Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Getting Ready to Write How-To Books

Remember when you knew everything about teaching? I do. I had just graduated from college and I was ready to bring all my gifts and talents to the world of teaching. That summer before my first job, I would tell anyone who would listen all about Whole Language, Continuous Quality Improvement, Guided Reading, and a dozen other things I had read about in my education courses. Um, reality … [Read more...]

1st Grade Writing: Animals People Love to Hate!

Before I start, does anyone else think this shark's mouth is totally photo-shopped? I've watched my fair share of Shark Week episodes and I've never seen such a happy shark.   Ever. When you're looking over your district's instructional calendar, do you sometimes think, "This doesn't quite make sense. Are they kidding?" I know they didn't ask for my opinion, but sometimes I scratch … [Read more...]

Easter Science Fun

So, we had oozing pumpkins in October, a floating feast for Thanksgiving, windy blizzards in December, "Luva-Lava Lamps" on Valentine's Day, and a magic rainbow ring for St. Patrick's Day... so much holiday science fun!   And now it's time for Easter.  (Which means Spring Break is close, my friends, and that is definitely worth celebrating!!) This Easter Science set … [Read more...]

Punctuation & Fluency

Punctuation is a big deal for readers. Really, it is. Really? Yes, really! When kids understand how each punctuation mark works, they learn how to change way their voice sounds at each mark. And this makes them more expressive readers, which is part of being a fluent reader. I remember going through a horrible period of teaching several years back when fluency was being overly … [Read more...]

Fast Finds: A Vocabulary Activity

My family and I love the line of Cranium games. (Talk about honoring multiple intelligences! I think these game-makers have attended a conference or two. Or maybe they're just smart people who know how differently people think.) In one of their games, Cranium Cadoo, there is a category called "Fast Finds." Each Fast Find card lists two things you have to find before the timer runs out. For … [Read more...]

Teaching with Toys in Your Writing Workshop

The writing workshop is one of my favorite times of the day. It's sometimes a real challenge to teach writing to children who are only six years old, but when they finally let go and just put it all out there, it's so courageously fun. Their transformation from the beginning of the year to the end is amazing. What was once pretty unreadable in August becomes a small work of art and suddenly … [Read more...]