Blog Post Drop Box: Cece Bell's _El Deafo_

Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _El Deafo_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, April 1 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, April 4 at midnight (for responders). NOTE: This is the FINAL blog post opportunity of the semester. If you have missed a discussion leader or a response post sometime during the semester, I suggest you post this week! I will place the names of students who have missed posts in parenthesis as a reminder.

Discussion Leaders: Cassi and Jonathan (McKenna and Alison M.)
Responders: Michelle (Gianna, Amanda, and TeAnna)

Course Recap for March 29

Tim Tingle's How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story
Today at the beginning of class you took a short reading quiz over the novel. I then asked you to spend a bit of time writing in response to a passage, a discussion question, or a topic. I asked each person to write a page number of a significant passage on the board next to the topics of interest I listed: grief, loss, and death in children's literature; historical violence and trauma; place; and spirituality, religion, and cultural myth. We then spent some time as a large group discussing Tingle's How I Became a Ghost. After our discussion, I gave a short presentation on historical fiction for young readers. You can access that presentation HERE.

Critical Approaches to How I Became a Ghost: Reese
After our break, I asked you to break into small groups to work on some literary interpretation exercises related to your reading. One group worked on narration in Tingle's novel; one group synthesized Debbie Reese's blog and her reviews of Tingle's work; and another group worked on a comparative chart to break down the uses of historical fiction and trauma in Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming and Tingle's How I Became a Ghost, spirituality and religion in Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and Tingle's HIBAG, and/or cultural myth in Yang's American Born Chinese and Tingle's HIBAG. You can access that exercise HERE.

Important Due Dates Coming Up...
At the very end of class, I gave you some time to ask questions, vet sources, and/or seek assistance from myself or a peer in relation to your poster proposal. Your final poster proposal is due at the beginning of class next week. IF YOU DO NOT TURN IN A POSTER PROPOSAL, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRESENT YOUR POSTER. Remember, this project is worth 20% of your final grade (the proposal alone is worth 5% of your final grade). I strongly suggest you see me if you have any questions. You can access the grading rubric for your poster proposal HERE and on the left hand side of the course blog under course documents. On April 12, we will NOT have class. Instead, you will meet with me individually for 30 minutes to discuss your poster proposal and your final writing project. I handed around an individual conference sign up sheet during class today. You can find the filled in schedule HERE and on the left hand side of the course blog. You should also keep in mind that your project planning outline for your final writing assignment is due in your individual conference on April 12. We will talk more about this in class next week.

Key Questions From Class
How is narration figured in How I Became a Ghost? What narrative mode, style, and medium are utilized by the author and to what effect? What is the function of the historical narrative for young readers? What are the defining features of historical fiction for children? What is the role of trauma in literature for young readers?

Homework

• POSTER PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT DUE at the beginning of class next week
• Read Cece Bell's El Deafo
• Read Elizabeth A. Wheeler's "No Monsters in This Fairy Tale: Wonder and the New Children's Literature" (this is a secondary text that is about a different primary text than the one you are reading for next week, but pay close attention to the discussion of the models of disability and think about how they could apply to a discussion of Bell's comic)

Course Recap for March 22

Neil Gaiman's Coraline
Today at the beginning of class you handed in your poster proposal drafts, and then you took a short reading quiz over Coraline. I asked you to spend a bit of time writing about a significant passage from the novel in order to help prepare you for the work you will do for your poster proposal assignment. This activity is identical to what you did for the midterm exam, and it is the same type of work you will do when you complete your poster proposal final draft (due in two weeks on April 5). You can access that handout HERE. While you were writing, I made notes on your poster proposal drafts and then returned them to you. Check marks next to each item indicates that you are on the right track and are ready to progress to the next steps of your poster proposal. If I circled or made an X through anything, that indicates that you are missing information OR that you need to scrap your original question/source/thesis and redo it. If I've written MLA next to a source, you do not have correct MLA format, and you should consult the Purdue OWL (the third link on the course blog under research resources) and page 3 of the Poster Assignment Handout (linked on the left hand side of the blog under course documents). If you did not receive all check marks, I suggest you come see me in office hours in the next few weeks with an updated proposal (feel free to do this if you have any questions at all). If you would like me to vet a source or check your MLA citation, feel free to see me in office hours or shoot me an email. After you finished your writing exercise, we turned to the large group for discussion. Before the break, I gave a short presentation of the Gothic in children's literature. You can access that presentation HERE and on the left hand side of the course blog. In addition to being inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Gaiman has also cited another short story as his inspiration for Coraline; you can find a link to Lucy Clifford's "The New Mother" HERE. HERE is a link to an interesting article about Gaiman's children's writing called "Kid Goth" in The New Yorker. If you want some extra practice writing and a few extra credit points, feel free to leave a post under the Coraline drop box in which you: compare Coraline to Alice and/or Clifford's story OR discuss the function of the gothic in Coraline citing Goodyear's article and/or Coats and Hogle from the presentation. You will have the opportunity to earn up to 15 extra credit points. You CAN post an extra credit post even if you've already completed a discussion leader or response post for Coraline. The deadline to post for extra credit is Friday, April 1 at midnight.

