help you do so, but this is a partnership. Please make sure that communication is your top priority during the semester. Ask questions when you have them, seek clarifications when you need them, and take responsibility for understanding all expectations, content and assignments for the course. You are responsible for your own learning experience. I do not make you succeed. YOU make you succeed. You also make you fail. Understanding the contents and expectations explained in the Greensheet and Canvas site are critical for a student’s success in the class.
The Canvas Site
Please check the site regularly (at least once a day) for announcements, discussion board questions, and so on. Please check out all parts of the Canvas site carefully.
COLLABORATE SESSIONS – Mandatory
There will be four Collaborate sessions, which will be used for student presentations and guest speakers. All are mandatory, but only the latter three have required synchronous attendance. Dates for the sessions are:
- February 8—Introduction to class and expectations of instructor, student questions, discussion of greensheet and assignments. Mandatory asynchronous attendance, but synchronous attendance HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- March 14, April 11, April 25—presentations/speakers Mandatory synchronous attendance.
WORKING IN GROUPS OR TEAMS
Some of you have probably done team projects before, and have not enjoyed them. All my classes include team work, for several reasons. It is one of the comps you will be writing in 289. It is highly valued by potential employers, and frequently an interview question or the topic of several questions. The ability to demonstrate that you know how to work effectively in a team will be very likely to move you up the ranks in an interview situation. You are going to be spending a large part of your professional life working on either virtual or face to face teams, with both those you know well, those you don’t know well, and strangers. Some of these people you will enjoy working with, some you will not. It is essential that you know how to function effectively in all these situations, and team work in library school classes is one way you can learn and practice effective strategies. All team members are expected to contribute equally and to their fullest capacity on all of the team assignments, and to identify for their team members their strongest and weakest group roles and preferred assignments to help the whole team function most efficiently.
I highly recommend that you take a look at Dr. Haycock's presentation on working in virtual teams. (There is a link to it under the Course Documents section of the Content area.) This will give you lots of hints on how to create a successful virtual team. It is up to the members of each team to work out interpersonal problems. I am available for advice and consultation at any time, but ultimately team members need to figure out how to work together successfully and ensure that everyone contributes equally. In extreme situations, I am willing to meet with teams, but this is definitely a last resort. At the end of the semester, you will be asked to evaluate your team members on the quality and quantity of their work and on how well or poorly they contributed to the efficiency of the team. These evaluations will include a description of what was expected from each team member, and how well those expectations were or were not met. Each team member is also required to do a self evaluation as well as the ones on other team members. These evaluations will be incorporated into the participation grade. You will submit this document via the appropriate assignments dropbox. THIS EVALUATION IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT, NOT A GROUP ASSIGNMENT. ALL CONTENT WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.
Assignments
PLEASE NOTE: Materials used in one assignment cannot be used in other ones. All materials must be unique to the assignment.
All assignments are designed to help you gain knowledge that will allow you to achieve competency in one or more of the competencies listed above. They are not busy work, and I have designed them carefully to give you both knowledge and skills that will help you succeed as a children’s librarian or worker serving youth 0-9. If you don’t understand how a particular assignment will help you do this, please ask me. I will be happy to explain.
You will need to post some of the assignments on the appropriate forums on D2L to share with your classmates.
Please make sure that when you are submitting work at the end of the semester that you make sure the links are active and will lead me to the assignment. If I cannot open the assignment or reach you to let you know there’s a problem, and grades are due, you will not get credit for that assignment. This is less critical during the semester, when asking you to resubmit your work doesn’t involve the time crunch that always happens at the end of the semester, since the deadline for grade submissions is absolute and not at all flexible.
PLEASE NOTE: A LIST OF WEEKLY ACTIVITIES INCLUDING ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE CANVAS WEBSITE IN JANUARY AND WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE FIRST COLLABORATE CLASS SESSION. Due dates for assignments are also given below in the Grading section.
