Blogging Guidelines

Writing guidelines

• Make sure your work is the best it can be
• Think before you post: Make sure what you write is appropriate to put online.
• Always tell the truth on your posts
• Say what you mean, and mean what you say..
• Get descriptive in your title. The title helps your audience decide if they want to read your post or not.
• Is your post learning related?
• Make your writing physically attractive. Add a supportive image, use bullets and paragraphs appropriately.
• Give credit in your works cited list to anyone whose work you use. Never use other people’s work and call it your own. In other words, don’t cut, copy, or plagiarize Internet content!
• Share your knowledge with others; when you learn something new, pass it along to someone else who can benefit.
• Carefully proofread your online work before you post, just like you would do in a regular letter. Use good form, spelling and grammar.
• Capital letters are regarded as “SHOUTING.” Be careful with them.

Some of the above  rules were adapted from Grade 3 BlogPals.

Topic Parameters

Connecting blogging to your school content

Blogging can connect to EVERY subject. Posts can be about ANY theme, topic or content studied. The fun begins when you connect what you have learned (in the classroom, at home or another media) on the blog.

Blog starters

1. Your favorite idiom
2. Learning is like…
3. There are a lot of ways to …
4. My tip of the day is…
5. For those who don’t know already …
6. Thought it would be fun to share …
7. Have you ever tried to figure out why …
8. I’m thoroughly impressed with … or you can also

#1: Open with a question.

Ex: "Do you know what you could do to survive if you were lost in the mountains?" or "Youª­re the only survivor on a boat crash. What would you try to take into a lifeboat?"

#2: Open with an announcement.

Ex: "A tornado is around the area of your school. Find shelter immediately." or "Heavy flood rains are pouring down and you need to find high shelter quickly."

#3: Open with a challenging and bold statement.

Ex: "Contrary to what people may think, you have more free time than you think."

#4: Open with a quote from someone.

Ex: "ª­Be ready for the time of your lifeª­, my friend said as we got onto the roller coaster."

#5: Open with a riddle that the reader can grapple with.

Ex: "With one blink, I can command others to move. With another blink, others will start to wander. Some will move & some will stop. With the last blink, I can command others to stop. What am I?" or "What goes in a door, but never goes in or out?"

More Ideas for Blog posts

1. Continuing Stories
2. Vocabulary studies
3. “I have always wondered…”
4. Study Hints
5. Recipes for success
6. Current Events
7. Describe your neighborhood/community tour with picture.
8. Book reviews/recommendations. Each student required to contribute a different book recommendation.

Adapted from http://hetherington.learnerblogs.org/rules-for-blogging/

http://makin.learnerblogs.org/2006/07/15/rules-for-blogging/

http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/27/blogging-lesson-plan-writing/ 

http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/23/blogging-with-elementary-school-students/