This is an activity to help you think about the quality of your comments as well as what makes a quality comment.

1. Follow each step below. Remember this is also an activity that requires you to use your reading comprehension skills.
2. Read the Commenting Guidelines under the red heading below.
3. Now watch a video by clicking on the green link below the commenting guidelines, made by Year 5 students.
4. Next, click on the link directly below in blue, to see a range of comments left on an imaginary blog.
   thumbs up or thumbs down sorting activity
5. Create a new post and rate these comments from the above link in order from the least helpful to the most helpful.
   Which is the most helpful and why?
   Which is the least helpful and why?

Commenting Guidelines

Commenting is what brings a blog to life. Comments are also a significant reason why people write blogs – they want to get people thinking and communicating.
Your comments should aim to help to keep the learning going, to keep the conversation going.

Here are some important guidelines to follow when you are making comments.

• Make your comment worth reading.
• Start a conversation.
• Be positive, interested, and encouraging.
• If you disagree, be polite about it.
• Connect with the post: be on topic.
• Re-read your comment before you hit submit–think before you send!
• Aim for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
• Don’t use chat or texting language like lol, i, or u.
• No “Hi! Visit my blog! Bye!” comments. Be thoughtful.
• Keep your privacy: no personal or identifying information about you, your family, or your friends. Don’t give out last names,  phone numbers, user names, or places and dates that make you identifiable.

Together we will practice commenting and create our own set of guidelines to help us write really appropriate and effective comments.

Watch this excellent Comments video shared by Andrea Hernandez made by a 5th Grade student.