Bring Life into Learning

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.