Instructions for Completing

Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form

Graduate Curriculum Committee

Course Proposal Form for

Courses Numbered 5000 and Higher

Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.

1. Course Prefix and Number: 2. Date:

3. Requested Action (check only one box):

x / New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from / # / to / #

4. Justification (assessment or accreditation based) for new course or course revision or course renumbering:

In recent years there has been an increased focus on early literacy and the need for libraries to become involved in modeling early literacy learning strategies during storytimes for the youngest “readers” – infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Most public libraries are now offering early literacy based infant storytimes along with regular ongoing storytimes for preschoolers. The Association of Library Services for Children (ALSC), a part of the American Library Association (ALA), has increased awareness of the need for and accessibility to resources for librarians/teachers/parents to use with infants and toddlers, such as their Born to Read pamphlet (http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/borntoread/bornread.htm). Library Science Programs must also step forward and offer courses in materials for early literacy to prepare graduates for the youngest population of library users.
The Library Science (LS) Program, within the Department of Library Science & Instructional Technology (LSIT), offers the Master of Library Science for individuals interested in working in the academic, public, or school library environment. A background in materials for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, including the five-year-old who has not entered Kindergarten, would be useful in all three areas – for those wishing to work in a Teacher Resource Center in an academic library, for those wishing to work in the Children’s Room of a public library, and for those who work in a school environment that includes a preschool and/or infant daycare program. This proposed course would fulfill that need.
This request is also in response to the November 15, 2005 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)/American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National Recognition Report, Preparation of School Library Media Specialists, in relation to the coverage of the American Library Association (ALA)/AASL Standard 1.2 Literacy and Reading:
Candidates are aware of major trends in reading materials for children and youth. Candidates select materials in multiple formats to address the needs and interests of diverse young readers and learners. Candidates use a variety of strategies to promote leisure reading. They model their personal enjoyment of reading in order to promote the habits of creative expression and lifelong reading.
The NCATE/AASL National Recognition Report comment section for Standard 1.2 states “no evidence is found of candidates promoting leisure reading or modeling personal enjoyment of reading to promote the habit of reading.”
This course will further support the activities in LIBS 6135 Books and Other Media for Children and Young Adults and LIBS 5115 Materials for Young Adults in meeting Standard 1.2 in promoting and modeling lifelong reading by focusing on different types of materials and early literacy activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. With the addition of this course, the LS Program youth materials (books and media) courses will cover all levels of youth, from birth through age eighteen.
This course will also strengthen the candidates’ knowledge and abilities in ALA/AASL Standard 3.1 Connection with Library Community:
Candidates demonstrate the potential for establishing connections to other libraries and the larger library community for resource sharing, networking, and developing common policies and procedures. Candidates articulate the role of their professional associations and journals in their own professional growth.
Students in this course must collaborate with educators/librarians in a daycare center, Head Start program, school-based preschool program, or a public library storytime program to schedule, design, and present an early literacy rich storytime, based on an evaluation of the diversity of group of children involved, using a lesson plan format that has been published by the American Library Association.
Discussion Boards require students to explore professional association web sites and materials as well as network with other professionals involved in early literacy education or library services.
Although North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction does not have a set of standards specific to certification for librarians who work with children younger than Kindergarten age, there is a set of Widely Held Expectations in relation to working with three- through five-year-olds prior to Kindergarten, which are imbedded in Foundations: Early Learning Strategies for North Carolina Preschoolers and Strategies for Guiding Their Success. (www.ncpublicschools.org/success/downloads/foundations.pdf). Librarians in all types of libraries who work with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers should be aware of these expectations and respond to and employ the Strategies for Early Educators in the two Foundations of Reading’s Widely Held Expectation sections entitled:
1.  Motivation for Reading and Vocabulary and Comprehension
2.  Book and Print Awareness, Alphabet Knowledge, and Alphabetic Principle
The course content relevant sets of Widely Held Expectations and the Strategies for Early Educators are addressed in this course.
Library services to our youngest users - infants, toddlers, and preschoolers - have increased dramatically as research indicates the need to immerse children in books and other forms of media from as early as birth. The addition of this proposed course to the electives offered in the LS Program will meet this need for graduates wishing to work with Early Learners.

5. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:

6133. Materials for Early Childhood (3) Survey of materials for infants, toddlers and preschool age children, emphasizing the evaluation and selection of print and non-print resources for use in early literacy-enriched story-time programming.

6. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:

NA

7. Graduate Catalog Page Number from current Graduate catalog:

184-185

Course Credit:

Lecture Hours / 3 / Weekly / OR / Per Term / Credit Hours / 3 / s.h.
Lab / Weekly / OR / Per Term / Credit Hours / s.h.
Studio / Weekly / OR / Per Term / Credit Hours / s.h.
Practicum / Weekly / OR / Per Term / Credit Hours / s.h.
Internship / Weekly / OR / Per Term / Credit Hours / s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
Total Credit Hours / 3 / s.h.
40

9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:

10. Affected Degrees or Academic Programs:

Degree(s)/Course(s) / Current
Catalog Page / Changes in Degree Hours
MLS / None – an elective course

11. Overlapping or Duplication with Affected Units or Programs:

x / Not Applicable
Notification & response from affected units is attached

12. Approval by the Council for Teacher Education (required for courses affecting teacher education programs):

x / Not Applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.

