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Children’s Literature

INF 322T

Unique No. 28425

 Fall, 2011

FAC 21

Mondays, 6-9 p.m.

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Instructor:                  Shirley Lukenbill

                                    UTA 5.460, Phone:  512-471-4374

Email: slukenbill@sbcglobal.net  (Include INF 322T in the subject line of your message)

Office Hours:            Mondays in the lobby of the FAC 21 or in the FAC 21, 5-6 p.m. & by appointment

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TA:                             Javier Ruedas

                                    UTA 5.460, Phone:  512-471-4374

                                    Email: jruedas@ischool.utexas.edu    (Include INF 322T in the subject line of your message)

Office Hours:             To Be Announced on Blackboard. 

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Rationale: 

     CHILDREN'S LITERATURE (INF 322T) is a survey course in the evaluation, selection, and proper and creative use of media with children. 
 

Course Aims and Objectives: 

It is my hope that this course will form the basis of your enhanced appreciation of children and children's media today and in the future.

Specific Learning Objectives:  At the end of the course, the student will:

• Know the physical, social, psychological, and developmental needs of children ages birth through age 12, and how children’s literature (books and media) can help to meet their needs.
• Gain an appreciation of the history of children’s literature and children’s book illustration.
• Know the curricular and reading interests of children, ages birth through age 12.
• Know about the various genres of children’s literature and how to select them.
• Know how to select books and media for children at various ages of their development.
• Know the developmental stages of a child’s learning to read and write.
• Know about the role literature plays in helping children to adjust to crises in their lives.
• Know how to help children to become responsible and intelligent users of media.

Format and Procedures: 

This course is primarily a lecture class with some class discussion. I will use PowerPoint, videos, websites, and other media to illustrate the information in the lectures.  I expect students to attend class regularly, and to respect the rights of other students to learn.  During the class lectures, I expect students to pay attention to the lecture and not carry on conversations with fellow students.  Cell phones and other electronic communication devices need to be turned off or set to vibrate; if a student has an emergency and needs to make a telephone call, he/she should leave the classroom to make the necessary telephone calls.  I expect students to read the required children’s books and textbook materials, as well as the materials I will post to Blackboard as support for the lectures.  I also expect students to check the Blackboard course site regularly for updates and communication from me and my TA.  I expect students to bring their course packet to class each week because it contains outlines of many concepts and ideas presented in the lectures. 

I expect that for the three regular tests, students will be present and seated no later than 6:15 p.m. in order to take the test.  Students arriving after 6:15 p.m. will need to take the final exam as their “make-up” for the regular test.  For the final exam, I expect students to be seated by 7:15 p.m. 

Feedback Statement:

I will post all course grades to Blackboard.  In order to see which test questions you have missed after each test, you will need to email my TA to set up an appointment during his office hours.  The tests will not be allowed out of the faculty office. When you visit the office, you may look at your test paper and answer sheet and see which questions you missed, but you may not take notes on the questions or answers, and you may not take your test or answer sheet out of the office.  You may ask my TA questions and email me about any unresolved questions about questions you might have.  I will resolve any conflicts over test grades.  I welcome students’ email communications or telephone calls to discuss personal issues and needs, and to consult with me about course work.  Please include INF 322T in the subject line of your email message.   

My Assumptions 

• _{It is my assumption that students in my class will arrive at the classroom on time for the lectures and for the tests.} 

• It is my assumption that students in my class will follow all class rules, be courteous to one another and to me and to my Teaching Assistant.

• It is my assumption that students will arrive on time for appointments with me and with my Teaching Assistant. 
   

 Course Requirements:   Class attendance and participation policy:

•  Every student has the right to learn as well as the responsibility not to deprive others of their right to learn.
• Religious Holy Days:  By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will only give you an opportunity to complete the missed work if you have informed me of your religious holy day/s at least fourteen days in advance of the holy day, and if you make up the test either in advance of the holy day or within a reasonable time after the absence.  It is the student's responsibility to email me to inform me of the religious holy day and to make arrangements for making-up any test you will miss during your absence.
•  Every student is accountable for his or her actions.
•  In order for you to get the most out of this class, please consider the following: 
• Attend all scheduled classes and arrive on time. Late arrivals and early departures are very disruptive and violate the first basic principles listed above.
•  Please do not schedule other engagements during this class time.You probably wouldn't appreciate it if I did!  I will try to make class as interesting and informative as possible, but you need to take responsibility for attending class and learning the material.. 
•  If you have trouble hearing the lecture or media presentation because of distractions around you, quietly ask those responsible for the distraction to stop. If the distraction continues, please let me know.  It is often impossible for me to hear such things from my position in the classroom. 
•  Please let me know immediately if you have any problem that is preventing you from performing satisfactorily in this class.
• Ground Rules for participation in discussions or activities: All student contributions to the discussion are valued in this course.  I expect my students to be respectful of other students and their opinions.
• Civility statement and code of conduct:  I expect students to be respectful to me, my TA, and to the other students in the class. 

