Dudley,+John


 * __Deliverable #2

Purpose:__** To develop the students’ ability to write strong, attention-grabbing leads


 * __Goal:__** Each student will practice writing leads corresponding to the four types of leads outlined on the “Leads, Leads, & More Leads!!!!!” handout.


 * __GLE Addressed:__** W-6-6.2 (Selecting the appropriate information to set context, which may include a lead/hook)

1) Prior to this lesson, the students will have been introduced to the Big Potato Lead, the Snapshot Lead, the Talking Lead, and the Thinking Lead. They will have participated in an introductory lesson in which they will have had to categorize various leads found in various books, magazines, newspapers, etc…. 2) The students will have been conducting research for an upcoming research paper on an animal of their choosing.
 * __Prewriting Activities:__**

1) The students will be divided into pairs. Each pair will receive a picture from a //National Geographic// magazine and be assigned one of the four lead types. 2) Each team of students will work together to craft a lead of the assigned type as if they were writing a story or an article to go with their picture. 3) Each team will then share their picture and their lead with the entire class. The class will discuss how effective each team’s written leads are in grabbing attention and provoking curiosity. The instructor will ensure that the discussion also includes thinking on whether or not certain lead types may work better with the various pictures. 4) ASSIGNMENT: The students will independently write four leads for their animal research papers (Big Potato, Snapshot, Talking, and Thinking) to be posted on their instructor’s blog.
 * __Activities:__**


 * __Extension and Adaptation:__** Students who demonstrate advanced readiness for writing various types of leads can be challenged to produce four different leads, one of each type, for their picture during the partner phase of the lesson. In addition, such students can have the opportunity to craft alternate leads for the some of their favorite books or pieces of literature.


 * __Assessment:__** At the bottom of their lead post to the blog, students will rank their four leads numerically in terms of effectiveness (effectiveness being thought of, in this case, as grabbing attention and provoking curiosity). Students will review each other’s posts and comment (ranking each other’s leads); the instructor will also rank (via comment) each student’s post. The end result will be each student having four different options to introduce their research papers as well as feedback as to the effectiveness of each lead.

__**Deliverable #3**__


 * Proposal**: To develop and maintain a blog dedicated to my sixth grade self-contained special education classroom for the purpose of facilitating communication among students, parents, colleagues, and administrators.


 * Description**: A blog is a location on the internet that is somewhat akin to an online journal that can be frequently updated by the author (or “blogger”) and commented on by its subscribers. In this case, it will provide information about events that are occurring in school, such as introductions and updates on units of study. The blog can be a place for students to share their thinking, such as by posting responses to readings and even commenting on each other’s responses. It is an interactive webpage that easily displays not only text but also images, slideshows, links to websites, audio and or video clips.

The service I have chosen to use for my classroom’s blog is called Blogger (www.blogger.com). This is a free service that has allowed me to create a blog for my program. The process of creating my blog was easy and quick and, unlike using our district’s teacher webpages, did not require a training session from any technology specialists. It is equally simple to use the blog’s “dashboard” to update, monitor, maintain, and expand the blog.

Because blogging may be a new idea for some, I tried to find some thinking that would help to introduce the possible educational benefits of a blog. I read an article from the //St. Petersburg Times// that elaborates on a fifth grade class’s use of a blog. I am proposing a similar blog usage for my classroom. It might also be of interest to note that the article is dated 2005 – a sign I take as indication that the use of blogs in education is not a passing fad. __http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/09/Tampabay/Blogging_classroom_co.shtml__ A further discussion of the benefits and uses of a classroom blog can be found in this article by Jan Ray, written for the //Kappa Delta Pi Record//:__ http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ738088&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ738088__ Curious as to what a classroom blog would actually look like? Please take a look at Mr. Ahlness’ “Mighty Writers” blog. __http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=41233__ Were I an administrator reviewing this proposal, I might have a couple of concerns. First, there is an understandably negative view of popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace as playgrounds for online predators. Will the classroom blog be lumped in with Myspace in the minds of parents and thus be viewed negatively? Second, aren’t there confidentiality issues inherent in creating an online community for students in a special education program?

Regarding the first issue, rest assured that Blogger gives me the ability to control the content of my class’s blog. Nothing can be posted to the blog by anyone except for myself. I can set the blog so that nobody can add a comment to any of the blog’s postings except for those who I have allowed to become subscribers. And finally, no comments can be published to the blog (even by subscribers) until I have personally reviewed and approved them.

Regarding the second issue, an answer again presents itself in Blogger’s versatile setting options. I can set the blog so that it can only be viewed by its own subscribers. I am envisioning the subscribers to be my students, their parents, myself and team teachers, and building administrators. Should we wish to make the blog viewable by anyone on the internet, I could request that subscribing students and parents use Blogger IDs that don’t feature their real names.

In conclusion, integrating a blog into my classroom will help create a community communication nexus for students, parents, and team teachers. Imagine the satisfaction that students and parents will have with there being one easy online destination to check the school calendar, or review when long-term assignments are due, or download a field trip permission slip, or peruse my classroom expectations, or view pictures of student presentations, or watch a video tutorial on that night’s math homework.

Final Project

John Dudley 6th Grade Special Education Teacher Davisville Middle School North Kingstown, Rhode Island john_dudley@nksd.net