Katie began her career in education as a high school English teacher and taught mainly in the Chicago Public Schools. As a professional development provider, Katie has primarily worked with schools in the Chicago Area. In addition to her experience in urban and diverse school settings, she provided professional development workshops for the Illinois Migrant Council at four rural Illinois schools.
Katie regularly presents at local and national conferences, and publishes in journals. Her book Teaching Writing in the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies and Skills for All Students, focuses on creating a rigorous writing program that meets the needs of all students.
View Katherine McKnight's Resume/Vita, Publications and Workshops.
LISTEN to this podcast of Katie as she explains her Content Area Literacy Consultations!
Level: 6-12
- Writing instruction for both the regular and inclusive classroom.
- Teaching the Literature Classics for both the regular and inclusive classroom.
- Integrating the arts and creative dramatics in the literacy curriculum.
- Meeting the literacy needs of students in underserved schools.
- Portfolio development and implementation for the high school English classroom.
- Creating a classroom and school environment where literacy is privileged.
The Second City Guide to Improv in the Classroom: Using Improvisation to Teach Skills and Boost Learning
Teaching the Classics in the Inclusive Classroom: Reader Response Activities to Engage All Learners
Writing in the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies and Skills for All Students
Read the article that forms the research-base of the the book The Second City Guide to Improv in the Classroom.
Making Writing Instruction Tangible
Grade Level: 6-12
Several well known writing gurus offer models and ideas for teaching writing and grammar in context. It is often suggested that teachers use mini lessons as an instructional strategy for teaching grammar. The participants will learn how to develop effective mini lessons that integrate Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. These lesson integrate different learning styles and are designed to support all learners, regular education and students with special needs, in the inclusive classroom.
This presentation is based on the material in Teaching Writing in the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies and Skills for all Students, Grades 6-12. Jossey Bass, (2006).
Teaching the Classics in the Inclusive Classrooms
Grade Level: 6-12
What happens when you are required and want to teach classics works like Shakespeare, Homer, Chaucer, and Austen to students whose reading abilities are widely different? How do you unpack these linguistically complex literature classics that our so much a part of our popular culture and experience? The answer lies in creating active reader response strategies that are based on current models for effectively teaching adolescent readers.
The classics are not too difficult for our students to read, understand, and appreciate when the appropriate teaching strategies were used. This book contains discussion, teaching ideas, and full lessons that were developed by the presenter who has experience teaching in diverse middle and secondary high school classrooms. All of the lessons and ideas were developed through her teaching experience and encourage students to be active readers and learners as they experience the rich human experience of these literature classics.
This presentation is based on the material in Teaching the Lliterature Classics in the Inclusive Classroom, grades 6-12. Jossey Bass, (In Press).
Active Literacy Learning Requires Active Teaching
Grade Level: 4-12
The current model for teaching and learning promotes the ideas and notions that classrooms should be interactive where learning activities are a result of the partnership between the classroom teacher and the students. Students have a voice in their learning and are encouraged to be active participants in the classroom. Unlike the traditional classroom, where activities are primarily directed by the classroom teacher, the contemporary classroom is a result of active collaboration as a result of a common quest for learning.
In this hands-on presentation, the participants will explore student centered learning strategies that actively involve learners in classroom activities.
Content Area Literacy Strategies
Grade Level: 6-12
You might be familiar with the adage, “We are all teachers of reading and writing”. This workshop will explore the theory and practice involved in teaching content reading at the middle and secondary school level. It focuses on the literacy processes, which involves listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, building on general knowledge of teaching literacy in middle and secondary schools, this workshop provides exploration of the methods of teaching reading and writing within the content areas. Through the exploration of current research in the field of adolescent literacy, participants will develop their knowledge of instructional methods associated with increasing comprehension for students in secondary schools.
Integrating the Arts into the Literacy Curriculum
Grade Level: 6-12
This professional development explores importance and instructional value of the integration of the arts: dance, drama, music, and visual art in the adolescent literacy curriculum. It is through the arts that students learn and develop important skills in focus, concentration, creativity, and problem solving that are directly related to the skill set for literacy learning. This presentation will briefly draw on recent brain research and other sources to show evidence that the arts are a vital teaching tool that significantly impacts literacy learning in a traditional educational setting.
This presentation is based on Katie's book, The Second City Guide to Improvisation for the Classroom, Grades K-8. (Publication Date, January 2008).
Moving Middle School Readers Toward a Literature Based Reading Program
Grade Level: 6-8
In this one day workshop, the participants will learn strategies that support students to read more independently in a reading workshop setting. If our students are able to experience reading as an enjoyable activity, they will be more inclined to personally connect with text worlds. Through comprehension strategies, writing techniques and access to a wide variety of interesting texts, students can engage in a dynamic reading and writing learning environment through a reading workshop setting.