Welcome! My name is Danielle Knight. I am married to an elementary physical education teacher. We have two little Knights, ages 5 and 3. My position- High School English Language Arts. Small group instruction is the name of my game. I've been teaching high school students for twelve years! My first two years were in the dramatic arts classroom. I love my profession which makes it my passion. There's nothing better than bringing literature to life and seeing students getting excited for class.
We have a program at my school called, Tomorrow's Teachers. Nationally, the program is known as Teacher Cadets. September, 2015 will mark my third year as the program's facilitator. It is very rewarding to work with high school seniors who wish to be a teacher after college. We dedicate an entire class period at the end of the day. The last two marking periods my students are placed in a student teaching experience within their subject and or level that they want to teach.
My all time favorite classes when I was a high school student were speech and media arts. I think it was because it was so hands on. I went on to be a communications major in college.
Early on my broadcasting inspirations were Oprah Winfrey, and for radio, Howard Stern (though controversial his success is unparalleled).
My literary inspiration was Michael Crichton. He is the author of Jurassic Park (1990). At a time in my life when I didn't like to read, his novel totally captivated me. I enjoy science fiction. I promised myself, "read the book before you go see the movie." The book is loaded with DNA jargon and complicated medical references. This makes sense; Michael Crichton is also the writer and creator of the popular hit television show, ER.
My favorite novel to teach, is Of Mice and Men. This novel study ends up being many of my students favorite, too. Bonnie (my para educator) and I can act out the read aloud. There are times she will be George, and I will be Lennie. The students are really into it during guided reading.
My students struggle with reading independently at home, so my daily classroom routine involves literary circles, book-on-audio, or a class wide read aloud. Actor and director, Gary Sinese, reads the novel aloud for the best audio version for the novel, Of Mice and Men.
Best of luck to you this fall! Hop over to any one of these other great blogs to read their blog posts on planning for a successful start to the school year!
Labels: 6-12, back to school, English Language Arts, grades 4-12, grades 7-12, grades K-5, interactive notebooking, K-12, secondary ELA, student centered, Study All Knight, The Literary league, TpT
