028213 Children's Literature for Primary School
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade, no marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject focuses on the scope and uses of children's literature in the primary classroom. Focusing on picture books, chapter books, novels, poetry and emerging digital texts, students critically analyse key aspects of literary theory including narrative theory, metafiction, intertextuality, and genre. Students examine the uses of children's literature, with specific reference to social issues, conceptualisations of childhood and adolescence, subjectivity and gender, as well as visual and oral texts, the classics and canonic texts. Students explore strategies on how to implement relevant syllabus documents through a range of teaching/learning strategies to the different stages of learning in the primary school which strengthen and extend children's composing and comprehending of spoken and written language. Students also identify and explore the role of assessment in the context of teaching literature in the primary school.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Identify and analyse a range of children’s literature appropriate for the primary classroom; |
|---|---|
| b. | Identify, explain and evaluate approaches to teaching children’s literature in the primary school; |
| c. | Explain and evaluate different linguistic and literary properties of literature written for children; |
| d. | Identify key syllabus elements and assessment strategies; |
| e. | Compose clear and engaging texts; |
| f. | Apply appropriate language skills and academic conventions. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
- Operate professionally in a range of educational settings, with particular emphasis on their specialisation (GTS 1, 2) (1.1)
- Design and conduct effective learning activities, assess and evaluate learning outcomes and create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments (GTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) (1.2)
- Communicate effectively using diverse modes and technologies (GTS 2, 3, 4) (6.1)
- Exhibit high-level numeracy and literacies (GTS 2) (6.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject will use a range of teaching and learning strategies which include lecturer input, demonstration and modelling; student pair/group tasks; teaching observation and practice; and discussions held in workshops and online. Preparatory work undertaken will be discussed/workshopped in workshops. The subject involves significant emphasis on collaborative learning with workshop activities involving working with peers to discuss ideas, texts and assessment tasks. Workshops provide students with opportunities to receive ongoing informal feedback from peers and their tutor. In the students’ out of workshop time it is expected that the students will critically read/view assigned texts and complete the activities and tasks required for the workshop. Tutors will give feedback on the students’ task content and academic language in the initial weeks of the session.
Content (topics)
In this subject, students focus on:
the history of children’s literature and its uses in the primary classroom;
inter-relationship of text and illustrations;
themes in children's literature;
genres of children's literature
the history of approaches to teaching children’s literature in the primary classroom and current approaches in the NSW and Australian curricula.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Children's Literature Portfolio
| Objective(s): | a, b, c and f | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 250 words per text (Total 1250 words) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Video on Children's Literature
| Objective(s): | a, b, d, e and f | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 3-minute reader’s theatre recording; 350-word justification; 1 book basket containing at least 5 artefacts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Attendance at workshops is critical because they provide students opportunities to ‘practise’ the skills and knowledge that they are learning through discussion and interaction in workshops. An attendance roll will be taken at each workshop. A maximum of one workshop only can be missed, and students should advise the tutor in a timely manner if they are unable to attend. Students who miss more than one workshop will be refused to have their final assessment marked (see Rule 3.8).
Required texts
Ross-Johnston, R. (2017). Australian Literature for Young People. Oxford University Press.
Recommended texts
Humprehy, S., & Vale, E. (2020). Investigating model texts for learning. pp.54-53. Primary English Teacher Association Australia.
Manuel, J., & Carter, D. (2009). The English teacher’s handbook A-Z. Phoenix Education Press.
References
Texts
Alan, C. (2014) Remembering the past through picture books. In, Picture Books and Beyond, pp 12-24, Kerry Mallan (Ed.). Primary English Teacher Association Australia.
Bates K. Literacy in humanities and social sciences In, Teaching humanities and social studies in the primary school. 4th, Ed. R. Reynolds (Ed.) Chapter 10. Oxford University Press.
Bradbury, D. (2018). Pre-service teachers teaching for global citizenship: Designing issues focused units of work utilising children’s literature. The Social Educator, (36)1, 7-16.
Brown, M. I., Westerveld, M.F., Gillon, G. T. (2017). Early storybook reading with babies and young children: Parents' opinions and home reading practices. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood ,(42)2, 69-77.
Callow, J. (2018). Classroom assessment and picture books: Strategies for assessing how students interpret multimodal texts. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, (41)1, 5-20.
Derewianka, B. & Jones, P. (2016). Language for appreciating and creating story worlds. In, Language in Context, pp 79-94. Oxford University Press.
Forrest, S. (2017). How does it make me feel? Using visual grammar to interact with picturebooks. Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, (25)1, 41-52.
Gilmore, L., & Howard, G., (2016). Children's books that promote understanding of difference, diversity and disability. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, (26)2, 218-251.
Mallan, K. (2014). (Ed.). Picture books and beyond, pp. 12-24. Primary English Teacher Association Australia.
McDonald, L. (2018). Literature in a digital environment. In, A literature companion for teachers, pp. 172-187. Primary English Teacher Association Australia.
Websites
ABS – Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACARA - Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority
ACER – Australian Council for Education Research PISA
AITSL – Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Analysing data to improve student learning
Children’s Book Council of Australia
Encyclopedia Britannica – texts
CBCA - Children's Book Council Awards
NESA – Suggested Texts for the English K-10 Syllabus
NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PISA
PETAA - Primary English Teaching Association Australia
Reading Australia - Copyright Agency Reading Australia