Why Blog?

Empower Students and Enhance Literacy !

• Inspire 5th graders to express their ideas using an authentic 21st century medium.
• Teach about responsible journalism and the power of the published word.
• Create an enthusiasm for writing and the sharing of ideas.
• Provide opportunities for students to develop a personal “voice” and strengthen individual communication skills.
• Engage students in a two-way (Web 2.0) conversation and establish a community of writers.

Support the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks

GENERAL STANDARD 13: Nonfiction
Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purpose, structure, and elements of nonfiction or informational materials and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
13.17 Identify and analyze main ideas, supporting ideas, and supporting details.
GENERAL STANDARD 22: Standard English Conventions
Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising, and editing.
22.7 Use additional knowledge of correct mechanics (apostrophes, quotation marks, comma use in compound sentences, paragraph indentations), correct sentence structure (elimination of fragments and run-ons), and correct standard English spelling (commonly used homophones) when writing, revising, and editing.
GENERAL STANDARD 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing
Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.
23.7 Group related ideas and place them in logical order when writing summaries or reports.
23.8 Organize information about a topic into a coherent paragraph with a topic sentence, sufficient supporting detail, and a concluding sentence.

Reinforce the Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards

Standard 1. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers and applications, as well as an understanding of the concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity.
Standard 2. Demonstrate the responsible use of technology and an understanding of ethics and safety issues in using electronic media at home, in school, and in society.
Standard 3. Demonstrate the ability to use technology for research, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation.