Blogging Lesson

Title of Lesson: Blogging is like a Conversation

Author(s): Lynette Alidon, Kathy School District: Katy ISD
Counterman, Michelle Tuttle
Campus: Beck JH, Stanley Elementary,
Wolfe Elementary

Subject Area(s): English/Language Arts Grade Level(s)/Course: 6th

Subject Specific TEKS:

TEKS
§110.18 (15)(B)(ii) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write
literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or
imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:
write poems using: figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors)

Technology Specific TEKS:

§126.12(c)(8)(A) Solving problems. The student uses research
skills and electronic communication, with appropriate
supervision, to create new knowledge. The student is expected to
participate with electronic communities as a learner, initiator,
contributor, and teacher/mentor
Stated Objective The learner will demonstrate knowledge of similes through the
blogging medium. The learner will also demonstrate knowledge
of how to post and comment with proper blogging etiquette.

Assessment Item(s) -practice sticky-note paper blog (beginning)

-blog posts and comments (end)
Anticipatory Set • Read the book or show the Photostory of“Quick as a
(Focus)
Cricket” by Audrey Wood. Then explain that we will be
practicing the similes we have been studying all week on
a blog.
• Post the word “Blog” in the middle of the posting space,
with the letter B covered by a Post-it.
• Ask the students to tell you what definitions they know
for the word “log.” Responses may include “a tree chunk”
“Captain’s log” and “Ship’s log.”

Explanation • Guide the conversation to Ship’s log, and ask/share about

it being a record of the daily events on a ship.
• Point out that, often, it was the official record of a trip: of
marriages performed by the Captain, of deaths and burials
at sea, of births, and for accounting for the cargo and
 monies handled.
• Point out that entries are organized by time, but stress that
a log is NOT a personal journal or diary.
• Tell the students they are going to have a chance to
practice on the posting space what many people are doing
online, and uncover the “B” from the word blog. They
will then get a chance to practice blogging themselves.
Modeling • Place Post-It starter on the posting space (Write a simile
(Include Check for
Understanding) comparing something with an animal).
• Model making a post by writing “The car was as fast as a
cheetah” on a yellow Post-It.
• Then model responding with a positive comment by
asking the class for appropriate comments. Write a few on
pink Post-Its and place on the posting board underneath
the original yellow post-It.
• Answer any questions the students may have.
Guided Practice • Give each student a post it notes in two different colors
(Include Check for
Understanding) (pink and yellow) and a pen or pencil.
• Have each student pick a safe online avatar nickname and
write it on the top of the post it note. All students will
write on the yellow post it.
• Give one “post it starter”, “Write a simile comparing
something with an animal.” Have students include a little
illustration in order to try to catch our attention and
choose their post-it to read.
• Give students time to read each others post it notes.
• Remind students to keep commenting netiquette in mind
and ask them to use the pink post-it note to respond to
someone’s “blog post”. Each comment will be signed
with their avatar nickname.
• Repeat steps 3-5 as long as time allows.
• You can also divide the class into 2 groups of posters and
commenters. Then switch during a second round.

Opportunities to Plant a “troll” among the posts and comments. Someone who does
Relearn not follow netiquette rules, goes off topic or does not stay within
(Reteach)
academic content.
As a class read each post and the corresponding comments.
Discuss which posts received the most comments? Why did some
receive less? What was the reason behind it? Which posts turned
into social nature? Which post or comment connected to
something students had studied?
 Remind students that the posts’ author or blog owner can always
“moderate’ the comment and throw it out, if deemed
inappropriate.

Independent Practice Take students to the computer lab or use laptops. Students will
log onto a blog created by the teacher at www.blogger.com. They
will post an animal simile on the blog. The students will also
respond to at least one other classmate in an appropriate manner.

Assessment or • Simile Blog Post

Evaluation
(Ideally should have a • Peer comment
technology produced
product.)
Enrichment • Write more animal similes on the blog
• Provide constructive feedback through blog comments to
more peers

Closure Read over the posts and comments in a whole group, reflecting
on their similes, comments, and the whole blogging experience.

Materials Technology Resources

• URLs: http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/27/blogging-
lesson-plan-writing/
• www.blogger.com
• Hardware: class set of computers
• Microsoft Photostory
Other Resources
• Pink and Yellow Post-Its
• Something to use as a posting space such as a poster
board, chalkboard, or bulletin board
• Wood, A. (1982). Quick as a cricket. Child's Play
International Ltd., China.