Teacher’s Corner

The following is an activity you can use to help students think about responsibility.

Read the Using Responsible Language post (9/23/24).  Create some irresponsible language statements that will be meaningful to your students.

For example:

“Things fell into place.”

“The pencil fell off the desk.”

“The ball hit Johnny.”

“The computer deleted my homework.”

Explain to your students the idea that 1) things can’t do anything and 2) how we talk influences how we think and act regarding responsibility for our own actions.

Give your students the list of irresponsible statements that you created leaving room for them to add any they can think of. Have them correct the statements after giving them some examples of what corrections could sound like. You can allow them to work in partnerships, if appropriate.

Take reports of their corrections and suggest they challenge themselves to avoid irresponsible language.  You could even suggest they listen for any irresponsible language you might use. This would help them understand that all people use irresponsible language, make them understand more about what it sounds like, and realize that it takes a conscious effort make your words reflect responsibility.

The following are writing prompts and discussion topics you can use to help students think about classroom rules.

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.