Melanie Debra Koss, Ph.D.

Professor, Literacy Education

Department

Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago 2008
M.A., The Ohio State University 1997
B.S., Skidmore College 1995

Research Interests

Koss teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in children's literature, young adult literature, issues of diversity in children's literature, language arts and content area reading. Her research interests include looking at representations of diversity in contemporary and award-winning children's and young adult books, examining identity in readers through examination of young adult literature, ways of using literature with English Language Learners and using literature with STEM.

Recent Publications

Koss, M. D., and Daniel, M. C. (in press). Valuing the lives and experiences of English learners: Widening the landscape of children's literature. TESOL Journal.
Koss, M. D., Johnson, N. J., and Martinez, M. (2018). Mapping the diversity in Caldecott books from 1938-2017: The changing topography. Journal of Children's Literature, 44(1), 4-20.
Johnson, N. J., Koss, M. D., and Martinez, M. (2018). Through the sliding glass door: #EmpowerTheReader. The Reading Teacher, 71(5), 569-571.
Koss, M. D., and Williams, C. A. (2018). All American Boys, #BlackLivesMatter, and Socratic Seminar to promote productive dialogue in the classroom. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 46(2), 3-15.
Koss, M. D., Martinez, M., and Johnson, N. J. (2017). Where are the Latinxs?: Diversity in Caldecott winner and honor books. Bilingual Review/Revista Bilingüe, 33(5), 50-62.
Koss, M.D., and Daniel, M.C. (2017). Culturally relevant literature for multilingual classrooms. In M. Daniel (Ed.), English learners at the top of the class: Reading and writing for authentic purposes. (pp. 15-30). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Koss, M.D. (2017). The influence of the Internet and social media on teens' engagement with young adult literature. In J.A. Hayn and J.S. Kaplan (Eds.), Teaching young adult literature today: Insights, considerations, and perspectives for the classroom teacher (2^nd). (pp. 293-312). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Koss, M.D., and Johnson, D. (2017). Diversity 2.0: Advocating for more than just diverse faces. Journal of Children's Literature Online.
Martinez, M., Koss, M. D., Johnson, N. J. (2016). Meeting characters in Caldecotts: What does this mean for today's readers? The Reading Teacher, 70(1), 19-28.
Daniel, M.C., and Koss, M.D. (2016). Exploring perceptions of gender roles in English language teaching. In C. Hastings and L. Jacob (Eds.), Social justice in English language teaching. (pp. 187-198.). Annapolis Junction, MD: TESOL Press.
Koss, M.D., and Wilson, N.S. (2016). Who I was, who I am, who I want to be: An analysis of emotional survival in Wintergirlsby Laurie Halse Anderson and Identical by Ellen Hopkins. In D.G. Clark and L. Salem (Eds.), Frontiers in American children's literature (pp. 47-61). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Johnson, D., and Koss, M.D. (2016). Diversity in children's literature: One year later. Journal of Children's Literature, 42(1), 53-56.
Koss, M. D. (2015). Diversity in contemporary picturebooks: A content analysis. Journal of Children's Literature, 41(1), 32-42.
Koss, M. D. (2015). We need a voice: A high school book club explores societal commentary in young adult novels with critical technological and societal themes. Signal Journal, 38(2), 38-43.
Koss, M.D. (2015). The case for young adult literature: Using narrative in the EL classroom. In M. Daniel and. K. Mokhtari (Eds.), Research based instruction that makes a difference in English learners' success (pp. 63-72). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Koss, M. D., and Tucker-Raymond, E. (2014). Construction and depiction of identity in young adult novels with digital communication technologies. The ALAN Review 41(2), 34-43.
Carger, C. L., and Koss, M. D. (2014). Getting to know you: Using alphabet books to develop vocabulary and exchange cultural information with English language learners. Illinois Reading Council Journal 42(4), 11-18.
Koss, M.D., and Tucker-Raymond, E. (2014). Construction and depiction of identity in young adult novels with digital communication technologies. The ALAN Review 41(2), 34-43.
Wilson, N.S., and Koss, M.D. (2014). Text complexity of popular middle grade texts: How do popular middle grades texts stack up to CCSS standards? AMLE Magazine 2(1), 28-31.
Wilson, N.S., and Koss, M.D. (2013). Is there a middle grades canon? A survey methodology. 2012 American Reading Forum Yearbook.

