In 4th grade library classes we have been examining book reviews and recommendations.  We looked at reviews from The New York Times, Kirkus Reviews as well as online book blogs.  Students were asked to figure out the difference between reviews and recommendations, as well as the main parts of book reviews.  They were then asked to write their own book recommendation featuring a book they had read and enjoyed lately.

After this was completed, fourth graders copied their text into the online wordle tool ( http://www.wordle.net ).  This free tool takes text and blows it up into word clouds.  The more times a word appears, the bigger it is in the cloud.  Students manipulated their word clouds, and then printed a copy out.  Kate and Steve’s class has their reviews up on the library bulletin board, and Dina and Hilary’s class has their reviews in the classroom.  Many students were quite excited about this tool.  Why not ask your 4th grader how to create a wordle and play around a bit at home?