High School Teachers Use Blogging To Get Students Writing More

DALLASTOWN, Pa., July 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  It's the middle of summer, but high school Language Arts teachers across the US are planning fall curriculum now.  On the first day of class, they will most likely confront three months worth of time their students spent addicted to "constricted writing environments" such as Facebook, Twitter,and mobile texting – mediums that confine the expression of ideas to a limited character count.  By nature, this can lead to students throwing out proper grammar, sentence structure, and other traditional language skills needed for English class and the college application process.  To address this trend, teachers are looking for innovative ideas to encourage their students to write more (not less) during the coming school year.

To help in this mission, StageofLife.com, a blogging and resource website for high school students, released its first installment of lesson plans for Language Arts teachers.  The lesson plans provide writing prompts and describe methods for incorporating blogging into the curriculum for a real-world application to get students writing more outside the classroom.

Writing Contests for High School Students: One of the first strategies outlined in the blogging lesson plans talks about the use of the student writing contests to strengthen traditional language skills.

Laura Li, a student at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, was a finalist in a StageofLife.com teen writing contest themed around the environment – a timely topic stemming from the BP Oil Spill.  She heard about the contest from her AP English Teacher,

"My teacher was talking to our class about small actions making big changes in the world. The next day she offered us an extra credit assignment, which was to submit an essay to the StageofLife.com student writing contest.  And since I was also taking AP Environmental Science, I had a lot of knowledge of the environment and thought I would give it a try."

What makes this student writing contest unique, however, is that the entry process sets up each submission as a blog so other contestants and visitors may view, read and comment on the essay.  

Rebecca Thiegs, M. Ed, a Language Arts teacher at Red Lion Area High School in Red Lion, PA and curriculum consultant for StageofLife.com says,  

"The blogging aspect of the writing contest provides an incredibly positive experience for students.  Teens today get instant feedback from their peers, family, friends and others in their social networks.  Teachers should have a resource to provide this same level of interaction as they roll out pieces of their writing curriculum."

The current writing contest dovetails off of the popularity of TV shows like NBC's Biggest Loser and best selling books such as Michael Pollan's Food Rules as it pushes students to examine America's relationship with food.  The contest question asks, "Do we have an obligation to take better care of ourselves by making changes in the way we eat and/or buy and consume food?"  

The winning student of the food essay contest receives a cash prize, website swag, and "Featured Blogger" status.  Entry details and submission guidelines for the high school writing contest can be found on StageofLife.com.  A new contest topic is posted at the beginning of each month.

About Stage of Life™:  StageofLife.com is a website for today's teens, Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations to share a story, impart wisdom, ask for advice, give advice and find videos, statistics, quotations, must visit websites and other resources tailored to each stage of life from high school to retirement...and all of the major milestones in between.  The site also provides lesson plan ideas for Language Arts teachers and is nationally known for its monthly writing contests for high school students  and college students as well as its collection of merchant partnerships offering money saving discounts helping give visitors "Rewards for Life's Journey."

If you'd like more information about StageofLife.com or an interview with CEO/Founder, Eric Thiegs, please use the Contact Us form on the website or call 717-650-0699.

SOURCE Stage of Life LLC