What exactly is a blog?

Dear students,

What exactly is a blog, and why are we using it in 4th grade? We will use the blog to communicate about different things we discuss in class. Our online posts will extend our conversations from class, and allow us to see what other classmates are thinking as well.

We will use the blog for many different things. Often I will write a post, and you will be asked to respond to it for homework. For example, we might post about different reading strategies, or use it to respond to poetry in the spring. However, this year I would also love to have students write a blog post, and classmates can respond to their post.

Today, I am interested in your thoughts about the blog. Please answer the following questions:

1. What excites you about the blog?

2. What questions do you have about the blog?

3. What ideas do you have for future blog posts or using the blog?


I look forward to reading your first blog response!

Your teacher,
Mrs. Eads

Would You Rather...

Dear students,

For your final blog posts, you will write a persuasive paragraph in a series called "Would You Rather." In each post, I will give you a scenario, and you will have to defend your answer using the following criteria:

• A topic sentence stating your opinion
• At least 3 supporting sentences defending your opinion
• One counter argument
• A concluding sentence summarizing your writing

Here is your "Would You Rather" for today:

Would you rather have a three-day weekend every week or have an extra month of summer vacation?

I cannot wait to see what you will write!

Your teacher,

Mrs. Eads

Poetry Madness: Championship Game!

Welcome to the championship game!!!

 Mother to Son vs. Roger the Dog

Your response must be at least 5 sentences long and include the following:
*Who should win the championship.
*Why you connect to the poem.
*What you like about the poet's craft.

If your response is not detailed and does not answer all parts, it will be disqualified. In addition, if there are multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes, your response will be disqualified.

It takes attention to detail and hard work to be a champion, so your blog post needs to reflect your best writing and thinking. May the best poem win!

Poetry Madness: Final Four, Game 2

Welcome to the Final Four! 
You will need to read the winners of Game 1 and 2 for this round: 

The poems are: Roger the Dog and Do you Carrot All for Me?

Your response needs to be a paragraph with at least 3 sentences in each, but you do not need to summarize the meaning of the poems. Instead, your response should include the following information:

• Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
• What personal connection can you make?
• Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, word choice, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Poetry Madness: Final Four, Game 1

Welcome to the Final Four! 
You will need to read the winners of Game 1 and 2 for this round: 

The poems are: Mother to Son and Life Doesn't Frighten Me

Your response needs to be a paragraph with at least 3 sentences in each, but you do not need to summarize the meaning of the poems. Instead, your response should include the following information:

• Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
• What personal connection can you make?
• Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, word choice, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 4

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read "Do You Carrot for Me at All?" and "How to Eat a Poem."

In Round 2, you need to choose your winner based on the following criteria:

• Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
• What personal connection can you make with either poem?
• Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Here is an example of advanced/proficient writing:

Mother to Son has a more important meaning to me because it is talking about a 
woman who was probably a slave telling her boy that life isn't going to be easy and 
I really think that goes close to my heart. And I feel bad for them.

My connection is with the poem, Casey at the Bat. I have been on a softball team before and struck out when my team really needed a hit.  I can imagine how the fans and the player feel when the game is over and they do not win.  

I like Mother to Son's poem craft more because it rhymes better and the way it is 
written sounds like the mother is from the South.

Poetry Madness: Elite 8, Game 3

Now that you have read through all of the poems and chosen a winner to advance to the Elite 8, the pressure has mounted. Read "Choosing Shoes" and "Life Doesn't Frighten Me."

In Round 2, you need to choose your winner based on the following criteria:

• Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
• What personal connection can you make with either poem?
• Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, imagery, personification, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.

 Make sure your answer is detailed and explains the three bullet points.

Here is an example of advanced/proficient writing:

Mother to Son has a more important meaning to me because it is talking about a 
woman who was probably a slave telling her boy that life isn't going to be easy and 
I really think that goes close to my heart. And I feel bad for them.

My connection is with the poem, Casey at the Bat. I have been on a softball team before and struck out when my team really needed a hit.  I can imagine how the fans and the player feel when the game is over and they do not win.  

I like Mother to Son's poem craft more because it rhymes better and the way it is 
written sounds like the mother is from the South.