Motivate students in grades 2-8 to actively communicate within literature circles and book clubs using blogs. Learn how to use blogs as a secure, interactive "discussion board" for book clubs, monitor comprehension and participation in cooperative groups, and use students' blogging records as a portfolio and assessment tool throughout the school year. Take your literature circles to the next level with book blogs!

1. Book Blogs
Interactive Online Journals for Lit. Circles
Presentation: http://tinyurl.com/book-club-blogs
Handouts: http://tinyurl.com/book-club-handouts
Matt Hardy
Grade 5 Teacher
Eden Prairie Schools
matth@edenpr.org

2. My Background
• B.A., Computer Science, U of MN, Morris
• Web Development
• M. Ed., U of MN, Twin Cities
• 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade in Eden Prairie, 8 years

3. Goals for This Session
How To:
• Implement student-centered, technology-
driven small-group/whole-group book clubs
• Use blogs to maximize student responses and
discussion around texts
• Motivate your students using an authentic
publishing context
• Use technology in a transformative way

4. This Session is Not About:
• Setting up a classroom webpage/teacher blog
– Blogger
– Wordpress
– Moodle
– Custom district solution
• Full rationale for the benefits of social media

5. Our Class Website

6. Book Clubs/Literature Circles
• Facilitate students’ in-depth
exploration of a novel
• Small group environment
• Everyone has a voice and
ideas can be freely discussed
• Can be scaffolded by adult group leader

7. Book Clubs/Literature Circles
• 4 - 6 Students per Group
• Each member has their own “Job” for
the week
– Question Captain
– Connection Maker
– Excerpt Expert
– Character Analyzer
– Image Illustrator

8. Student Blogs
as a Literature Response Log
and Discussion Tool
• Read
• Write
• Discuss

9. Benefits of Blogs Over
Traditional Paper Journals
• Access from anywhere
(no forgotten/lost assignments)
• Monitor progress during the week
vs. • Maintain a record of work throughout year
• Highly motivating and authentic
• Practice/apply keyboarding skills
• Incorporate different media
(images, videos, links)

10. Benefits of Blogs Over
Traditional Paper Journals
• Asynchronous discussions
• Discussion Priming
(facilitate conversation during meeting time)
vs. • Join discussion remotely when a student is
absent
• Ownership
• Accountability

11. Student Blogging Platforms
• kidblog.org
• edmodo.com
• 21classes.com
• edublogs.org
• gaggle.net

12. Model on Teacher Blog
Title
Summary
Job-of-the-Week

13. Example Blog Discussions
• Hannah (Image Illustrator)
• Adi (Question Captain)
• Anna (Excerpt Expert)
• Sylvia (Connection Maker)
• Mack(Character Analyzer)

14. Question Captain
• Write down 4-5 good questions that you think your group
would want to talk about. Questions should be thought-
provoking and open-ended (no simple, one-word answers).
• Try these starters:
– Why do you think…?
– What will happen…?
– If…?
– Who…?
– How…?
– Compare…?

15. Connection Maker
• Proficient readers make connections to the text as they read.
Three main types of connections are
– text-to-self
– text-to-text
– text-to-world
• In your post, write about 3 connections you made to the
book. The connections can be about how the book reminds
you of yourself or an event in your life (text-to-self), how the
book reminds you of another book you’ve read (text-to-text),
or how the book reminds you of something happening in the
world today or in the past (text-to-world).

16. Excerpt Expert
• Choose one or two important passages (1-3 sentences
each) from the story. Copy them down in your blog.
• These passages should help your group remember some
interesting, powerful, puzzling, or important sections of
the text. Justify your reasons for selecting these
passages.
• Some reasons for choosing passages to share might
include: *Key events *Descriptive *Surprising *Scary
*Funny *Controversial *Confusing

17. Character Analyzer
• Select 3 adjectives that describe the traits of some of the
characters from the novel, and support your selection with
examples taken from your reading assignment. Each time you
write down an idea, be sure to include:
• - Character’s name
- Trait (Adjective)
- Specific Example of Behavior/Action
(with the page number where it happens in the book)
• Possible Character Adjectives: adventurous, artistic, athletic, active, beautiful, belligerent,
brave, bold, bossy, cheerful, curious, creative, courageous, considerate, daring, impulsive,
dainty, dangerous, exciting, entertaining, energetic, funny, friendly, fun-loving, gentle,
generous, happy, humble, hostile, honest, iconoclastic, intelligent, independent, inventive, a
leader, lazy, loyal, loud, messy, mischievous, mean, melancholy, mellow, neat, nasty, nice,
nosy, open, poor, proud, pretty, prudent, quiet, rich, respectful, sad, silly, sloppy, serious,
successful, shy, short, smart, studious, selfish, simple, tall, trustworthy, thoughtful, unselfish,
warm, witty, wild (or think of your own!)

18. Image Illustrator
• Create a graphical blog post! Do a Google image search for
pictures that relate to events or characters in the novel.
(Remember to use “Strict Safe Search.”)
• Copy and paste these images in your blog. Be sure to cite your
source!
• Write a brief caption under each image that explains how it
relates to your reading. Your images may be about a character,
the setting, a problem, an exciting part, a surprise, or anything
else about the chapters for this week

19. Cooperative Learning

20. Cooperative Learning
http://www.co-operation.org/?page_id=65
• Positive Interdependence
– “Sink or swim together”
• Promotive Interaction
– Helping, supporting, encouraging, and applauding
each other's efforts to achieve

21. Cooperative Learning
http://www.co-operation.org/?page_id=65
• Individual and Group Accountability
– The group is accountable for achieving its goals
– Each member accountable for contributing his or
her share of the work
• Group Processing
– Group members discuss how well hey are
achieving their goals and maintaining effective
working relationships.

22. Logistics
• Choose books (interest, ability)
• Reading done by Tuesday
• Lab time (30-45 min) Tuesday
afternoon: publish blog posts
• Clubs Meet Wednesday in lab
(30 min): leave comments for
each member

23. Job Rotation

24. Response Model:
Single-Post, Single-Response
Comment

25. Response Model:
Mulit-Post, Multi-Response
Comment
Comment
Comment

26. Blog Assignment Progression
• Build confidence, good habits
1. Start with student comments on a teacher post
2. Students publish their own, structured posts
3. Student choice of topic, open-ended posts

27. Tips
• Emphasize comments
(the engine of dynamic blogs)
• Look at posts/comments as a class
– What did we do well?
– Discuss ways to make better
– Depth of thought, specificity, relevance
• Don’t stress over spelling

28. Assessment
• Digital portfolio
• Growth over time
• Timestamps
• Writing standards, conventions, traits

29. Thank You!
Presentation: http://tinyurl.com/book-club-blogs
Handouts: http://tinyurl.com/book-club-handouts
Matt Hardy
Grade 5 Teacher
Eden Prairie Schools
matth@edenpr.org