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Education - Fort Wayne

Literacy Development through Children's Literature

This course examines children’s literature for the preschool child through adolescence. Students will also study the relationship to literacy development. This course not only focuses on the traditional aspects of literacy but also examines other genres of literature (i.e. picture books, folk tales, poetry, short stories, historical and contemporary fiction, fantasy, biographies, and novels). Also, the benefits and rewards to literature will be discussed – enjoyment, aesthetics, comprehension strategies, imagination, cognition, language, multicultural integration, as well as, the development of the love of reading. Additionally, the role of art, illustrations, and media adaptations will be examined in conjunction with children’s literature throughout the years. Students will also be introduced to literature awarded with the Newbery Award and Caldecott Medal distinctions.

Key Resources

Annotated Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations where each citation is accompanied by a short paragraph that describes and evaluates the resource. This description should describe why the resource is relevant and of good quality.

Award Winners

Caldecott Medal

"The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." -- American Library Association

Newbery Medal

"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." --American Library Association