Student Blog Project Rubric

The students in Reading Workshop just completed an interdisciplinary project for social studies and language arts.  They had to research and write a blog post about an ancient Egyptian or Mesopotamian leader. 

We discussed grading and this is the rubric students created.

A  Follows guidelines
    Interesting/draws in the reader
    Writing has a sense of style
    Provides background information that is on topic and correct
    Provides several supporting details
    Correct PUGS (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
    Cites sources and does not plagiarize

B  Follows guidelines
    Provides background information that is on topic and correct
    Provides several supporting details
    Correct PUGS (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
    Cites sources and does not plagiarize

C  Follows guidelines
    Provides a few pieces of background information that are on topic & correct
    Few supporting details
    Two - Four mistakes with PUGS (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
    Cite sources and does not plagiarize

D  Does not follow guidelines
    Provide little background information that is on topic and correct
    Few supporting details
    Errors with PUGS (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
    Does not Cite all sources

F  Plagiarizes
    Little sign of effort
    Not posting on blog


These are the project guidelines:

1. Introduction explaining project

Help the readers understand what the post is about/the focus

2. Identify person and civilization (river)

Give background information about civilization

(Several important facts that explain the civilization)

3. Explain the impact on development of civilization

Include details supporting what you see as the impact

(Should have 2 – 3 details that explain what the impact was and how it effected civilization)

What a Teacher Hopes for from a Student Blogger

Hadley has written 45 posts since September 17.  Most students in Reading Workshop write one or two posts a week.  Hadley has averaged four posts a week.  She writes cleanly and in an engaging style that tells a great story, and sparks many questions.

That's not the only thing that sets her apart.  She gets what matters.  Her posts share her thoughts, ideas, and opinions.  Posts often make the reader laugh and lots of times makes them smile. Her writing style draws in the reader. She posts regularly, writing in the evening after school, on weekends, and snow days.  She reads many of her peer's blogs, and comments on them.

Here is an excerpt from the post A Gray/Brown/Non-white Christmas

 Q :I hate it! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! What do I hate?

A: THERE IS NO SNOW ON THE GROUND!!!!

I don’t get it. Do the snow Gods hate me? Was Elvis trying  to tell me something? I don’t know! I do know one thing, though; I WANT SNOW!

Another example from Team Laurelville

In the classroom, there are lots of places for good sportsmanship. Like when your worst enemy gets mentioned because he/she does a good deed, makes a great blog post, or when they get their named mentioned on The Reading Workshop, you should say “Great” or “I like the post” or something like that since they did a good job. Maybe since you did that to them, when you do something you’re proud of, they might treat you the same. The Golden Rule can work with more than just adult life!!

For a great read, and an excellent example of what a student blog should look like, just visit Hadley's Planet.

The Students Speak

Students recently completed a Reading Workshop Student Survey.  This is an easy way for me to see their thoughts and opinions about our class.  Frequently new ideas or changes in focus come from information the students supply.  The survey was embedded in the blog using a form from Google Docs.

Thank you to the students for the effort and honesty in their responses.  To see the complete answers, visit the Reading Workshop Blog Student Survey.  However, here are a few interesting excerpts.

  

My Favorite part of Reading Workshop . . .

Kasi

My favorite part of the Reading Workshop is our awesome blogs. I really like to put our opinion on our blogs and have other people comment and even if they disagree with you it is fun to see what they say.

Nash

My favorite part of the Reading Workshop is SSR because I really like to read.

Garrett

My favorite part of reading workshop is getting to write about what I have read and just getting to be able to make post that people can read from all over the world.

If I Were the Teacher . . .

Erica

If I were a teacher I would tell my students to try and not sit at a desk do nothing because if you don't do anything then what's the point in going to school? Students have to understand school is not just a place to chat with friends and spread gossip. School is where you go to learn so you have to try.

Cassie

If I was a teacher what would I help students learn is how to be successful with their life so when they need a job they can just go out and get one.

Kaitlyn

To help students learn I would have them take notes of everything and if they get stuck then they can look back in there notes and if they still don't get it then I would explain it to them. And if that don't work then I have no clue.

