Why Students Should Blog – My Top 10

Pernille Ripp

Image:Kristina B

I have written about it before, I will write about it again I am sure, so here is why students should blog:

1. They have an actual audience to write for. The writing is no longer just for me but the whole world. When we write science diaries, we have scientists write back to us and push their questioning skills. When students write about a book they are reading, other students ask them questions and give them more recommendations. When students go on vacations they write to us to tell us all about it. You get the idea.
2. You can track their writing progress. I have always had them keep track of their writing in their binders but invariable papers got lost. Here I can see their growth, print it out and hand it to them. I can have them focus on specific skills,justlike regular writing, but they…

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10 Evidence Based Practices for Comprehensive Literacy Instruction

In the book, Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (2011), Grambrell, Malloy, and Mazzoni offer 10 evidence based practices for comprehensive literacy instruction.  They are all important practices and here I will attempt to rank them in order of importance and provide a brief explanation:

1. Differentiate instruction using a variety of instructionally relevant assessments. This seems to be the cornerstone of most of what is to come with the rest of the list.  Students need to be reading (and learning to read) at their level.  We need to make sure we are not wasting precious time on things students already know yet not asking students to read texts they are not ready for.

My Students Have iPads – Now What?

My Students Have iPads – Now What?  Using iPads to Increase Learning, Boost Motivation, and  Assess Learning

Here is a link to the presentation that was given at the 58th Annual International Reading Convention in San Antonio, TX, on April 21, 2013.  I enjoyed meeting so many inspiring, talented and creative teachers.  Thank you for sharing your great ideas with me about you are using iPads with your students.

My Students Have iPads Now What