Unit Outline

Children’s literature provides an avenue for students to learn about their own cultural heritage and the cultures of other people. In this unit we will focus on the Literature Strand of the Australian Curriculum: English, which emphasises: enjoyable encounters with a wide variety of literary texts; close analysis of literary works and the key ideas and values on which they are based; and an exploration of the relationships between historical, cultural and literary traditions.

During the unit, you will: analyse and interpret the narrative, language and visual strategies of authors and illustrators; interrogate the pedagogical potential of literature; critique a range of teaching resources; and design lesson sequences to critically and creatively teach literature.

Additional Information:

Online pre-recorded lectures and self-paced learning materials

BEd Primary and Early Childhood students will be able to participate in discussion board activities and interactions and/or zoom tutorial sessions (to be confirmed on MyLO)

General discussion boards will be available for questions

Assessment Q&A sessions will be held on zoom prior to the due assignment dates

For individual consultation, Zoom “office hours” will be held prior to assignment due dates

Week 6, 12 & 13 will be content free weeks since the majority of BEd Primary students will be on placement

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	critically examine theoretical concepts about children's literature
2	analyse children's literature from a range of perspectives
3	apply your knowledge of pedagogical approaches to appraise, enhance and design classroom experiences to teach children’s literature

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	EPR210 or ESH210 or ESH309

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Children's Literature Analysis	Week 4	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Critical Appraisal and Enhancement	Week 8	30 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Critical Investigation	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Children's Literature Analysis

Task Description:

Choose one of the following characters from these well-known classic stories for children:
1. Paddington from A Bear Called Paddington
2. Doctor Dolittle from The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Abigail from Playing Beatie Bow
4. Storm Boy from Storm Boy
5. Ben from Two Wolves

Using the template provided, explain how the character is constructed. Use evidence from the novel and theory from unit readings to support your explanation.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1

Task Length:

1,000 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyses character using supporting evidence from the novel	LO1
2	Interprets character using supporting theoretical sources	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Critical Appraisal and Enhancement

Task Description:

From the five teacher resource units of work listed in MyLO, select one unit of work to:
Part A: (1000 words)
Appraise the unit, based on how adeptly the unit of work incorporates the concepts of literary features of the genre and creative pedagogies. Use evidence from the unit of work as well as your set readings to support your discussion.
Part B: (500 words)
Based on your appraisal, describe one learning experience that would further enhance the existing unit of work.

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1, 3.6

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Critiques the unit of work based on knowledge of literary content	LO2
2	Critiques the unit of work based on knowledge of pedagogies	LO2
3	Designs a lesson to enhance the unit of work	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Critical Investigation

Task Description:

Using your classic story from AT1, prepare a detailed lesson and resources for teaching this lesson using a critical approach to literacy. There are three parts to this assignment:
Part A - After reading your text, discuss how your narrative might represent a single story of the portrayed dominant ideologies (300 words or equivalent).
Part B - Create a detailed lesson for unpacking one of the ideological messages from any moment in the text (700 words).
Part C - Map out a brief learning sequence to show how you would work critically with versions of this tale (both traditional and new) in your selected classroom context (500 words).

Completion of this Assessment Task relates to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) 2.1, 3.2

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Enhances the pedagogical potential of a traditional tale through a creative rewrite	LO2
2	Justifies the rewrite using theoretical sources	LO1, LO2
3	Designs a learning sequence based on literature to engage students in critical, creative and active exploration of contemporary social issues	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

McDonald, L. (2023). A New Literature Companion for Teachers 3Ed. Primary English Teaching Association of Australia.

It is important that you have ongoing access to the set text, so it will be available for a limited loan period from the University of Tasmania Library collection. You are, however, strongly encouraged to buy this text as it will be a useful resource for your career. Other eReadings will be available on the EPR310 reading list.

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.