13.  Statements of Support:

a. Staff

x / Current staff is adequate
Additional Staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):

b. Facilities

x / Current facilities are adequate
Additional Facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):

c. Library

x / Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):

d. Computer resources

x / Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
x / ITCS Resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached

14.  Course information: see Instructions for Completing the Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form for more detail

a.  TEXTBOOK(S): author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and city/state/country

Ghoting, S.N. & Martin-Diaz, P. (2006). Early literacy storytimes @ your library. Chicago:

American Library Association.

B. Course Objectives

At the completion of this course, students should be able to

·  Exhibit knowledge of professional children’s literature resources, such as reference materials, selection tools, and web sites that pertain to evaluation and selection of materials (print and non-print) for infants, toddlers, and preschool age children.

·  Critically examine representative materials and apply criteria for evaluation of such materials in relation to child development theories, disability and/or diversity issues, and the informational and aesthetic needs of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

·  Demonstrate the ability to use these materials effectively with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in a variety of settings.

·  Assist caregivers and teachers with questions about appropriate materials for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

·  Prepare and present a storytime program for a group of infants, toddlers, and/or preschoolers.

C. Topical Outline

I. Definition of Early Literacy

A. Age Groups

B. Emergent Literacy

II. Early Literacy Research

III. Incorporation of Early Literacy Concepts in Storytimes

A.  Early Talkers

B.  Talkers

C.  Prereaders

IV. Early Literacy and the Other Than English Speaking Child

V. Early Literacy and the Child with a Disability

VI. Planning Early Literacy Enhanced Storytimes

A. Dialogic Reading

B.  Flannel Boards

C. Puppets

D.  Media

E.  Crafts

F.  Parent Involvement

VII. Retrospective and Current Materials Selection Aids

A.  Journals

B.  Web Sites

C.  Listservs

D.  Association Resources (recommended lists, pamphlets, etc.)

E.  Print Resources

F.  Colleagues

VIII. Material Types

A.  Picture Books

B.  Board Books

C.  Paper-engineered (pop-up) Books

D.  Interactive Books

E.  Cloth Books

F.  Electronic Books (computer based/CD-ROM/online)

G.  Audiobooks

H.  Magazines

I.  TV Shows

J.  Movies

K.  Videos/DVDs

L.  Formats for Disabilities (Braille, Large-Print, etc.)

D.  A list of course assignments and weighting of each assignment and the grading/evaluation system for determining a grade.

Student Evaluation

Evaluation is based on a point system that is further explained in the rubrics included with the Assignment and the Discussion Posting directions.

Talkers Television Shows Critique 10 points

Early Talkers Pamphlet 5 points

Prereaders Theme/Concept Bibliography 15 points

Storytime Program 30 points

Discussion Boards (4 points each) 20 points
Quiz 10 points

Total: 100 points

Final grades will be based on the following scale:

A (Excellent) 90-100 points. Student meets and exceeds course requirements.

B (Good) 80-89 points. Student adequately meets course requirements.

C (Passed) 70-79 points. Minimally meets course requirements.

F (Failure) 60-69 points. Failed to meet requirements, even at a minimal level.

I (Incomplete) Will only be given for reasons beyond a student’s control and in consultation with instructor.

W (Withdrawal) Student has withdrawn from course within the period specified by the university.

Discussion Board Questions (4 points each)

Discussion 1 – Introduction/First Book

Part One - Introduction

Please introduce yourself to the rest of the class as we will only be interacting online. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Also:

·  Why you are taking this course

·  At what point are you are in your educational pursuit?

·  What do you hope to get out of this class?

Part Two – First Book

Discuss the first book with which you remember interaction as a small child. It may not have been read to you, but it was the first time you became aware of books being valid forms of entertainment.

·  Why do you think you remember this particular book?

·  Was it who was sharing it with you, or reading it, that made this experience memorable?

·  Do you remember interacting with books as toys?

Citation

Include an APA reference list style citation for your first book, if possible. You may have to check out a used bookstore online if it is no longer in print. A good source for out of print books is Alibris http://www.alibris.com/. An easy to use site for examples of APA reference list style citations for books and other media is:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

Citation Example

Kunhardt, K. (1940). Pat the bunny. Racine, WI: Western Publishing Co.

*** Note – if the city is not well know, also add the state abbreviation, as I did above for Racine, WI.

Discussion 2 – Selection Tools

You have been hired as a children’s librarian or teacher who will be working with infants, toddlers, and/or preschool age children. You are in charge of purchasing print and non-print materials for these children. You are the first person hired in this position so there are no selection tools available. You are responsible for locating these tools on your own.

Research

Appendix E of your textbook, Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library, pages 257-258.

The Children’s Book Council: www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/choosing.html

The ALSC website: www.ala.org/alsc for resources such as the Books to Grow On list: www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/booklists/booksgrow.htm

Discussion

Discuss how you educated yourself about the resources. Questions to consider:

·  How would you determine what professional selection tools/resources are available for locating materials appropriate for this diverse group?

·  Were the resources as easy to find as you expected?

·  Were they up-to-date?

·  Did you contact anyone for assistance? If so, who and were they helpful?

·  Did you use the Internet?

·  Did you locate tools specific for materials selection to this youngest group of “readers” or were the recommended titles included with materials for older children?

·  Did you opt for free online resources, such as those available from ALSC?

·  If so, were they as useful as the print selection tools? Why or why not?

List your top two selection tool choices for materials for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, addressing why these are the best selection tools in your opinion.

Citation

Don’t forget to include citations for all resources you used to complete this discussion.

An easy to use site for examples of APA reference list style citations for books and other media is:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

Discussion 3 – Emergent Literacy

As an introduction to this discussion, visit the Association of Library Services to Children, Born to Read site: http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/borntoread/bornread.htm. Read through the basic information on this page and visit other web sites listed.