ENGL 3333 -- Children's Literature: Texts and Contexts
Professor Sigler

Writing Project for Children's Literature

*Half-page proposal due in scheduled conference 13-17 October 2008
*Complete typed draft due for peer editing workshop 1 December 2008
* Final (edited, revised and corrected) essay due in class 5 December 2008
*Individual Presentation based on your project due 3-10 December 2008

General Requirements:

Your writing project should be 5-7 pages in length, should focus on one of the assigned texts and conceptual material from this class, and must be based on original ideas.
Please consult with me early and often as you work on your assignment. I will be happy to read and comment on drafts as you go along. Ask your classmates for their help, too, as you work through your project. You are also welcome to consult the tutors at the Writing Center (40 CCtr).
Keep in mind that you need to bring a complete, polished and typed draft of your project to class on 1 December for an in-class peer-editing workshop, which is worth 20% of your project's grade. The final, revised and corrected writing project, which wll count as 20% of your final grade for the class, is due on 5 December .
You will also prepare a brief individual presentation (5-7 minutes) describing your writing project, which will be presented sometime during the final two weeks of the semester. Guidelines will be distributed later in the semester. This presentation will count as 10% of your final grade.

Project Options and Topics: choose ONE of the following options:

Option 1: Critical Analysis

For this option you will write an essay analyzing a work or works from our syllabus. In this assignment (and most English paper assignments) you are essentially writing an "argumentative essay." In other words you are making some specific claim or assertion (your thesis) about a subject and then "proving" that claim with ideas and supporting details from the text in the body of your essay.

Guidelines for writing a Critical Analysis:

Read the text(s) you intend to write about very carefully before you begin to write your paper, and gather textual evidence to use in making your argument.
State your thesis at the end of the introduction of your paper. It's best to get to your main point in the first or second paragraph.
Support your thesis with specific details of the novel (or whatever) you are writing about, which means using short direct quotes whenever possible. It's more credible and effective to be as specific as you can about your work's actual phrasing, imagery, word choice, plot details, characterization, etc.
Make sure that you correctly document all quotations and references to other people's work.
Be sure that your analysis goes well beyond what was said in class discussion. Direct your essay to your classmates and the instructor: that is, assume that they are familiar with the work(s) (don't bother with plot summary) and eager to hear your own insights into them.
A typed proposal with a brief (half-page) description of your topic, which includes an overview of your proposed argument and a thesis statement, will be due in a conference you will schedule with me between 10/13 and 10/17/08.

Suggested topics (you're welcome to come up with your own topic, as long as it relates to one of the texts discussed in class and to conceptual material from the class):

Use the visual principles from Molly Bang's Picture This handout to do a visual analysis of any one picture book or to contrast any two. Issues to consider: How does the book tell a story through its visual details (color, shape, perspective, and so forth). What is the relationship between the book's images and the text?
Analyze ways that individualism is an important theme in one of the following works: Ramona the Brave, Bridge to Terabithia, Hoot, Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, The Watson's Go to Birmingham--1963.
Analyze the role(s) of family in works for children in any one work of your choice. (Good possibilities: Bridge to Terabithia, Charlotte's Web, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Hoot. To what extent do families function to provide guidance as the main characters form their identities; to what extent do families function as roles against which to rebel and resist in forming identities; to what extent can families form an obstacle to identity formation? (Keep in mind that being absent can also be an important role--also that families can be created from people who are not related!)
If you have access to a copy of the film version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, or a film adaptation of one of the other novels we've studied, write an essay analyzing similarities and differences between the two versions. What is changed and how might this be significant? In other words, what effect might the changes made have on the "meaning" of the text?
Part of the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter series has to do with gender and the representation of female characters in comparison with male characters. Some argue that, as critic Christine Schoefer puts it, "Harry's fictional realm of magic and wizardry perfectly mirrors the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world." Others argue that such objections are seriously overstated. Others argue that such objections are seriously overstated. Where do you stand on the roles of women and girls in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , and why? Are girls and women left on the sidelines as cheerleaders or victims waiting to be rescued?
Compare or contrast two versions of the fairy tale "Cinderella." These could include the original and the Disney or Levine versions; you could also compare one of the versions discussed in class with another version, such as Margaret Haddix's Just Ella .
Many of the texts on our syllabus address the issue of becoming (or of resisting becoming) gendered: the complexities of achieving a "masculine" or "feminine" social role. Discuss this issue in one of the following texts: Bridge to Terabithia, Speak, Tuck Everlasting, Ella Enchanted, Ramona the Brave .
Discuss the theme of the impact and/or influence of violence in children's lives by analyzing one of the following texts, or by choosing two texts to compare or contrast: Bridge to Terabithia, Charlotte's Web, Tuck Everlasting, Ella Enchanted, Smoky Night, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, Hoot . Keep in mind that rejecting something can be a kind of effect or influence.