Selection Tools/Review Writing
Examine and compare at least six selection tools and/or review sources and rate them on their usefulness and coverage of materials for age range 0 to 9. Give what are , in your opinion, both the strengths and weaknesses of the reviews in them. Please make sure that at least three or more of these items are available in print, even if you use the virtual version of it. These items should be one that you would want to use when creating a collection for children 0-9 years of age. You will be creating an annotated bibliography of these tools for the first part of this assignment. Annotations should be both detailed and concise, stating the scope and usability of these tools, based on your opinion from examining them. Titles should be listed in preferential order, from most to least useful.
For the second part of this assignment, read Horning’s Cover to Cover, and write reviews of five books for this age group, based on her instructions. Your reviews should include both summarizing and evaluating information, and should be based on the style of one (or more) of your top review sources. Please note the title of the review source(s) you are using for each review. You may choose to emulate only one review source, or use three different sources. Choose one title from Caldecott winners or Honor books, one from Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winners or Honor books, and one from Pura Belpre Illustrator winners or Honor books, and three Newbery winners or Honor book, and write reviews of the five books. Be sure these are suitable for our age span of 0-9 years. Give full bibliographic information, and describe the story and illustrations, and discuss how the book could be used at storytime, one on one, or in a group or classroom setting. Discuss the illustrations in detail, since they are at least half the individual books, and suggest other titles you could use with each, and why you chose them. List all your sources in your references, using APA style.
Review sources publish professional reviews of new material currently being published. However, review sources that publish reviews by readers or fans should be examined very carefully to ensure that those reviews are thoughtful and unbiased.
Selection tools do not have reviews, but do have recommendations for important titles. Examples could be annual awards, annual “best of” bibliographies, and books that recommend titles, but don’t specifically review them, although the list may or may not include reader’s annotations, which are promotional, rather than evaluative. The Youth Media Awards are examples of selection tools. So are the various lists of top books—Children’s Notables, and so on.
Related Objectives 2
Related Competencies F, I, M
More details and assignment requirements will be provided on the Canvas site in January and during the first Collaborate session.
Illustrators Assignment
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. All references in the bibliography and reference list must be in APA style. Do not use illustrators included in the reviewing assignment above.
More details and assignment requirements will be provided on the Canvas site in January and during the first Collaborate session.
Related competencies: I
Related Course Learning Objectives: 1, 3
Assignment: Storytime
Design one half-hour Storytime for public library, daycare, Pre-School, or Kindergarten. Write up the plan as if you were going to deliver it. Designate if this Storytime is designed for Babies, Toddlers, Preschool, Kindergarten or Family. On your outline of the Storytime list all the books you would use (include at least five books with full bibliographic information, plot description, if they are participatory, and description of the artwork). Include talking points and literacy elements on each of the books you will include. Have a theme for the storytime and at least two elements of the storytime must be participatory. List any and all websites or books you use to find ideas.
Instructor will provide a template for students to use to organize their plan. The template will be under resources for the assignment on the Canvas class website.
Appendices must have link to the craft(s) with full instructions, lyrics for all songs, fingerplays listing the words, pictures of flannelboard felt pieces and any puppets used during the storytime.
More details and assignment requirements will be provided on the Canvas site in January and during the first Collaborate session.
Related competencies: I, M
Related course objectives: 1, 5
Group Presentation Assignment
Students will be divided into groups of 2 and provided with a list of topics for groups to choose from at the beginning of the semester. (If class enrollment is less than 6, this assignment will be done individually.) Each group will have a unique topic. Groups may propose their own topic, but if they do, it must be approved before they begin to work. Groups will research their topic and create a PowerPoint slide presentation, and present their work at one of the Collaborate sessions. Presentations will be 45-60 minutes long, and will include at least 10-15 minutes of class discussion. (The length may be changed, depending on the final number of students in the class.) Each student will be responsible for evaluating several, but not all of the groups, and each group will be evaluated at least 2-3 times, and students will be assigned the groups they will evaluate. The number of groups will depend on the final number of students in the class.
