S. Carol Lupardus, Ph.D. Professor of Teacher Education

S. Carol Lupardus, Ph.D. Professor of Teacher Education

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley

Course Title and Number: Children’s Literature EDU 226

Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Summer 2010

Anticipated Enrollment: 150 students (50 per semester)

Course Outcomes:

To establish the importance of the role of literature in developing language and literacy in all children.
To learn to select literature for children in accordance with their developmental levels and changing interests.

3. To develop criteria for evaluating the various genres of children’s literature.

To develop a knowledge of a variety of literature including texts written by and representing different cultures.
To acquaint students with outstanding authors and illustrators of children’s literature.
To aid students in dealing with current issues in book selection and teaching.

7. To introduce students to a variety of aids and techniques for broadening and deepening children’s responses to literature.

8. To learn how to integrate literature into all curricular areas

Narrative description: Children’s Literature is a survey course that includes a study of the many genres of juvenile literature. The genre of traditional literature encompasses stories that began in the oral tradition. During the two weeks (12%) of our study of traditional literature, students will read and study the vast array of folktales, fairy tales, trickster tales, etc. of Northern Africa. North African folklore will form the basis of our in-depth study of folktales. As pre-service teachers, the students in this course will develop K-12 literature exensions focusing on a story from this region integrating learning objectives across disciplines. All cultures have their own folklore. A study of the folktales of North Africa will provide insights into the beliefs of these peoples, their values, their jokes, their life-styles, and their histories. A cross-cultural study of folk literature can help the college education students, and in turn their own students, discover the universal qualities of mankind.

Class One: Begin with group review activity

· In groups of three, students will list the characteristics of various types of folktales; cumulative tales, pourquoi tales, beast tales, wonder tales, and realistic tales-each group will list the characteristics of their assigned folktale type on chart paper. Other students may add to each list

· Change groups, and make lists of the various motifs, found in folklore; transformations, magical objects, magical objects, wishes, trickery, etc. Share lists with the class as a whole and add other appropriate suggestions from other students

· Change groups, list themes of folktales; kindness, humility, patience, sympathy, hard work, and courage are rewarded; power of love and mercy; do not trust appearances too much; small and powerless achieve good ends by perseverance, etc. Share and add other students’ suggestions

· Ask students to write a reflection on what they know about the Moroccan culture, the people, and the country. (This will be revisited later in the module)

· Read The Storytellers by Ted Lewin to the students. Discuss the pictures and why this picture book is applicable to our discussion of folklore. The Storytellers is a realistic picture book that tells the story of a young boy, Abdul, and his storyteller grandfather as they wind their way through the streets of the old city of Fez, passing the various trades as they go. They spread a carpet on the ground and wait for a crowd to gather before the grandfather opens his story with the formulaic beginning, “This happened, or maybe it did not. The time is long past, and most is forgot.” Abdul is a storyteller in training and the oral tradition of storytelling is passed down.

· Arabic words from The Storytellers – balak, Kan ya ma kan, medina, muezzin, sheik, souk. Reread the story and using context clues, elicit responses from the students as to what they mean in English.

· Pay close attention to the pictures in the book as the pictures also tell the story-Would the story have the same effect if it was text alone? Discuss the advantages of picture books for both young and older children.

· What can we learn from the storyteller in this story relative to folklore, and traditional literature? What can we learn about Morocco?

Class Two

· Show video clip from Arabian Nights (2000), that shows the marketplace and the storyteller. “People need stories more than bread itself. They tell us how to live and why.”

· Review charts from previous class.

· Locate Morocco and North Africa on a world map

· Working in groups of two, distribute folktales from Morocco and North Africa

Publications:

From Mandela, N. 200 Favorite African Folktales

The Clever Snake Charmer (Morocco)

From Carpenter, F. 1963 African Wonder Tales

The Girl Who Lived with the Gazelles (Morocco)

Fowles, S. 2003 The Batchelor and the Bean. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, NY

From El Koudia, J. 2003. Moroccan Folktales

The Pigeon Hunter

The Sultan’s Daughter

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons

Jackal and Hedgehog

· Students will read a short folktale from North Africa and discern the type of folktale and also the themes and motifs using the class charts from the previous class session.

· Read the tales for evidence of things endemic to the country; flora, fauna, housing, customs, language, mannerisms, religious beliefs, climate, landscape, foods, etc.

· Discuss the values and moral lessons learned from the stories. How are they the same and/different from our own cultural values and norms?

· Students will select a folktale in which to retell to the group (Session 4)

· Students will use the same story to create an interdisciplinary literature extension aligned to the Missouri Show-Me-Standards and present the literature extension to the class.

Class Three

Comparing Folktales

· Students will describe similarities and differences between Cinderella stories from Morocco and Europe

· Publications:

Perrault, C. 2002. Cinderella, North-South Books

El Kouda, J. 2003. Moroccan Folktales, Syracuse University Press

The Fisherman

Nunja and the White Dove

· Why does the Cinderella have such wide appeal and what may account for its literary longevity?

· Ask students to explain all they remember about the familiar European (Perrault) version of Cinderella. List responses on a chart.

