Journal #1

Chatting It Up Online: Students Talk to a Favorite Author by Pamela Livingston

I thought this was a wonderful article. It describes how the Chestnut Hill Academy participated in an author chat. They were able to participate in a one hour chat with Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Treehouse series. This article describes step by step the process of setting up the chat and participating in it. It also has very good suggestions, such as checking that the technology is working properly beforehand, checking the room the screens are in at the same time of day the chat will be in order to check for glare, and having your tech people available during the chat.

I had never heard of this book series before reading this article. I now want to find out more about it and read a book from the series. I think it will help me connect with my students better if I know about a series they may be interested in. I feel that it is always good to encourage students to read with books they will enjoy and teach them to write from those books.

I also had never heard of a classroom participating in a chat with an author. I think that it is a wonderful idea. I think it is a useful tool in motivating students and teaching them about writing.

Question 1: How could I incorporate this into a lesson?

I could have the students read a book and analyze how the author sets up the characters or have them analyze the conflicts. Then they could ask the author directly how they decided on the characters and how they would introduce them. This could be used for other analyses of writing as well.

Question 2: How could I use an author chat to motivate students to read?

I could tell them about a chat opportunity and give them a book to read by that author. I could have them write a report, and those that show they have read the book by their report can participate in the chat. The author’s answers might also end up motivating students to write their own story.