Sample topics could include but are not limited to:
- Emergent or early literacy issues and controversies
- Best digital resources for children 0-4 or 5-9
- Parental bibliography on early literacy importance, best materials for children 0-9
- Intellectual freedom and censorship/reconsideration issues for children 0-9
- Compare and contrast the best authors for children 0-4
- Compare and contrast the best authors for children 5-9
- Writing reviews for parents or for librarians—compare and contrast, best practices for each group
More details and assignment requirements will be provided on the Canvas site in January and during the first Collaborate session.
Related competencies: A, F, I, M
Related Course Learning Objectives: 1, 3, 4, 5
Assignment: Collection Development Blog
Create a collection of materials of 75 items or more, with detailed information on each (required list of what you will have to include for each title will be provided by Canvas site opens in January, 2015). The database must include books/comics (fiction/non-fiction) toy books, board books, concept books, picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, audiobook/book packages, movies, music, magazines and games (digital and other) that reflect knowledge of the informational, recreational, and developmental needs of children 0-9 years of age. The instructor expects that all the materials are personally reviewed and all books chosen read completely.
More details and assignment requirements will be provided on the Canvas site in January and during the first Collaborate session.
Related competencies: A, F, I, M
Related Course Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Questions, Comments, Concerns—FAQ Discussion Thread
Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments about the above assignments and other issues on the FAQ discussion thread under Modules on the Canvas class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature, please email me directly.
E-mail Response Time
I answer email on a regular basis throughout the day and evenings however the official policy is: “Instructor will respond to student emails within 24-hours of receipt”. I will inform the class if a longer response time is needed (I’m out of town, illness, etc.). Students are expected to answer emails promptly.
Crisis or Emergency
Please notify me if a situation prevents you from doing assignments or other class activities. You will receive a zero (not an F, which implies points as noted in grading scale below, but a zero, for no points at all) for any course work missed unless you have received permission from me for an extension, something I am generally willing to do. I will deduct points for any work not submitted on time or lack of participation in Blackboard Collaborate session, group work or individual assignments and discussion threads.
All assignments will be due as noted above. The drop-dead due date is May 21. You MUST turn in all assignments by that date.
If you need to turn in an assignment later than the dates above, I will be glad to be flexible, BUT ONLY IF YOU REQUEST THIS PRIOR TO THE DUE DATE. Requesting late submission on the day the material is due is too late. Material turned in late without permission will be penalized one letter grade. If you send me a URL when you submit an assignment so I can look at it, and I cannot open the link, I will let you know about the problem, which MUST be corrected within 48 hours, or your work will be counted as late. Please check your links, and make sure you have published or opened your site so I can examine your work, and check your email to see if I have let you know that there are problems.
GRADING
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU iSchool Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses: Grades not rounded up to the next grade level. I do not round points to the next whole number. If you receive an 89.6, your grade will be recorded at 89.
Timeframe for grading assignments
Assignments are graded within ten days from the date turned in, and students will be notified when this is not possible, and given an alternative date.
Grading Allocations
- Collection development blog=25%
- Storytime=10%
- Group presentation=25%
- Illustrators/book awards/selection tools=15%
- Participation: collaborate sessions, group evaluations, discussion threads, assigned texts and website readings =25%
Assignment Due Dates
- Database—March 19; May 7
- Storytime—April 16
- Selection tools/Review Sources/Book Reviews—March 5
- Group presentations—as scheduled during class sessions
- Participation—May 14
DISCUSSION THREAD SCHEDULE
More information on all of these will be provided on the Canvas website in the Discussions area, and will be included in the first Collaborate session.
Please note that these discussions are for you to express yourselves and exchange information and ideas. I will not respond to every post, however, I will read all of them.
