how can blogging improve the quality of sentence structure
DESCRIPTION
Created by Kristen Hartley for the 2010 KMWP Summer InstituteTRANSCRIPT
How can blogging improve the
quality of sentence structure?By: Kristen Hartley
Avery Elementary
5th grade
“…students who blog also write
more and write better.”
(Ramaswami)
“Teen bloggers are far more prolific
writers than their non-blogging
counterparts.” (Ramaswami)
Why blog?
There are many reasons to blog…◦ Technology can be an attention grabber compared to
the usual paper and pencil route of writing
◦ Students can hide their identity using pen names written down by the teacher or by using their class number, which can decrease anxiety.
◦ Students receive immediate feedback from their classmates and the outside world Teacher’s time is limited
◦ Students get instant gratification of publication, but when knowing others will read and comment, students will typically take time to edit work
◦ Blogs “foster collaboration in the days between weekly meetings” (Glogoff 2).
How to use blogs in the classroom
Depending on the grade level and school policy, there are a variety of ways to use blogs in the classroom
◦ Elementary
Teacher posts questions while students reply and comment on other responses(teacher approval needed before posting)
Teacher creates a page for each student to post their work only (Teacher approval needed before posting)
http://khartle1.wordpress.com/
How to use blogs in the classroom
continued Middle School/High School
◦ Use previous stated, or teacher can connect
links to student pages, having each student
create their own user name and password
◦ Check school and county policy
◦ Penrod (13-14)
Types of Blogs
www.wordpress.com
www.edublogs.org
◦ Example: anne.teachesme.com
www.blogspot.com
◦ Example: calteacherblog.blogspot.com
Examples of various classroom
blogs http://missmohrhardt.wordpress.com/clas
ses/chesaning-middle-school/
http://t3tech.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/i
ts-elementary-my-dear/
http://rooseveltes.wordpress.com/about/
How can I connect blogging to
sentence structure? So many students know the different sentence
structures and types of sentences, but do not practice or put their knowledge into use.
Activity 1: (Sentence Structure)
◦ Prewrite: What are the different types of sentences we use in our writing? What are some examples? Why is this important to know and use?
◦ Complete this on Kristen’s Blog.
◦ Share
◦ http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=125046&title=Sentence_Structure
Activity 1 continued
Take the graphic organizer, and in pairs,
tally the number of simple, compound,
complex, and compound-complex
sentences in the Apple paragraph (titled
paragraph for lesson) posted on Kristen’s
Blog.
Write a short response about your
conclusion. Discuss when everyone is
finished.
Reflection on lesson
Students should concentrate on ideas first. However, students also need to be aware of the variety of sentences and how it can effect their writing.
By the 5th grade, students are already familiar with simple and compound sentences. Before this lesson, students would have had a lesson on complex, and compound-complex sentences.
“Building background knowledge is important because students with greater prior knowledge about a text are in a better position to understand it more deeply” (Zawilinski 656).
“Blogs should be part of a program that is focused on building a writing community of students, teachers, and other educators” (Ramaswami).
Activity II-Collaboration
Review responses and graphic organizer.
Assignment: Rewrite the “paragraph for lesson” on Kristen’s Blog in pairs, focusing on sentence structure. How can you vary the sentence structure to make this paragraph more interesting? What can you add?
To differentiate: Include a website by linking it to your page. Bold the important words in your paragraph. Find a picture to include. Give credit if taking it off the Internet as opposed to clip art.
Post your paragraph once finished. You may use you Grolier, Galileo, or picture books to add details and other information to make it more interesting.◦ See rubric for grading information
Rubric
25 20 15 10
Sentence
Structure
A variety of
sentence
structure is
used within
the written
assignment.
At least two
different
types of
sentence
structure are
used.
One type of
sentence is
used
throughout
the
assignment.
Fragments
and run-ons
are used
throughout
the
assignment.
Topic The paper
stayed on
topic
throughout
its entirety.
The paper
had one or
two
sentences
that were off
topic.
The paper
starts on
topic but then
ends off topic
The paper
does not have
any sentences
to support
the topic.
Completed
On Time
Student
completed
assignment by
due date.
One day late. Two days late. Three or
more days
late.
Rubric Continued
25 20 15 10
Organization Material is
organized
with a well
developed
topic and
supporting
detail.
Material is
organized
with a topic
and
supporting
details.
Material has a
topic
sentence, but
supporting
details go off
topic.
There is no
topic
sentence or
supporting
details.
Reflection
“Blogs mix pleasure with information to
create an information reformation.”
(Penrod 3).
“Bloggers find themselves continually
drawn into deeper layers of the
blogosphere, searching for new
information to include on their sites.”
(Penrod 7).
Scour, Filter, Post (Trammel) Based on Blood’s
book The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on
Creating and Maintaining your Blog
Students who need to scour the internet
for information become more invested in
the information, becoming an expert
Students must pick and choose what is
important to include
Then, students post the best information
related to their topic in their blog or blog
comments
Collaboration and Cross-Curricular
Activities with blogging “Blogs make more sense as cross-curricular
tools. Students should think and write about what they learn across all subjects and grade levels. You want them to have learning and reflective activity in all situations.” (Ramaswami)
Once students understand the concept, show them a basic paragraph on Civil War, Cell structure, etc.
Give a list of acceptable websites or search engines to use if in elementary grade levels
Activity III-Individual
Share others posts with the class and tell what you like about it.
On the blog, post feedback of sentence structure on a minimum of at least three other posts. Give constructive feedback:
◦ Yes-I loved the way you combined your first two sentences into a compound sentence. It sounds much better than the simple sentences used previously.
◦ No-Your first sentence sounds cool.
Reflection
“The critical skill of writing is central to the act of blogging. Because the blogging format encourages students to engage with positions divergent from their own, blogging can potentially enhance analytic and critical thinking skills.” (Ellison 105).
By students reading others blogs and/or posts, students gain insight on different perspectives, receive more knowledge on the topic being read about, and can gain better perspective on their own position.
So, how can blogging improve the
quality of sentence structure? Blogging can be integrated into part of the writing process
Technology can help engage students in writing and help with differentiation (i.e. the more advanced students can add the links, pictures, videos, etc.) The more engaged the student is, and the more they are writing=more practice!
Students receive feedback from not only the teacher, but others in the classroom, making their work more valuable to themselves and others (Students can directly comment on sentence structure if the assignment permits!)
Students become experts on writing material because of the research they conduct
Students who write more, will write better
Works Cited Ellison, Nicole and Yuehau Wu. “Blogging in the Classroom: A Preliminary
Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension.” JI. Of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia: n.p. (2008) 17(1), 99-122. June 12, 2010.
Ferdig, Richard and Kaye Trammell. “Pedagogical implications of classroom blogging.” T.H.E Journal: n.p. Winter 2004. June 12, 2010.
Flatley, Marie. “Blogging for Enhanced Teaching and Learning.” Business Communication Quarterly 2005. June 12, 2010.
Huffaker, D. “The Educated Blogger: Using Weblogs to Promote Literacy in the Classroom. AACE Journal 12(2), 91-98 2005. June 12, 2010.
Penrod, Diane. Using Blogs to Enhance Literacy. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Education. 2007. Print.
Ramaswami, Rama. “The Prose of Blogging (and a Few Cons, Too).” T.H.E Journal. November, 2008 pages 1-5. June 16th, 2010.
Zawilinski, Lisa. “HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking.” The Reading Teacher 62(8) pp 650-661:International Reading Association 2009. June 16th, 2010.