Blogs
Background Information & Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Encourage children to become active members of the blogosphere! This movie will introduce blogs and describe a few common types. It will identify the main parts of a blog, including the comments section, and explore ways children can participate in blogs. We recommend writing a class or family blog together to allow children to develop reading and writing skills and take ownership of their work.

Remind children that the word "blog" is short for "web log." A blog is an online journal that shares information. Blogs can be about anything and everything. Brainstorm or show a few different examples of blogs. Blogs usually have text, pictures, videos, or a combination of these media. Some blogs explore general topics, such as sports, books, technology, education, or entertainment. Other blogs explore very specific topics, such as a particular species of animal. Some people keep personal blogs so they can write about their lives and share their thoughts and opinions. But there are many different kinds of blogs! Photoblogs share photos, travel blogs (or travelogs) share information about places to visit, dream blogs share people's dreams, and news blogs report on things happening all around the world. A microblog is another type of blog. It has very short posts of just a sentence or two that share a quick thought or a link to a picture, video, or website. Blogs are as different as the people who write them, but all share information and provide opportunities to learn about many different things.

Remind children that many blogs share a few things in common. Many have a title, just like a book or magazine. One person can be the author of a blog, or several contributors can post to the same blog (called a collaborative blog). Show children that the latest or newest blog post is at the top of the page, and the entries get older as you move down the page. On some blogs, people can make comments so readers can share a thought or opinion about a specific post. Old blog posts are collected in the archives, which are organized by date. Many blogs have a section that provides links to other websites. These are sites or other blogs that readers might find interesting or useful. It's a great way to learn about other resources on the Internet.

Encourage children to participate in blogs. There are a large number of free blogging sites available, and many provide themes that are easily modifiable and offer the ability to have multiple contributors. You may want to set up a blog to maintain throughout the school year that describes what students are working on in class. Go through the proper protocols of posting a blog. Like any piece of writing, it’s important to check your work for mistakes before publishing. Remind children that when something is published, it is put into print so it can be shared.

Another way of participating in blogs is by reading them and posting comments. Encourage children to comment on entries to share their thoughts and add on to a discussion. They may even want to answer a question posed by another reader in the comments section. Blogs allow people to exchange and share ideas with others all over the world. Remind children that everything posted to a blog is available for everyone to read. This includes comments made on blog entries. Thus, they should not post anything mean or write anything they would not say to someone in person.

Blogs are powerful communication tools that allow people of all backgrounds to connect and share their lives and work. In addition, they help children develop reading and writing skills and allow them to create and take ownership of their work. Encourage children to become active bloggers!

See more lesson plans and resources: BrainPOP Educators.

Blogs Teacher Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Class Blog

Start a class blog! There are a number of free, easy-to-use blogging sites, some of which were specifically created for classroom blogs. Discuss what you want your blog to be about and what links you would like to add to the blog. Teach students how to create a blog post and outline some basic rules for posting. You may want to teach students how to upload photos, pictures, or videos to the blog. Review appropriate content with students and remind them never to share personal information. You may wish to edit each blog post before it is published or assign a student to check for errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. We recommend assigning days when each student is responsible to create a blog post. Finally, invite students to share the blog with friends and family members. This is a great way to get families involved with your classroom and keep them up to date about exciting things happening in class.

Author Blog

Many children’s books authors have their own blogs where they write about their lives or the writing process. Illustrators also have blogs where they share their works in progress. Research the sites of a few authors and illustrators you and your students enjoy and see if there's a blog that is appropriate to follow. Encourage students to make comments, if possible, and invite children to respond to other people's comments.

Book Review Blog

Start a blog specifically for book reviews. Remind students that a book review describes a book and explains positive and negative aspects. You may want to read a few examples of book reviews and practice writing a few together. Then invite students to write reviews of books they read in class or independently. They can rate the books with stars or thumbs up. This will provide a forum for students to share their favorite and least favorite books and start a discussion amongst each other in the comments section. It also provides a venue where students can get age-appropriate book recommendations from their peers.

Blogs Family Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Family Blog

Create a blog for your family. Invite each family member to write a post every week. Encourage your child to write about family memories, describe vacations and trips, or discuss daily activities. Share the blog with other relatives and invite them to join in through the comments section or a guest blog post!

Art Blog

Art blogs are a great way to share creative work with others. Create an art blog together with your child. Post your child's drawings, paintings, and other artwork. Make sure your child writes a description of his or her artwork and give each piece a title.