Instructor's Manual for Essentials of Children's Literature, 10th Edition (Short & Cueto, 2022) | Chapters 1–15

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, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Instructor's Manual: Essentials of Children's Literature, 10th
Edition
Authors: Kathy Short, Desireé Cueto
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Part 1: Valuing Literature for Children
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1. Connecting to the Value of Story [cite: 24]
2. Connecting Children with Literature [cite: 24]
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Part 2: Evaluating Literature for Children
3. Learning about Literary Elements [cite: 24]
4. Learning about Illustration and Visual Elements [cite: 24]
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5. Learning about Diversity in Literature [cite: 24]

Part 3: Understanding the Categories of Literature
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6. Picturebooks, Graphic Novels, and Hybrid Novels as Multimodal Formats [cite: 24]
7. Poetry [cite: 24]
8. Traditional Literature [cite: 24]
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9. Fantasy and Science Fiction [cite: 24]
10. Realistic Fiction [cite: 24]
11. Historical Fiction [cite: 24]
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12. Nonfiction: Biography and Informational Books [cite: 24]

Part 4: Bringing Children and Books Together
13. Literature in the Curriculum [cite: 24]
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14. Engaging Children with Literature [cite: 24]
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, PART ONE: Valuing Literature for Children
Essentials of Children's Literature lends itself to many types of courses both as a main text and
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as a supplementary text. Syllabi for three prominent types of courses will be presented here:
Education (Essentials used as a main text for a course in an Elementary Education/Early
Childhood program); Library and Information Studies (Essentials used as a main text for a
course in a Library and Information Studies program); and English (Essentials used as a main
text in a literature course in an English Department). Although courses in each of these fields
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may have a different approach to and different emphases within the subject of children's
literature, they will also have some elements in common. The intent of these syllabi is to offer
instructors new to teaching children's literature some guidance and to offer experienced
instructors an opportunity to consider alternate ways to teach their courses.
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 The Children’s Literature Assembly has gathered examples of actual syllabi from instructors
who teach children’s literature in a range of contexts, including as a stand-alone course in
Education, Library Science, and English as well as integrated into a literacy course. These
syllabi are available at https://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/childrens-lit-syllabi.html.
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 Ideas for in-class teaching engagements and student projects are suggested at the end of
each chapter in the textbook under Invitations for Further Investigation.
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, Education Courses in Children’s Literature


EDUCATION COURSES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Major emphases in Elementary and Early Childhood Education courses are characteristics
about children and literature to consider in connecting children with books, criteria for evaluation
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and selection of books for children, the various genres of literature and their values for children,
literature and the teaching of reading, ways to integrate literature in the classroom, and
responses to literature.

Essentials of Children's Literature, Tenth Edition, treats the above topics as follows:
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Topic Chapters

Value of story and literature 1
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Connecting children with books 2

Evaluating literature for children 3–5
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Genres of literature and their characteristics 6–12

Presentation of literature to children; 13–14
response to literature
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Literature and the teaching of reading 13



SAMPLE SYLLABUS FOR EDUCATION COURSE IN CHILDRENS LITERATURE
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GOALS/LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students completing the course should:
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1. Find pleasure and enjoyment in children's literature through reading many children's books.

2. Develop a broad knowledge of the various genres of children's literature and how each
might be integrated into the K-8 school curriculum.

3. Have read and appreciated prose and poetry of all kinds and for all levels from preschool
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through eighth grade.

4. Know evaluation criteria for children's picturebooks, fiction, and nonfiction.

5. Know the elements of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and illustration as they apply to evaluation
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and analysis of literature.

6. Understand how to identify appropriate books for children and to determine their interests.

7. Be aware of children’s First Amendment rights, and how these rights pertain to offering
children choice in their reading materials. Be familiar with the difference between selection
and censorship.


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