ENG2614 EXAM PACK
2024
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
FOR ASSISTANCE CONTACT
EMAIL:
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
ENG2614/501/0/2020
4 UNIT 1: WHAT IS LITERATURE(S)?
AN OUTLINE OF THIS UNIT
When you have worked through this study unit you should be able to:
1. Identify various genres of children’s literature
2. Discuss the educational and moral value of children’s literature
3. Explain how orature changes into literature and identify the complexities that arise
4. Comment on the multimodal nature of literature
5. Discuss how story telling could be used as a problem solving method.
This unit is based on the following textbooks and chapters:
Cover to Cover: Chapters 1 & 2
Children’s Literature: a very short introduction: Introduction & Chapter 1.
Study programme
Activity Time spent (approximately)
Reading the textbook chapters 6 hours
What is Literature? + Activities 2 hours
The value of child’s literature + Activities 2 hours
Categories of Children’s Literature + Activities 3 hours
Modes of Children’s Literature + Activities 4 hours
Assignment: Preparing; Drafting; Revising 6 hours
Activity 1
Before you start, reflect on the following questions:
1. How would you recognise or describe literature?
2. What makes people enjoy literature?
3. Is literature important in children’s lives?
4. How do you find the right literature for children?
This is a starting point for your study of this module. Keep your answers in mind or jot them
down.
7
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
4.1 What is Literature? And What is Children’s Literature?
ACTIVITY 2
Before we begin this unit, and delve into the question of Literature and Children’s Literature, jot
down in your own words, your own definition of Literature.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
You will observe that there are numerous definitions of the term. The term, ‘literature’ can be
loosely defined as a variety of reading material. You may notice that the term also refers to a
critical study of literary genres such as prose, drama and poetry. A basic distinction between
adult and children’s literature is that the former has less restrictions in terms of word length,
strong language, font size and colour, visual aids and the later places certain parameters on the
aforementioned factors.
In this Unit we will be looking at literature in relation to Children’s Literature. Children’s
literature(s) is a multifaceted field of study. This is a special area of study with its own unique
genres, conventions and approaches. We will briefly define and identify different genres of
children’s literature and discuss their origins, particularly, the transition from oral / orature to
written literature. An analysis of the multimodal nature of literatures will also be done. We finally
conclude the chapter by discussing how literature, particularly storytelling, can be used as a
problem-solving strategy. The activities in this unit are not prescriptive but are open ended. So,
there is no need to memorise issues raised but there is need to relate them to your own context
of children’s literature.
4.1.1 Defining the concept ‘child’ before defining ‘Children’s Literature’
The term child can be a bit complex to define, particularly within the field of children’s literature.
I am sure that you are an adult student, but you constantly refer to yourself as a child of your
parents or to some extent, a child of God. The term, ‘child’ not only includes toddlers in the
foundation phase but is generally used to refer to students that are completing High School. We
acknowledge the complexity and fuzziness of this term and it is therefore important that we put
parameters to this multi- pronged term. We could perhaps adopt a definition of a child from a
8
Downloaded by Gabriel Musyoka ()
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
ENG2614/501/0/2020
legal point of view where a child is a minor below the legal age majority of a particular country
(usually 18 years). Within the field of education, we take the view that literature meant for
children varies from one age cohort to another. The children who are in early childhood
education, intermediate, senior and Further Education and training phases have different literary
tastes. In this regard, we may, perhaps, safely surmise that a matric student may enjoy realistic
fiction compared to fantasy. The converse is true for a child in the intermediate phase (usually
between 9 and 12 years) The intermediate phase child is the prime focus of our module and it is
important to outline a few characteristics of the child in the intermediate phase.
We may consider the Swiss psychologist called Piaget who states that children in the range 7-
12 years are in the concrete operational stage, implying that they learn through experience and
particularly the use of their sense modalities. It is in this regard that our analysis or appreciation
of children's literatures should stimulate children’s sense modalities, if learning is to occur. We
also acknowledge that these stages are not cast in stone because there are some children who
mature slower or quicker than the milestones suggested by Piaget. It would therefore be normal
to have a few children who are still in Paget’s sensorimotor stage where learning is primarily
based on intuition. We may also expect to have some students who are fast learners, able to
reason abstractly. These cognitive stages therefore have a string influence on our
understanding of the term; ‘child’ and how our literary instruction at that level is structured.
There are other perspectives of childhood which also need to be considered such as, the
cultural view, religious view of a child, but for our purposes and the purpose of this unit, we
adopt an educational definition of the concept, ‘child’.
4.1.2 Defining children’s literature: What is Children’s Literature?
In the previous section of this Unit, we interrogated what we mean by literature in the broad
sense of the word. We also discussed, what is mean by the term ‘child’ and how it relates to
teaching. In this next section, we will be honing into a branch of literature, namely, Children’s
Literature and what we mean by this term.
