Blogging Guidelines and Rubric
Beginning the week of Monday, January 24th, you will begin blogging about your independent reading selections. Please remember that you should always follow the rules for safety and etiquette outlined in the permission slip that you signed. Each week you will be required to post one blog entry about your independent reading. Although your blogging is not formal writing, you should still use proper spelling and grammar. Also, do not forget that your blog, as long as we are using it for this project, is a classroom space and that you are to treat it as such. Do not use language in your blog that you would not use in the classroom and treat your peers respectfully.
By Wednesday of each week:Post an entry to your blog about the week’s reading.
**Make sure that in your first entry you introduce the title of your book and the author.**
Consider answering some of the following questions in your post:
How much have you read?
What’s happened in the story thus far?
How do you feel about the characters?
Can you make any connections between your reading and other literature you’ve read?
Can you make any connections between your reading and a song, picture, or other artwork?
What do you predict might happen next in the novel?
Are you enjoying your reading so far?
Are there any questions you might want to ask the author of this novel?
Are there any questions you might want to ask one of the characters if you could?
Has your reading led you to research the author or a particular subject related to the story?
Are there any links to other websites and/or information that you’d like to share?
By Sunday of each week, you must respond to at least two of your group members’ blog entries.
Your posts should be thoughtful, insightful and related to the novel being discussed. You will not get credit for just saying hello. Remember to check back for a response to your comments so that you can keep the conversation going.
When you respond you may:
1. Ask a question.
2. Share your thoughts on the story.
3. Offer and support an opinion.
4. Share an insight from having read your classmate’s post.
5. Explain why or how you see things differently.
6. Suggest sites that the blog author might find interesting based on his/her reading.
7. Suggest another novel that the blogger might want to read.
**When you finish your novel, continue writing about the next novel you choose.**
Rubric:
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Content | The posts are insightful and show depth of thought. The blogger has not only summarized the story, but has shared his/her thoughts, feelings and/or opinions about the writing and supported them with details from the reading. | The posts summarize the reading or provide the blogger’s thoughts, feelings and/or opinions, although little if any support has been provided. It is clear from the post that the blogger has read the material. | The posts provide some summary or insight into the blogger’s thoughts or feelings, but no support is provided. The posts are short and it is unclear that the blogger has actually read the novel. | The posts are vague and difficult to follow. The blogger does not clearly summarize the reading and it is difficult to understand what point the blogger is trying to make. The writing does not demonstrate that the blogger has actually read or thought through the material. |
| Grammar/Mechanics | The posts are free of any grammatical errors or misspellings. | The posts are free of any grammatical errors or misspellings that distract the reader from the content. | The posts contain 1-2 grammatical errors or misspellings that may distract from the content. | The grammatical errors or misspellings make it difficult to understand the content. |
| Deadlines | The blog posts and comments are completed on time. | The blog posts or comments are completed within 1 day after the due date. | The blog posts or comments are completed 2 days after the due date. | The blog posts or comments are completed 3 or more days after the due date. |