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ELY 545: Children'S Literature

3 credits

This course is a survey of children's literature. Students will be introduced and read to in a variety of genres, study authors and examine the work of illustrators with an emphasis on selection criteria and implementation of interdisciplinary teaching and learning in the elementary classroom. An in-depth consideration of trends and issues in children's literature will be explored, as will topics related to political and social themes. The development and expansion of children's language through engagement with quality children's literature will be emphasized.

Learning Goals

1. Scholarship – Studying children’s literature through an historical perspective as well as through a sociocultural perspective will enhance the students’ understanding of the subject matter. In addition, methods and strategies for incorporating children’s literature into the classroom will be explored. 2. Reflective Practice- Reflective practitioners make the best teachers. Are the books I chose representative of my views? Are they representative of the core values of the School of Education? Of my classroom?3. Social Justice-Literacy is at the heart of social justice. Helping children, youth, and adults to read and write provides liberation and democracy. Discovering books that represent children from diverse backgrounds and evaluating books for prejudice are part of evaluating books for social justice.4. Inclusive Community-Topics for research in literacy often present issues of diversity and community. 5. Wellness-Students research topics and themes with perceptions that promote health, critical thinking, and respect for personal development. They discuss topics relating to the social, cultural, psychological and political dimensions of language and literacy. 6. Creativity and the Arts-Literacy engages the creative aspect of the cognitive

Sections Offered: Fall 2026

Sections Offered: Summer 2026, Summer I

Sections Offered: Spring 2026