Miscellaneous Writing Sites and Ideas

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

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.)

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.

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.

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.