Scaffolding for Struggling Students Reading and Writing With Blogs

In my previous post, Making the Writer Better: Getting Started with Blogging, I wrote,

Setting up a class for successful blogging is more than setting upward an business relationship and adding students.  In my next post, I'll continue sharing how I am setting students up for success in the blogging world!

And so, today I am sharing my process, from enquiry to independent writing, on how I fix students upwards for success in the world blogging.

What is a weblog?

I like to arroyo blogging equally an inquiry.  Afterwards spending time immersing my students in reading blogs (see link to mentor blogs in my previous post) I enquire my students to define blogging. Using a Frayer Model, we consider examples, non-examples, and the characteristics of a blog.

Following our minilesson, I plough the work over to the students. Students get out into the workshop to scan and read blogs. As they are reading, I confer with individuals.  Using the words and language of the chart we created, I ask students questions that volition connect them to the work we did together and challenge them to think about how the writer organizes the blog and uses visuals equally well as writing arts and crafts.

Fourth dimension to Write!

Using what we know about best practice and scaffolding writers, our blog writing begins with shared writing.  Gathered together on the carpet we hash out the message of our post. We determine what we desire to say to our audience, consider who our audience might exist, and what they'll want to know.  Every bit nosotros piece of work to craft our first mail together, we refer to our mentor blogs for back up and inspiration.

PUBLISH!

When it's time to hit the infamous PUBLISH button, we brand it a large deal. A REALLY BIG DEAL complete with a drum roll and adulation.  With all this celebration you don't desire to get out the commenting upwardly to run a risk. No blogger wants to hear crickets after working and so intentionally to create a post worthy of publishing.

Here'south where we come up in; reach out for comments!

• Tweet a link to the mail mentioning specific followers that will inspire your students
• E-mail the link to parents
• E-mail the link to special area teachers, coaches, intervention specialist, the guidance counselor, the main, the custodians, media specialist, and teachers the grade level below (who will love to see and follow their onetime students' work)

Equally the comments begin to roll in, call up to share them with the students.  I like to utilize comment reading as a shared reading. We assemble together to read our comments, reflect on our message, and sometimes we reply to our comments. Responding to comments is a bang-up mode to embed teaching students how we comment on blogs.

With the support given to building an agreement of a blog, co-authoring our kickoff post, and responding to comments, I enquire my students to envision their blog.  I ask them to think virtually the mentor blogs they've read.

• Will yous write a branded web log or volition the topic of your web log vary?
• What will you lot share on your blog?
• How often will yous write?
• How will you choose when to utilize visual media?
• How volition yous find visual media?

All of these elements of blogging volition need to be taught in our minilessons and developed in our conferences with students.

Blogging, like all genres in our workshop, must be guided through intentional didactics and allowing students the fourth dimension and liberty to do the work we are asking them to do.  I subscribe to the belief that writing teachers should also write to empathize what information technology is nosotros are asking of our students. And then I want to challenge you to follow these steps alongside your students and start a blog of your ain.  You will be amazed at how blogging expands your professional learning community and connects you lot to others who are equally passionate virtually the work we exercise each twenty-four hour period!

Happy Blogging!

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Source: https://twowritingteachers.org/2018/06/13/3-familiar-steps-to-set-your-students-up-for-success-student-blogging/

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