Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Sweet on Scarecrows

  I don't know what it is about scarecrows, but I sort of have a fondness for them. Maybe it's because they're supposed to be scary, but they just aren't. And a scarecrow that's surprisingly not scary is a nice kind of irony.    These are some of my favorite picture books about scarecrows. All three are great examples of how authors are intentional with word choice and how the detailed … [Read more...]

Go on a Leaf Hunt! An Autumn Teambuilding Activity

I taught in Florida for 20 years, a place where books about seasons can leave you with a little feeling of FOMO. The leaves in Florida only come in two colors. Light green. And dark green.Oh, and dead brown ... so three. Unless they've been on some grand vacation, kids from the tropics don't really have a mental framework for things like red and orange leaves. I once had an ambitious … [Read more...]

3 Children’s Books That Inspire a Wonder for Words

When Moira Rose from Schitt's Creek referred to teachers as scholastic skippers, I was reminded of how much I have a wonder for words and how important it is to make sure we're helping our students develop deeper vocabularies. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but these are some of my favorite picture books for getting young kids curious about noticing and collecting new words. … [Read more...]

Letting Off a Little Self Esteem: 3 Questions for Kids

I'm going old school with this book, but self esteem never really gets old and we can't afford to let kids go through life not knowing how truly wonderful they are. I think I bought this book about three schools ago, but the message in it rings true as much now as it did back then. As we're planning lessons to help children develop a growth mindset, embrace their unique gifts, and protect their … [Read more...]

Teaching Point of View to Build Strong Communities

Teaching point of view to children is not only a standard, but a really important life skill. This is one of my favorite picture books for introducing the concept, but gracious ... right now it sort of reminds me of my news feed: "Duck!" "Rabbit!" "No, it's a duck!" "No! It's a rabbit!" 🦆! 🐇! 🦆! 🐇! 🦆! 🐇! Insert different words and it sounds like a political conversation. But … [Read more...]