Critical Approaches to Coraline: Keeling and Pollard
After the break, we spent some time talking about Keeling and Pollard's critical essay. I asked you to work with a small group to begin thinking about the critical source. This activity will help you prepare to begin annotating and synthesizing the research in the sources you collected for your poster proposal, as well as to begin thinking about how you might expand your own thesis for your poster proposal to add to the critical conversation about a text. You can access that handout HERE. We then came together as a large group to talk through Keeling and Pollard's essay. I also asked each group to read their unique annotation for the essay.

Key Questions From Class
What role does terror play in children’s literature? What characteristics of the gothic mode are present in Coraline? What is the function of food and orality in the novel?

Homework

• Read Tim Tingle's How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story
• Explore Debbie Reese's blog: American Indians in Children's Literature. Read THESE five posts on the novel and THESE twenty-one posts about the author.

Blog Post Drop Box: Tim Tingle's _How I Became a Ghost_

Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _How I Became a Ghost_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, March 25 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, March 28 at midnight (for responders).

Discussion Leaders: Alison M., Michelle, and Jonathan
Responders: Amanda, Vincent, and Gianna

Blog Post Drop Box: Neil Gaiman's _Coraline_

Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _Coraline_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, March 18 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, March 21 at midnight (for responders).

Discussion Leaders: McKenna, Amanda, Gianna, and TeAnna
Responders: Aly F. and Alison M.

Course Recap for March 15

Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever
Today at the beginning of class you took a short reading quiz over Tribunella's "Boyhood." You then spent some time doing a bit of writing about Federle's novel. I then asked each student to write a page number or topic of interest or question they would like to explore on the board. You then spent some time as a large group discussing your thoughts on Better Nate Than Ever.

Critical Approaches to Better Nate Than Ever: Tribunella and Hermann-Wilmarth
Next I gave a short presentation on censorship and selection in children's literature; you can access that presentation HERE and on the left hand side of the course blog. HERE is a link to the article written by Federle that I reference in the presentation. We continued our discussion of Federle's novel, Tribunella's chapter, and Hermann-Wilmarth's article.

Key Questions From Class
How is boyhood figured in Better Nate Than Ever? How are humor and bullying depicted in the novel? What are censorship and selection? How might you as an educator/librarian/parent/reader/informed citizen respond to challenges to or concerns about books? How might future teachers move toward full inclusion in their classrooms?

Poster Presentation Guidelines and Proposal
During the second part of class, we spent some time going over your poster presentation. Please see the linked assignment sheet on the left hand side of the blog and HERE. Your poster presentation is worth 20% of your final grade. We went over the guidelines in detail during class. I suggest you begin work on this project now. Your poster proposal drafts are due next week (Tuesday, March 22) at the beginning of class. Your post proposal draft should include the following information (that you will type directly onto the poster proposal handout linked HERE and on the left hand side of the course blog): 1) the name of your primary text of choice [author's name and title], 2) your research question, 3) three passages from your primary text typed out [you do not need to write up your analysis/discussion of significance for the draft], 3) correct MLA citation information for three critical secondary sources [you do not need to annotate them for the draft], and 4) your thesis. You will expand upon this information when your final draft is due on April 5.

Topic and Research Question
Your first task is to choose a text that you want to write about; you can choose any text on the syllabus. Next, you should develop a research question. This question should be debatable and complex. You might explore how something functions within your text or do a comparative analysis of an idea in two texts. For examples of research questions, look to the critical articles we have been reading all semester. You should then work on pulling significant passages from your primary text and begin thinking about how you might analyze/write about the significance of these passages using the skills you practiced during the midterm exam.

