This lesson is for : Grade 10: English
Summary
“Student Choice and Voice: Leveraging the Power of the Learner” is all about empowering students to become active participants in the writing and reading process in support of the development of critical 21st century literacies. This project was inspired by 10th grade English teachers at Highland Springs High School who identified a need for students to be more engaged in the writing process. Through the use of Google Sites students set up online writing portfolios where students can display their work to their peers and the outside community. Housed within the online portfolio is a section for students to create their own personal blogs called “My Blog”. Students research blogs, read blogs and then decide on their own topic about which to blog. Students make frequent posts to their blog, comment on peer’s posts and then reply to comments. The online portfolio also has a place for the students to create a visual vocabulary list of important terms with meanings and images. Through out the year students post their creative and persuasive assignments to their portfolio. At the end of the course students are asked to look back through their online portfolio and to make a final blog post about how they have grown as a writer through the year. Students will eventually share their online portfolios with their 11th grade English teacher to use as a starting point for next year.
Reflections:
The following resources are provided for this lesson:
Google Site Template
Blog Hook
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: 10th grade English students learn about blogs by reading different blog examples and participating in group discussions. Students research what makes a blog readable and what types of media are used in blogs. They then use this research to choose a blog topic and write their blog posts. Students are also tasked with creating a class list of 5 ways to write a great comment on a blog. Through their research and class discussions a rubric is created to reflect their findings.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: The students learn about blogs by researching and participating in group discussions. Students are provided a blog roster which lets them view and read their peer’s blog posts. Using their research on writing blog comments students must construct and leave comments for their peers. Students then write responses to the comments on their blogs.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: In the beginning of the lesson, the teacher asks the students a question, “What is a blog”, and through their research students generate and respond to this question. When constructing their blog posts students must decide how best to convey their point of view and which forms of media will support their thoughts and ideas. Students must think about their peers point of view and then develop a thought provoking response that is personal and powerful.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: This lesson provided students with the opportunity to look within themselves and create an online presence that reflected their thoughts and feelings. Students were presented with the question of “What is a Blog.” They took this question researched and then produced a blog that connected them to the world outside of the classroom. By allowing students to choose and have a voice in the process they were able to practice and improve their writing skills while being engaged. One example of this progression in writing skills is evidenced by a students first post (link) compared to his later posts (link). Students used this blog on a weekly basis, some students took the initiative and updated their blog more often. In the end students were able to to produce a blog that not only showed their progress as a writer (link), but also afforded them the opporftunity to take educational risks while creating unique works that showcased their original ideas. One example of this can be seen from this post (link) where a student asks an MRI Technician to take pictures so she can write about the experience on her blog. The students created a product that they can use and reference for the remainder of their education.
Lesson Materials
