Teacher’s Corner

Three ways to make your students feel like stars:

1. Ask your students what important things they did today?  Did they feel like they were important today? When? Why? How could they make their sister, brother or friend feel important?

2. Make the word, “star” a secret whisper between you and your students that tells them you are seeing them as shining stars right then.

3. Write your students notes that just say, “You are a star.” Then, privately, ask them what they think you meant by your note.

Writing Prompts and Discussion Topics 

The following are based on the blog, “Your Child Is a Star!”

1. Think of someone you know or know about (e.g., from books or history) that you think is really impotant? Why do you think that person is or was important?

2. Think of a young child you know. How could you let that child know that he or she is important? Why do you think it is a good idea for children to know that they are important?

3. Do you agree that all people have reasons why they are important? Why or why not?

4. Do you agree that all people – no matter what their age – need to know they are important? Why or why not?

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.