Teacher’s Corner

The following are writing prompts and discussion topics based on the blog, “Your Child’s Special Talents, Part 3.”

1.  Research engineering as a career.

• What does an engineer do?
• What skills are required?
• What education and/or training are needed?
• What is the forecast for job openings?
• What is the average salary?
• What is one other career that uses similar skills?
• What source for information would you give a friend who wants to research a career he is interested in?

2.  What does it mean to be biased? Give examples.

• How do you think people develop biases?
• What are some ways to handle biases?
• Do you think teachers have biases?
• What should a teacher do about biases?
• Do you think parents have biases?
• What should a parent do about biases?

3.  What is an analogy? Give examples. What is the best use of an analogy?

4.  Write a paragraph. Start with, “Parenting is like …”

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.