ENG 272: Literature for the Middle Grades
Syllabus for Fall 2022
The World of Middle School & Tweens
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Read the book. If you can't obtain the book, you can read this free Project Gutenberg original text for Tom Sawyer. Here is an older edition in .pdf format from Google.
Twain's home in Hannibal, MO
L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Still from The Pathwork Girl of Oz 1914 film
The complete book with illustration by W.W. Denslow on Project Gutenberg. Read this online if you are unable to get the book.
1893 World's Columbian Exposition
- The Columbian Exposition Image Gallery (lots of photos)
- Video simulation of 1893 World's Fair..
Links to information about films based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Warner Bros' official links to how you can stream the 1939 film.
- Tornado scene from 1939 film with Judy Garland.
- with captions: Tornado Scene - The Wizard of Oz (1939) – It’s a Twister! – (4:50) https://tinyurl.com/2p9y37wv
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- "Fiddling with Fairies" by Gail Carson Levin
- "Cinderella" French Fairy Tale version by Charles Perrault
- Reading guide, from publisher HarperCollins, for Ella Enchanted.
Film clips related to Ella Enchanted with captions
1. From the film Ella Enchanted – Ella Enchanted (6/12) Movie CLIP – Kick Some Butt (2004) HD – (2:11) https://tinyurl.com/22bebx63
2. Ever After, film – Ever After (2/5) Movie CLIP – Carrying the Prince (1998) HD – (2:42) https://tinyurl.com/3hf89yfp
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- Read these 2 .pdfs Joseph Campbell's Monomyth AND Greek Gods' family tree by D'Aaulaires
- Rick Riordan's website section about Percy Jackson.
- Mythology for kids: Mythweb Ancient Greek Gods, site for kids
Related film clips with captions
1. Clash of the Titans Release The Kraken [HD] – (1:29) https://tinyurl.com/2p83xdys
2. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: the lightning thief trailer #2 – (1:43) https://tinyurl.com/3ah5e9s2
3. Medusa Chases Percy – Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Extended Scene – (1:17) https://tinyurl.com/ynh8kcrk
How to do Research & MLA Style
Milner Library has many videos and directions on how to use the library. Watch the following short videos on Milner Library website:
- Find items in the Catalog
- How to set search limits in the Milner Catalog
- Find Articles
- Find Databases
- Teaching Materials Center (TMC)
- Using Novelist Plus
If you need help using the Milner Library website, contact Jean MacDonald, English Studies Subject Library. jmacdon@ilstu.edu
Using MLA Style
- MLA Style
- How to Use MLA Style,” & “Examples
- MLA 8th Edition Quick Guide, in .pdf
- Formatting Your Paper
- MLA has an online style guide at style.mla.org
- "Starting the Research Process and Searching the Internet" Link to .pdf file of an MLA document
Writing your paper for ENG 272
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
Linda Sue Park's Prairie Lotus
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Surviving the Dust Bowl, a PBS series. Website has related photos, articles and short videos.
Riding the Rails, a PBS series about the more than a quarter million teenagers were living on the road in America. Website has interviews, articles, teachers' resources.
One of Dorthea Lange's iconic WPA photos of migrant mother & children in California 1936.
Visions in the Dust: Lesson Plans for teaching about the Great Depression, including using Out of the Dust.
Voices from the Dust Bowl. The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress online presentation documenting migrant farm workers in California in 1940 and 1941.
Related YouTube videos
- The Grapes of Wrath: ReThink Review. rethinking the 1940 film directed by John Ford based on John Steinbeck's book. 3:47
- with captions ReThink Review: The Grapes of Wrath – ReThink Review – (3:46) https://tinyurl.com/bx3ee35u
- Hard Times Come Again No More with photographs.
- Woody Guthrie "This Land is Your Land"
Children of day laborers in Oklahoma. None of the kids had attended school. 1939. WPA photo by Russell Lee.
