Miscellaneous Writing Sites and Ideas

Basic Guide to Essay Writing
A set of links designed to support students who are writing a basic essay.

Can't Complain? Writing About Pet Peeves
How can students express their complaints in articulate and constructive ways? In this lesson, students read the New York Times “Complaint Box” series and use descriptive and persuasive writing strategies to communicate their own pet peeves succinctly and productively.

The Differentiator
This clever site helps teachers think through the assessments we establish for our students. (That summary doesn't do it justice -- give it a try.)

Fun with Crayons
Ten writing tasks based on crayons. Designed for secondary students.(

Garbl's Writing Center
Links to sites on creative writing and thinking, the writing process, style and usage, types of writing, and others.

Going Beyond Cliché: How to Write a Great College Essay
Students explore sample college essays and then consider advice about what separates a great essay from a mediocre or ineffective one, as well as essay-writing tips. Finally, they write essays based on the piece of advice that resonated with them.

Grammar Goes Green?
In this lesson, students review what qualifies as a grammatically complete sentence. They then use a Times article about the movie, Hulk, to help them identify interesting and challenging nouns and verbs that they can later mix and match to form new sentences.

Getting Personal: Writing College Essays for the Common Application
Students explore the open-ended topics for the 2013-14 Common Application essays through writing and discussion. Then, they will identify and examine New York Times pieces that might serve as "mentor texts" for their own application essays. Finally, they will craft their own college admissions essay in response to one of the new prompts, using advice from Learning Network and The Choice Blog.

Graphic Organizers
A variety of sites with suggestions for using graphic organizers.

A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices
Definitions and examples of 60 rhetorical devices, from alliteration to zeugma.

In ‘Other’ Words: Writing Gently Humorous Essays About Stereotypes
Students read a gently humorous essay examining British stereotypes about Americans, consider stereotypes and misconceptions of people in various groups and write lighthearted personal essays.

Introduction to the Nature Journal
"Students exercise the observation skills that are essential to writing, visual art, and science." This lesson from the Smithsonian Institute is designed for all grade levels.

Knowing Write from Wrong: Exploring Common Writing Errors in the Electronic Communications Age
"In this lesson, students explore how the informality of electronic correspondence has affected communications in the workplace. They then develop pages for a basic writing guide that contains rules and examples to help correct common writing errors."

Literary Pilgrimages: Exploring the Role of Place in Writers’ Lives and Work
In this lesson, students consider the power of place in their own lives, research the life of a writer and develop travel brochures and annotated maps representing the significance of places in the writer’s life. This lesson uses George Orwell as a model.

Make Beliefs Comix
Students create comic strips online. This tool is great for prewriting, responding to reading, creative writing, vocabulary words, ESL, and tickets out. Very easy to learn and use, it is appropriate for almost every age level.

Mix Tape Writing Assignment
Students will anthologize their own collection of songs. They will reflect on their choices, respond to the choices of their peers, and reflect on the feedback of their peers.

A Month of Writing Prompts
Writing prompts based on historical events with a suggestion for creative or analytical writing.

Mural Mosaic
Looking for a visual writing prompt? Have students click on one of the individual panels on this mosaic and respond.

Nonfiction Writing
A series of four lessons asking students to write a description, an interview, a profile, and a review.