9
2024
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
FOR ASSISTANCE CONTACT
EMAIL:
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
ENG2614/501/0/2020
4 UNIT 1: WHAT IS LITERATURE(S)?
AN OUTLINE OF THIS UNIT
When you have worked through this study unit you should be able to:
1. Identify various genres of children’s literature
2. Discuss the educational and moral value of children’s literature
3. Explain how orature changes into literature and identify the complexities that arise
4. Comment on the multimodal nature of literature
5. Discuss how story telling could be used as a problem solving method.
This unit is based on the following textbooks and chapters:
Cover to Cover: Chapters 1 & 2
Children’s Literature: a very short introduction: Introduction & Chapter 1.
Study programme
Activity Time spent (approximately)
Reading the textbook chapters 6 hours
What is Literature? + Activities 2 hours
The value of child’s literature + Activities 2 hours
Categories of Children’s Literature + Activities 3 hours
Modes of Children’s Literature + Activities 4 hours
Assignment: Preparing; Drafting; Revising 6 hours
Activity 1
Before you start, reflect on the following questions:
1. How would you recognise or describe literature?
2. What makes people enjoy literature?
3. Is literature important in children’s lives?
4. How do you find the right literature for children?
This is a starting point for your study of this module. Keep your answers in mind or jot them
down.
7
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
4.1 What is Literature? And What is Children’s Literature?
ACTIVITY 2
Before we begin this unit, and delve into the question of Literature and Children’s Literature, jot
down in your own words, your own definition of Literature.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
You will observe that there are numerous definitions of the term. The term, ‘literature’ can be
loosely defined as a variety of reading material. You may notice that the term also refers to a
critical study of literary genres such as prose, drama and poetry. A basic distinction between
adult and children’s literature is that the former has less restrictions in terms of word length,
strong language, font size and colour, visual aids and the later places certain parameters on the
aforementioned factors.
In this Unit we will be looking at literature in relation to Children’s Literature. Children’s
literature(s) is a multifaceted field of study. This is a special area of study with its own unique
genres, conventions and approaches. We will briefly define and identify different genres of
children’s literature and discuss their origins, particularly, the transition from oral / orature to
written literature. An analysis of the multimodal nature of literatures will also be done. We finally
conclude the chapter by discussing how literature, particularly storytelling, can be used as a
problem-solving strategy. The activities in this unit are not prescriptive but are open ended. So,
there is no need to memorise issues raised but there is need to relate them to your own context
of children’s literature.
4.1.1 Defining the concept ‘child’ before defining ‘Children’s Literature’
The term child can be a bit complex to define, particularly within the field of children’s literature.
I am sure that you are an adult student, but you constantly refer to yourself as a child of your
parents or to some extent, a child of God. The term, ‘child’ not only includes toddlers in the
foundation phase but is generally used to refer to students that are completing High School. We
acknowledge the complexity and fuzziness of this term and it is therefore important that we put
parameters to this multi- pronged term. We could perhaps adopt a definition of a child from a
8
Downloaded by Gabriel Musyoka ()
, lOMoARcPSD|31863004
ENG2614/501/0/2020
legal point of view where a child is a minor below the legal age majority of a particular country
(usually 18 years). Within the field of education, we take the view that literature meant for
children varies from one age cohort to another. The children who are in early childhood
education, intermediate, senior and Further Education and training phases have different literary
tastes. In this regard, we may, perhaps, safely surmise that a matric student may enjoy realistic
fiction compared to fantasy. The converse is true for a child in the intermediate phase (usually
between 9 and 12 years) The intermediate phase child is the prime focus of our module and it is
important to outline a few characteristics of the child in the intermediate phase.
We may consider the Swiss psychologist called Piaget who states that children in the range 7-
12 years are in the concrete operational stage, implying that they learn through experience and
particularly the use of their sense modalities. It is in this regard that our analysis or appreciation
of children's literatures should stimulate children’s sense modalities, if learning is to occur. We
also acknowledge that these stages are not cast in stone because there are some children who
mature slower or quicker than the milestones suggested by Piaget. It would therefore be normal
to have a few children who are still in Paget’s sensorimotor stage where learning is primarily
based on intuition. We may also expect to have some students who are fast learners, able to
reason abstractly. These cognitive stages therefore have a string influence on our
understanding of the term; ‘child’ and how our literary instruction at that level is structured.
There are other perspectives of childhood which also need to be considered such as, the
cultural view, religious view of a child, but for our purposes and the purpose of this unit, we
adopt an educational definition of the concept, ‘child’.
4.1.2 Defining children’s literature: What is Children’s Literature?
In the previous section of this Unit, we interrogated what we mean by literature in the broad
sense of the word. We also discussed, what is mean by the term ‘child’ and how it relates to
teaching. In this next section, we will be honing into a branch of literature, namely, Children’s
Literature and what we mean by this term.
9