Beginning Your Research
After you choose your primary text, develop a research question, and choose some significant passages from your primary text, you should begin looking for secondary sources to assist you in arguing your main points. You might use any of the suggested critical readings on the reading guide handouts for each novel. You should use the link on the left hand side of the blog "MLA International Biography: For Research" and then type in your text or topic. For example you might type: "Neil Gaiman, Coraline" or "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rowling" or "Children's Literature, disability" or "Harry Potter, gender." You can then view the abstracts for articles or chapters by clicking on the titles. Be on the lookout for "full text"; this means that you can access the article in its entirety immediately. If you find an article or chapter you want, and the full text is not available online or the library does not carry the book, you can always order it via interlibrary loan. Articles and chapters are usually delivered (for free!) electronically within one week, therefore, now is the best time to start collecting sources so that you have them in your possession before your project is due. You are required to find at least THREE secondary sources (TWO of them should be sources not on the syllabus), and I ask that you annotate each of your sources. REMEMBER: your sources should come from children's literature journals (see the main journals listed on the left hand side of the blog) and/or books in the library. Please see me if you have a source you are wondering about (if it isn't from one of the children's lit journals, you should run it by me) or if you are struggling to find sources that relate to your text or topic. Once you've found your sources, you should then work on developing your thesis/conclusion/argument paragraph. This is the answer to your research question and should reflect the research you've done on your text and topic. See my sample poster proposal. I suggest you consult me as you go! Feel free to run your research question, thesis, sources, and MLA formatting by me during my office hours, before or after class, or send me an email. I am always happy to assist you as you work through this process.

Midterm Exams Returned
At the end of class, I went over the midterm exam with you and handed back your graded exams. On the front of your exam grading rubric I have noted your midterm exam grade, your current course grade, and the number of absences (if any) you've accrued this semester. **Please carefully review my written comments on your midterm exam.** Some of the biggest issues on the exam included: lack of details in your discussion of the significance of a passage, slipping into non-academic or informal tone in your writing, and misusing critics' arguments or terms in your argument. If you lost points for coherence and appropriate language, you should work on your writing. Continue to practice your writing in class, in your blog posts, see me in office hours, or make an appointment at the university’s writing center to work toward improving. If you received a grade lower than a C on your exam, I suggest you see me so that we can discuss how you can improve your writing and understanding of the course material. I am also happy to meet with you no matter what grade you received in order to talk through anything you are concerned about in regards to your writing or your understanding of the course material.

Remember: all grades are non-negotiable and final (unless I have made a calculation error that is not in your favor). Regardless of whatever grade you earned on the midterm, if you have any questions about your exam or how you can improve your writing, please feel free to see me during my scheduled office hours or make an appointment at a time that works better for you. For your privacy, I will not discuss your exam with you before, during, or after class in our classroom in front of other students. I WILL NOT DISCUSS YOUR EXAM WITH YOU THIS WEEK. Please carefully review all comments and wait until Tuesday of next week at the earliest to see me if you have concerns or questions.

Keep in mind: Your goal in this class is to make progress and work toward continual improvement in your writing, critical thinking, and understanding of children's literature. Think about this exam as the starting point from where you can learn, grow, improve, and move forward as a writer and scholar of literature.

Homework

• Read Neil Gaiman's Coraline and Kara K. Keeling and Scott Pollard's "The Key Is in the Mouth: Food and Orality in Coraline" 
• POSTER PROPOSAL DRAFT due at the beginning of class next week

Blog Post Drop Box: Tim Federle's _Better Nate Than Ever_

Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _Better Nate Than Ever_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, March 11 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, March 14 at midnight (for responders).

Discussion Leaders: Cassi, Vincent, Carla, and Gianna
Responders: McKenna, Jonathan, and Bryan

Course Recap for March 1

Midterm Examination
Today during class you took your midterm exam. You can expect to have these graded and returned to you after spring break. I will also post your midterm grades on GoWMU. Please see the grading rubric on the left hand side of the course blog under "course documents." Remember: this exam is worth 20% of your final grade. When I hand back your graded exams, I will note both your exam grade and your current course grade. Your current course grade will include the following (everything completed before the midterm): midterm exam (200 points), 6 quizzes with two dropped/added as extra credit (40 points), blog posts (25-200 points, each student's total will vary depending upon how many have been completed), and attendance/materials checks (80 points). The total points available for the course so far are between 345 and 520, depending upon how many of blog posts you have completed, which means we have completed 34-52% of the course work. I will also note if you have had any absences under your current course grade; remember: you are allowed TWO absences for any reason during the semester, your final grade will incur a 10% penalty for your third absence, and if you miss four classes you automatically fail the course. See the syllabus if you have any questions about the attendance policy. If you have questions about your grade, the exam, or the grading rubric, please see me during office hours or make an appointment with me that fits your schedule.

Homework

• Read Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever
• Read Read Jil Hermann-Wilmarth’s "Full Inclusion: Understanding the Role of Gay and Lesbian Texts and Films in Teacher Education Classrooms" and Eric Tribunella's "Boyhood"
• Begin thinking about and drafting your poster proposal (I've linked the poster presentation assignment sheet, a sample poster proposal, and a sample slide on the left hand side of the blog under "course documents"). Your poster proposal DRAFT is due March 22 (I've pushed the due date back one week) at the beginning of class. Your DRAFT should include 1) the name of your primary text of choice and your research question, 2) three passages from your primary text typed out, 3) just the citation information for three critical secondary sources, and 4) your thesis. You will expand upon this information when your final draft is due on April 5.