Literature is at the core of the study of English in the Australian Curriculum, and an essential element in curricula across the world. This unit promotes the idea that literature is a dynamic, fertile resource and practice in 21st century language and literacy. Pre-service teachers will explore the "multi-active, multi-purpose and multi-dimensional" properties of children's literature, from a selection of classic and contemporary culturally diverse texts. Pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to consider key historical, critical and theoretical debates about literature for children. The texts, customs and cultures of Australian First Peoples are foregrounded in this unit, and will be explored through multimodal materials, drawing on the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature (NCACL) resources. Picture books, novels, plays and poetry in traditional and multimodal forms will be used as a basis to plan lessons that develop children's critical and imaginative understanding of literary texts.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Appraise key critical, theoretical, and aesthetic issues in literature for children and young people;
2. Articulate the value of story reading and storytelling by modelling cultural, performative, and social connections across various educational and real-world contexts;
3. Explore the richness and interconnectedness of First Nations storytelling, including oral and performance-based traditions, and use of signs and symbols;
4. Exhibit the multimodal and multidimensional properties of literature for children and young people in the 21st century; and
5. Employ knowledge of texts for children and young people to develop appropriate, creative, and meaningful student learning experiences.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

9882 Linguistics for Educators

Assumed knowledge

None.