"What would it look like to bring University-level study of literature and culture to elementary school children? How could we encourage a lifelong love of these topics, and give children a taste for experiential and engaged learning? How can we do this in ways that are especially resonant for this particular place, Victoria? My project will combine research and practical application to produce prototype instructional units grounded in a place-based literature curriculum. 

First, I will research existing best practices and principles of curriculum and programme design for teaching literature and culture to young children. I will supplement the existing scholarship by consulting with local elementary school teachers, indigenous peoples, and other community stakeholders to discover how these principles and practices might be adapted to our specific place. I will detail the results of my research in a brief research paper (2000 words). That paper will conclude with recommendations regarding which new lines of development seem most promising for devising place-based literature curriculum for young children. In the second phase of my project, I will design curriculum and programming on two scales: a) for a single day unit, and b) for a one-week unit. I will be guided in this development by an emphasis on the specificities of place, histories of colonialism, and the strong desire to inculcate a lifelong love of literature in young students. 

I will present the final design, with its rationale, principles, best practices, and examples at the JCURA Research Fair."