Option 2: Critical Bibliography of Children's Literature

For this option, you will read and review five children's novels (or collections of short stories) OR ten picture (or pre-chapter books) on a common theme or topic. Choose a topic that is substantive, interesting and relevant to children's lives (e.g. "Books About the Environment," "Fantasy Novels for Kids Who Like Harry Potter," "Books About Bullying," or "Books About Learning Disabilities") rather than vague or irrelevant (e.g. "Books about School," "Books about Friendship" or "Books about Apples.") Be sure to only choose books that were specifically written for children, ages approximately 5-12 or grades K-6 (don't drift up into adult or young adult literature or down into preschool-age books.)

For each book on your bibliography, you will write a brief (approximately 1 1/2-2 page) review and critique of each book, as well as develop your own criteria and system for rating the books on your list. You might develop for yourself a list of questions that you could apply to each book as you read it (see suggestions below). Your critiques should be analytical and evaluative in nature, not merely plot summaries.
Since the point of this project is to help you become familiar with new writers and kinds of books, you may include not include critiques of books from our class reading list. You may choose more than one book by the same author, as long as they address the same theme/topic.
At the same time, y our critical bibliography should be tied to themes discussed in class and make substantive use of conceptual material from class lecture.
A typed proposal with a brief (one-page) description of your chosen topic or theme and its relevance to child readers, as well as a bibliography (MLA style, including all bibliographic information and the number of pages in each book) of the books to be included in your critical bibliography , will be due in a conference you will schedule with me between 10/13 and 10/17/08.

Guidelines for writing a Critical Bibliography:

You should begin with a brief (1 page or so) general introduction to your critical bibliography that explains the focus and significance of your topic or theme, as well as how to interpret your rating system: What is your "highest" number of stars, happy faces, etc. What does each of your ratings mean? (What do you consider to be an "excellent," "good, "mediocre" or "poor" quality book?)
Be sure to begin each individual critique with a header that gives the basics: the book's title, author, publication information (publisher, date), the number of pages in the book, and the age/grade level, and some kind of rating system--stars, points, happy faces, anything that will encapsulate your opinion of the book.
Include a very brief synopsis of the plot for each book (not more than a paragraph).
Include relevant background on the author. Consider such questions such as: Who is this writer? What is his/her personal and professional background? What else has she or he written? What kind of response has his/her work generated from critics and the public? Has this book generated any controversy, and if so, about what? What have reviewers said about the book? Be sure to cite and quote all information taken from other sources (book, article, Web, conversation, e-mail, etc.) using MLA style.
Describe the text's structure, form, and/or style. Consider questions such as these: How would you describe the writing style? Did you like or dislike it, and why? How would you describe the voice or tone of this work? If the work is poetry or drama, what might be the best way to understand its structure?
Consider questions about characterization: Which characters are meaningful in a positive or a negative way? Would you say that these characters are realistic? Which characters did you identify with, and why? How do characters relate to one another in the text? Which characters seem to be in conflict?
Consider questions about theme: What is the central meaning(s)/issue(s) that this book addresses? How is it developed in the text? What symbols does the author use to represent the theme(s)?
Consider questions about the text's social, political, thematic, philosophical, or ethical/moral meaning: What is the book's attitude toward [X]. [X = freedom, or women/men, or working-class/upper-class life, or human responsibility toward others, or moral values, or urban/rural life, or modernity, or sexuality, or free will, or any other concepts or problems that you think the book is addressing].