· Read The Fisherman aloud, and ask students to note what makes it “Moroccan.” Include details such as character names, plot, setting, etc. List any vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar during the reading.

· Repeat using Nunja and the White Dove

· Using the Perrault Cinderella as a point of reference, complete the Cinderella comparison chart using the Moroccan Cinderella stories, The Fisherman and Nunja and the White Dove

· What can we learn about the culture in Morocco by reading this folktale, and all the folktales we have been reading?

· Create Venn Diagrams illustrating similarities and differences between the European Cinderella story and the Moroccan Cinderella stories.

· Chart the characteristics of the good and evil characters

· Discuss themes that may be evolving from our study-

Class Four

The teller of tales in marketplaces-Students will sit in a halqa or circle

· Begin with video of Mr. Mahmedein Mahmedein (my language consultant) telling a Moroccan folktale in Arabic and English

· Students will take turns storytelling a Moroccan folktale

Class Five

· Literature Extensions Presentation

Assignment sheets:

· Cinderella comparison chart

· Literature extensions requirements

Interdisciplinary lesson ideas

· Storytelling guide sheet

· Evaluating folktales guidelines

Overall Assessments

· Evaluating Folktales paper

· Story Presentation

· Literature Extension

· Reflection both before and after module -

Technology Required:

DVD

Internet Access

Student Resources:

Aardma,V. 1994. Misoso Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa. Scholastic, Inc.

Carpenter, F. 1963. African Wonder Tales Doubleday & Company, Inc. NY 1963

El Koudia, J. 2003. Moroccan Folktales. Syracuse University Press

Farrar, S. 2003. The Bachelor and the Bean. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Kimmel, E. 1995. Rimonah of the Flashing Sword A North African Tale. Holiday House Mandela, N. 2002. Favorite African Folktales W.W. Norton & Company NY London

Examples of websites available for literature extensions:

http://sg.wilkes.edu/taren/

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/afrimorocco.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/international/africa/27morocco.html

http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=1629&external=http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Home_Page/AFR_GIDE.html&original=http://www.proteacher.com/090062.shtml&title=African%20Resources%20on%20the%20Internet

http://www.maroc.net

Faculty Resources:

DVD Arabian Nights (2000 TV film)

Kiefer, B. 2007. Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature. Ninth Edition. McGraw-Hill N.Y. N.Y.

Norton, D.E. 2005. Multicultural Children’s Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children Third Edition, Pearson, USA

Young, T.A. 2004. Happily Ever After: Sharing Folk Literature with Elementary and Middle School Students. International Reading Association, Newark, DE

Traditional Literature

Comparing motifs in Cinderella-type stories from France and Morocco

There are many Cinderella stores on your reading list.

Comparison of Motifs in Cinderella-Type Stories

Motif / Cinderella
French / The Fisherman
Morocco / Nunja and the White Dove
Morocco
Name of protagonist / Cinderseat/
Cinderella
Evil person / Stepmother
Siblings / Two stepsisters
(one is Javotte)
Status of father / Alive, but not helpful
Type of magical helper / Fairy godmother
Type of gathering / King’s Ball
(two nights)
Transportation to gathering / Coach made from pumpkin
Protagonist’s attire to gathering / Silver and gold gown
Caution / Return before midnight
Person of high status / Prince
Lost article / Glass slipper
Resolution / Forgives sisters,
marries prince

Storytelling and Literature Extension Scoring Guide

Name of Storyteller:

Story title:

Source:

1(poor) 2( average) 3 (great)

Was the beginning of the story strong and effective? 1 2 3
Was the story line clear? 1 2 3
Were characterizations distinct? 1 2 3
Was the ending appropriate? 1 2 3
Was eye contact with the audience good? 1 2 3
Were facial expressions animated and appropriate? 1 2 3
Were actions appropriate to the story? 1 2 3
Was there a variety in the rate? 1 2 3
Did the teller have effective use of pauses? 1 2 3
Was there appropriate stress on important

words or phrases? 1 2 3

Literature Extension

Literature Extension Discipline: (Science, math, social studies, art, etc.)

Missouri K-12 Show-Me-Standard(s) addressed:

· Identify the state standards addressed in this extension – use actual number and description

· Identify standards from each discipline

Materials/Resources

· List all the materials you will use in the extension activity

· Include things such as videos, books, handouts, websites,…..

· Include equipment needed such as tape recorder, computer, vcr,…

· Include what students will need such as paper, pencil, markers,…

Literature Extension Activity:

The Student Will:

· Detail what the student is expected to do – keep it objective

· This should be the step by step directions of what the student will be doing

Evaluating Folktales

Use the following criteria to write an evaluation of your folktale.

Is there some mention or citation of the original source for this tale?
Is the plot simple and direct?
Is the language lively and engaging and in keeping with the oral tradition?
Does a theme emerge from the telling of the tale? If so, what is the story's message or moral?
Do illustrations add to and extend the story? Are illustrations and details true to the culture represented?
Does the story represent cultural norms, or is it rewritten to conform to Western mores?

Huck, C. S., & Kiefer, B. Z. Children’s Literature in the Elementary School, Ninth Edition (2007). McGraw-Hill, N.Y., N.Y