Miscellaneous Writing Sites and Ideas

Ace Writing
Designed for 5th grade writers, this site includes includes games and resources for teachers and students, including a list of places for publishing student writing.

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

Bits: Ideas for Teaching Composition
This blog offers quick tips for using a composition handbook effectively.

Dr. NAD's Prig Page
Quiz tests of grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and style in the English language. An interactive collection of submitted pet peeves and related links is maintained as well. A prescriptive grammar page with enjoyable attitude.

The Five Paragraph Essay
"Everything you need to know" plus practice writing prompts in expository, narrative, and persuasive modes.

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

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.

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.

How to Write a Screenplay
An extensive collection of links to advice on screenwriting.

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."

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.

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.