Parent Newsletter

As a classroom teacher, I publish a quarterly newsletter as a means of communicating with parents about the units we are studying and the upcoming projects and trips. A student-created class pod casting site could host not only this sort of information, but also students’ reading aloud their creative writing such as short stories and poetry. Longer pieces of writing could be serialized over several pod casts. When we are reading a novel, students could dramatize scenes from the text, write and broadcast news shows about important events in the novel, and role play interviews with characters. Students would relate new information to prior knowledge and experience; interpret and analyze information; and use a wide variety of strategies for selecting, organizing, and categorizing information. They would compare and synthesize information from different sources; read and view texts and performances from a wide range of authors, subjects, and genres; and assess the quality of texts and presentations. Students would learn to express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in conversations and group discussions; listen attentively to others and build on others' ideas in conversations with peers and adults; and use verbal skills to improve communication. By creating and developing a classroom pod cast, students would be involved with all aspects of promoting our learning together—from choosing a name for the pod cast to publishing their productions. All students, regardless of their reading and writing ability, would be able to contribute to this exciting endeavor.