Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

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...]

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez

Sofia Valdez for president! Have you seen this new book by Andrea Beaty? She's written a few other books you may already know: Ada Twist, Scientist Rosie Revere, Engineer Iggy Peck, Architect Her books empower children, leaving them feeling like they can do anything and her new book doesn't disappoint. In Sofia Valdez, Future Prez, a young girl notices a problem in her community and … [Read more...]

Reusable Anchor Charts for Young Readers

I have a few teacher friends who don't like their own handwriting and swear they can't even draw a stick figure. I'm not sure I totally believe the stick figure part, but I get the point. So you can imagine their anxiety over the thought of creating anchor charts. And seriously, don't we all have that one teammate whose charts are museum-worthy? The kind with perfect artistry we envy? We just want … [Read more...]