Child in Yakima Valley, Wash., working. 1939 FSA photo by Dorthea Lange.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Pullman Porter on the job
Information related to the book
- Christopher Paul Curtis' website
- "America on the Move: Pullman Porters" from the National Museum of American History exhibit
- From Jazz: A film by Ken Burns on PBS. segment "Jazz in the Time of the Great Depression"
- The Great Depression: An African-American Perspective
Tunes mentioned in the book
- "Shenandoah" performed by Arlo Guthrie
- "Minnie the Moocher" performed by Cab Calloway.
- "Take the A Train" performed by Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1943.
- "It Don't Mean a Thing" performed by Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1943.
- "My Favorite Things" performed by Betty Carter
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh
Museum of the City of New York on Harriet's life.
A Google Map walking tour of Harriet's New York
This Flickr site also has recent photos of Harriet's New York neighborhood.
Wake County, North Carolina, Library .pdf 7 page document for kids reading and thinking about Harriet the Spy, includes questions and list of similar books.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Blue Balliett information Blue Balliett's website.
Art related information
- Essential Vermeer. a website with links to information
- Video about National Gallery of Art's Calder exhibit
Pentominoes links
- Printable pentominos in .pdf format
- Pentominoes information and organization.
- Using Chasing Vermeer as a math lesson for 3rd and 4th graders
- Lo! A Hypertext Edition of Charles Hoy Fort's Books. BBC guide to info on Fort.
Click on images to take you to larger images and more information about the artwork.
The Geographer by Vermeer
A Lady Writing by Vermeer as it looks hanging in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer
The Treachery of Images (This is not a pipe) [1929] by Rene Magritte
Alexander Calder with Cirque Calder (1926-31). Photo by Andre Kretesz
Calder mobiles in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C
Hyde Park, on the block of Powell's Bookstore
Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Located in Hyde Park, Chicago.
57th St Books in Hyde Park
front of Art Institute of Chicago with the lions
Inside Art Institute of Chicago
Outside of Powell's Bookstore in Chicago
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Official website of Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid website. Funbrain.com site begin here with FAQs
Clips from the 2010 film Diary of a Wimpy Kid on YouTube:
- Advice from older brother on surviving middle school. 1 min
- The Cheese Touch 1:10 min
- Greg wrestles Patty 1 min
- "Intellectual wasteland" at middle school 1min
- Trailer for the Dairy of a Wimpy Kid film (2010)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney film clips with captions
1. A Fourth Grade play of Diary of a Wimpy Kid – (1:07) https://tinyurl.com/bdzzscku
2. Youtube interview of Jeff Kinney – Jeff Kinney – Exclusive Video Interview – (2:28) https://tinyurl.com/4m2ewupw
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick's site for The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Hugo film released in November 2011
Documentary on George Melies – George Melies: The Father of Special Effects – (15:13) https://tinyurl.com/3f9s3mzk with captions
Automatons
- Henri Maillardet's Automaton at The Franklin Institute. video.
- Franklin Institute's Maillardet Automation Demonstration (Nov 4, 2007). Video. 7:11 min.
George Melies and early cinema
Still from George Melies. A Trip to the Moon. 1902
- A Trip to the Moon 1902. Video. 6:52 min
- The Vanishing Lady 1896 Video 1:17 min
- The Astronomer's Dream"1898 video 3:22 min
- Documentary on George Melies. Video. 15:14 min
- The Train Arrives The Lumiere Brothers 1895. 50 sec.
Additional resources in children's literature research
- Link to .pdf of Mark I. West's "Key Reference Works Related to Children's Literature " from Everyone's Guide to Children's Literature.
- Online Children's Literature Journals
- Journals that publish articles on children's literature research & criticism. Compiled by Wally Hastings & Michael Joseph
- Children's Literature Resources on the Internet from School Libraries Online.
- Grad students' annotated lists: Children's Literature Research Resources by librarian & NC State grad student. Frank Rogers' (U of Ga grad student) general children's lit
- Children's literature book awards and Victorian Literature resources on this website.
If you are struggling to write a literary analysis paper, read "How to Write a Research Paper in Literature" by Geoff Baker at Chico State University (.pdf format)
More Research & Writing Resources on Children's Literature from my website
illustration by Quentin Blake
The following materials were used in previous courses.
