English 250, Literature for Young Children

Instructor Contact Information 

Ms. Anne M. Duncan, adjunct faculty email: aduncan@sfasu.edu (936) 468-2028

Course Description
English 250, Literature for Young Children, the study of literature intended for children from birth to third and fourth grades (up to age ten), is a sophomore literature course. For students who wish to pursue a minor in children's literature, it is the first course in the cycle of courses which make up the Children's Literature Minor in the English Department at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Textbook Requirements

Reading List

English 250

Fall 2009

These texts should be available in the bookstore; however, there are several options for purchasing/acquiring the books for the course. First, you may choose among many editions available of many of these books. You should check on the availability of used books from on-line bookstores. Any comparable, unabridged edition is acceptable. You may also want to check on using your local library or the Steen Library. Notice that in some cases, every book will not be read by every student. Assignments will be made during the first week of the semester. It is important to remember that you are responsible for having read the assigned books by the due dates that will be in the syllabus. So plan ahead, purchase the books however you wish to; you must do the reading by the deadlines.

Traditional Literature

 

Edens, Cooper, ed. Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A Classic Illustrated Edition. Chronicle Books. 0811854590 978-0811854597

 

White, T. H. The Sword in the Stone. Philomel Books. New York, 1938, 1993. 0-399-22502-1

 

Poetry

 

Martin Jr., Bill and Michael Sampson, eds.  The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry.  Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing.  1416939717 978-1416939719

 

Concept Books

 

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Black? White!  Day? Night!—A Book of Opposites.  Roaring Brook Press.   1596431857 978-1596431850

 

Hoban, Tana. 26 Letters and 99 Cents. Greenwillow Books, 1987. 0-688-14389-X

 

Non-fiction

 

Students will read some of these books, not all.

 

Bang, Molly and Penny Chisholm. Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life.  The Blue Sky Press. 0545044227 978-0545044226

 

Chaikin, Andrew. Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon.  Viking Juvenile. 0670011568 978-0670011568

 

Hatkoff, Juliana. Looking for Miza. Scholastic. 0545085403 978-0545085403

 

Jenkins, Steve.  Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.    0618164766 978-0618164769

 

Kirby, Pamela F. What Bluebirds Do. Boyds Mills Press. 1590786149 978-1590786147

 

Low, William. Machines Go To Work.  Henry Holt and Co. 0805087591 978-0805087598

 

Loy, Jessica. When I Grow Up:  A Young Person’s Guide to Interesting and Unusual Occupations.  Henry Holt and Co. 0805077170 978-0805077179

 

Nelson, Kadir.  We Are the Ship:  The Story of Negro League Baseball. Hyperion Book CH. 0786808322 978-0786808328

Classic Literature Module Six

Students will read one of these two books.

Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. Candlewick Press. Massachusetts, 2007.
978-0-7636-3161-1

Milne, A. A. Winnie-the-Pooh. Dutton Children’s Books. New York, 2006. 978-0-525-47768-6

Modern Classic Literature Module Six

Students will read one of these two books.

Alexander, Lloyd.  The Book of Three.  Henry Holt and Co. 0805080481 978-0805080483

Konigsburg, E.L.  From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Aladdin.  1416949755     978-1416949756

Early Books for Independent Readers Module Seven

Fine, Anne. The Jamie and Angus Stories. Candlewick Press. Massachusetts, 2002.
978-0-7636-3312-7

Haas, Jessie. Runaway Radish. Greenwillow Books, 2001. 978-0-688-16688-5

Kerrin, Jessica Scott. Martin Bridge Ready for Takeoff! Kids Can Press. Ontario, 2005.
978-1-55337-772-6

Transition Books Module Seven

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. Babymouse, Queen of the World! Random House. New York, 2005. 978-0-375-83229-1

McKissack, Patricia C. Scraps of Time, 1960: Abby Takes a Stand. Puffin Books. New York, 2005. 978-0-14-240687-8

Scieszka, Jon.  Knights of the Kitchen Table. Puffin. 0142400432 978-0142400432

Contemporary Fiction Module Eight

Appelt, Kathi. The Underneath. Atheneum. 1416950583 978-1416950585

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. Scholastic Press. New York, 2007. 978-0-439-02344-3

McKay, Hilary. Dog Friday. Aladdin. 0689817657 978-0689817656

Course Prerequisites
Students who take English 250 must have a C or better in English 131 and English 132, or equivalent credit.

Course Format and Participation Requirements
The format for this course includes scheduled assignments and deadlines, offline reading assignments and projects, online readings and participation using web pages, email, discussion boards, and virtual office hours. The course includes scheduled online exams. One face-to-face meeting is suggested for this course. In addition, students are required to arrange several visits to a local library. All exams are online.  To be successful in this course, the typical student should plan to spend at least 12-15 hours per week working on this course.

On-campus or Face-to-Face Meeting Requirements
One face-to-face meeting is strongly suggested, not required. This meeting will be scheduled during the first week of the semester.

Course Assessment

In order to pass, students are expected to do all the reading and writing assignments required in the class. Any work not submitted by the due date is considered late; after two days, if the student has not communicated with the instructor, the assignment will not be accepted. The major work in the course is the writing; all other work is designed to help students improve their writing skills. Doing all the assignments as they are described in the course increases the possibility of academic success.

Effort Expected
This is a 3-credit-hour course. You should expect to work 3 to 5 hours per week for each credit hour.  To be successful in this course you should expect to spend 12 to 15 hours a week on readings, assignments, discussions, and other activities. Your actual time spent on this course will vary depending on your skills as a reader. This estimate is for the fall and spring semesters; if the course is offered during the summer course, more time per week may be necessary.

Technical Requirements for the Course
You should meet the minimum technical requirements for any course.

Before the Course Begins

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F-1 Visa Holders
There are important federal regulations pertaining to distance education activity for F-1 Visa holders. All students with an F-1 Visa should follow the instructions at the following link to make sure they are in compliance.
http://www.oit.sfasu.edu/disted/facsup/f1visa.html

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