ENGL 3704 - Literature for Middle School Readers
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 41576,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Jacklynn Mercer
Email: jmercer01@ysu.edu
Course Description
3704. Literature for Middle School Readers. Study of fiction and nonfiction genres for students in the middle school grades, including characters and authors from various cultures and ethnicities. Required of middle childhood reading and language arts majors. Prereq.: Completion of ENGL 1551 with grade "C" or better. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | The Giver | Lowery, Lois | 9780544336261 |
| Required | Doll Bones | Black, Holly | 9781416963998 |
| Required | Orbiting Jupiter | Schmidt, Gary D. | 9780544938397 |
| Required | Refugee | Gratz, Alan | 9780545880831 |
| Required | Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case | Crowe, Chris | 9780451478726 |
| Required | Front Desk | Yang, Kelly | 9781338157826 |
| Required | Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You | Reynolds, Jason and Kendi, Ibram X. | 9780316453691 |
| Required | The Year We Fell From Space | King, Amy Sarig | 9781338236361 |
| Required | King and the Dragonglies | Callender, Kacen | 9781338129335 |
| Required | Other Words for Home | Warga, Jasmine | 9780062747815 |
| Required | Snapdragon | Leyh, Kat | 9781250171115 |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | 8/25 | Course Introduction, Who are Middle Grade Readers? | ||
| Thu | 8/27 | See readings on Blackboard | What is Middle Grade Literature? | |
| Tue | 9/1 | The Giver | Dystopian Literature | Reading Response #1 |
| Thu | 9/3 | Hanson, C.F. (2009). The utopian function of memory in Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Extrapolation, 50(1), 45-60. Lea, S.G. (2006). Seeing beyond the sameness: Using The Giver to challenge colorblind ideology. Children’s Literature in Education, 37(1), 51-67. DOI: 10.1007/s10583-005-9454-2 |
Dystopian Literature | |
| Tue | 9/8 | Snapdragon | Graphic Novels | Reading Response #2 |
| Thu | 9/10 | Butcher, K.T. & Manning, M.L. (2004). Bringing graphic novels into a school’s curriculum. The Clearing House, 78(2), 67-72. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30197687 | Graphic Novels | |
| Tue | 9/15 | King and the Dragon Flies | LGTBQ Representation in MG Lit | Reading Response #3 |
| Thu | 9/17 | Dinkins, E.G. & Englert, P. (2015), LGBTQ literature in middle school classrooms: possibilities for challenging heteronormative environments. Sex Education, (15)4, 392-405, DOI: 10.1080/14681811.2015.1030012 Wood, E. (2010). Pushing the envelope: Exploring sexuality in teen literature. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young adults, 1(1). |
LGTBQ Representation in MG Lit | |
| Tue | 9/22 | Doll Bones | Fantasy | Reading Response #4 |
| Thu | 9/24 | Smith, M., & Mathur, R. (2009). Children’s Imagination and Fantasy: Implications for Development, Education, and Classroom Activities. | Fantasy | |
| Tue | 9/29 | The Year We Fell from Space | ||
| Thu | 10/1 | Reading Response #5 | ||
| Tue | 10/6 | Orbiting Jupiter | Realistic, rural fiction | |
| Thu | 10/8 | Midterm | ||
| Tue | 10/13 | Refugee See readings and videos on Blackboard |
Refugee Stories Historical Fiction |
Reading Response #6 |
| Tue | 10/20 | Other Words for Home | Refugee Stories | Reading Response #7 |
| Tue | 10/27 | Front Desk | Immigrant Stories | Reading Response #8 |
| Thu | 10/29 | Khiantani, N., & Buchanan, L. B. (2022). Disrupting Dominant Narratives of Asian Americans in the United States Using Yang's Front Desk. | ||
| Tue | 11/3 | Stamped | MG Non-fiction Civil Rights Movement |
Reading Response #9 |
| Thu | 11/5 | Kuehl, R. (2022). Through the lines: Exploring past/present connections in middle grade novels. The Reading Teacher, 75(4). doi:10.1002/trtr.2041 | MG Non-fiction Civil Rights Movement |
|
| Tue | 11/10 | Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case Wolk, S. (2009). Reading for a better world: Teaching for social responsibility with young adult literature. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(8). doi:10.1598/JA AL.52.8.2 |
MG Non-fiction Civil Rights Movement |
Reading Response #10 |
| Thu | 11/12 | No Class | ||
| Tue | 11/17 | Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case See additional readings and videos on Blackboard |
MG Non-fiction Civil Rights Movement |
|
| Thu | 11/19 | No Class | ||
| Tue | 11/24 | Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case | MG Non-fiction Civil Rights Movement |
|
| Thu | 11/26 | No Class | ||
| Tue | 12/1 | "The Fun They Had" by Asimov "Fluffle-Picking Time" by Grabenstein |
Middle Grade Short Stories | |
| Thu | 12/3 | "Thank You, Ma'am" by Hughes "The Sand Castle" Villanueva |
Middle Grade Short Stories |
Final Paper due Sunday, 12/6, at 11:59 pm |
| Tue | 12/8 | No Class | ||
| Thu | 12/10 | No Class |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.