Classroom Activities: Blogs
These classroom activities are designed to complement the Blogs topic on BrainPOP Jr.
Class Blog
Start a class blog! There are a number of free, easy-to-use blogging sites, some of which were specifically created for classroom blogs. Discuss what you want your blog to be about and what links you would like to add to the blog. Teach students how to create a blog post and outline some basic rules for posting. You may want to teach students how to upload photos, pictures, or videos to the blog. Review appropriate content with students and remind them never to share personal information. You may wish to edit each blog post before it is published or assign a student to check for errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. We recommend assigning days when each student is responsible to create a blog post. Finally, invite students to share the blog with friends and family members. This is a great way to get families involved with your classroom and keep them up to date about exciting things happening in class.
Author Blog
Many children’s books authors have their own blogs where they write about their lives or the writing process. Illustrators also have blogs where they share their works in progress. Research the sites of a few authors and illustrators you and your students enjoy and see if there’s a blog that is appropriate to follow. Encourage students to make comments, if possible, and invite children to respond to other people’s comments.
Book Review Blog
Start a blog specifically for book reviews. Remind students that a book review describes a book and explains positive and negative aspects. You may want to read a few examples of book reviews and practice writing a few together. Then invite students to write reviews of books they read in class or independently. They can rate the books with stars or thumbs up. This will provide a forum for students to share their favorite and least favorite books and start a discussion amongst each other in the comments section. It also provides a venue where students can get age-appropriate book recommendations from their peers.