Need for Dark Materials in Children Literature Paper This assignment brings us full circle, back to the course framework I stated in the syllabus: “Each of

Need for Dark Materials in Children Literature Paper This assignment brings us full circle, back to the course framework I stated in the syllabus: “Each of the books we’re looking at makes a contribution to larger societal conversations. . . . [We’ll] be joining a lively critical conversation about children’s literature — its boundaries, its character, and its purpose.”There are two parts to this assignment. In Part A, you will identify four cultural artifacts from the past or the present that either are themselves in conversation with or represent something that is in some way in conversation with one of our course texts.In Part B, you will develop a rationale that 1) explains your choices and then 2) reflects on how the artifacts help you understand more deeply both your chosen text and its significant contribution to the ongoing conversation you’ve identified. This assignment brings us full circle, back to the course framework I stated in the syllabus: “Each of
the books we’re looking at makes a contribution to larger societal conversations. . . . [We’ll] be
joining a lively critical conversation about children’s literature — its boundaries, its character, and
its purpose.”
There are two parts to this assignment. In Part A, you will identify four cultural artifacts from
the past or the present that either are themselves in conversation with or represent something
that is in some way in conversation with one of our course texts.
In Part B, you will develop a rationale that 1) explains your choices and then 2) reflects on how the
artifacts help you understand more deeply both your chosen text and its significant contribution to
the ongoing conversation you’ve identified.
(NOTE: You have the option of doing the same project, but instead of using one of our course texts,
using a #Own Voices* text of your choice that you believe could beneficially be added to the
course syllabus, specifically to increase the diversity of experience represented in the course
texts.
*“#OwnVoices is a term coined by the writer Corinne Duyvis and refers to authors from
marginalized or under-represented groups writing about their own experiences/from
their own perspective, rather than someone from an outside perspective writing as a character
from an underrepresented group.”)
Part A
As a first step, I recommend choosing the text you’d like to work with and then brainstorming ideas
about the kinds of conversations, past and present, in which the text participates. You might think
about this in terms of social or literary issues with which the text engages (e.g., race relations, the
nature of childhood, the responsibilities of children’s literature, the need for darkness in books for
children and young adults, the importance of children’s texts as mirrors, etc.), but you could also
think about this in terms of authors, artists, or other creators the text has likely influenced or been
influenced by.
Your goal is to arrive at a specific thesis about the particular conversation(s) you feel are best
advanced by the text you’ve chosen and about the significant contribution made by the text to that
conversation.
Then start identifying relevant artifacts that express or represent the ideas that support your thesis.
These artifacts can be TEXTUAL (literature, historical or other primary source documents,
informational text, social media, etc.), VISUAL (art, photography, video clips, comics, memes,
infographics, etc.), or AUDIO (musical compositions, recitations, etc.). As you choose your four,
keep in mind that you’ll eventually be writing about your choices and that if they’re too similar to
each other, the writing portion may well prove difficult.
Once you’ve made your choices, think of how you might arrange them in a way that helps viewers
see and understand the connections you are drawing (you should also include, in addition to the four
artifacts, an image of the text you’re working with). Paste your artifacts into a format that you think
will be effective and engaging (Docs/Word, Slides/PowerPoint/Prezi, Adobe, website/blog). Label
each one with the title, creator, date, original publication information, and the name of the
website/other source where you found it, to the extent that you are able, and hyperlink to the place
where you found it, if possible. Title your project in a way that engages and guides the viewer.
Part B
Once you’ve chosen your artifacts, you’ll compose a rationale and reflection explaining your
choices. This part should be 900-1000 words in length.
Open with a paragraph explaining your vision for the project. Why did you choose the text that you
did? What is compelling about it, and in what kinds of conversations do you see it engaging? What
is your specific thesis about the text’s contribution to the conversation(s) on which you’ve decided
to focus for this project? [Note: please put the specific thesis statement in bold.]
Then write a paragraph for each of the four artifacts. Each paragraph must begin with a topic
sentence that connects the artifact with your thesis. The paragraphs will explain specifically why
you chose each artifact, how each connects to your chosen course text and the conversation on
which your project focuses, what specific aspects of the course text you’re responding to in
choosing it (e.g. specific lines or chapters or images), and how the artifact enhances or complicates
your understanding of the chosen text and its place in the ongoing social or literary conversation.
Remember that to do this effectively, you may (depending on the artifact) have to reference specific
paragraphs, lines, or visual details from the artifact.
Finally, conclude with a reflection on your process and your learning. In creating that paragraph,
consider the following questions: What are the most important or unexpected things you learned
along the way? How has your understanding of the text you chose, of the particular conversation,
and perhaps also of the power of Children’s Literature in general changed over the course of the
project? How did this work change your answers to the “big picture” question, “How do literary
texts engage in conversations with other texts, ideas, events, and trends?” and “Why should we
study books written for children?”
Thesis formula and example
[Name of book] contributes to an ongoing conversation about [focus of the conversation
you’ve identified] by [specific way(s) the book contributes].
Example:
Neil Gaiman’s Coraline adds to the ongoing conversation about the need for dark materials in
children’s literature by depicting for its readers a strong young protagonist who is
empowered by her terrifying experiences in the “other” world and uses them as opportunities
for growth and increased understanding of her own world.
My four artifacts would all have a demonstrable connection with the ongoing conversation about
children’s need for at least some darkness in at least some of their books.
For example, I might use Matt de la Peña’s Love as one of my artifacts. My topic sentence for this
artifact would tie back to the thesis through the concept of empowerment. In the paragraph on this
artifact, I’d explain that I chose it because I was so touched by de la Peña’s discussion of the book
in his article “Why We Shouldn’t Shield Children from Darkness.” I would tie it to specific
descriptions of Coraline and specific decisive, strong actions she takes in the book, explaining this
artifact as one that enhances my understanding of Coraline by making me more aware of just how
powerful an example she might be to a child reader.
Rationale:
Each of the following elements is appropriate in scope, insightful, and developed using specific
examples, reasons, and/or textual details.
Vision _____/10
Artifact 1 _____/10
Artifact 2 _____/10
Artifact 3 _____/10
Artifact 4 _____/10
Reflection _____/10
Work is presented with thoughtfulness and care. The arrangement of artifacts is compelling, each is
labeled, and the rationale is in standard MLA format, carefully proofread, and grammatically
correct. _____/10

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