Teacher’s Corner

The following are writing prompts and discussion topics based on the blog, “Grandparent Greatness.”

1. Make up your own “Greatness List” about anything you wish (cars, parents, teachers, a sport, music, places, etc.). Make sure you have at least a dozen things that are great about the topic you choose. Be sure to explain each of your great attributes enough that you are convincing others that they indeed great and fit your topic.
2. Pick a state or country and research it. Write one page about unique features of the place you choose (fish, animals, weather, trees or plants, work people do, how people live, etc.).
3. Write a rhyming poem.
4. Read five(5) nursery rhymes and pick one to analyze. Pick one to research. Find out how it came to be. Assume it was intended to communicate something other than just amusement for a child. What do you think the rhyme is trying to communicate?

Teachers, you can use this blog in classrooms. Here are two ideas about how.

1. For middle or high school parenting or child development courses:

• Use the blog for discussion topics
• Require students to research the topics and agree or disagree with what the blog is suggesting.

2.  For all courses, especially English Language Arts:

• Use the blog for writing prompts for paragraphs, theme papers, journal entries, class starters, etc. Have students read the blog and respond to:
  • Do you agree with what is being said about kids? Do kids really act, think or feel that way?
  • Do you agree with what is being said about parents, grandparents, teachers and child caregivers? Do or should they act, think or feel that way?
  • What would be your advice on this topic?
  • What was left out of this article?
  • If you were a parent, would you use any of this information? How?

Why can this blog be a useful teaching tool?

• Students that see connections between their coursework and their lives do better in school.
• Most students will either be parents one day or have children in their lives that they care about, so the topical information can help them build their knowledge about children and parenting and develop a positive image of the type of parenting they want to do.
• The new core literacy standards adopted by most states call for frequent writing in all courses.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can think critically. These prompts help students practice critical thinking.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can analyze what they read. These prompts help students practice analysis.