Teacher’s Corner

Before you go on a shopping trip ….

1. Create a list of what you are looking for.
2. Know what stores are likely to have what you are looking for.
3. Know your budget – and muster your determination to stick to it.
4. Plan your shopping trip several days ahead of when you need the purchase in case you don’t find what you need on the first attempt.
5. Eat before your trip and take a snack in your pocket so you can eat healthy and have the stamina to keep looking for what you want.
6. Plan your trip at a high energy time of your day – not too early and not too late.

 (See Six Things to Do Before Shopping with Your Child for more about kids and art.)

Writing Prompts and Discussion Topics 

The following are writing prompts and discussion topics based on the blog, “Six Things to Do Before Shopping with Your Child.”

After the prompts we have included suggestions regarding ways to use this blog in your classroom as well as a discussion about why this blog can be a useful tool in your classroom.  So, get your students to think, pair, and share and see what develops.

1. Which of the above six shopping tips do you think is most important for having a successful shopping trip?  Why?

2. Add a seventh tip to the list above and tell why you think it is important for having a successful shopping trip.

3. Read the bog, Six Things to Do Before Shopping with Your Child.

   a.  If you are advising a parent about shopping with children and can pass along only one suggestion, what would it be and why?

   b.  Add an additional helpful idea to the list in the blog and tell why you think it is important.

NOTE: If you prefer that students not be required to write about or discuss themselves, suggest they respond to the prompts by talking about their experiences with friends or relatives instead of themselves.

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.