YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT!

Welcome Bloggers!

Here is your first blogging assignment........

1. What is your favorite book and why?

2. What genre of books do you like to read?

3. What book are you currently reading?  If you just finished a book, what was it?  Please give a brief summary (aproximately 15 lines).

4.  Your first name only (for safety reasons!)

Happy Blogging!!
Mrs. Lipman

TIME TO SET UP YOUR BLOG!

Unfortunately, we discovered that we can’t have 200 students set up their blogs at the same time with the EMS IP address. SO we need you to set up your blog at home.

Here are step by step directions. Miss Garofalo will check here email from home so if you are having trouble, please send her a message at lgarofalo@ellingtonschools.net and hopefully she can help.

How do I start a web log?

1. Go to www.blogger.com and either log in using your Google account or click on the red box found at the top right corner to sign up. Please make sure you write down your username and password so you can access your account from school.
2. You may need to click through a couple account setting options till you get to a screen that gives you the option to set up a New Blog.

3.    Follow the directions to name your blog and create its URL Address.  The name and URL do not necessarily have to match.  

·         Please start your blog name with your first name and last initial (for example Susan Q’s Blog)

·         The address of the blog should be short if possible. We’ve been suggesting using your initials followed by blogs or reads (for example stqreads or stqblogs). You will need to give this address to your LA teacher so please write it down.

·         Follow the directions to pick a template (you can always change this later), and your blog is ready to go! Click on create blog.

How do I set up my blog the way I want to?

1.    Click on the name of your blog to get to the dashboard for you blog. This is where you can change the design and add new posts as well as change your privacy settings

2.    Go to “Settings” and under ‘basic’ change the “add blog to our listings” and “let search engines find your blog” to “no.”  If you want search engines to find your blog, you MUST make that change with your parent or guardian.

3.    Also under “Settings” page click on the tab for ‘posts and comments’ and change “Who can comment” to be “registered users.”

Additional Guidelines

This blog is a part of a school project.  Therefore, all content on your blog must be related to your reading and writing life in some way.  Please do not use this blog as an online journal.

Our expectation is that we are a community of readers and writers.  We will be monitoring all blogs and trusting that your words that appear online will come from a place of respect for your fellow classmates and have a tone that is appropriate for school.

Extra FeaturesAs you customize your blogs, feel free to utilize all the tools available to you on blogger - some of the more popular tools are found under “Add a Gadget.” A few of my favorites are:

·         labels: you can label each post according to genre, author, topic, etc.  I have found this really helpful when I want to go back and read a certain type of post I’ve done in the past. It also helps new readers to your blog find what they are looking for/interested in.

·         blog list: you can create a list of blogs you are reading on the sidebar. Each time an author posts something new, it automatically moves that blog to the top of your list.

These “How-To” tips were borrowed and adapted from http://www.room116ela.blogspot.com/

My blog is set up, NOW WHAT?

Your blog is a place for you to RESPOND to your reading, not to retell the plot or to merely "review" it. We want to know where your mind wanders while you are reading or after you put the book down. We want you to find something in your independent reading life that sparks a thought you would like to explore with writing and share with your classmates.
Responding can mean that you find one single line that speaks to you and you feel compelled to write about it. Responding can mean that a theme of the book got you thinking.
Responding can mean that you are so angry or so in love with how a character reacted that you can't *not* write about it.
It's all about responding from your voice, mind and heart to what you are reading. If you don't naturally do this, we’re hoping that writing a weekly response will help you practice.
Your post should be FOCUSED and ORGANIZED. Have one main idea that you are exploring. Use purposeful paragraphs to elaborate on that idea.
Your post should be TEXT BASED and specific.
Even though you should be using CORRECT GRAMMAR (capitalize! no texting abbreviations! correct punctuation!) your post
can/should SOUND LIKE YOU. This is not a formal essay, but an informal way of conveying to your peers what you've been thinking about in your reading life.
Response ideas
A. Focus on the CHARACTER(S). What traits are you noticing? Does the main character have strengths or weaknesses that are affecting the path he or she is taking in the story?
B. Awareness of the SETTING. Does the setting affect the book’s conflict or characters. If the setting is significant and symbolic, describe and unpack it. Why do you think the author created this place to tell the story?
C. PREDICT. What are your thoughts on what is going to happen next?
*All of your blog posts must have EVIDENCE from the text to support what you write.*

D. Respond to specific response questions posted by Mrs. Lipman. 

Be thoughtful and critical in your reading responses: dig deeper, think outside the box, & look for thought provoking concepts and ideas. 


