So far this semester, you have read a great many texts that have been written (ostensibly) for children. Picture books and chapter books. Books with obvious pedagogical use; books which seem purely “entertaining.” Texts with didactic messages; texts with more ambiguous desires for the reader. The texts I selected for the curriculum in this course are not the only texts I could have chosen. Some of the texts I chose are ones I really like reading and talking about; others, not so much. Some I chose because the represent a particular genre well, or not so well, and thus would be useful for class discussion.

For this exam, look at the books we’ve explored together, as well as those that you’ve read as part of your book reviews. You might also think of other texts that you read in other classes, or maybe some you used for your Major Project 2, or just books you love reading to your child friends. Which books in the curriculum I selected are effective texts for a class like English 4950? Why? Which ones might be replaced? Why? and with what books might they be replaced?

Your final exam should be placed in the first section of your course portfolio and turned in to the professor at the beginning of the final exam period (see schedule for date/time). The exam essay should be at least three (3) double-spaced pages, Times New Roman 12 pt. font. You should discuss at least two (2) books that were effective for this course and one (1) book that you might change (not including the Nodelman and Reimer textbook). You do not have to say the books were “bad” or “ineffective” in order to suggest a change; it may be that while you enjoyed a book I chose, you can think of another text that might work better or might add some sort of diversity to the class that this semester was lacking in.

The final exam essay will be evaluated based on the following criteria. An exam that earns an “A” will

• Demonstrate an intelligent and thorough reading of the books being discussed;
• Explain in detail why the “effective” books are “effective” in the context of this course, making reference to what learning outcomes from the course syllabus those texts helped students achieve;
• Explain in detail why the writer has chosen a different text instead of one already in the curriculum, including specific examples of how this new text would benefit the students in a class like English 4950;
• Suggest how these three (or more) texts under discussion would fit into the overall design of English 4950;
• Reference Nodelman and Reimer’s The Pleasure of Children’s Literature to help provide evidence of the relevance of the books to the course;
• Include a “Works Cited” page with the bibliographic information for all books discussed in the essay;
• Be virtually free of any major grammatical or mechanical errors.

The “learning outcomes from the course syllabus” occur in two places on the syllabus: in question form under the “Introduction” section and as bulleted statements under the “Goals” section.