Arab Open University Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) FACULTY OF LANGUAGE STUDIES EA300A: Children’s Literature (I) Part (I): STUDENT INFORMATION (to be completed by student) 1. Name: 2. Student ID No: 3. Section No: 4. Tel. : 5. E-mail: I con

Arab Open University
Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA)

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE STUDIES
EA300A: Children’s Literature (I)

Part (I): STUDENT INFORMATION (to be completed by student)
1. Name: 2. Student ID No:
3. Section No: 4. Tel. : 5. E-mail:
I confirm that the work presented here is my own and is not copied from any source.
Student's signature:
Part (II): TUTOR'S REMARKS (to be completed by tutor)
Tutor name: Signature:
Date TMA received: Date returned:

TUTOR’S REMARKS:


Content










Language and Organization




Earned Mark




EA300A: Children’s Literature (I)
TMA: Semester 1, 2015 - 2016

TMA: 20 points
Cut-off date: week 11
December 12-17, 2015
Length: 2000 words


In his Carnegie Medal acceptance speech, Philip Pullman states: “There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children’s book. The reason for that is that in adult literary fiction, stories are there on sufferance. Other things are felt to be more important: technique, style, literary knowingness.”
Explain this quotation and highlight its significance to Philip Pullman’s novel Northern Lights.

Student Notes:

These notes suggest some possible approaches you might want to take in response to the TMA question, and are intended to help you get started. They are not designed to be used as an essay plan, and you may well want to take a different approach.

This assignment is asking the students to explain Pullman’s quotation and to examine its relevance to his novel Northern Lights. The quotation is controversial, and Pullman, as usual, is using his wit to shock his audience and shake their assumptions about the nature and definition of children’s literature.
Students can ask the following questions to explore this topic:
 What effect is Pullman hoping to achieve in such a claim?
 Why is he trying to be controversial?
 What are these themes and subjects that Pullman thinks are appropriate for children’s books but not for adults? Why?
 To what extent does this quote reshape our assumptions about the nature and definition of children’s literature?
 What implications does this quote have on the subject of what is suitable for children to read? How does this apply to Northern Lights?
 What status does Pullman give to children’s literature as opposed to adult literature?
 If children’s literature deals with such themes, then what is the role of this literature according to Pullman? How is this true for Northern Lights?
 Does this quote confirm that Northern Lights is a crossover novel? How so?


In the course of your essay, you are expected to engage with the critical materials provided for the module, explaining where you are adopting critics’ views, and where you are refining them or challenging them. You are likely to find it helpful to contrast critical viewpoints, as well as to experiment with how far they can be aligned.
When it comes to planning your essay, you may find it helpful to set up an outline structure of points you wish to make, and then choose two or three scenes from the novel to write about in detail to flesh out your points. In this type of essay, it is essential to make detailed reference to the novel, as well as to the critical literature. Your tutors and assessors are interested in what you think about the topic.

Students may find the critical works in their Reader: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends on Northern Lights helpful for writing their TMAs. But we advise you to do more research to write a substantial essay. You can also look at the bibliographies at the end of each essay on Northern Lights in your reader to find more articles relevant to your topic. The following critical works may be helpful in your research:

1. P. Hunt and M. Lenz, Alternative Worlds in Fantasy Fiction.
2. M. Lenz and C Scott, His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays on Philip Pullman’s Tribology.
3. C. Squires, Philip Pullman, Master Storyteller: A Guide to the Worlds of His Dark Materials.
4. N. Tucker, Darkness Visible: Inside the World of Philip Pullman.

A thesis statement and a proper logical presentation of ideas are necessary.

To do this TMA, you will need to do the following steps:

1. Plan your essay ahead of time by writing a plan highlighting the main points you intend to cover.
2. Write a thesis statement stating your argument to be included in the introduction.
3. Select some excerpts that relate to your argument. State what these passages say and add your own comments and interpretation.
4. Make sure your essay makes reference to some quotations from the novel.
5. Your analytical comments should follow every time you quote from the text under discussion or the critical material you refer to.
6. Reference to critical material related to this topic is a must. (You should refer to at least 3 critical works).
7. You should refer and quote from the course’s audiovisual material whenever possible. The audiovisual material should be well integrated in your essay.
8. At this stage, you are expected to know how to paraphrase and synthesize the material you read, using your own words as much as possible. You still have to quote and use quotation marks in the right annotation methods you learned from your tutors.
9. Make sure you ask your tutors in class and during their office hours for further clarifications.

Using the e-library on campus:
Students are requested to visit the e-library on campus and use it to do their TMAs properly. They are also requested to show their tutor that they used the e-library in doing the TMA by referring to some articles they have read. Students who fail to use and refer to material from the e-library will subsequently lose some marks.

The following are guidelines on plagiarism:
If you submit an assignment that contains work other than yours without acknowledging your sources, you are committing plagiarism. This might occur when:

• Using a sentence or phrase that you have come across
• Copying word-for-word directly from a text
• Paraphrasing the words from the text very closely
• Using text downloaded from the Internet
• Borrowing statistics or assembled facts from another person or source
• Copying or downloading figures, photographs, pictures or diagrams without acknowledging your sources
• Copying from the notes or essays of a fellow student

(Slightly adapted from OU document on quoting versus plagiarism)

It is important to remember that plagiarism is strictly barred and would be subject to punitive action by the Arab Open University.

Marking Descriptor

GRADE CONTENT LANGUAGE & ORGANIZATION
A


(18-20) Excellent answers showing confident and wide-ranging knowledge of core material, good understanding of any relevant theory, and a capacity to address the question in a structural, direct and effective way, thoughtfully and with insight. Originality of thought or ideas from outside the course are an added asset. Examples are to the point. - Has an introduction defining plan of essay.
- Body divided into several paragraphs
- Conclusion which directly relates arguments to topic.
- Evidence that essay has been edited.
- Error-free grammar & register.
- Wide range of specialized terminology.
- Consistent in-text citation and form of referencing
B to B+


(16-17) Very good answers showing secure knowledge of course materials. Adopting an analytical approach and providing relevant discussion covering most of the key issues. Distinguished from A answers by being less insightful or by showing less comprehensive knowledge of the course. - First four criteria above maintained
- Demonstrates extensive grammar control.
- Terminology specialized but less varied.
- Minor Inconsistency in in-text citation and referencing
C to C+


(14-15) Competent answers reflecting adequate knowledge of the more directly relevant course material and concepts, with reasonable structure and adequate coherence related to the question set. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but still satisfactory.
- Evidence of editing.
- Less grammar control than above.
- Good range of specialized terminology.
- Inconsistent in in-text citation and referencing
D



(10-13)


Answers which omit some concepts /evidence and/or lack coherence /structure, and/or make minor errors while still demonstrating basic understanding. Or Bare pass answers which show awareness of some relevant material and attempt to relate it to the question. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but acceptable.
- no evidence of editing.
- Few grammatical errors that impede communication.
- Above average range of specialized terminology.
- Slightly confused introduction and/or conclusion, but body still fair.
- No evidence of editing.
- Some error types that impede communication.
- Fair range of specialized terminology.
- Inaccurate in-text citation and referencing
F

Below
10 Answers which attempt to draw upon relevant material but do not reflect sufficient knowledge of the course and/or neglect the focus required by the question, and/or are incomplete in some important aspects whilst being acceptable in others. - No introduction and /or no conclusion.
- Body badly organized or irrelevant.
- Poor grammar control (extremely limited range of grammar & register).
- Limited or not specialized range of terminology.
- No in-text citations and no referencing