...And With A Light Touch: Learning About Reading, Writing, And Teaching With First Graders, 2nd Edition, Revised & Enlarged

With its first edition, ...And with a Light Touch was immediately praised for its authentic portrayal of classroom life and learning. It s my bible for teaching young children and It reads like a novel, said veteran and preservice teachers alike. Those with minimal background in children s literature have found the book a godsend. Every page rings true with the voice of a caring, real-life classroom teacher-one who marvels at what young children can do if given the chance to work in daily reading and writing workshops taught with a sensitive and responsive approach.

Now, Carol Avery offers a second edition, giving more insight and examples of children and a teacher learning together. Since her first edition, Carol has worked extensively in kindergarten and second grade, has had her own fourth- and sixth-grade classrooms, and has watched three grandchildren learn to read and write. Her latest edition incorporates Carol s stories and learning from these new experiences. It also expands sections on crafting writing, phonics instruction, read-alouds, and documenting assessment, and includes an updated bibliography. At the same time, it retains its focus on these major areas, addressed in depth:

• the writing process-structuring daily writing workshops and the development of young writers
  
• the reading process-structuring daily reading workshops and learning to read without a basal reader
  
• children s literature-incorporating children s literature into the daily life of the classroom and stimulating children s responses to literature
  
• classroom environment and tone-organizing and managing the classroom
  
• expanding literacy-reading and writing across the curriculum and a focus on kindergarten
  
• assessment-documenting and reporting student progress.

Throughout, Carol rejects the concept of one right way to teach, but believes instead that a responsive environment provides the greatest possibilities for student growth.

As Donald Graves notes, Carol shows real children in the process of learning to learn . Classroom teachers, preservice teachers, parents, and anyone concerned with young children learning to read and write will appreciate this book for its honest look into a first-grade classroom, both its ups and its downs.