Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Workshop Wednesday -- Responding to Reading

Unlike last week, this week is REALLY flying by for me!  (Wahoo!!!)  Here it is, Wednesday already.  So I'm linking up with Ideas by Jivey for Workshop Wednesday.  This is such a great linky party -- I hope you will check it out!  (And yes, I am a little jealous that today is her last day of school! :)



This week's topic:  How do my students respond to their reading?

I have tried lots of things to have my students respond to their reading.  I occasionally have them use Post-its, which is a great way to track their thinking.  However, this year I have tried using www.Kidblog.org and having them blog about their reading.  (For some reason, involving tech is like the energy drink for student engagement in my room!  :)


This worked especially well with our read alouds and I loved that the kids could access it from home to complete their responses!  I would simply go on the blog, post a question, and students could respond.



They could also respond to each other's responses and begin an online book discussion.  So fun! 

Kidblog is FREE and easy to get started.  All posts need to be approved by the teacher before they will post to the internet so it is easy to monitor. 

So how to your students respond to their writing?  I'm looking for some new great ideas....Won't you share yours in a comment below?  Head on over to Ideas by Jivey to get some more inspiration!

6 comments:

  1. I totally agree - sometimes using technology is a huge motivator for my class too. I think I may have to check out Kidblog for next year. I love the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

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  2. Funny that you should post about this because I have been waffling between Kidblog and Edmodo. Have you tried Edmodo? I'm just wondering the pros and cons... Thanks! You gave me something to think about. :)
    Brandee @ Creating Lifelong Learners

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  3. Oh wow!! How great! I love this idea!!! :) thanks for linking up!
    Jivey
    ideas by jivey
    Follow Me On Facebook! :)

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  4. I am so happy that I saw this! I have used edmodo a lot but not for the purpose of reader response. We are using it over the summer to have my 4th graders respond to questions about summer reading. I do want to use kidblog next year and am happy to hear that you like it, Jennifer.
    Lisa

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  5. I would love to try to use Kid Blog next year! I'm not sure if my second graders can handle it or not, but I think if we have a class set of iPads again, it would be workable. Thanks for sharing.

    Jessica
    Literacy Spark

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  6. I really wanted to try this last year, but I could not find the time to set it up. It is at the top of my to do list once I get my class list. Some of the students used Kidblog in third grade, and they loved it. I can't wait to give it a try this year!

    Mary

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