Recent Presentations

Koss, M.D. (2018, March). Diversity in children's and YA books: Why we need to share diverse books with students. Kane County Institute Day. Elgin, IL. (Invited Keynote Speaker/Workshop Coordinator)
Anderson, L.H., Brockenbrough, M., and Koss, M.D. (2017, November). Searching history: Asking tough questions, seeking hidden answers, and finding authentic voices. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, St. Louis, MO.
Koss, M.D. (2017, November). Who is represented? A content analysis of diversity in Newbery-winning novels. Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Annual Conference, St. Petersburg, FL.
Williams, C.A., and Koss, M.D. (2017, November). Engaging culturally diverse struggling readers in postsecondary settings: Using the Hot Seat strategy and The Hate U Give as a springboard to promote reading comprehension. Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Annual Conference, St. Petersburg, FL.
Williams, C.A., and Koss, M.D. (2017, November). Using The Hate U Give to Promote Sustainable Literacy Habits with Secondary Inner-City Students. Focus on Illinois Education Research Symposium, Naperville, IL.
Rao, A., Olson, J., and Koss, M.D. (2017, October). Equipping teacher candidates for the edTPA: Perspectives of teacher preparation program supports. Mid-Western Educational Research Association, Evanston, IL.
Koss, M.D. (2017, October). Meeting characters in Newbery-winning books: What does this mean for today's readers? Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria, IL.
Koss, M.D., and Williams, C.A. (2017, October). Teachers as agents of change: Using All American Boys to inspire advocacy and action. Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria, IL.
Koss, M.D., and Johnson, D. (2017, May). A history of diversity in Newbery winner books: Changes over time. 28^th Annual Conference of the American Literature Association. Boston, MA.
Martinez, M., Koss, M.D., and Johnson, N.J. (2017, March). A content analysis of diversity in Caldecott winner and honor books across the decades. National Latino Children's Literature Conference. San Antonio, TX.
Hadi-Tabbasum, S., and Koss, M.D. (2016, December). Bilingual children's literature: Looking at visual and print literacy. Illinois Association for Multilingual and Multicultural Education, Oakbrook, IL.
Koss, M.D. (2016, November/December). Who is represented: Have depictions of diversity in Newbery winner books changed over time? The 66^th Annual Convention of the Literacy Research Association, Nashville, TN.
Koss, M.D., Martinez, M., and Johnson, N.J. (2016, November/December). A content analysis of diversity in Caldecott winner and honor books across the decades. The 66^th Annual Convention of the Literacy Research Association, Nashville, TN.
Koss, M.D. (2016, November). A history of diversity in Newbery medal books. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Atlanta, GA.
Koss, M.D., Martinez, M., and Johnson, N.J. (2016, November). Meeting characters in Caldecott books: What does this mean for today's readers? The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Atlanta, GA.
Koss, M.D., O'Neal, S., and Johnson, D. (2016, November). Diversity 2.0: Advocating for more than just diverse faces. Children's Literature Assembly Workshop at The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Atlanta, GA. Koss, M.D., O'Neal, S., and Johnson, D. (2016, November). Diversity 2.0: Continuing the conversation. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Atlanta, GA.
Reeves, T., Rao, A., Olson, J., and Koss, M.D. (2016, October). Potential and plausible threats to the validity of the edTPA: Views of pre-service elementary teachers. Mid-Western Educational Research Association, Evanston, IL.
Wakefield, D.S., and Koss, M.D. (2016, September). Using book apps to promote classroom literacy. Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria, IL.
Johnson, D., and Koss, M.D. (2015, November). Diversity in children's literature: One year later. Children's Literature Assembly Workshop at The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. Minneapolis, MN.
Koss, M.D., Johnson, N.J., and Martinez, M. (2015, November). A history of diversity in Caldecott medal and honor books. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Minneapolis, MN.
Koss, M.D. (2015, November). Diversity in contemporary picture books: A content analysis. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, Minneapolis, MN.
Koss, M.D. (2015, October). Diversity in contemporary picture books: What is available and how do we include diverse books in our classrooms? Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria, IL.
Koss, M. D. (2014, November). Current trends in picture books: A content analysis. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. Washington, D.C.
Koss, M. D., and Wakefield, D. S. (2014, October). Evaluating children's book apps for use in educational settings. The Illinois Reading Conference. Springfield, IL.
Koss, M. D. and Wilson, N. S. (2014, April). Text complexity, the Common Core State Standards, and the texts teachers use in the middle grades. The 59th Annual Convention of the International Reading Association, New Orleans, LA.
Wilson, N. S., and Koss, M. D. (2013, December). Text complexity, the CCSS, and the texts teachers use in the middle grades. 2013 Annual Conference of the American Reading Forum, Sanibel Island, FL.
Koss, M. D., and Werderich, D.E. (2013, November). Chester's Masterpiece: Using a picture book as a mentor text for middle school writers to explore the writing process and develop the trait of voice. The Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. Boston, MA.
Wilson, N. S., and Koss, M. D. (2013, November). Understanding text complexity of the Common Core State Standards. Annual Conference for Middle Level Education, Association for Middle Level Education. Minneapolis, MN.
Koss, M. D., and Carger, C. L. (2013, April). Beyond letters: Using high-quality themed ABC picture books to teach cultural connections, vocabulary development, and comprehensible content-area instruction to ELLs linking to Common Core standards. The 58th Annual Convention of the International Reading Association, San Antonio, TX.
Wilson, N. S., and Koss, M. D. (2013, April). Evaluating the middle grades canon. The 58th Annual Convention of the International Reading Association, San Antonio, TX.

