Learning objectives: This assignment has been designed to help students fulfill the following course competencies:
1. Recognize the characteristics of the different genres of children’s literature
2. Determine and apply criteria for what may be considered as quality children’s literature
3. Analyze literary elements such as theme, character, and setting
4. Evaluate the contributions that illustrations can make to a text
6. Discuss critically issues of gender, ethnicity, culture, and the individual present in the texts
Assignment:
1. Read, listen, and view: Jane Yolen’s (Links to an external site.)Encounter (Links to an external site.).
2. Compose an essay that that analyzes the ways in which the illustrations communicate / relate to / compliment this piece of historical fiction.
Due to the distinct variety in people’s writing styles it is difficult to determine how long this piece should be. So long as the illustrations in the text have been analyzed with sufficient attention to detail, the work will be accomplished. But please be mindful that the expectation is that you’re writing a multi-paragraph essay and not a paragraph. (Do review the rubric embedded in the assignment itself! )
Important MLA citation information: Like most picture books, Yolen’s Encounter does not have page numbers, so if you would quote any portion of the text, the in-text citation would only contain the author’s last name: (Yolen). Even if you don’t include the text, though, you will need to have a work cited entry for the picture book , since you’re analyzing its illustrations.