The choice is yours, this is your blog! Make the most of it!

I can’t wait to read your first posts!

How Do I Get Started?

How do I start a web log?

1. Go to www.blogger.com and click on the “Create a Blog” button.
2. Blogger is a part of Gmail and you will need a gmail account if you don’t already have one.  If you already have a gmail email address, simply type it in.  If you don’t, you can create one.  See Miss Garofalo for help. Don’t forget your password! You can now also use this account for email, or use it just for your blogger account.
3. Follow the directions to name your blog and create its URL.  The name and URL do not necessarily have to match.  (For example, if you want to call your blog “Books Upon Books,” but that URL is already taken, you can still use that title then make the URL something else)
4. Follow the directions to pick a template, and your blog is ready to go!

How do I set up my blog the way I want to?

1. It is important to first adjust the privacy settings.  Go to the “Design” link at the top right hand corner of your blog’s page. This will take you to your blog’s “dashboard,” which is where you can change the design, add new posts, change the settings, etc.
2. Go to “Settings” and under ‘basic’ change the “add blog to our listings” and “let search engines find your blog” to “no.”  If you want search engines to find your blog, you MUST make that change with your parent or guardian.
3. Also in the“Settings” page click on the tab for ‘comments’ and change “Who can comment” to be “registered users.”
4. Go to “Permissions.”  You can decide who can see your blog. Everyone will be creating blog communities, where you will be reading and commenting on other people’s posts.  If you are uncomfortable for any with having your blog open to everyone, you can choose who your readers will be and enter them in this section.  Those users will have to go to your blog, request permission to see it and then be verified by you.
5. Finally, let Miss Garofalo, Mrs. Reynolds, or Mrs. Brogle know the url for your blog. You must set your permissions to allow us to view your blog.

Additional Guidelines

1. This blog is a part of a school project.  Therefore, all content on your blog must be related to your reading and writing life in some way.  Please do not use this blog as an online journal.
2. Our expectation is that we are a community of readers and writers.  We will be monitoring all blogs and trusting that your words that appear online will come from a place of respect for your fellow classmates as well with a tone that is appropriate for school.

Extra Features
As you customize your blogs, feel free to utilize all the tools available to you on blogger - some of the more popular tools are found under “Add a Gadget.” A few of my favorites are:

1. labels: you can label each post according to genre, author, topic, etc.  I have found this really helpful when I want to go back and read a certain type of post I’ve done in the past. It also helps new readers to your blog find what they are looking for/interested in.
2. blogroll: you can create a list of blogs you are reading on the sidebar. Everyone will be responsible for commenting on a handful of other blogs, so this is a great place to put the blogs you plan on keeping up with.  Each time an author posts something new, it automatically moves that blog to the top of your list.

These “How-To” tips were borrowed and adapted from http://www.room116ela.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Blogging!

Welcome!

For this project, each student will be creating a blog. Why blog? The blogs will provide an opportunity for thoughts and ideas about reading to reach other people, rather than stay hidden in your school notebooks! It is already proven that technology is a powerful tool and can provide a purpose for your writing. Our hope is that these blogs will be used to expand and enhance our existing community of readers and writers.

You will be expected to post one thoughtful post a week. I will guide you through this process with clear expectations. You will create a ‘blog roll’ to follow at least three of your classmates’ blogs. You should read what your classmates are writing and post appropriate responses or comments.We will be monitoring all blogs and trusting that the words that appear online will come from a place of respect for fellow classmates as well with a tone that is appropriate for school.

We will help you set up your blog and adjust the privacy settings. Remember what you know about staying safe on the Internet. It is important to adjust the privacy settings so you have control over who can access and view your site. You can choose the option so blogs cannot be found through an Internet search, and they aren’t listed on the blogger website. In addition, permissions can be set for who is able to view each blog. If you are uncomfortable for any reason with having your blog open to everyone, you can choose who your readers will be and enter them in this section.  Those users will have to go to your blog, request permission to see it and then be verified by you.

We will be using our blog (http://room13lovestoread.com) as the hub for all your blogs. You will be able to view our blog to look for new assignments.  Make sure you check back often!

We will be starting on Monday, March 4th and can't wait to get started!

Happy reading and blogging!!

- Mrs. Lipman and Miss Garafolo