GREDI002 Sustainable literacy and environmental children's literature

Contents and structure

This course combines advanced knowledge about literacy, children’s literature and current themes as sustainable development and lifelong learning needed to meet the goals of Agenda 2030. The literary corpus mainly consists of contemporary Scandinavian children’s literature (preferable available also in other languages) with an emphasis on nature connectedness, environment, and climate change. Dialogic teaching and the didactic tools related to green dialogues will be applied, tested, and developed throughout the course. The course addresses the cross-curricular theme "Sustainable development".

Learning Outcome

When the course is completed, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes:

Knowledge

Students

• have acquired basic knowledge of primarily contemporary Scandinavian children's literature the main principles of dialogic teaching and learning
• have acquired knowledge of key ecocritical concepts
• have acquired knowledge of dialogic and process-oriented reading and writing didactics

Skills

Students

• can facilitate primary school students’ participation in reading, writing and explorative talks related to children’s literature and students’ texts in various genres and modalities
• can analyse the required reading from ecocritical perspectives
• can reflect upon and discuss the didactic potential of the required reading relevant to Agenda 2030
• can practice academic writing

General competence

Students

• can collaborate on, plan, carry out, and assess cross-disciplinary scientific development relevant for primary schools
• can connect sustainable development as a cross-disciplinary theme with diverse and dialogic learning processes

Entry requirements

None

Teaching methods

Students should be active participants, recipients/receivers, conversation partners, tutors for peers, and observers in class. The subject includes various working methods and compulsory learning activities that support an active and student-oriented approach to learning. The working methods include lectures, supervision, student presentations, group work and discussions.

Compulsory learning activities

• Individual: Infographic related to the didactic potential of a literary work.
• In groups: Podcast/video aims to demonstrate dialogic skills related to the exploration of an ecocritical concept.

Detailed guidelines will be available at the start of the semester.

Language: English or a Scandinavian language

The course requirements are evaluated as a approved or not approved. The course requirements must be completed and approved in order for students to attend the exam. Students who do not pass the course requirements, will be given one (1) additional attempt in the same semester, within a deadline set by the instructor.

Approved assignments are valid for one semester in addition to the semester in which the assignment was approved.

Assessment

Individual two-part exam:

1. Oral exam: 25-30 minutes conversation about a literary work
2. Portfolio: 3 texts (1500-2000 words) building on a) the infographic, b) the literary and dialogic experiences during a literature laboratory module, and c) a critical literacy module

Guidelines for the exam (oral and portfolio) will be provided at the beginning of the module.

Grades A to F are used in each assessment. The weighting is 50/50. Both exams must be passed before a final grade can be given. If one fails in one exam, this may be retaken.

Examination support material

Oral exam: None

Portfolio: All. For information on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), see Submission of home exams and assignments - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (hvl.no).

More about examination support material