Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Teaching Tidbit

Yes, I know that this isn't a book review, but I had a brilliant idea and decided to write in this blog.
So, I think it would be a really neat idea, once I have a classroom, to have a classroom blog. Well, that is not the wonderful idea, but stick with me. Anyhow, this classroom blog would be available to all parents and students for viewing. However, I think I will be the only one to moderate.
With this blog, I think it would be neat for students to write book reviews of books that they read so that I can post to the blog for parents and other to see. You may ask, "What if the student just copies the review or makes it up?" Well, that is where the brilliant idea comes in......
Get this... For 5 points extra credit, a student can read a level-appropriate book, keep a reading log (which keeps them honest about ACTUALLY reading), and then write a one-page review for the blog. Students could complete 2 of these per semester, if they choose, which could potentially raise their grade by 10 points, a whole letter grade. The beauty of this is that it would get kids to do extra reading without forcing the issue. If you want a better grade - read. If not - don't read. Another benefit, is that it would teach them to write a review, NOT a summary. Kids are taught in elementary to summarize. It takes creative thinking to write a review.

Ok, so what do my teacher-y friends think about this idea? All input is appreciated!

1 comment:

  1. I like it! You would need to fine-tune it with the kids - they would be able to tell you how it works and if there is other technology that would make it more efficient. My own boys would be much more apt to do something like this as opposed to keeping a log on paper and writing summaries. I would run this by a group of middle schoolers/high schoolers and see what they think. If you get the green light - this would be a great idea to mention in a job interview!

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