Author Tony Stead Visits Edmondson Elementary

Published February 22, 2007

International reading and writing consultant and author Tony Stead recently paid a visit to Edmondson Elementary School. The Australian author and educator visited model classrooms on February 9, and also held a session for teachers on how to better use non-fiction in the classroom. His books include Is That a Fact?: Teaching Nonfiction Writing, and is the author of the Nonfiction Independent Reading Collection of Rosen Classroom.

"He was incredibly well received," says Edmondson literacy specialist Dona McIlvain. "He was just as entertaining with adults as he was with children and has a wealth of knowledge. We're already starting to implement some of his strategies here at Edmondson."

Edmondson students enjoyed hearing Stead's tales of Australia, complete with accent, and peppered Stead with questions about his non-fiction books that cover topics including sports, celebrities, and nature. Students enjoy not only the content of the books, but also the fact they are written to their level.

"I asked about 200 kids in grades three, four, and five what they didn't like about their reading," says Stead. "They said that when they had to read non-fiction, it was too long and they couldn't understand it. So I'm glad kids find my books easy to read and understand."

Stead also talked about the importance of non-fiction and encouraged students to always keep writing.