Post 1 - Information about blogs & a country you would like to visit

Hi Students,

Welcome to our first blog post.

Today we are going to get started on our blogs. Everyone will create their own blog as well as follow my blog and your classmates, so that we can comment on each other's posts. 

Blog Assessment
Blogs are 20% of your final grade. There will be 6 blog post assignments. There are 2 ways they are graded:

1. Blog post task completion. (50% of blog assessment grade)

• Full (completed the post within 48 hours) >> 7 
• Partial (If you completed the post but after 48 hours) >> 4 
• Not done >> 1

For example, if you complete all 6 blog post assignments you will obtain 42 points which is a 7.0.

2. Assessment of writing - I will choose 2 of your blog posts and assess each of them according to the following criteria - Task, Lexis, Grammar. (50% of blog assessment grade)

3 points>>
Task: All aspects of the task are very well handled.
Lexis: Excellent use of lexical resources
Grammar: Grammar is excellent and almost error-free

2 points>>
Task: The task is sufficiently handled
Lexis: Good use of lexical resources /Coherence generally well handled.
Grammar: Grammar is adequate despite minor errors

1 point>>
Task: Some details of the task are missing or erroneous
Lexis: Some problems with word formation and usage. Occasional lapses in coherence that hinders clarity of message
Grammar: Grammar is weak with noticeable errors

0 points>>
Task: Writing is unrelated to task
Lexis: Incorrect or erroneous lexis usage (or flaws in coherence) that hinders communication of message
Grammar: Too many grammar errors to convey message

In this section, the maximum score for each post is 9 points, which equals a 7.0 grade.

How to create a blog 

There are many different platforms to create your blog. I am using Blogger. It is easy if you have a Google account because it is one of the apps in the Google menu. 

Here is a link on how to create a blog on Blogger  or watch this video

Instructions 

1. Create your blog.
2. Send me a link to your blog in the comments section of this blog post. 
3. Make your first blog post by following the instructions below.
4. Comment on my post and 3 of your classmates.

The subject of our first blog post is A country you would like to visit.

You should write about:

• A country you would like to go to. Why?
• What you know about that country.
• What you would like to do there.
• Would you like to study, work, or live there? Explain.

Write at least 160 words. Upload a picture. Comment on your teacher's blog and 3 of your classmates' blogs. Extra challenge to include a 2nd conditional sentence.

Remember, you should post within 48 hours after our class.

Do not use Google translate. I recommend using Word Refence, Oxford, dictionary.com, Linguee, or other dictionaries. 

Below is my example for this blog post topic.

                                            

I've been wanting to go to Colombia for a long time. Over the years I've met many wonderful people from Colombia. I understand that it is quite a diverse country with interesting cities as well as stunning nature. I've heard that Bogotá is actually quite cold because it is in the mountains, but then Cartagena is a gorgeous, old, colonial town on the Caribbean sea. If I were to go I would probably start with Bogotá by eating some typical food and having some great Colombian coffee. I think there is somewhere around the city where you can see a spectacular view. I would also like to go to Cartagena to walk along the old streets of the city. I've also heard about a smaller town near there that has an interesting hike or take a boat to San Andrés. If I had an opportunity to find a job there I would go for a year or so. I think living there would allow me to really get to know the culture and see a lot more of the country.