Option 3: Creative-Writing Project

For this option you will write a short story or book chapter, or produce a complete picture book, using conceptual material from the class as well as the genre, style and themes of a particular author to illustrate and explicate your interpretation of his or her work.

Guidelines for writing a Creative-Writing Project (you're welcome to come up with your own topic, as long as it relates to one of the texts discussed in class and to conceptual material from the class):

Your creative work must be tied thematically and/or stylistically to a specific work on the syllabus and make substantive use of conceptual material from class lecture.
Your creative work must include a substantive 250-word introduction or conclusion that explains your story's purpose(s) (in other words, explicitly explains how your story/chapter makes specific use of course material.
Your effort will be judged on its effectiveness as a work of creative writing (characterization, pace, theme, specificity, illustrations), the substance of its ideas, as well as the substance and relevance of its use of concepts from class lectures and discussion.
A typed proposal with a brief (half-page) description of your story/chapter/picture book, which includes a clear overview of exactly how your project makes use of material from the class, will be due in a conference you will schedule with me between 10/13 and 10/17/08.

Suggested topics:

Write an updated version of the fairy tale "Cinderella" in the style of Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted, or try creating an updated picture book "Cinderella" for younger readers, using both images and text.
Alternatively, try rewriting the Grimms' "Cinderella" from another point of view: how might Cinderella's stepsisters or stepmother tell the story of what happened?
Although we know from the epilogue that Winnie eventually decides not to drink the enchanted spring water, Tuck Everlasting doesn't expicitly show how or why she reaches this decision. Write an additional chapter for this novel ("Chapter 26") that describes how and why Winnie decides not to become immortal and marry Jesse Tuck.
Try rewriting the ending of Tuck Everlasting by speculating about what might have happened if Winnie had chosen to drink the water
Create a picture book (with images and text) describing a current event from a child's perspective as in Smoky Night.
In The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Kenny imagines a monster called "the Wool-Pooh" that represents his childlike understanding of the disastrous effects of prejudice and discrimination. Create a picture book focusing on this theme for younger readers that features Kenny's "Wool-Pooh" character.
Try rewriting a key scene or chapter from The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 from Byron's point of view rather than Kenny's (e.g. the scene where Byron kills the mourning dove, the chapter in which he decides to get a "conk," or the chapter in which he rescues Kenny from drowning). How would Byron perceive and describe these events differently than Kenny?
At the end of Bridge to Terabithia, Jess introduces his young sister May Belle to the land of Terabithia. Since we know that Jess loves to draw, create a picture book about Terabithia and his friend Leslie for May Belle, utilizing both images and text.
Ramona the Brave concludes with Ramona finally realizing that she is brave after all. Try writing an additional chapter for this novel ("Chapter 10") that shows how Ramona's relationship with Mrs. Griggs changes after Ramona's new-found sense of bravery and "spunk."
Create a fantasy story or chapter with a Minnesota setting utilizing themes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Try rewriting one of the scenes or chapters from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in first person. You could, of course, write from, Harry Potter's point of view, but it might be more interesting to try writing from another character's perspective (how about Hermione, Hagrid, or Malfoy?).
The novel Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key concludes without an explicit sense of whether Joey has developed and grown as a character (and is thus a dynamic character) or has remained essentially the same (and is thus a static character). Write an additional chapter ("Chapter 16") that illustrated your interpretation of whether or not—and in what ways—Joey has developed as a character, taking into account all that has happened previously in the book. How have all of his experiences changed him (or not), and what might Joey choose to do next?
Write the first chapter of a sequel to Charlotte's Web, focusing on Wilbur's relationship to one of Charlotte's children. Be sure to take into account all the ways that Wilbur has grown and matured in the original novel.