Asynchronous Online Course (Jan. 12 - Apr. 10, 2026)
This course introduces a wide variety of children's literature with a focus toward development of personal critical judgment and skill in analysis of these works as literary and artistic forms. Texts will be chosen which give students a broad knowledge of children's literature and an understanding of the historical development of the genre. Specific areas that may be examined include fairy tales, fantasy, adventure stories, animal stories, domestic family fiction, realism, illustration, and book series. IAI: H3 918.
Appropriate assessment score or ENGL 1422 with a grade of C or better - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.
Course Alignment
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
- Responsibility
Faculty Contact Information
In-person in my office on T/Th 9:30-11 AM
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze a wide variety of literature for children and about children.
- Recognize the development of children's literature, including social and cultural influences.
- Identify and articulate currents of thought in the texts that the student encounters.
- Recognize variations in style, subject matter, and audience.
- Compare and contrast texts in a systematic way.
- Strengthen understanding of the specific qualities of children’s literature: the socialization and education of children through literature (including the value of children’s literature); the historical and ongoing development of the genre (including some of the social and cultural influences upon it); common literary devices, techniques, and elements of the genre (including visual elements and variations in style, subject matter, and audience); a variety of the several major genres and forms within children’s literature (fairy tales, fantasy, adventure stories, animal stories, domestic family fiction, realism, illustration, book series, etc.)
- Strengthen analytical skills and the ability to think critically: determine literary meaning, form, and value (including literary criticism, formal analysis, thematic analysis, reader-level analysis, comparisons and contrasts, etc.)
- Strengthen communication skills: formal and informal writing; collaboration with peers
Lynch-Brown, Carol, and Desirée W. Cueto. Essentials of Children’s Literature, 10th ed. Pearson.
Students in ENGL-2553 will complete a series of assignments designed to help them meet course objectives. The instructor will assign readings, discussion boards, writing assignments, and other learning activities to provide students with the opportunities to learn about children’s literature in an academic setting and to practice literary analysis and critical thinking about this specific genre.
Point values will vary on assignments (from 5-50 points). Currently there are 400 points possible in the class, though this is subject to change (but only with clear communication to students if adjustments occur).
Assignments | Point Values |
| Work that requires minimal time/effort (e.g., brief letters to the professor) | 5 points each |
| Work that requires an average amount of time/effort (e.g., chapter notes, basic discussion boards with an original post and 2 replies, self-reflections) | 10 points each |
| Work that requires slightly above average amount of time/effort (e.g., Book Talk videos and replies, discussion boards that require more work in their original posts and/or replies to peers) | 20 to 25* points each *only one 25-pt assignment |
| Significant work that requires multiple steps to completion that take more time and effort than the other assignments in the class (i.e., the Literary Criticism Paper, the Genre Guide, and the Final Project) | 30 to 50* points each *only the Final Project is 50 |
Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
90-100% | A |
80-89.9% | B |
70-79.9% | C |
60-69.9% | D |
0-59.9% | F |
A student's final letter grade is determined by the percentage of points earned throughout the course. Rounding up of grades by less than 1% will be determined the student’s active participation in the course over the semester, per the instructor’s discretion.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
Attendance: In an online course, “attendance” is measured by meaningful participation (course-related communication with the professor & submission of assignments). Students who don’t submit work or communicate meaningfully with me throughout the course may be marked as “absent” or “inactive” on the Census Day and Midterm reports I am required to submit to the college, which may impact these students’ financial aid.
Late Work: From small to large assignments, everything is due at the indicated date and time in the course calendar or as instructed by the professor. Be prepared and manage your time wisely. Any extensions to must be agreed upon with the instructor before the assignment is due; extensions are never guaranteed, but you may request one so long as you don’t abuse this privilege. Note: replies to discussion boards are never acceptable late, since the students you’re replying to likely wouldn’t even see your late responses.
Technology: All assignments must be submitted in their appropriate place in Canvas. Lost or accidentally deleted files will not be an acceptable excuse for not turning in something. Be sure back up your work. Students are expected to have sufficient technological skills to complete the requirements of the course, which include using Canvas features, formatting and typing written work, submitting files to Canvas, emailing, using presentation tech (like Google Slides or PowerPoint), recording a video, etc. For this course, students must also have access to a computer with the internet on a regular basis. Facing technical problems? Contact KCC’s ITS Helpdesk at 815.802.8900 or helpdesk@kcc.edu.
