LIBR 262A-01
Materials for Children Ages 0-4 
Fall 2009 Greensheet

Penny Peck
E-mail

This course has an Angel site. The enrollment code for our Angel "classroom" will be distributed to all students the first day of the semester via MySJSU messaging.

Course Description

Survey of children’s materials, including "toy" books, board books, picture books, and various media and technology appropriate for this age group, and how they can meet developmental needs. Collection development tools and techniques for these materials will also be included.

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200 required.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces which 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 preschool child, including all appropriate formats
3. Critically examine representative materials designed for the preschool child, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multi-cultural concerns, and meeting the informational and recreational needs of preschool children
4. Evaluate children’s television programming and other digital resources to determine the most developmentally appropriate ones to recommend to parents and discover ones that are less appropriate or useful
5. Create an appropriate materials collection for this age group, including print and nonprint materials
6. Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children

This course supports the following MLIS Core Competencies:

1. articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;
2. compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
3. recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
4. apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;

6. use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
7. understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge;

13. demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
14. evaluate programs and services on specified criteria; and
15. contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities.

Top of Page

Course Requirements

Course Format
This is a web-based course. All of our interaction will take place on the SLIS Angel site; Students must self-enroll for this course on Angel, beginning on August 23, 2009, and must be self-enrolled by Sept. 4, 2009. You will be required to use a password access code that will be provided through the MYSJSU messaging system. Course materials will be available primarily through the Lessons section on Angel, children's books from your public library, and journal articles available on the SJSU library database. Assignments for the course should be posted electronically. Our class discussions (worth 20 percent of your grade) will be conducted using an Angel Discussion Forum - your responses to a different discussion question posted each week. You will be graded on both the content of your posts (not just "I agree"), and meeting the minimum of posting at least once a week.

Class Discussion
Our class discussions (worth 20 percent of your grade) will be your responses to a different discussion question posted each week. Always post to the Discussion Question by the dates listed on each discussion forum. You will be graded on both the content of your posts (not just "I agree"), and meeting the minimum of posting at least once a week. Last day to post to the Angel Discussion Board is Friday, December 4, 2009. Related competencies: A, B, G, O. Related course objectives:  1, 3, 6.

Course Assignments
This course requires a number of assignments designed to introduce students to the concepts covered in class and in the text, as well as to practical applications of methods. Students will work indivdually and participate in group discussions on Angel.

Assignments
All assignments should be a Word file posted to the Angel site, in the assignment dropbox.  All assignments must use APA format for sources and all assignments must have sources.

Assignment 1: Due Monday, September 28, 2009, by 11:59pm.

Assignment 2: Due Monday, October 19, 2009, by 11:59pm.

Assignment 3: Due Monday, November 2, 2009, by 11:59pm.

Assignment 4: Due: Monday, November 23, 2009, by 11:59pm.

Assignment 5: Due Monday, December 7, 2009, by 11:59pm.

Assignment 1: Board Books and Picture Books
Choose five board books and five picture books to read and evaluate. Write a book review of each book. Each book review should be at least 100 words in length, not counting the bibliographic information. Give full bibliographic information. Look at reviews in School Library Journal or Horn Book for a model. These are evaluative reviews, not just plot descriptions. Evaluate the text and the illustrations, commenting on the media used for the illustrations and how (or if) the text and illustrations work well together. Would the book be good for Storytime and how would you use it (would it inspire a craft, or is it participatory)? There is a clear explanation of the difference between Board Books and Picture Books in the lectures, but feel free to email me if you are not sure a book "fits" for this assignment. List all your sources. Related competencies: C, N.  Related course objectives:  3.

Assignments

Assignment 2: Caldecott and Other Book Awards
Choose three Caldecott winners or Honor books, one Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner or honor book, and one Pura Belpre Illustrator winner or honor book, and write up reviews of the five books. Be sure these are suitable for our age group – many picture book award winners are really for school age children and not for our age group of 0-4 (if you are not sure, email me). Give full bibliographic information, and describe the story and illustrations, and talk about how the book could be used at storytime, one on one, or in a preschool or Pre-Kindergarten class. Evaluate the book – talk in detail about the illustrations as they are half the book! List all your sources. Related competencies: A, O.  Related course objectives:  1, 6.

