Refining an assignment and defining questions for a writing exercise.
I will be working
with middle school students next year and I want to keep the classes fun and
interesting. As a writing exercise, I would like the students to participate in
a blog where they write about something that is of interest to them every other
week. The entries should be at least two paragraphs, no more than five. They
will be given a different broad topic, but can choose the exact thing they want
to write about. The weeks will alternate between factual (something they will
have to look up or research) and personal (a personal story or thought). What topics would you recommend? What problems
could you see with the assignment?