LIS-S 571 Materials for Youth
3 credits
- Prerequisite(s): LIS-S 500, LIS-S 507
- Delivery: Online
- Semesters offered: Fall, Spring (Check the schedule to confirm.)
Description
This course focuses on the evaluation and use of materials for youth including books, magazines, and media. It will expand your thinking about the role of materials in shaping today’s youth. Although the course is on-line with web-based readings, resources, and discussions, you must also have access to picture books and novels for youth. You read award books (Newbery, Caldecott, Printz); analyze and compare illustrations in picture books; examine illustrators; read a series of books from different genres (fantasy, realistic fiction, historical fiction); examine magazines; and complete projects (e.g., video, trailer, LibGuides). You will also discuss with your classmates these areas after reading additional materials to support statements that you will share.
Program Learning Goals Supported
Instructors map their courses to specific LIS Program Goals. Mapped program goals drive the design of each course and what students can expect to generally learn.
- Connect Core Values and Professional Ethics to Practice
- Conduct Systematic Research to Inform Decisions
- Examine Systemic Inequalities to Improve Library and Information Practices through Equitable and Socially Just Interventions
Learning Outcomes
Instructors develop learning outcomes for their courses. Students can expect to be able to achieve the learning outcomes for a given course after successfully completing the course.
- Differentiate relevant and important user characteristics and information needs of children and young adults.
- Evaluate relevant and important professional materials such as research articles and selection and review sources.
- Explain relevant and important trends and issues in children’s literature (e.g. intellectual freedom, multiculturalism, censorship, graphic novels, etc.).
- Design videos, book trailers, infographics, and LibGuides to appeal to children and young adults.
- Distinguish relevant and important genres, media, producers, and titles for children and young adults.
- Develop the use of a social booklist to assist in reader’s advisory.
Course Overview
Instruction is in Canvas. Lessons are organized into Modules whose length may vary.
Module 1: What is reading? What is a good book?
- interact with your classmates about your own reading and your classmates reading in their introductions
- discover how to find reviewing sources for children and teen books
- define children’s literature and young adult literature
- define genres and elements of literature
- discover the many awards for children and teen literature
Module 2: Newbery Award
- interact with your classmates about your reading assignment
- define major children's and young adult awards
- start examining different review sources for books.
Module 3: Printz Award
- recognize the best in the field of materials for young adults
- promote the growing number of books published for young adults
- inspire wider readership in the genre
- give recognition to the importance of the genre
- position YALSA as an authority in the field of evaluating and selecting materials for teen library collections
Module 4: Caldecott Award
- explain how visual literacy can be developed
- identify the functions of illustration and images in children's books.
- list different categories of picture books
- discover the Caldecott Award books
- describe examples of various styles and media in picture books
- identity the 5 visual elements that can be used to illustrate a text and how they contribute to a book
- identify wordless books, ABC books, counting books, and predicable books.
Module 5: Illustrations
- explain the nature of children's literature as it progressed through the centuries
- discuss the trends of children's literature during the 21st century
- realize the importance of reading aloud in the reading growth of children
- identify books and interests of all ages of our children as they are maturing
Module 6: Traditional literature
- define folk literature and explain the role of retellers
- summarize the characteristics of folk literature
- appreciate the pervasiveness of folk literature
- explain what element of fantasy can influence young readers
- identify and define various subgenres of folk literature
- specify recent trends in publishing folk literature.
Module 7: Fantasy Literature
- distinguish between modern fantasy and folklore.
- briefly describe the impact of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
- classify modern fantasy books into various categories.
- summarize the six basic fantasy motifs.
- explain the distinction between science fiction and other modern fantasy.
- summarize the importance and value of fantasy.
Module 8: Realistic fiction
- identify reasons that children can relate to the characters and settings
- summarize how changes in our society have influenced the themes in realistic fiction for children and young adults
- classify contemporary realistic fiction for children into categories.
- Recognize and understand the topics covered in this module.
- Show mastery of this module's topics in a discussion assignment.
Module 9: Nonfiction
- explain the difference between narrative and expository informational books
- recognize good nonfiction text
- apply evaluation criteria for judging informational books
- identify types of informational books.
Module 10: Readers Advisor or Nonfiction Booklist
- explain the difference between international books and multicultural books
- explain the need for introducing children to multicultural literature
- apply evaluation criteria to judge multicultural books.
Module 11: Historical fiction
- summarize reasons why historical fiction trade books are more effective tools than textbooks to bring history to life
- generate a list of elements contained within well-written historical fiction for children
- identify and describe the five main categories of historical fiction.
Module 12: Poetry
- summarize research findings relative to children's poetry attitudes and preferences
- synthesize and apply strategies for building an appreciation for poetry
- list characteristics of the best children's poems
- select resources for building a poetry collection.
Module 13: What is diversity?
- explain the need for introducing children to multicultural literature
- think about the criteria needed to evaluate and judge multicultural books
- read reviews on these types of books
- identify various authors that write in this area
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create a short book talk about a book of your choice (i.e., collection of poetry, short stories, diversity, or multicultural)
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create a book trailer about a book of your choice (i.e., collection of poetry, short stories, diversity, or multicultural)
Module 14: Magazines
- identify several YA magazines
- identify several children magazines
- identify reasons magazines are important
- help children realize that text can be presented and read in different ways
- realize how magazines support and strengthen school curriculum
- realize that magazines are authentic forms of literacy material
Module 15: LibGuides
- create a site for others to use to find materials on their own.
- think about areas, topics, or genres that would be lend themselves to make a good LibGuide.
- examine your classmates guides to gain more ideas for yourself to use
Policies and Procedures
Please be aware of the following linked policies and procedures. Note that in individual courses instructors will have stipulations specific to their course.