Lesson+Plan+Redesign+Q&A

= Lesson Plan Redesign Answers =

===1. I chose this lesson plan because it is one of the last projects of the year that I use with my students. It's something the boys and girls are working on now and I thought it would be easy to integrate the use of web 2.0 tools since the boys and girls will already be word processing the poetry books.===

===2. In the new lesson plan, I will still introduce each type of poem and have the kids hand write drafts. However, I plan to have them use our class blog on KidBlog.org to get them talking about their poetry. Each week, when we go to the computer lab, I will have the kids post one of their poems as a new post on KidBlog with the question, "What do you think?" attached. I would like kids to provide feedback to each other about their theme, craft, spelling, and grammar.===

===The goal is to get students thinking about the message their poems are sending to the readers. Often boys and girls write poems that only they can understand. I want them to be able to see the poem through the eyes of their peers. I'm curious to see how the kids react to comments and questions from their peers.===

===4. The boys and girls in my class are aware that I have been coming to this class every Thursday. It's become a routine that I show them at least one new tool that I have learned to use on Friday mornings. A few weeks ago, when I showed them the KidBlog they were so excited for me to create one for our class. So, I thought this was the perfect forum to get them talking about their poetry writing.===

===6. I think that the use of Kidblog will allow me to see student learning differently that if I were to have the students partner up and conference about their poetry. In the past, I found it difficult to check in with each student regularly during class time. However, the use of the blog allows me to check in with each child at my convenience. It's also a great tool for the kids to share with their parents at home. When parents ask the kids what they did in the computer lab, they will be able to show them instead of just telling them.===

===7. Elementary school students are always looking for new ways to acquire information. I have noticed that editing and revising is one area that could use work in my classroom. Kids have difficulty reading their own pieces and giving them an honest critique. They often glance over spelling, mechanics and word usage. I think integrating the Kidblog into this unit of study will give the kids a resource to improve their poetry writing skills.===