Courses Taught

LTLA 341 Language Arts in the Elementary School
LTLA 361: Literature for the Young Child
LTLA 362: Children's Literature in a Multicultural World
LTLA 539: Issues of Diversity in Children's Literature
LTLA 541: Teaching Young Adult Literature
LTLA 544: Exploring Children's Literature
LTLA 590: Workshop in Literacy Education
LTRE 311: Content Area Literacy Instruction

Award Recipient

2013 Alyce Kramer Marcus Outstanding Educator Award Winner

Professional Committees

The Odyssey Award Committee 2018-2019
The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Committee (Chair) 2016-2017
Children's Literature Assembly (CLA) Board Member 2015-2017; Workshop Co-Chair 2015-2016
Literacy in Learning Exchange – National Council of Teachers of English 2015-2017
Collaboration and Capacity Building Curation Team – National Council of Teachers of English 2014-2017
ALA/GLBT/SRRT Rainbow List Committee 2013-2015
The YALSA National Guidelines Oversight Committee 2013-Present
The Randolph Caldecott Award Committee 2013
International Reading Association's Position Statement Committee 2012-2013
International Reading Association Research Division Elva Knight Research Grant Judge 2013, 2015, 2017
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award Committee 2010.
Children's Literature and Reading (CL/R) Board Member 2009-2016
The ALAN Award Committee 2008 – 2009 (Chair 2009)
President – Illinois Language and Literacy Council of the Illinois Reading Association, October 2009-October 2010

Honors Faculty Fellow (2021-2022)

As an Honors Faculty Fellow, Professor Koss taught a seminar on An Exploration of Racism, Sexism, and other -Isms in Disney Animated Films in spring 2022 in the University Honors Program. The Honors Faculty Fellowship program identifies faculty eager to teach innovative, exciting seminars of interest to highly-motivated students from across the university.