Teacher’s Corner

Teachers: You can use the prompts below by having students work collectively on a classroom rule OR by having the class work in small groups on different rules.

Think about a classroom rule :

1. What do you think would be a fair consequence if a student were to break the rule? 

2. Is your consequence connected to the rule that was broken? For example, if you keep another student from doing his or her work, you would have to sit away from that student.

3. How should your rule be explained to students when it is first put into place—before anyone breaks it? (Make sure it is easy to understand.)

4. Have you made it clear that when students break the rule they are causing themselves to have to deal with the consequence? They have chosen to either follow the rule or to pay the consequence.

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.