What has helped you most . . .

Bethany K

One thing that has mostly helped me to be more successful in the Reading Workshop would mostly be SSR, because it helps us learn words and help you out with life.

Hadley

I think blogging has helped me become successful by helping me be my own original person, and not like everyone else. It also helped me learn how to get into the hard core details and become a better writer.

Hannah Hop.

I think that our blogs have helped me be most successful in Reading Workshop because it pushes me to understand my book, to comment, and to post.

How Much Does Study Island Help You?

1 -	Very Little Help	5	9%
2		8	14%
3		12	21%
4		24	42%
5 -	Extremely Helpful	8	14%

How Much Does Brain Pop Help You?

1 - Very Little Help      5          9% 2 4 7% 3 16 28% 4 14 25% 5 - Extremely Helpful 18 32%

What is Your Favorite Thing to Do in Reading Workshop?

Blog		31	54%
Read Aloud		15	26%
Study Island		4	7%
Sing		40	70%
SSR		16	28%
Brain Pop		14	25%
Group Work (like on Reading Articles)		9	16%

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

To see the complete answers, visit the Reading Workshop Blog Student Survey.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/139254610/sizes/s/

Harry Potter Fans, Check This Out

If you are a Harry Potter fan, or are considering reading J.K. Rowling's series, Bethanie has a lot of information on her site, Bethanie's World.  There are detailed descriptions of all of the characters, with enough facts to help understand the books.

As students in Reading Workshop, continue to build their blogs, post by post, Bethanie's site clearly demonstrates the value and benefit of student blogs.  She has maximized the opportunity, finding her voice as a writer while sharing interesting information for Harry Potter fans everywhere.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/imnotpolish/438079633/sizes/s/

Stars Shine at Board of Education Meeting

Thank you to the Logan Elm Board of Education for allowing us to share information about the Reading Workshop during their November Board meeting.  As their rotating schedule brought them to Laurelville Elementary, they granted us the opportunity to share how technology is enhancing the education of our students.

Three Reading Workshop students shared how the use of technology affects their education.  Ian discussed how he uses his blog to share thoughts and opinions about books that he reads like in his post on Soldier's Heart.  Hadley talked about having a place  as a writer to share events in her life.  Hannah shared the opportunity she has to be a published writer and to work as an editor on Logan Elm Sports Spot.

These students did an amazing job, presenting like they had long been professional speakers.  All related the benefits of blogging from their own perspective, and used their blog to support their points.  Laurelville Elementary, Logan Elm, and The Reading Workshop can be proud of having students of this caliber to represent us.

Student Blog Score Sheet

Students have spent time in Reading Workshop reading and writing blogs, so their grade should reflect their efforts.  In a previous post, we looked at How to Grade Student Blogs.  However, students need an easy method to evaluate their work, and  understand the grade that it merits.   A Blog Score Sheet is an easy way to accomplish this. 

Students can easily check the areas they have completed successfully.  This also provides the opportunity to look at different blogs, and show examples of excellent writing.

Once students have evaluated their blog, then I will score their blog.  If there is a difference between their evaluation and mine, then I can explain what needs to be done to improve the blog, and help it meet expectations.

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A Writer's Voice

When someone reads a post you wrote, do they know it's you?  Having a writer's voice and a style of your own comes from writing, writing some more, and writing some more.  Eventually, your writing will take on a style of its own.

Authors with several books published are usually easy to recognize by their style.  Gary Paulsen with his wordy, descriptive, "I have been there and done it" style is consistent in his books.  John Scieszka with his choppy sentences, constant dialogue, and wacky events amuses his readers.

Dr. Scott McLeod wrote the following on his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant:

Blogging cured me of my writing blahs. It provided me with an outlet that fits me like a glove, helped me discover my writing voice, and made me realize that I LOVE to write - indeed, maybe LIVE to write.

What about you, student bloggers?  Are you beginning to write in a consistent style?  Can your readers recognize you by your tone?  Or by the way you discuss topics?  By the end of a year of blogging, will you have found your style?
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