The course aims to provide an understanding of the historical and contemporary publishing dynamics of children's literature and to delve into the fundamental aspects of reading pedagogy. Specifically, the course focuses on the following topics:

Psycho-pedagogical approach to children's literature and reading development: theoretical principles and educational practices guiding the selection and presentation of literary texts for young readers, with particular attention to the emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social aspects that influence children's approach to reading and the role of children's literature in promoting a pleasurable reading experience.

Historical trends: exploration of the main themes and genres that have characterized children's literature. Analysis of recurring themes and the evolution of narratives and cultural representations over time.

Socio-cultural aspects: understanding local and global dynamics that influence literacy in the 21st century, with reference to issues of diversity, equality, well-being, and social justice, using children's texts with an appropriate focus.

Multiliteracies and digital: understanding multiliteracies and the impact of digital technologies on reading and producing texts for children. Evaluation of the skills needed to navigate a digital and multimodal environment.

Critical analysis: developing critical understanding and analytical skills through the reading of novels and picture books aimed at children.

Course description:

The course delves into the value of children's literature in education, offering an overview of genres and publishing production for children and adolescents while introducing the theoretical and methodological foundations of literacy pedagogy. It will provide foundational knowledge on the history of children's literature, its evolution through different eras and cultural contexts and the main theories that have influenced the teaching of literature in the school context. Additionally, the course will explore the socio-cultural aspects of reading, providing an understanding of local and global dynamics that influence literacy in the 21st century. Using appropriately focused children's texts, it will address issues of diversity, equality, well-being and social justice. Special attention will also be given to multiliteracies and the impact of digital technologies on reading and producing children's texts. The course will examine the criteria for evaluating children's books in terms of content, language and iconography. The curriculum will include a list of literary works for children and young adults, primarily novels and picture books, to read, analyze, and evaluate.

Course topics will be covered in this order:

Introduction to children's literature

• Nature, definition and scope of children's literature.
• Evolution of children's literature in Italy from the late 1800s to today: historical context and key figures.

Genres of children's literature

• Introduction to literary genres.
• Analysis of: nonfiction, eco-literature and graphic novels.

Children's literature in literacy education

• Traditional, transactional and critical approaches to teaching children's literature.
• Litreacy education in preschool and primary school.
• International surveys on reading competences.

Socio-cultural aspects of literacy

• Local and global dynamics influencing literacy in the 21st century.
• Analysis of topics related to diversity, well-being and social justice in children's literature.
• Analysis of a selection of children's texts that address relevant socio-cultural issues.

Multiliteracies and digital

• Multiliteracies and the impact of digital technologies on reading and producing children's texts.
• Evaluation of the skills required for reading multimodal texts.

Critical analysis

• Analysis of a selection of classic and/or contemporary texts for children.
• Presentation and discussion of readings selected by students.

None

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will have acquired:

-basic knowledge related to the relevant current epistemological framework of children's literature, with particular regard to its articulation in different narrative genres, and to the pedagogical and educational aspects of reading and writing;

Applying knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course the student will have shown

-mastery in the application of a functional methodology in teaching reading-writing techniques;

-understanding of the main critical trends in children's literature 

-knowledge of the pedagogy of children's literature providing a general orientation on fundamental aspects of education

Develop an appropriate degree of autonomy of judgement

At the end of the course, the student should demonstrate an ability to:

-know about topics and problems related to the educational teaching of children's literature in schools;

-critically evaluate the adequacy of educational approaches concerning the transmission of contents related to the discipline;

-identify the most suitable educational methods for creating specific learning environments;

-encourage reading for pleasure to foster emotional growth as a more effective approach to literature and narrative in general 

Communication skills;

At the end of the course, the student should have acquired:

-the ability to clearly express the course content and explaining its meaning and intention;

-the ability to communicate through the use of specific disciplinary language with teachers and school staff;

-the ability to express arguments on topics characteristic of the discipline.

Learning ability

At the end of the course the student will have the ability to use knowledge and concepts to enable reasoning based on the content of the discipline.

Students will be able to:

-use knowledge and concepts for curricular design activities;

-identify design methodologies appropriate to the context;

-simulate the design of a segment of curriculum;

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

During the course, students will have access to formative assessment tests to help them evaluate their level of preparation. These tests are designed for self-assessment and will be available on the Moodle platform at blended.uniurb.it.

Teaching

Lectures and group work. Lessons will include discussions and insights on a selected collection of novels and illustrated books. Additionally, students will be given the opportunity to actively participate in group projects, promoting collaborative learning experiences.

Innovative teaching methods

Some course topics will be addressed using the practices of debate and flipped classroom.

Attendance

Non-mandatory attendance

Course books

Reference texts:

Mascia, T. (2024). Letteratura per l’infanzia, culture e nuovi media. Roma: Edizioni conoscenza 

Mascia, T. (2020). I percorsi del lettore. Teoria e buone pratiche per la formazione. Avellino: Edizioni Sinestesie. Chapters: Chapter 1 (sections 1.1 and 1.9),  Chapter 2, Chapter 3. Available at: https://www.edizionisinestesie.it/libri/i-percorsi-del-lettore-teoria-e-buone-pratiche-per-la-formazione

Nobile, A. (2015). Letteratura giovanile. Brescia: Ed. La Scuola. Chapters: from Chapter 3 to Chapter 6).

One novel and one picture book to be selected from a bibliography of children's works and read for content analysis and discussion. Note: the bibliography of novels and picture books to choose from will be available and shared with students on Blended Moodle.

Assessment

Learning objectives and expected student learning outcomes are assessed through a written exam containing 5 open questions designed to assess students' knowledge and skills.

Answers to the questions will be evaluated 0–6 marks  for each of the following criteria:

- level of knowledge demonstrated; 
- efficiency, coherence, relevance of the answers in relation to the course program; 
-appropriate use of the disciplinary language used.

The final evaluation is expressed  in thirtieths

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

To provide non-attending students with the opportunity to study the material covered during the lessons independently, it is recommended to utilize all resources available on the blended platform (slides, exercises, supplementary materials), which are particularly useful for a comprehensive understanding of the course content.

Attendance

Non-mandatory attendance

Course books

Reference texts:

Mascia, T. (2024). Letteratura per l’infanzia, culture e nuovi media. Roma: Edizioni conoscenza 

Mascia, T. (2020). I percorsi del lettore. Teoria e buone pratiche per la formazione. Avellino: Edizioni Sinestesie. Chapters: Chapter 1 (sections 1.1 and 1.9),  Chapter 2, Chapter 3. Available at: https://www.edizionisinestesie.it/libri/i-percorsi-del-lettore-teoria-e-buone-pratiche-per-la-formazione

Nobile, A. (2015). Letteratura giovanile. Brescia: Ed. La Scuola. Chapters: from Chapter 3 to Chapter 6).

One novel and one picture book to be selected from a bibliography of children's works and read for content analysis and discussion. Note: the bibliography of novels and picture books to choose from will be available and shared with students on Blended Moodle.

Assessment

Learning objectives and expected student learning outcomes are assessed through a written exam containing 5 open questions designed to assess students' knowledge and skills.

Answers to the questions will be evaluated 0–6 marks  for each of the following criteria:

- level of knowledge demonstrated; 
- efficiency, coherence, relevance of the answers in relation to the course program; 
-appropriate use of the disciplinary language used.

The final evaluation is expressed  in thirtieths

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.