HOTS Integration in 2nd grade

Students in 2nd grade can be introduced to blogs as a way to develop their creative thinking.  One way I would use blogs with second grade students would be to post divergent questions that prompted them to come up with a variety of answers that they could all share and learn from.  Posting blog entries is not just writing, it requires reflecting on topics and analyzing information which is excellent for students.  Another good way to use blogs is to post upcoming topics on lessons that will be covered so that students can begin to post what they know on the subject.  Blogs provide them with opportunities to organize their ideas in their own way which requires higher level thinking.  Blogs also promote a community of learners where everyone gets to participate, even those students who are not comfortable with the idea of speaking in public.  I think students in all grade levels can benefit from using blogs.  Laughlin's Witty Writers is a very interesting blog that contains several posts by students about the disaster in Haiti.  Another good one is Mighty Writers from Room 12 blog.  These students wrote a book made up of their best articles from their blogs.