Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Welcome Back to School: Elementary Posters

Welcome back to school! Every year, my students have a lot of questions about the people who work in our school. This is especially true for incoming kindergarteners and kids who are new to our school. They want to know: Who is the principal? What does a custodian do? Does our coach like to play basketball? Children spend a lot of time at school so it should feel comfortable and … [Read more...]

Goal Setting with Kids: 7 Tips for Teachers

The beginning of the school year is a great time to plan for goal setting with kids. Even though the routine of setting goals and reflecting on progress continues throughout the year, raising a group of goal getters begins on day one. (Or at least week one.) This is the time to establish a sense of wonder, nurture a curiosity for what-ifs, and teach what it means to have a growth mindset. Kids … [Read more...]

Word Work for First Grade: Our Weekly Routine

Word work for first grade kids should be fun and engaging. I used to think this also meant wacky and spontaneous, but I quickly learned children thrive within routines. Having predictable schedules and systems doesn't mean you have to sacrifice fun. In fact, most kids are more eager and receptive when they know what to expect. Wondering what's going to happen each day leaves many children feeling … [Read more...]

Classroom Jobs for Kids

I used to rotate my classroom jobs for kids. When I was a new teacher, this looked like changing the job chart each day, but that felt sort of random and like I was wasting time ... an expensive commodity in my busy teacher day. It didn't take long for me to realize that all I had to do was extend the schedule and change the jobs weekly instead. Duh. That was a little better, but I didn't like … [Read more...]

Teaching Kids How to Ask Good Questions

How do you teach kids to ask good questions? The standards are pretty clear. In K-1 classrooms, children need to be able to ask and answer questions about key details in a text. And in second grade, students should be able to ask and answer questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how to demonstrate understanding. Many children naturally ask questions and LOTS of them. But some kids, for … [Read more...]

Teacher Planning and Productivity

It took me a long time (years) to wrangle my teacher planning routine into something that looked slightly healthy. When I began my career, it was a badge of honor to be the last car in the parking lot. Each day, I got to school when the head custodian opened the doors. And each evening, I was one of the last teachers to leave. On the weekends, I squeezed family time in between chores, errands, … [Read more...]