Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): None

Rationale for inclusion in curriculum

Youth services professionals are increasingly called upon to not only select and evaluate literature for children and young adults, but to create activities that engage young people in reading and literacy events. This course emphasizes the reading promotional role of youth services professionals (grades K8), through activities such as book talks, book clubs, author visits, pairing picture books with poetry, online story times, story walks, and other community outreach literacy events. Matching students with books that fit their interests (aka reader’s advisory) is also in the scope of this course.

Students are exposed to different genres of children’s books and practice creating different types of programming activities that complement the text. The course promotes the importance of school/public library partnerships in literacy development across grade levels. It also looks at varied formats of texts, their uses, student preferences including: print, hi-lo, ebooks, audio books & read alongs and other enhanced books.

This course will serve as a highly recommended children’s literature elective for students in the School Library Media (SLM) endorsement program AND for students in the Public Library Services for Children and Young Adults (PLSCYA) certificate program.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Incorporate knowledge of their own early literacy development and social positionality into their professional and personal identity as a reader.
2. Utilize knowledge of the variety of types of literature available for use by youth (k-8) to create library programming activities.
3. Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation for multicultural literature for children and young adults and their associated book awards.
4. Articulate the fundamentals characteristics of reader’s advisory, book reviews and book talks
5. Incorporate school and public library programming into their professional toolkit
6. Effectively use digital tools and techniques to promote literature and reading to youth
7. Curate booklist for children across grade levels and genres 

Content

• Becoming Literate
• Literature in Action
• Traditional Tales
• Picture Books
• Contemporary Realistic Fiction
• Historical Fiction; Fantasy
• Nonfiction Informational Books
• Multicultural Book Awards

Course methodology

The course delivery methodology will include:

• Lectures
• Discussion boards
• Demonstrations
• Supplemental Material
• Additional Readings
• Projects

Bases for evaluation of student performance

The student’s performance will be evaluated using:

• Papers
• Oral presentations
• Class attendance and participation
• Assessment activities 

Text and/or readings

To be determined

Approved: 10/20

Updated: