Blogging

The assignment: You are to blog each week on class readings or other assigned topics. After posting, you should also comment on the a few blogs from your classmates for the week. Unless otherwise specified in class, the following rubric is a general guide for how many points you will be given each week.
 * Blogging RUBRIC **

Or writes openly disrespectful and negative comments on other students’ blog postings. ||
 * ** Element ** || ** Exceptional **
 * (8-10) ** || ** Awesome **
 * (5-7) ** || ** Average **
 * (1-4 ) ** || ** Unacceptable (0) ** ||
 * ** Reflective ** || Has applied reading and classroom discussions to original posting. Provides thought- provoking writing to reader. Exceptional depth of thought to topic. || Has applied reading and classroom discussions and shows some originality or depth of thought to topic or other postings. || Minimal thought was given to the topic or other postings. Fulfills the directions, but goes not further in reflection. || Little or no discussion of the weeks’ readings. Little proof of learning. ||
 * ** Voice/ **
 * Content ** || Gives opinion and supports ideas. Content is accurate and factual. Uses examples from the book(s). Great depth of thought and answers question(s). Brilliant and engrossing variety of vocabulary usage: past vocabulary words or thesaurus was used. || Some thought was put into entry and has a reasonable flow. Strong and interesting vocabulary used to enhance the writing. || Little thought and vocabulary does little to enhance the entry. || Little thought, unclear, or “generic” voice ||
 * ** Complete ** || All components are clearly complete and extra information has been researched and stated. Question is answered thoroughly. Quality is better than quantity, but approx. one page || All components are included and fairly completed. 5 complex or 10 simple sentences per message. || 1 component incomplete. Response lacks quality. || 2 or more components missing. Response is too short or not developed and answers the question. ||
 * ** Timeliness ** || Updates blog as often or more often than required; all posts are date-stamped. || Updates blog when required; most posts are date-stamped. || Updates blog when reminded; posts are often missing a date stamp. || Fails to update blog within the required time frame. ||
 * ** Citations ** || Consistently uses standard bibliographic format to cite all sources, including direct quotations. || Uses standard bibliographic format to cite sources most of the time. || Does not use standard bibliographic format to cite sources, and citations are incomplete. || Does not cite any sources. ||
 * ** Contributions ** || Writes 3-4 comments on other students’ blog postings, and blogs are consistently positive, respectful, and succinct while providing a meaningful addition to the discussion. || Writes 2-3 comments on other students’ blog postings, and blogs are generally positive, respectful, and succinct while providing a meaningful addition to the discussion. || Writes 1-2 comments on other students’ blog postings Or blogs fail to show respect for other opinions. || 0 comments on other students’ blog postings


 * Response Journal Guidelines **
 * First thoughts.** Take some time to write down anything that comes to you in relation to the text—your initial reactions or responses. Do some focused free writing in response to what you’ve read. If the reading bores you write that down. If you’re intrigued by certain statements, if you’re attracted to characters or issues or problems, write that down. Just write! Try to take at least five minutes to write something whenever you’ve finished an assignment, or when you’ve put your book down for a break. Keep your journal close by when you read. You may want to write something that strikes you rather than wait until you’re finished.


 * Make connections.** What does the reading make you think of? Does it remind you of anything or anyone? Make connections with other texts or concepts or events. Do you see any similarities between this material and other books, texts you’ve read in class or out of class? Does it bring to mind other issues or contexts that are somehow related?


 * Ask yourself questions about the text:** What perplexes you about some passage or some point that the writer is making? Try beginning, “I wonder why . . .” or “I’m having trouble understanding how . . .” or “It perplexes me that . . .” or “I was surprised when...”


 * Try agreeing with the writer or a character**. Think of all the things you can say to support his or her ideas. Or try arguing with the writer/character. On what points, or about what issues, do you disagree? Think of your journal as a place to carry on a dialogue with the writer/character or with the text. Speak to him or her. Ask questions, and have the writer answer back. See what happens when you imagine yourself in his or her shoes.


 * Write down words, images, phrases, and details that strike you or confuse you.** Speculate about them. Why are they there? What do they add? Why did you notice them? You might try dividing your notebook page in half, and copying words from the text onto the left side, writing your own responses on the right. Look up any words that you don’t know in the passage. On a first reading you might simply put checks in the margin where passages intrigue you; on the second reading you can choose the most interesting to speculate and analyze.


 * Identify the author’s point of view, his or her attitude toward what he or she is saying**. Ask yourself how this perspective or attitude shapes the way the writer presents the material, develops the thesis or main idea. How do you think the author feels about the ideas he or she is presenting, the story being told?