Teacher’s Corner
The following are writing prompts and discussion topics you can use to help students think about celebrating themselves and others at Holiday time.
-
What are three things you would like to receive as gifts at Holiday time. They don’t have to be just “things;” they can also be activities, foods, etc.
-
How could you share your list with those who usually give you a gift at Holiday time?
-
Do you think it’s a good idea for adults to also share some of their favorite things? Why or why not?
If you do think it is a good idea for adults to share some of their favorite things, you can ask the adults in your family what those favorite things are and make a list for them. You can post it on the refrigerator or some other place where people will see it. You can title it “________’s Favorite Things” with no other explanation.
Teachers, you can use this blog in classrooms. Here are two ideas about how.
- 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.
- 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.
Picture Book Parenting 