New Book for Professional Reading

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…..And with a Light Touch

Learning About Reading, Writing and Teaching with First Graders

By:  Carol Avery

This is my second book selection for this summer.  I picked this book because I vaguely remember reading back 16 years ago or so when I taught first grade the first time.  I remember I enjoyed the book, but to be honest I don’t remember why.  So when I came upon the second edition of the book I decided to read it again. 

 I am not going to report to you with summaries of the chapters.  I am going to write about key points and how I see them impacting my classroom.  I cannot do my usually two chapters at a time because that is not how Ms. Avery has the book set up. She has the book broken into seven parts, so I will try to stick to those same parts.

Beginning

This is what Ms. Avery calls the first two chapters of her book.  They focus on how Ms. Avery came about her philosophy of teaching and how the first days of school have changed over the years.

One quote that stood out to me was:  “I better understand now that reading aloud to children is teaching and that how I read and the talk surrounding that reading has a direct influence on children’s growth as readers and writers.”

This is TRUE!  This is the lesson that I know I cannot recreate for children who are absent.  I send home the books we read however I know that the parents do not spend the time with the books like I do.  Sometimes the talk I plan does not go as I plan, the children take it in a whole different and meaningful direction.  This is something you cannot recreate!  First Graders learn so much from GOOD literature and the discussion that takes place afterwards!  Reading is so important!

 

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“We worked to form a community……learner-centered classroom.”

I want to work these key phrases into my teaching philosophy because I feel that it is very important.  We are a learning community and it takes a lot of hard work to build a successful and beautiful community.  Ms. Avery points out many times that a true community is form when everyone has input in the decisions.  She has many class meetings to get the children to work together and learn to listen to the needs of everyone in the community. 

I especially like the term community, which is a word we read about a lot in literature, social studies, science and religion.  I feel if I can reinforce that vocabulary in the classroom community as well it would help the students build some understanding.    

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