This blog is for students of IB English A Literature at Brookes Westshore school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The posts that students publish here constitute the portfolio that is a requirement of the English A Literature course. In view of this, students should ensure that their posts and comments are appropriate in both their form and their content.
GUIDELINES
- The work you publish on the blog should be informal academic writing that helps you to reflect on the readings. It is not expected to be highly formal, polished writing. Think of your blog posts as first drafts. You should, however, edit and proofread your posts and make an effort to spell, capitalize, and punctuate your work correctly. Do not write on this blog the way you write text messages on your phone.
- It is always a good idea to view your post after you publish it, to be sure there are no obvious errors.
- While composing, save your work frequently. You can also preview your post before publishing it; this is very helpful! If your post is very long, you may be better off composing it with a word processor and then pasting it into the blog. This can create formatting problems sometimes: preview before publishing!
- Every post requires a Category before it can be published. Usually this will be the name of the text you are writing about. If you are unsure which category should be selected for your post . . . ask!
Blog Comments
- Comments should be kind.
- Comments should be helpful: this means they should be specific. A comment like “Great post!” is kind, but it is not helpful because it is not specific. What, exactly, is great about the post?
- Comments should be focused on the writing. The aim here is to help each other become better writers. Point out details that you like. Point out anything that confuses you. Before posting a comment, ask yourself this: If I received the comment I have just written, would it help me become a better writer? Would I appreciate receiving this comment?
- Comments should avoid humour and remarks about the writer. Attempts at humour can be misunderstood, and remarks directed at persons should be delivered either in person or not at all.
- Comments should be written in standard English, with capitals where needed, proper spelling, and punctuation. Again: Do not write on this blog the way you write text messages on your phone.
Your first comment must be approved by me before it appears. After that your comments will appear immediately, but I do monitor comments. If you post something inappropriate I will delete the comment and and speak with you in person if there is some confusion about what is appropriate, and what isn’t.