Assessment Task

Assessment task 2 (40%)
Collaboratively prepared professional article

Task description
This group assessment task will allow you to begin to explore how you might use children's literature within the classroom.
There are two parts to this task:

Part 1. Choosing appropriate children's literature
In your group you must choose at least two different age groups from the following: Early Childhood (Prep - Gr. 2); Primary (Grades 3-6); Middle School (Grades 5-8).
For each age group you are to choose one of the issues listed below, and then you are to find at least two children's books that will help in the exploration of that topic/issue. Your group must decide on specific (concrete) ways of using these books to explore this issue.

Issues/topics
Friendship
Identity
Grief and loss
Refugees/dispossession
Truthfulness/honesty
Transitions (starting school; starting high school; new addition to the family)
Poverty
Global conflict
Homelessness
Exclusion
Colonisation (for examples, white colonisation of Australia)
Gratitude
Community/belonging
Separation/divorce

Part 2. Justification
Your group is to prepare a justification for using these books in the exploration of this particular issue, with this grade.
You will write your justification as a 2000 word article suitable for publication in a professional/teaching journal (that is, a journal read by teachers).
In your justification you will outline why you have chosen the issue, the books with which to explore that issue and the strategies you've decided upon. You will also ensure that you discuss how this issue, the texts, and the strategies fit within a particular curriculum framework (that is, a curriculum framework from a particular state) and encourage cross-curricula links
The justification will include a statement outlining your own philosophy of using children's literature in the classroom.
In your justification you will refer to the works of others. When you do this you will need to reference appropriately.

Task length
2000 words max

Assessment criteria
Identification of appropriate children's literature for use in particular classroom settings, and for particular purposes.
Articulation of philosophy of using children's literature.
Justification of children's literature as a means of exploring particular topics/issues
Conventions of academic writing (including referencing)
Breakdown of marks:Justification (group): 90% of totalSelf assessment (individual): 5% of totalPeer assessment (individual): 5% of total (an average of group members' scores)

Date due
Week 9: Friday 30th April 2010 (midnight)

As a suggestion if we all brainstorm our ideas using the blog then perhaps we can reach some sort of consensus. (L.Rankin - 29/3/10)