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to do their own original work in this class. From brainstorming ideas and reading assigned texts to communicating their ideas in their own words – all the work students do in the process of completing assignments should be their own. If students are struggling with any part of an assignment, I would encourage them to request support from a KCC writing tutor and/or me (the instructor). Tutors and the instructor will help guide students through the process without doing the work for them. While AI-assisted tools might be tempting to use (and even appropriate for these tasks in other circumstances), using them for assignments in this class is prohibited and will be considered a form of cheating or plagiarism. Cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, etc. are all forms of academic dishonesty and they will not be tolerated in this class.
Cheating can take many forms in this class: copying or using another student’s work, adjusting format to make papers appear longer (a form of misrepresentation), working in groups on individual assignments (whether openly or in secret), sharing or stealing answers for tests or assignments, using AI to develop part (or all) of an assignment, making up “research” (a form of fabrication), etc. Section 17.6B of the Student Code of Conduct explains that cheating also includes, “Submitting the same paper, report, or other assignment for more than one course without the expressed permission of the faculty member. If a student believes that he/she can complete an assignment that meets the requirements of two or more faculty members, he/she should obtain prior approval from all faculty involved.”
Plagiarism is also defined in section 17.6B of the Student Code of Conduct: “Taking, reproducing, and/or using as one’s own, without proper attribution, the ideas, writings, paraphrases, data, reports, graphic designs, or computer codes of published or unpublished work of another person in completing an academic assignment. Prohibited conduct may also include the unauthorized submission for credit of academic work that has been submitted for credit in another course.”
Plagiarism in this class includes but is not limited to:
- submitting someone else’s work and/or AI-generated or AI-assisted writing (this prohibits tools like Grammarly!)
- using published material (including materials published online) without proper attribution
- paraphrasing or quoting someone without attributing the quote in your paper with a correct in-text citation, even if the source is included on the works cited page; improper paraphrase (sometimes referred to as “synonym swapping”) may also be plagiarism if the attempted paraphrase too closely imitates the writing style (including syntax) of the original source
- failing to clearly indicate when you are using quoted materials by not including (or properly formatting) quotation marks
- working with someone (without my permission) to write your paper and presenting it as your own
If you are in doubt, ask me or visit the KCC Writing Studio before you submit your assignment.
No form of academic dishonesty is acceptable. Cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresentation, and/or fabrication on any assignment in this class will have consequences and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The severity of consequence (from automatic failure on the assignment to possible immediate failure of the course with no opportunity for the student to withdraw) depends on the instructor's judgment of intentionality. The violation of this course policy will be reported to the Director of Student Success. If the student has a repeated instance of academic misconduct reported to the Director of Student Success, the student may be suspended from the institution.
Communication: The best way to know what to do for class is to consult the syllabus, course calendar, and our Canvas course. If you have a question about what's due, consult these resources first. If neither the instruction materials nor your classmates can answer your questions, then you may email me. There are two ways to email me: through Canvas (preferred) or through KCC’s email. If you email me through Canvas, no worries. If, however, you email me through KCC’s email, be sure to include the following: your full name and what course you are taking with me (also, if you email me at jpecora@kcc.edu, then you should use your KCC student email address; other email addresses may be filtered & I won’t even see them). I will communicate important course-related info via Canvas email or Canvas announcements. Check your email often—at least every 2 days. I will typically respond to emails within 24 hours, though on weekends it may be up to 48 hours. You will also be expected to participate in discussion boards that are open to all students’ view.
Minimum Requirements: Be aware that writing assignments that fail to meet minimum requirements (i.e., minimum word count or full page length, number and types of sources, or required focus/subject as determined by the instructor), may receive a failing score of 0 or an F. Thus, a writing assignment that is too short, missing the correct number and type of sources, or off-topic assignment-wise may automatically fail. You are in college—partial work does not always receive partial credit. Also note that works cited pages do not count toward minimum length requirements and block quotes (quotes of four lines of text or longer) may not be used in papers for this class. Finally, simply meeting the minimum length and source requirements does not guarantee a passing grade.
