On Wednesday, Beth shared the March 2021 SOLSC overview. If ever there was a year to start a blogging habit, I venture 2021 is the time. We’ve just left a year like no other and are in the midst of a raging global pandemic, not to mention the unrest in our country. Many of us are teaching in ways we never imagined we would. There is just so much to process, to observe, to ponder, to question….blogging in a community of educators is a deeply valuable way to try to make some sense and find meaning and community.
If you have committed to the March 2021 SOLSC, then your students are eligible to take part in the April 2021 Classroom SOLSC. Blogging is a way to help students develop voice, a sense of audience, build digital citizenship, sharpen writing skills and connect to each other in new ways. It is also a way for students to process all their emotions and capture their questions during these uncertain times. With many students learning remotely, blogging is a valuable digital tool that can be used by students in whatever mode they are learning this year: in person, hybrid or fully remote. I teach my students how to blog in the beginning of the school year and then leave the blog open as one of their possibilities for expression. Students can blog from home, in the morning after settling in, or at other free choice times. If you are considering blogging with your students, now is the perfect time to jump in so you can be ready for the…..
APRIL 2021 CLASSROOM SOLSC!
Let us answer your questions! Have different ones? Please ask in the Comments.
What exactly is the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge?
The Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge is modeled on the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Students take on the challenge to write a slice of life story each day of the month, which will now be April. Some students may choose to do this in a notebook, but students who wish to connect with other classes will write their stories as blog posts. The teacher provides the link to the class blogs on a Padlet. Teachers who are participating can visit the Padlet, click on the link to other classes’ blogs, and read and comment on student writing. In the past, some teachers have teamed up their classes and students have been able to comment on other students writing!
Who can participate in the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge?
Two Writing Teaches is a community that believes in the power of educators writing. Therefore, only educators who take part in the March 2021 SOLSC are invited to sign up their students for the Classroom SOLSC. The Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge is for students 18 & under. Individuals who are not part of a classroom community must have an adult sponsor to participate. That same adult sponsor should leave a link to their child’s/student’s blog on their behalf. (We expect anyone under 18 to have an adult sponsor and reader.)
Will TWT post each day in April about the Classroom SOLSC?
No. Beginning on Sunday, March 28th, Classroom SOLSC posts will come out each Sunday in April. The posts are meant to provide inspiration and encouragement for educators who are coaching students in the challenge. The link to the Padlet will be part of the post. The Padlet will be the place to find other classes who are participating in the challenge.
Will there be prizes for the Classroom SOLSC?
No. TWT does not award prizes for participants in the Classroom SOLSC. Individual teachers have often chosen different ways to celebrate students who have taken part in the challenge. Some teachers have awarded students badges for accomplishing different writing challenges on the way to blogging for the whole month.
Where and when can I sign up?
If you plan to participate in the SOLSC in March, you may sign up for the Classroom SOLSC by entering your information into the Padlet. The Padlet will be open for educators to add their information, beginning today on January 15th. ( If you do not take part in the March SOLSC, your classroom information will be removed from the Padlet.) You can sign up on the Padlet anytime before April 2, 2021.
We hope to see you and your students in the April Classroom SOLSC! May the stories shared bring clarity, reflection, and connection to all who participate.
Helpful Resources for the Classroom SOLSC
A Classroom SOLSC highlighting digital safety
Padlet of ideas for student writers
Guest post from Shelly Surridge on her experience with Classroom SOLSC
Setting up a class for blogging
Top Ten Reasons to take on the Classroom SOLSC by Erika Victor
Reflections on Classroom SOLSC 2018
Emphasizing Writer’s Craft in the Classroom SOLSC
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
I’m really looking forward to this challenge, and I suspect that my students will, too! What’s so great is that they’ll get to see me model the SOLSC during March, and then they can take it on, knowing that I’ll be there for support.
I have a logistical question. Each of my students who participate will have their own blog/page. Do teachers post each individual student’s blog on the Padlet, or do they create one entry that links to all of them for ease?
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Hi Lainie! I’m so glad you will be joining us. Please post one entry with all the links to your students blogs.
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