Student Blogging as Digital Portfolios - Part 2 - Autobiographical Statement

Part 1 of this lesson included instructions on how to set up a class blog and student blogs. If you haven't read that one yet, I would suggest doing that first! Click HERE for that post.

This is the first part of my writing lesson that will lead students to creating their About Me pages on their student blogs. You will notice that this lesson references a PowerPoint presentation quite often. I have included pictures of the slides where necessary, and links to the video showing the whole presentation. If you would like a copy of the actual PowerPoint slide presentation, please email me and I can send it directly to you.

INTRODUCTION (gathered in reading area)
To begin the introduction, gather the students in your reading area and read them the book Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews. This is an autobiography about a boy in New Orleans who grows up to become a jazz legend. I chose this book because it is an age-appropriate example of an autobiography, and a good story! I found the book at my local library, but it is available on Amazon:
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
There is also a video that gives an overview of the book with his beautiful music in the background.

Ask your students “Who is this story about?” “Who wrote this book?”. Explain that when the author of the book is telling about him/herself, that is called an Autobiography. Break down the word for them on poster paper:
o Auto means Self
o Bio means Life
o Graphy means Account, writing, recording
See if they can come up with other examples of words that use those parts (like automobile, biology, choreography, etc.)

This is when I tell my students that we are going to be creating blogs as digital portfolios this year. This means that they will all get to record videos, audio, post pictures and writing to show all the things they are learning about in Grade 2! I want this to be exciting for them! Most of them will be familiar with "YouTubers" who are "famous", and that is a kind of video blogging!

In order to start a blog though, the reader needs to know WHO the blog is about. So, for their very first blog post, they will be writing an autobiographical statement. Or, more simply put, an "About Me" page!

So why do we need to teach about autobiographies if we are writing an online blog?! I take a few answers from students here, and maybe some with hit on the answer! A BLOG (web log) is like a digital autobiography! A BLOG can be an ongoing story that tells readers:

Slide 3 of my PowerPoint file - click here to see the video

This lesson is designed to end with your students creating an "About Me" page on their student blogs. I want this page on their sites to be a good introduction to who they are, but I want them to understand that every type of writing has it's own style and intended audience. For all assignments, I go over the criteria for a successful _______ (in this case, the blank is filled in with About Me Page). Here is what the students are expected to include:

Slide 3 of my PowerPoint file - click here to see the video

I use rubrics in my class, both for summative assessment, as well as for students to edit and evaluate their own (or a classmate's) work. For this lesson, I give them a copy of the rubric they will use, and we practice evaluating some examples I made up. See the video for the sample pieces!

First, as with most writing, we want to create an outline. For this lesson, I created a brainstorming sheet to outline the student's writing. This is an easy way for me to see who needs help coming up with what to write, and who can work independently. The pic below is my daughter Ayla, doing the project for me as a template for my students! She still loves school, so she hasn't asked me to pay her yet! 

To make it easier for the students to organize their writing, I have them shade the parts that go in the introduction (Name, Age and Grade, Where I live, and Family) one colour, and the parts that go in the body (Activities, Favourites, When I grow up, Other facts) a second colour, and the last cloud (why I am writing a blog) a third colour. This makes it easy for them to keep it straight while they are writing. Ayla said "Oh! That makes it WAY easier! I think I'll do that from now on!" Excellent!

Once the kids are done their brainstorming clouds, it is time to write! I have a slide on the PowerPoint for each section of the writing, and we go through it step by step. Once they are better at writing, we wouldn't need to go this slowly for the whole class, but because this is early in the year, and follows a specific pattern, we go slow. Kids that are more advanced are free to get ahead of where we are, and I will help the kids who are finding it a challenge to keep up. 

The next step is to EDIT! I start the editing process right from day 1 with kids' writing. I want them to be clear that editing is just as important, if not more important, as the writing itself! For this lesson, I have prepared and editing checklist that the students can work through independently, with a partner, or with me. 

Once the autobiographies have been edited, and checked by me, we are ready for the FUN PART... Creating a page on the Student Blogs!

See my next POST for Part 3 of this lesson....