Unit Outline

Are you an aspiring teacher, librarian, writer or publishing professional? Or are you just fascinated by writing for young people? This unit explores the diverse and challenging world of writing for children and young adults. Through a variety of genres—such as picture books, graphic and prose novels, and short stories—you will investigate how books for young people deal with the big themes of growing up and living in a changing and challenging world. This unit examines: different perspectives on the values and challenges of books for young people;· the distinctive logics and practices of creative writing for young people; and, current themes and debates in the study of children’s literature. Through weekly writing exercises and extended research and analytical projects, you will learn what it takes to publish, write, and critique works for young audiences.

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	Summarise the main trends, themes, concepts, and texts and contexts in the history of children’s and young adult’s literature
2	Evaluate the role children’s and young adult literature in education, children’s development, and culture generally
3	Demonstrate an ability to draft an effective piece of writing for a young audience
4	Develop and communicate ideas through collaboration, discussion with peers, and formal academic writing

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	25 points at Introductory level in any discipline in any faculty

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:	Weekly Writing Activities	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Participation and Reflection	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Learning Portfolio	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Weekly Writing Activities

Task Description:

Starting in Week 3, you will submit a short response to a set creative writing exercise. The following week, you will provide feedback on a response by another student.
Over the course of the semester, you will prepare four responses and you will provide feedback on four responses prepared by a classmate. Each response you draft will be no more than 300–350 words (or equivalent, depending on the writing prompt you choose to respond to). There is no word limit on your feedback, but you should aim to write 150 words or so.
The writing prompts, as well as detailed instructions on how you will prepare, format, upload and share your writing exercises and feedback, are available on MyLO.
You will receive marks for:
(a) Your short responses to the set writing exercises (2.5 marks each; 10 marks total)
(b) Your feedback on responses submitted by other students (2.5 marks each; 10 marks total)
If you complete the work according to the task instructions, you will get full marks. Due to the nature of these activities, late submissions will not be accepted.

Task Length:

4 x 300–350-word responses, plus comments on peers’ work

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Timely submission of short responses to the set writing exercises	LO3
2	Timely submission of constructive feedback on other students’ responses	LO4
3	Regular and active participation in individual and collaborative tutorial/online writing activities and associated discussions across semester	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Participation and Reflection

Task Description:

The weekly tutorial discussion, reflections, and activities are an essential component of the teaching and learning in this unit. These discussions, which will be offered online and on-campus, will focus on deepening your understanding of The World of Children’s Books and the main trends, themes, concepts, texts and contexts in the history of children’s and young adult literature.

Each week, you will be asked to complete activities on the weekly learning content, contribute your reflections, and engage respectfully with the reflections of your peers. The activities are designed to build your skills and knowledge of children’s literature in preparation for your final Learning Portfolio.

Task Length:

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Regular and active participation in tutorial/online activities.	LO4
2	Demonstrate comprehension of the set texts and readings.	LO1, LO2
3	Quality of the contribution to class discussion and activities.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Interaction with peers throughout the semester.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Learning Portfolio

Task Description:

For this assessment, you will select an award-winning work of children’s fiction and complete three tasks connected to your chosen text.

The combined word count for this portfolio is 2200 words.

Task 1 – Textual Analysis:
This task is designed to give you an opportunity to critically analyse your chosen text and explore a topic relevant to the study of children’s literature.

After selecting a relevant award-winning work of children’s fiction, you will write a formal textual analysis of the work (1000-1200 words) in response to one of the topics available on MyLO. Your analysis should draw on relevant secondary sources from the unit to demonstrate your understanding of critical scholarship in children’s literature. Your Works Cited should include at least
four scholarly secondary sources.

Task 2 - Creative Response and Statement:
This task is designed to give you an opportunity to construct a piece of writing for a young audience.

You will prepare a short piece of writing (400 words) that is inspired by the craft of your chosen work. The scope of this piece of writing is largely up to you: it may be a complete work in itself
or an excerpt from a larger envisaged piece of work. Your piece of writing will be accompanied by a brief statement (200-300 words) that identifies what elements of your chosen work you have drawn on in your piece of writing and why.

Task 3 – Learning Inquiry:
This task allows you to consider the use and exploration of children’s literature in various scholastic realms.

Using the knowledge you have gained in the unit about the main trends, themes, and concepts in children’s literature, you will design a short learning inquiry (200-300 words) that is based on
your chosen text and that you could plausibly facilitate in one of following settings: a school classroom, an academic tutorial, or a writer’s workshop. You can choose the setting that most
interests you.

Task Length:

2200 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

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.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

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.