One of America's most beloved authors on literacy education, Donald Graves has not only revolutionized the way we teach, he has deeply touched the lives of millions of people--educators, parents, policymakers, and students alike. But beyond his groundbreaking observations on reading and writing, it is Graves's deep humanity that has endeared him to readers over the course of two decades. How fitting, then, that this, his nineteenth book, is an eloquent "how-to" for teaching the most important lesson of all: becoming human.

Graves writes, "It is common in literary circles to discuss character in relation to plot. I want to broaden the discussion . . . to include people wherever they are found, especially in curriculum. Events happen in history because of people. Scientific breakthroughs are made because people observe, formulate hypotheses, and share their results with others. We are surrounded by art because people slowed their lives down to see the world differently and share it with us."

Teachers will not only resonate with the book's philosophical underpinnings, they will applaud its practicality. Each chapter includes several "Actions" designed to bring the human aspect of various disciplines center stage while teaching essential learning skills. There are sample scripts for historical role plays, charts for delineating characters' motivation, art exercises, interview scripts, lists for recording personal observations on science and nature, and more.

With its multidisciplinary applications, Bring Life into Learning is broad in scope, but unwavering in its focus: " to ignore people in any field is to lose out on the greatest stake of all, the journey of becoming human ourselves."

To learn more about Donald Graves, visit www.donaldgraves.org.
About the Author:

Donald H. Graves was a pioneer in literacy education who ultimately revolutionized the way that writing is taught in the United States and around the world. The research study he began in the 1970s at the Atkins Academy, a rural New Hampshire elementary school, would transform writing instruction and launch a new kind of resource: professional books for educators. His bestselling book, Writing: Teachers and Children at Work, challenged teachers to let children's needs and interests, not mandates, guide instruction. For the first time, young children became engaged as writers - not just students learning to write. As they were guided to make the decisions writers make in an authentic writing process, they raised our beliefs about what young writers were capable of. Don Graves was a teacher, principal, Education Director, and Co-Director of an urban teacher preparation program. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire . Heinemann proudly published Don's many other titles including A Fresh Look at Writing; A Sea of Faces; The Energy to Teach; Teaching Day By Day; and Inside Writing (coauthored with Penny Kittle). Children Want to Write: Don Graves and the Revolution in Children's Writing, edited by Thomas Newkirk and Penny Kittle, pairs Don's most important writings with recovered video from his classrooms, creating a vivid and surprising portrait of the man still referred to as "the Don." NCTE's Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing is given annually to deserving educators who have shown exemplary understanding and insight on student improvement in writing. For additional information about Don Graves, see: - Where It All Started by Tom Newkirk - A True Friend & a Good Writer by Nancie Atwell - The Teacher as Learner: The Research of Donald Graves by Mary Ellen Giacobbe