Video for Tweens
"Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-12 year olds" a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Use the link to go to the website and then download the report in .pdf format Also, Go to the 5 minute video on the report
James Paul Gee on "Games and Learning" (1:47 min). From Edutopia on "Grading with Games." (3:58 min). on Global Kids in Teen Second Life from 2007
Katie Salen on digital media and learning from MacArthur Foundation. (1:38 min)
Articles and adult ideas on kids' video games.
"Social Networking: A Parent's Guide" information from the Federal Trade Commission on teaching kids virtual world safety
"Designing-websites-for-kids-trends-and-best-practices/est practices on how to attract kids" from Smashing Magazine, a journal on web design. Article explains why Club Penguin and other sites work, or don't.
Understanding Multimedia Learning. Research, funded by BrainPop, on using educational technology (.pdf)
Fashion and Girl Pop Culture for Tweens
Tavi Gevinson, high-fashion teen girl blogger in Oak Park, IL. Chicago Tribune article on Oct. 2, 2011 (.pdf) Link to Rookiemag.com Link to her Tumblr site. Link to her blog.
Tweenage Wasteland on HelloGiggles.com by Mikaela Foster, a 12-year-old blogger.
Fashionista.com critiques blogs of Tavi and Madonna's daughter Lourdes. (June 2010)
Cecilia Casini, a 10-year-old's fashion blog.
TV for Tweens
"First the Tween Heart, Now the Soul" New York Times (3/25/2010) article about tween TV creator and music guy, Dan Schneider
TV shows for tweens emphasize being famous, according to study by UCLA psychologists. In 1967 shows for same audience emphasized community feelings and benevolence Read article in Time from July 2011
YouTube videos on middle school.
- First day of middle school for boy going into sixth grade. 1:03
- Maya's First day of 7th grade. with parents thoughts. :52
- My Middle School Survival Guide 10:00.
- Middle School Survival from Glitter Guitar Goddess 9:52 .heart felt tips by an older girl
- Stuck locker. :24
- Two girls on How to survive 7th grade #1 3:54 min
- How to be popular in middle school, with emphasis on makeup. 14 min How to be a cool middle school girl. (kind of a spoof, but not totally) 9:46
- Middle school orientation. 3:43 min
- First day middle school for 6th grade Poulsbo Middle School, a news report. 1:40 min
- Eighth grade girl on the night before school starts. "Mean girls, middle school & being positive" 12:34
What's life like for middle schoolers and tweens today? 
- TweenTribune
- "Taking the Middle out of Middle School" a 2007 series from The New York Times on rethinking middle school concept
- What middle school parents should know by Nancy Darling from Psychology Today (Sept. 9, 2010)
- GreatSchools.org section on Reading during Middle School
- Reading habits of teens and tweens article from Nov. 1, 2010 Washington Post
Additional Links of interest
Recycle your Reads. An interesting blog by a teacher of tweens who's incorporating technology into the Lanuage Arts class. Check out her blog on Cornerstone books and the accompanying videos that the kids created about their cornerstone books.
How to get boys to read. Huffington Post essay from July 20, 2010
English/Language Arts classes resources for Middle School and High School
Syllabus for Fall 2018 Section 2 (in .pdf format)
Syllabus for FALL 2019 ENG 272.1
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry's Newbery Acceptance speech for The Giver
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
Disney's "The Story of Menstruation" sponsored by Kotex. on YouTube. (10:16 min)
Cynthia Leitch Smith interviews Judy Blume.
Interview with Judy Blume (4min)
Blog posts about adults remembering reading Margaret:
- Liz Shannon Miller, including notes about how the book was updated
- Third Coast Digest on how she was the only girl in fifth grade to receive the book from her mother
- Jezebel magazine has Lizzie Skurnick tackle the classic test with people writing comments as well.
Research links
click here for link of Caldecott Medal winners at the American Library Association website
NCTE statement on prepping teachers for teaching children's & YA literature
Research & Writing Resources for Children's Literature. A list I've compiled that will help you on your research papers. Includes links to online resources, journals and more, plus a list of books, and the MLA Guide in .pdf form.