Week 1-2—Discussion #1
January 26 to February 5
Introductions
As soon as you can, go to the site, read my welcome message, then go to the discussion board and introduce yourself, both professionally and personally. I will give you a format for each part of your introduction on the discussion forum. If you read someone’s introduction and think that you would like to work with them on a team, you are welcome to contact them either on that forum or privately and form your team immediately. The purpose of these introductions is to allow you to see who else is in class, and begin to get acquainted with them. Photos of yourselves, your families, your pets, and so on are very welcome, since they help others to see you as individuals, not just names.
Please feel free to respond to others’ posts as many times as you would like to. Post/Deadlines: 1 post by 12 midnight, Sunday, February 5th (11:59 p.m. PST)..
Weeks 4-5 Discussion #2
February 13–February 26
Common Core and the Library collection
Take a look at the websites/links listed below, and pick three of them to discuss. Read and then summarize and give your opinion of the ideas/concepts included in each of them, explaining why they are the most interesting/valuable/etc.. Be sure to properly cite your sources. If you would like to locate and use one source not on the list, you may do so. Just make sure that it is equivalent to those listed in importance, reliability, and complexity.
Post/Deadlines: You must post two substantial posts and two responses to others. One substantial post by February 19, one substantial post by February 26 and two responses to classmates by February 26. All posts are due at midnight PT.
Links to choose from:
- Common Core in the Public Library. Kiera Parrott. ALSC blog
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2012/09/common-core-in-the-public-library/ - The Public Library Connection: The new standards require that public and school librarians pull together | On Common Core. Olga Nei. School Library Journal, December 1, 2012
http://www.slj.com/2012/12/opinion/on-common-core/the-public-library-connection-the-new-standards-require-that-public-and-school-librarians-pull-together-on-common-core/ - Common Core Standards and the School Librarian. Hack Library School blog
http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/common-core-state-standards-and-the-school-librarian/ - On Common Core: Cultivating Collaboration. Mary Ann Cappiello, Myra Zarnowski, and Marc Aronson. School Library Journal, September 4, 2012
http://www.slj.com/2012/09/standards/common-core/on-common-core-cultivating-collaboration/ - Nonfiction Programming. Abby Johnson. American Libraries, May 28, 2013.
Practical tips on including non-fiction with an eye to CCSS in programming for youth of all ages.
http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/nonfiction-programming - Common Core Resources for Public Libraries. Connecticut State Library
Brief outlines of some ideas to incorporate CC into public libraries along with a list of resource links at the bottom.
http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/pages/common-core-resources-pub - For Libraries, the Common Core Presents Extraordinary Opportunity. Publisher’s Weekly
School and public libraries can collaborate to incorporate Common Core; based on discussions from the 2013 ALA Midwinter meeting.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/55831-for-libraries-the-common-core-presents-extraordinary-opportunity.html - Common Core Questions and Answers. Interview with Kristin Fontichiaro at ALA’s @ your library® advocacy site
http://www.atyourlibrary.org/common-core-questions-and-answers - Don't Fear the Reaper - Demystifying Common Core. Marge Loch-Wouters. Tiny Tips for Library Fun blog
Practical tips on thinking about CCSS in the public library
http://tinytipsforlibraryfun.blogspot.com/2013/05/dont-fear-reaper-demystifying-common.h
Week 7-8—Discussion #3
March 6–-March 19
Digital Technology
There is widespread debate happening about screen time and computer use for children. Locate 2-3 relevant articles (in addition to the required ones on the Canvas website) to share during this discussion representing opinions, insights and research focusing on children and technology. Keep in mind that storytimes are using iPads, libraries/schools are providing digital devices to children as part of programming and curriculum, and more and more parents are purchasing apps that help babies and toddlers learn to read and develop literary skills in preparation for school. What did you find? What are your personal feelings for how e-books and other apps for children fit into our study of children’s materials. It is important for you as children’s services professional to understand where digital technology fits into the acquisition of materials.
