Middle School Students Publish Work Online

Seventh graders in South Orange and Maplewood are learning about feature writing. But that's not all. They're also using technology to hone their writing skills, and then publishing their work on line.

English Language Arts Supervisor Gary Pankiewicz said the recently revised English Language Arts curriculum calls for seventh-grade students to use Moodle software to develop feature articles and publish them on a private on-line site.

Although Moodle offers about 20 different types of activities, the main activity helps students learn to sequence and group their work to build on outcomes of previous lessons.

Recently, Eve Kingsbury, a Maplewood Middle School English Language Arts teacher, held a “publishing party” in her class where her students posted their finished feature articles on the Moodle site and then sat in small groups to discuss them.

Kingsbury explained she begins her lesson on feature writing by explaining the difference between news and feature articles. She then discusses research and writing techniques.

“The hardest thing for students is to select the topic, find the best angle to approach the topic and then figure out who is the audience,” Kingsbury said.

The new software also allows students to conference on line about their work with their teachers and classmates. “It’s a great way for students to receive help and advice,” she said.

In fact, Kingsbury explained when she first wrote an article on the site and opened it for student comment, she found the responses very thoughtful and helpful.

Gracie Gruber, a student in Kingsbury’s class, said, “I picked the topic ‘Middle School Cliques.’ It's about inter-social groups and how relationships develop from early ages. I liked writing a feature article because you have to find a different way to look at a subject that’s been discussed before.”

“Why Do Republicans Often Deny Global Warming,” was the topic Grant Thieroff selected for his feature article. “I’m very interested in politics and this allowed me to go in depth on a particular issue.”

Grant explained he modeled the whole concept on line. First he brainstormed, then developed his main idea and wrote many drafts before arriving at his final version.

Some of the other topics students chose for their feature articles included: "U.S. Military Spending vs. Educational Spending"; "Understanding Animal Abuse"; "Can Playing an Instrument Really Make You Smarter?"; and "Labels and Social Groups."