Many of our 6th grade students have started Literature circles this year. I believe that this would be a great outlet to incorporate blogs between the sixth grade class to interact in overall developments within their novels. As I guide I would set up prompts on my website for students to respond to regarding their selections. Students will be able to express their own opinions and respond to other peers views of the particular novels that they share within the 6th grade class. This activity allows them to develop critical thinking skills with others within and outside their reading group by allowing the students to communicate their own thoughts with their peers. Additionally, this activity creates a greater interaction and connection with the material bringing a greater knowledge and understanding of the topic to them.
This format is one that our students enjoy and serves as good tool to use for instructional content. Blogging exercises will motivate the learner and promote a dialogue between other participants that may have different views regarding the story. Students will be able to learn about the characters and plot of the story through collaborative efforts uncovering valuable information from others. In the classroom setting students will be able to discuss and debate various components of the story that they have read within these blogs and communicate these issues within their own groups in the classroom and generate comments for others to respond to.
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You know, right after I wrote my blog about using blogs in the classroom, I read yours...and I wish it would have been the other way around!
ReplyDeleteI lead literature circles all day every day. That's my job! I think the ideas you have for using blogs in lessons like these are fantastic and I can see 6th grade students really enjoying putting down the pen and paper and answering these questions online. Do you think that there are ways to incorporate blogs in literature circles in the primary grades? So much emphasis is put on the information that needs to be learned for the test and I am afraid that blogging would take the place of that expert instruction that these younger kids need. Obviously I do understand and recognize the benefits of implementing technology like this, but am pondering the practicality of it in Kindergarten, first, and second grade.
I definitely agree with you that blogging exercises will motivate our students. Just noticing the expressions they have on their faces while using a computer is evidence of that.
I think that discussing and debating topics through blogs is an outlet that will allow students who maybe are shy or timid to really express their thoughts with less fear. Do you wonder if this idea will cause our students to be less verbal with each other? I think that a good person-to-person debate is necessary sometimes too. I guess the key to all of this is using technology in moderation.
What a great idea to use blogs for literature circle activities. I plan to introduce lit.circles to my students in April (after the state mandated test). I can use blogs as a follow-up activity to class discussions. This assignment will give students as opportunity to reflect, collaborate, and share additional insights and questions. An idea for an extension activity: the students take turns leading discussions and create their own blog prompts.
ReplyDeleteHello Beth,
ReplyDeleteI understand your concerns about the effectiveness using blogs in the primary grades. Could you have your first graders and kindergarden students work together on these blogs. Maybe you can create blogs asking students to describe characters in a story, describe a scene in the reading, or even have them write about their weekend. At first for both classes maybe have them work in a group to form a response to the blog question and then assist them in posting their comments on the computer. After modeling this procedure with them they should become more independent in this process. In the primary grades these blogs can be fun topics encouraging students that writing is an enjoyable activity where they can express their own thoughts and creativity. They can also be useful in building their vocabulary skills and overall sentence structure. The responses to these blogs can also generate opportunities for disscussions in class. The students I believe will become motivated to use this tool more. Do you think this would be something that you can use in your literature circles?
Karla,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Blogs maybe a great outlet for your students to practice their writing skills for the standardized testing too. The prompts that we are supplied with for these tests lack any meaning for our students. Using blogs may give you more of an insight of a students grammar, sentence structure, and organizational skills when writing because they are discussing something that they understand. Do you think that this might be something that would help them?
Great idea! I'm so adverse to this "testing mode" that I've kept it separate from authentic learning activities. My students have difficulty comprehending and responding to nonfiction passages. A blog may be the answer. The blog will motivate students and will give them the opportunity to collaborate and discuss ideas.
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