Reading Great Books and Great Blog Posts

As our final days draw nigh, Katie and I are both getting nostalgic. We have enjoyed getting to know all of you through your writing, and we will miss you. Over the semester as we read your posts, we learned so much about your views, the causes you care about, and the way you see the world. We sympathized with your losses and challenges, we chuckled at your humorous posts and comments, and we watched as you made connections, understood your differences, and shared with each other. In your hands, I believe the world can be a better place!

Tuesday's class will provide time to read, comment and connect to each other...the most important part of blogging. Katie hopes to make comments, too, as she reads over your "final" posts. Most of all, we hope these really aren't your "final" posts. Even though you'll be moving on from room 215, we'll all still be a part of our virtual classrooom! We can pass through these doors anytime with the click of a mouse. I know Katie and I plan on it. I hope you'll join us!

Happy reading and blogging!

Our Last Monday: Reading, Posting, and Commenting!

Hello, bloggers! This picture was taken from my car last summer on a stretch of highway between my parents' house and my sister's house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The trees are old and moss covered, and they provide a canopy of shade to drive through. It's very cool (literally), and as I was thinking about my family today, I decided to share this picture with you. I hope to drive down this road again this summer.

I hope today's class gives you the opportunity to read and revise your beautiful blog posts we began work on Friday. Reading over your posts this weekend, I have noticed some wonderful reflections and connections with both your independent and in-class reading. Look for powerful lessons or themes in your reading and blog about it. I've noticed topics ranging from courage, prejudice, love, fear, fate and more. Have fun with this, and show what you've learned this semester! As you proofread your posts, look for:

• Readability...Provide line breaks
  between paragraphs so that your lines don't run together and make it hard to read.


• Proofread for spelling (use spell check, too), grammar, and punctuation.


• Be sure you've followed our blog rules you voted on by your class.


• Reflect and write about your reading. This is a literature discussion blog. You will be making connections with your reading, with each other, and the world.


• When you provide links to another site, don't just link. Reflect on the links and what you learned from them.


• Create a catchy title.


• Find a picture or two that illustrate something about your post.


• Comment THOUGHTFULLY to each other. Take time to "discuss" the issues.

Good luck! Have Fun! As always, today is also a reading workshop day. You will have time to read your independent reading books, read the blog, and thoughtfully comment to each other.