Required Document Format: All papers submitted for this course should be typed with 1-inch margins in Times New Roman 12-point font (you may have to make changes in Word's default page setup). They must also adhere to 9th edition MLA (Modern Language Association) style guidelines where specified. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in point deductions on an assignment if the problem persists.
Note: Although MLA style guidelines suggest that documents should be double-spaced (and many other instructors following MLA will require you to adhere to this guideline), I personally much prefer that you format your documents to be single-spaced. It’s much easier for me to read single-spaced documents when I’m grading digitally, within Canvas. Please single-space your writing for this particular class. Thank you!
Mandatory File Type for Assignments: Current KCC students may freely use Office 365 products. It’s also very easy to download a Google Doc as a Word file, which you could then upload to the Canvas assignment (this 30-second video tutorial shows you how). Because not all file types are adequately accessible within Canvas, I require all students to submit Word document files for writing assignments.
Title IX: Students sometimes choose to share private information with their professors. We appreciate your trust! Nonetheless, students need to be aware that KCC faculty and certain staff are required to report any incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence that we may hear about. Specifically, we will contact KCC’s Title IX Coordinator, the Dean of Student Development and Services. Please don’t feel like you can’t reach out but be aware of our requirement to report. If you want to speak with someone who is not required to report, please know that you are very welcome to call the county’s confidential sexual assault hotline (no referral is necessary, and your anonymity is guaranteed unless you choose to share your name): 815-932-3322 (Kankakee) or 815-432-0420 (Iroquois).
I fully embrace the idea that an intellectual community is enriched and enhanced by diversity along several dimensions, including race, ethnicity, national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, social class, and religion. I am committed to increasing the representation of those populations that have been historically underserved and underrepresented in higher education in all areas and disciplines. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity and inclusive in their construction. To that end, we may engage with readings or viewings that highlight a way of being which is different from your own. Given the sensitive and challenging nature of some of the material we will use in class, it is imperative that there be an atmosphere of trust and safety in the classroom, whether we are face-to-face or in an online environment. My goal is to create an environment in which each student can openly hear and respect each other, offering his, her, or their opinion, insights, and analysis of course content without fear of inflammatory feedback or ostracism. It is critical that each class member show respect for all views, ideas, and perspectives expressed in class. Working together, we can come at a better understanding of course content.
Children’s Literature (Online) Course Calendar
The following is a schedule to outline the scope and direction of the course. A more detailed modular calendar is provided in our Canvas course for each module.
Module 1: Course Introduction: Children and Literature – Weeks 1-4
In this module, the class will learn about and discuss the historical and ongoing development of the genre (including some of the social and cultural influences upon it), literature for a diverse society, and the socialization and education of children through literature (including the value of children’s literature).
Required reading(s) from the textbook: Chs. 1, 5, 13
Module 2: Studying and Interpreting Children’s Literature – Weeks 5-7
In this module, the class will learn about and discuss common literary devices, techniques, and elements of the genre (including visual elements and variations in style, subject matter, and audience). Students will practice determining literary meaning, form, and value (including literary criticism, formal analysis, thematic analysis, reader-level analysis, comparisons and contrasts, etc.).
Required reading(s) from the textbook: Chs. 3, 4
Module 3: The Several Genres and Forms of Children’s Literature – Weeks 8-9
In this module, the class will learn about and discuss a variety of the several major genres and forms within children’s literature (fairy tales, fantasy, adventure stories, animal stories, domestic family fiction, realism, illustration, book series, etc.). Students will continue applying the various analytical skills they learned about in the previous module.
Required reading(s) from the textbook: Chs. 6-12
Module 4: Bringing Children and Books Together – Weeks 10-12
In this module, the class will learn about and discuss literature in the curriculum and engaging children with literature.
Required reading(s) from the textbook: Chs. 2, 14
Note that the Friday of Week 12 is the last official day of this course and that the instructor must submit students’ final course grades to KCC by noon on the following Monday.
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.