Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

Research has shown that writing to learn can support discipline-specific learning and thought development. Traditional writing strategies such as essays and journaling have been found to have a positive impact on recall of information, concept analysis and application. However, interaction with readers is not immediate with these methods. An environment where writers can immediately adapt to their readers’ feedback and become conversation partners for one another is the blogosphere. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how fifth-grade writers engaged in blog conversations with an audience beyond the classroom walls about their learning in language arts (LA) and social studies (SS) classes. The chapter also analyzes the ways in which feedback from the audience facilitated the fledgling writers’ “learning to write and writing to learn.”

Comments

Originally published in:

Mcgrail, Ewa and J. Patrick McGrail (2014). Writing to Learn: Blogging about Language Arts and Social Studies in a Grade 5 Classroom. In Anderson, Rebecca S. and Clif Mims Handbook of Research on Digital Tools for Writing Instruction in K-12 Settings. Hershey: PA IGI Global.

(c) IGI Global. Posted with the permission of the publisher.

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