Independent Reading Assignment With RSS

On Friday, I discussed using Google forms within my wikispace. To some, this is nothing new, but for many it was a simple and effective way of integrating some technology into ones classroom. Today, I want to focus on a reading strategy that I am using with my tenth grade English class. On my wikispace, I have several RSS feeds linked into a page. This page updates regularly and allows students to view the most current articles from The Philadelphia Inquirer, ESPN.com, NPR, etc. I tried to present an array of feeds rather than just one. The point of this assignment is to get students reading daily and to encourage reading independently.

Here is the assignment...

Every night students read one article from one of the five feeds I have selected. They must read the article, and then list three facts about the article, three questions they have about the article, one supported opinion and list and define any new vocabulary words they come across. They type this up in a Google Doc and save it. The next day, we spend about ten minutes discussing their reading and their findings. Again, this is a simple way of integrating technology into your class and will promote active and independent reading.





Students are always told what they have to read, this allows students the freedom of reading something they can select on their own and enjoy. As always, I appreciate your feedback and would love to hear your ideas for Independent reading and technology in your classroom.