Course Readings:

• TEXTBOOK:  ESSENTIALS OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE, 7th ed., (2010) by Carol Lynch-Brown, Carl M. Tomlinson, and Kathy G. Short.  You do not need the “My Lab School” edition.  The regular 7^th edition is okay! (See assignments in the Course Calendar.  All assignments for readings are keyed to this edition of the textbook.  Do not purchase an earlier edition of the book!)
•  By Quiz1 (9-26-11), you need to have read:
•    CHARLOTTE'S WEB, by E.B. White
•    HOLES, by Louis Sachar
•     BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, by Kate DiCamillo
•    THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Percy Jackson and the Olypians, Book 1), by Rick Riordan

•  By Quiz 2 (10-24-11), you need to have read: 
•     ESPERANZA RISING, by Pam Munoz Ryan
•    THE CAY, by Theodore Taylor
•    ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY, by Mildred Taylor
•    NUMBER THE STARS, by Lois Lowry

•  By Quiz 3 (11-21) you need to have read:
•    THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry
•    JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, by Roald Dahl 
•    THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, by C. S. Lewis
•    BEOWULF: A NEW TELLING, by Robert Nye 

•  The course packet, “Related Readings” will be available for purchase at the Document Solutions,  UNB 2.214, Phone # 512-475-6675- (Texas Union Building, 2nd floor).  Please watch for an announcement by email about when the packet is ready for purchase.  The hours for the Texas Union office of Document Solutions are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for campus holidays.  (See course calendar in course packet for assignments.)

• Tests:

There will be three regular tests and a comprehensive make-up exam (Final), which will be optional if you have taken the three regular tests. These exams will be objective in nature. The questions for tests will be taken from material introduced, discussed, viewed, or listened to in class lecture periods; from assigned readings in ESSENTIALS OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, 7th ed., from the assigned children's books; and from assigned material in the lectures and in the "Related Readings" (Course Packet).  Date and time of the Final Exam will be available at  http://registrar.utexas.edu/students/exams/  .  You can check the date/time/location of any of your final exams by submitting the unique numbers of each course. 
 

• Use of Blackboard in class

In this class we use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with password-protected access at http://courses.utexas.edu —to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan accordingly.

• Grading Procedures:

          The grading scale for this class will be as follows: 
              

Students who are taking the class CR/F or CR/NC must earn at least a 60 average to earn a CR.  An X (Incomplete) will be given only in cases of extreme personal problems, medical problems, or hardship, and in cases in which the student has received permission from Mrs. Lukenbill to complete the class work after the scheduled time.  An X can only be given when the student is missing only one major quiz grade at the end of the semester.  All course grades will be posted to Blackboard.

Grades will be based on:
(a)  Quiz I—33.34%
(b)  Quiz 2—33.33%
(c)  Quiz 3---33.33%
(d)  Optional Final Exam—If a student has taken all 3 regular tests and also takes the final exam, and if the student’s grade on the final is higher than the lowest grade earned on one of the three regular tests, I will drop the lowest of the 3 regular test grades and replace it with the final exam grade.  If, however, a student misses one of the 3 regular tests, the optional final exam becomes the make-up test for the missed exam.

Academic Integrity

      University of Texas Honor Code

• The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to  uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

• Each student in this course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code.  [See the UT Honor Code above.]  Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work.

• You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in lectures with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive "consulting" help from such students.  However, this permissible cooperation should never involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in the form of an email, an  email attachment file, a diskette, or a hard copy.

• Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the student who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for  the assignment.  Penalty for violation of this Code can also be extended to include failure of the course and University disciplinary action.

• During examinations, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during the examinations, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or collaborate in any way  Any collaborative behavior during the examinations will result in failure of the exam, and may lead to failure of the course and University disciplinary action.

 Other University Notices and Policies

• Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students
•  All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy.  It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address.  Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your email address are available at   http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

Documented Disability Statement

• Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone).  I will not provide accommodations for a student without an official accommodation letter from SSD. 
• Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible.
•  Contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone) or see the SSD’s website for more disability-related information: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL):
If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

• Q drop Policy :
  The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic reasons to six (6).  As stated in Senate Bill 1231: "Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an institution of higher education may not permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.”

• Emergency Evacuation Policy
• Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made.  Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation:
• Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when you entered the building.
• If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class.
• In the event of an evacuation, follow my instructions or those of class instructors.
• Do not re-enter a building unless you’re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office.
  



  Tentative Course Schedule:
**This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives.  As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity.  Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.

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