Assignments

Assignment 3: Children’s Media
Watch five television programs and/or DVDs intended for toddlers or preschoolers. Write a review of each program/movie, keeping in mind the intended audience. Was the show well produced (high quality acting, music, sets, lighting, cinematography, costumes, etc.)? Will the show add to a child’s vocabulary or knowledge? Is the show suitable for a library program such as Storytime, or Kindergarten class, or just a "time waster?" How (in what way , what craft relates, which books relate) could it be used in a library program?  List important information for each DVD such as actors featured, original production dates, network on which it aired, is it based on a book?  List all your sources. Related competencies: C, F.  Related course objectives:  4.

Assignments

Assignment 4: Storytime
Design a half-hour Preschool Storytime you could present at a public library, daycare, preschool, or Kindergarten. Write up your curriculum for that storytime as if you are the supervisor of the new staff member or volunteer who may be doing the storytime (so be detailed). Designate if this Storytime is designed for Preschool Storytime, Bilingual Storytime, Family Storytime, Families for Literacy Storytime or ELF Storytime, or for a Kindergarten Class (not a baby or toddler time). On your outline of the Storytime, list which books you would use (include at least five books with full bibliographic information, plot description, if they are participatory, and description of the artwork), songs along with lyrics, fingerplays listing the words, flannelboards, apron stories, puppets, craft, and other parts of the Storytime you would use. Have a theme for that storytime, and be sure to include the craft project’s full instructions. Be sure at least one of the books is participatory, involving the audience to chant or call out a repeated phrase. List any and all websites or books you used to find ideas. Related competencies: B, D, G.  Related course objectives:  1, 6.

Assignments

Assignment 5: Reader's Advisory Notebook/Database
Create an entry for 75 items (books and media but not websites) appropriate for children ages 0-4. Each entry should include the bibliographic information, a brief plot description, your personal thoughts on the book (yes, you need to read each book), and mention of any books that are similar in style, content, theme or characters. Also include any of the following items that you think might help you with reader's advisory activities in the future:

• Subjects/themes
• Awards
• Series Information
• Character names/descriptions
• Programming/lesson ideas-how would you use the book at Storytime?
• Anything else you'd like to add

Complete project should include entries for all different book genres and reading levels discussed in class, and media. Complete project should include several recent (1990 ) award winning titles (such as Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpre, or Caldecott Award picture books). Be sure to talk about how a book could be used at storytime.

Entries must be formatted using Microsoft Word. You may not use any of the books used in your other assignments. These are 75 other books besides those. They can be a mix of board books, picture books, concept books, nonfiction, Mother Goose collections, folktales, DVD/video, magazines, or audio recordings for our age group (but not websites). List all your sources. Related competencies: F, M.  Related course objectives:  5, 6.

Assignments

Grading
Class discussions are worth 20 percent of your grade; Assignments 1, 2, 3 are worth 10 percent each, Assignments 4 and 5 are worth 25 percent each. Assignments submitted late are not accepted.

Extra Credit
No extra credit options are available.

Late Work
Penalty for late or missed work – Missed work is an "F;" late work is ONLY allowed by agreement of the instructor BEFORE the due date; late work must be turned in no more than two days late and that is ONLY if the instructor has agreed ahead of the due date and you will be penalized one letter grade for being late.

Textbooks and Readings

Besides our textbooks, there is other assigned reading:  be sure to see the Lessons section on Angel for the assigned readings for the class, including journal articles assigned for the class.  You will also see a sequence of lectures, the weekly topic for the discussion question, and more extensive descriptions of the assignments.  You will also want to visit your local public library to find the children's books you will use for assignments, as well as reading book reviews in

and

Required Textbook:

• Horning, K. T. (1997). From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books. HarperCollins. Available through Amazon: 006446167X.

• Peck, P. (2009). Crash Course in Storytime Fundamentals. Libraries Unlimited. Available through Amazon: 1591587158.

Grading Scale

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

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.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.