Student Blogging Challenges

Hey, Kids!

Kudos to Franklin, John, Cogan, and Hannah for completing the Blogging Challenge for week 1.  You kids chose interesting people and thought up very intriguing questions.  I was impressed!  

In light of the novel we are reading this month, Under the Blood Red Sun,  and in response to the Blogging Challenge from week 1, here is a letter written by an unnamed sailor from Pearl Harbor.   Think about what we have read/learned about the attack so far, and read this letter. 

 
Memories of Attack on Pearl Harbor, Richard Hall, Page 2 of 2

Photo Credit: Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections via Compfight cc

What questions would you ask this soldier? 

Here is the link to Blogging Challenge Week 2.  You have lots of options, but one is to write about something you are passionate about.  I’ll be working on this challenge, too!  Deadline is next Sunday.  Make sure you check out some of the blogs from other students around the world who are participating as well.  Have fun!  I’m looking forward to reading your posts.

Parade Magazine ran their annual “What People Earn” issue this week.  They included a 27-year-old blogger who makes $18,000 a year.  That could be you! 

What do you think are the pros and cons of blogging for a living?

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18 thoughts on “Student Blogging Challenges

  1. I think the pros of blogging for a living are that you get to write about what interests you, or what you would teach about if you were a teacher. I think the cons would be that if people did not visit your blog, you dont get a lot of money. If blogging is your main source of income, then you are in trouble.

    • Good points, John. Aside from writing the posts, there must be a lot of “business” work, soliciting advertisers, etc. Would you like to blog for a living? Do you ever read any professional bloggers’ blogs?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  2. Hi, Mrs. donofrio
    I read the letter, and it seems that it was a very intense war! 800 tons of oil in the ocean is a lot of oil! The first question I would ask the soldier would be, how far did you have to swim to get past the oil,and fire? The second question would be,were you seriously injured, or injured in any way?

    ~Kelsey

    • Hi Kelsey,
      I don’t know how far the island is exactly, but I don’t think it was too far. I have a map I can show you tomorrow. He did say he was scraped from the coral reef. Compared to many of the men, however, that was a very minor injury. I wish we had the rest of the letter.
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  3. Mrs.Donofrio,
    Threre are so many questions I would ask. The experiance of learning what he went through is priceless. I would ask Why did you swim too get help for others instead of just finding safety for yourself? It take a very courageous person to do some thing like that.

    http://www.Abbyls.edublog.com

    • I agree, Abby. Hopefully, we all have some of that courage inside us, ready to come out when its needed. However, I’m sure some of the men did just try to save themselves. There was a part in the movie we saw today when one sailor hid under a desk. Experiences like that bring out the best and the worst in people.
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  4. Hi Mrs.Donofrio! Reading this letter put me in his shoes and I was thinking of how terrified I would be if that suddenly happened out of the blue. If I were able to ask this soldier a question, I would ask him what thoughts were going through his mind? Was he thinking of his family or was he totally focusing on how to get to safety? Thank you for posting
    this letter Mrs.Donofrio,

    • Yes, good question, Emma. I think it’s an amazing letter. My guess is that at various times, he’d be thinking both these thoughts: his family and safety. It’s incredible to think how a day starts off with such mundane normalcy and then turns into a day of historic change. I keep envisioning him coming out of the water covered in oil and bleeding from the coral reef. I wonder how old he was and what happened to him the rest of his life.

      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  5. The question I would ask this soldier would be, what was it like swimming in the filthy water? The pros for being a blogger is that you get to meet new people and connect with them. One con is, I think there are none really!
    ~Louis

    • Hi Louis,

      I imagine swimming in the water would have been a horrifying experience in and of itself, without all the trauma going on around him. He probably encountered fire, oil, dead fish, dead people, torpedos, and lots of debris as he swam to safety. It’s amazing he made it alive.
      Good question. Extra credit for you!
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  6. I think that a definite pro of blogging is you can say your opinions,and the whole world will be able to see them, and chances are that you will get people are are going to think the same thing!
    A con to blogging is that the whole world will see them and at least some of them will will think opposite, and disagree with you.

    -kelsey

  7. Hi Mrs.Donofrio! While reading the letter I could practically picture what he was going through. The question I would like to ask him would be, before the attack did you ever imagine something like this happening? I think the major pro of being a professional blogger would be writing about things that interest you and getting paid for it. The only con I can think of is not having enough visitors.

    ~Alexandra

    • That’s a good question, Alexandra. Perhaps due to his military training, he was somewhat prepared for a scenario like this.
      I also agree with your blogging observations. It would be frustrating to put a lot of work into the blog and not have many people see it.
      See you in the morning!
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  8. Hello Mrs.Donofrio! I would ask how long he has served and what was the worst thing he’d seen. Some of the pros of blogging is you can do it at home,you don’t have to get dressed, and you have lots of vacation time. The cons is you’d might not get as much money as you’d like, and it’d be hard to be famous on blogs.

    • I agree with your pros and cons, Jessica, but I think that really successful bloggers do become famous in their circles of expertise.
      I wonder what the worst thing the sailors at Pearl Harbor saw. Sadly, a lot of events are probably contenders for that distinction.

      ~Mrs. Donofrio

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