Purpose:
This collaborative activity is designed to build 2nd grade students’ communication and writing skills through blogging.
Objectives:
Students will listen to “The Story” read aloud to them by the teacher. Students will write a complete sentence for a group story they will create with the class. They will post their sentence on the classroom blog.
Content:
“The Story” taken from the Adventures of Frog and Toad
Strategies:
Read Aloud and Modeling: Writing in Action (Spandel, 2005)
Instruction:
Hello students! Today you will create a group story based on the Adventures of Frog and Toad. In “The Story”, Frog asked Toad to tell him a story but Toad could not come up with any ideas for a story. You will help Toad by writing a story for him. Each of you will write one complete sentence for the story. Before you write your sentences, I will read aloud "The Story" and we will discuss it together as a class. Next, we will brainstorm topics and decide on a main idea for the group story. Then, you will write one sentence for the group story and post the sentence on our classroom blog. Once the story is completed, I will it in its entirety to the class and we will discuss our progress.
Sometimes it is hard to think of ideas to write just as it was hard for Toad to come up with ideas for a story for Frog. Students, I will help you get started with the group story by showing you a strategy that I like to use when I write. This strategy will help you write your sentence. First, I think of a topic, for example, the beach. Then, I think of things I would see at the beach like people, a sunset, dogs etc… Next, I use these ideas to write a sentence, I could write, “I saw two dogs on the beach digging up seashells” (this sentence will be written on the board for students to use as an example). Lastly, I read my sentence aloud to make sure it makes sense and connects to the topic. I think “I saw two dogs on the beach digging up seashells” makes sense and connects to my topic. My sentence is a complete sentence because it starts with a capital letter, ends with appropriate punctuation (period), has subject and verb, and expresses a complete thought.
Now, you will start writing your sentence for the group story. Below are instructions to help you write your one sentence. Make sure your sentence connects with the topic and main idea we chose as a class.
Once this activity is completed by the entire class, we will brainstorm a conclusion and add it to the end of our group story. I will read the entire story aloud to the class and then we will discuss the results of our progress.
Diversity Instructions: English learners and Students with Disabilities:
Lower levels students in these categories will be given various pictures related to the topic and the main idea. They will use the pictures to help them write their sentence. The teacher will help these students with the placement of the pictures, suggest a few words for their pictures, and help them write a 3 or 4 word complete sentence. Once these steps are completed, these students will post their sentences on the classroom blog with the assistance of the teacher. Struggling lower level students will not be required to take the quiz but those students in this category who demonstrate some proficiency will take the online quiz with help if needed. Higher-level students will complete this activity using a few or no pictures and receive help from the teacher if needed. Their sentences must include more than 4 words. These students will complete the online quiz.
Assessment:
Students will be graded with the following rubric:
Complete sentence posted on blog: 5 pts
Sentence with 4 elements of a complete sentence posted on blog: 4 pts
Sentence with 3 elements of a complete sentence posted on blog: 3 pts
Sentence with 2 elements of a complete sentence posted on blog: 2 pts
Sentence with 1 element of a complete sentence posted on blog: 1 pt
No attempt: 0 pts
