As the school year comes to an end, I (Jamie) can’t help but be reflective. I think one of the best things I did this year was to begin using a blog as a way to formatively assess my students. In August, way back at the beginning of the school year, I was looking for an alternative to making students complete a journal write about their summer reading. My school requires students to read one book from a preselected list of books to read over the summer. We like to use this book as a way to rally around a common book and theme. This year’s theme was choice. We had planned on having the students write an essay/journal response about their summer read. I was not in love with the journal write idea because it meant that I, the teacher, would be the only one reading about their summer reading. On the other hand, I didn't want to use precious class time to have students orally share their reading aloud to the class in a presentation format. Blogging was my answer!
In the past, I had used blogging as a way for students to write about their independent reading. When doing this, I used Kidblog and each student owned their own blog. Don’t get me wrong! There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a blog in this way, but this year I went a different route. The students were not going to own this blog. No, this blog would be owned by me. This meant that I would supply students with prompts via a blog post, and they would respond by commenting to the blog post prompt. This was a bit of a shift in thinking, and a move away from the traditional use of a blog. But, it got the job done nicely!
I started this new blogging journey by creating a name for my blog. You will have to admit that the name I created for my classroom blog was very original--Mrs. Diamond’s English Blog. Well, I won’t score any points for originality with that name, but it got the job done. I also decided to use Blogger to set-up my blog because all of my students have Google accounts through our school district, so this made sense for me. There are other platforms such as Kidblog and Wordpress that you could choose to explore as well.
Within five minutes (maybe ten) of getting on to my computer, I had my blog up and running. It really is not a difficult endeavor, and I encourage you to give it a whirl.
Here was my first post given to my students:
Summer Read Blog Response - Choices
Matched by Ally Condie
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith
Each of the summer read novels has a common theme of “choice”. The main characters of each book make significant choices that direct the course of their lives and affect the lives around them.
TASK: Identify the significant choice the main character made and explain its impact on the story. Include the following in your response:
- the title and author of your summer reading book
- a brief summary of the plot
- explain the significant choice he/she made
- explain how his/her choice impacted others in the story
- explain whether or not you agreed with the choice
- explain how your opinion of the character and his/her choice shows who you are.
Begin your response by clicking on the comment button. Please include your first name, last initial, and your class period at the top of your comment.
This first blog post prompt was a success. I met both of my original goals. I was able to check-in on their summer reading, and I allowed students an opportunity to share their thinking/thoughts with others. The blog served as a formative assessment to obtain baseline data on my students reading comprehension as well as their writing abilities.
However, this blog post went well beyond my two goals. Because it was a published piece of writing online, students took more time and put more effort forth in making sure their writing was of good quality. They didn't want to be embarrassed in front of their peers. Students were told that their writing was being shared with the entire team as well. Instead of only being read by the twenty plus students in each of their classes, all 110 students on my team would have access to their thoughts. I loved the opportunity this provided for students to communicate with each other outside the classroom walls and class periods.
As the year progressed, I found even more ways to use Mrs. Diamond’s English Blog. While we read The Giver by Lois Lowry, I posted prompts that gave students the opportunity to interact with the text and with each other through the blog.
Example:
The Great Escape
After learning that Gabriel is to be released the next morning, Jonas realizes he must escape from his community with him as soon as possible. Imagine you are Jonas. Explain why you are running away from the community. Describe your planned destination. Tell what you hope to find in this new place and what your plans are for your future.
I also used the blog to check-in on their independent reading during reader’s workshop. During reader’s workshop, students choose books on individual interest and preference. Blogging through the use of prompts, helped me to keep a running record of the books each student was reading. It allowed me to zero in on student who needed more support with their reading and alerted me to students who were not reading at all. Formative assessment! I was also able to conference with students through the blog. To be honest, this was the first year that I felt like I was really able to keep up with student conferencing because I was able to have conversations with my students outside the school day via the blog.
If you’re interested in more information about blogging and uses for it in your classroom, check-out our book Literacy Lessons for a Digital World. You’ll also find information on digital storytelling, podcasting, and collaborative websites.