Post/Deadlines: You must post two substantial posts and two responses to other classmates. One substantial post by March 12, one substantial post by March 19, and two responses to classmates by Sunday, March 19. All posts are due at midnight PT.
Weeks 15-16 Discussion #4
May 8 - May 21
Reflect back on the semester, and how your learning has changed your perceptions, thoughts, ideas, and actions. You will also discuss how you think you will be using what you have learned in the future, and why or why not you consider your learning to be significant or important. What did you know about materials for this youngest group of children, aged 0-9, when the semester began? What do you know now? What philosophical changes have you made to your view of librarianship, and the information profession? What has the most valuable part of this course been? What was the least valuable? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about working in a group? Has this class changed your thinking about your profession? If so, how? If not, why not? How does this class fit into the rest of the classes in your program? This is a then-and-now reflection or comparison of how far you have come and how much you have changed this semester, and what those changes have taught you. What will you take into your professional life (and also your personal life if you choose to share this) from what you learned taking this class? Discuss your favorite materials from your readings for the semester and why you liked them the best.
Post/Deadlines: You must post one substantial post and at least two responses to other students’ posts. One substantial post by Monday, May 14, and two responses to other students by Sunday, May 21. All posts are due by midnight PT.
Writing and Research Standards
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ALL OF THESE IS AVAILABLE ON THE CANVAS WEBSITE UNDER THE MODULES SECTION.
Students will produce assignments that meet writing and research standards appropriate for students in a Master’s program of study. It is critical to proofread your work before turning it in. Graduate level writing standards do not tolerate spelling or grammatical errors of any kind. Students are encouraged to refer to a writer’s handbook. APA is mandated for citations included within the text of the paper and reference/bib page(s). Additional about and rubrics for assignments are given on the Canvas website under the Modules section.
Spelling and Grammar
I may not read entire paper for spelling and grammar mistakes; if, in my opinion, the assignment contains too many errors a reduction in points will be given. You will find more information on the errors I consider most irritating and other links to grammar sites/videos on the Canvas website. All assignments with grammar errors WILL lost points based on the number of errors.
Paper Composition/Blog Banner and general formatting information
- Prepare all assignments in MS Word. Blogs do not have this requirement.
- May not exceed the number of pages specified, unless with permission
- Must have a title page with the following information: Title of paper, Class number and title, Name of Student, Name of Instructor, University and Date of Assignment. This applies to banner/homepages on blogs
- Reference page must be included and meet APA guidelines. Please check with instructor on how you do this if you chose a blog format.
- Citations within the paper itself must be done according to APA guidelines
- Page numbers and the name of the assignment must appear on all pages except the title page – does not apply to blogs.
- All papers are to be written in formal style unless otherwise noted on the assignment description. This requirement does not pertain to discussion posts and blogs.
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
INFO 200, INFO 260A or INFO 261A.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces that influence children's choices of recreational and informational sources and materials.
- Evaluate selection tools, and demonstrate the ability to use appropriate resources to develop a collection of materials for the preschool and elementary school-aged children (ages 0-9), including all appropriate formats.
- Critically examine representative materials designed for the pre-school and elementary school-aged child (ages 0-9), including but not limited to books, television, movies, and the Internet, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multicultural concerns, and creating a collection that meets the informational and recreational needs of this age group.
- Evaluate children's digital resources to determine the most developmentally appropriate ones to recommend to parents, and identify ones that are less appropriate or useful.
- Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children 0-9 years old.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 263 supports the following core competencies:
- F Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.
- I Use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Horning, K. T. (2010). From Cover to Cover (revised ed.): Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books. HarperCollins. Available through Amazon: 0060777575.
- Tunnell, M. O., Jacobs, J. S., Young, T.A., & Bryan, G. (2015). Children's literature, briefly (6th ed.). Pearson. Available through Amazon: 0133846555
- Vardell, S. M. (2014). Children's literature in action: A librarian's guide (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1610695623
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 or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — 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 if you wish to stay in the program. 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.
Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
University Policies
Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.
In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.
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