* The art of teaching is the art of assisting in discovery.
Young Writers' Clubhouse
http://www.realkids.com/club.shtml
Children's author Deborah Morris hosts the Young Writers' Clubhouse
where budding authors get advice and can enter a contest every three
months. A monthly Web Chat and E-mail link make this author of the Real
Kids, Real Adventures series accessible to her fans.
Principles of Composition
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/composition.htm
Part of the Guide to Grammar and Writing (http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/),
this site offers three headings: 1) The Writing Process; 2) Structural
Considerations; and 3) Patterns of Composition. Under each heading is a
dropdown menu . Press down on your mouse, scroll thru the list
to
the desired topic, let go, and you will be taken to that section.
Hosted by Capital Community College Foundation.
Learn
New
Poetry Forms
http://www.faximum.com/aha.d/newform.htm
Ghazal, haiku, renga, sijo, and tanka forms are explained and commented
upon by "Webmistress" Jane Reichhold and members of the AHA! POETRY
circle. The word choice and content is more appropriate for upper level
students.
Literary Research Tools on the Net
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/
An incredibly comprehensive collection of Web sites related to
literature & the humanities. Includes Syllabi
and
Other Course Materials for Literature Courses. Compiled and
maintained at the University of Pennyslvania. Maintained by Jack Lynch
of
Rutgers -- Newark.
Handbook for Storytellers
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/storyhandbook.htm
This handbook is filled with practical advice for storytellers on
choosing, learning, and telling a story. The site also includes
background information, a list of references, and more. This site is
part of the Internet
School Library Media Center (ISLMC) Children's Literature and Language
Arts page by Inez Ramsey of James Madison University.
Instant Poetry Forms
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/Poetry.htm
Instant Poetry Forms consists of more than sixty interactive literacy
activities. Students can point, click and add words to the frame of a
poem. With a quick click on the button below the form, the writer's
words are magically added, completing each line. At that point, poets
are invited to export their draft into a word processor for further
revision and editing, (choose font, clip art, a border, etc.) An
interactive poetry form finder on the website categorizes the forms by
topic (or language skill) to help literacy teachers find just the right
form for the mini-lesson of the moment. An interesting, fun tool.
Creative Writing Process
http://www.nzcal.com/hp/adk/index.php
Created by a teacher in Canada, Mr. Kirby, this is a no-frills approach
that covers all of the steps including: brainstorming, mapping,
outlines, editing, references, reproducible worksheets, and more. It
walks students through the entire process using one main example and
several related examples. It even includes some word
processing
tips.
Writing Argumentative Essays
http://www.eslplanet.com/teachertools/argueweb/frntpage.htm
Bill Daly, of the Victoria University of Technology (Australia) has
provided a service to new writing teachers, high school students, and
parents trying to help their children piece together an effective
argumentative essay. Love 'em or hate 'em, clearly structured
persuasive essays can help many advancing writers to shape their
opinions. Daly uses a sound approach with good examples to provide lots
of support so that even independent learners could work their way
through his guides.
Writing Fix
http://www.writingfix.com
Writing Fix is a non-profit site for writers and teachers...."where
getting your daily writing "fix" is considered much more important than
fixing your writing."
Virtual Presentation Assistant
http://www.ukans.edu/cwis/units/coms2/vpa/vpa.htm
The Virtual Presentation Assistant is an online tutorial for improving
your public speaking skills. Topics include selecting and researching
your topic, analyzing your audience, supporting your points, using
visual aids, public speaking Web links, and more.
Traditional Grammar: An Interactive Book
http://www.learnnc.org/bestweb/grammar
Do you know the difference between a demonstrative and descriptive
adjective? When do you use affect and effect? This website can help
writers of all ages clean up their act. Use specific sections for just
in time learning, or review the entire site and quiz yourself on what
you've learned
University of Victoria's Writer's Guide on The Essay
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/EssaysToc.html
This Website provides short introduction on what essays are and various
types of essays. It also guides the writer through the writing process
with a series of brief articles.
Purdue University Online Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
As a young English teacher, did you ever look with envy at the file
cabinets of your elder colleagues? The wonderful handouts that must
exist in there! Well, Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) has
posted a hugely comprehensive set of handouts online that can support
writers (and teachers of writing!). From the ubiquitous and boring
(Sound-Alike Words: Their/There/They're; It's/ Its, etc.) to the more
subtle and specialized (Business Letters: Subordinating Negatives in
Good News and Neutral Messages), this Web site has it all. Such a
wealth of handouts online will allow you to individualize how you work
with your students.
Listen & Write
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/english/listenandwrite.shtml
This interactive site, created by the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation), lets students hear poetry, then create their own. Rap,
Wonderwords (helped by The Saurus), and Similes are covered in an
entertaining manner. Low and High tech versions are available.
High School
Journalism
http://www.highschooljournalism.org/
Sponsored by The American Society of Newspaper Editors and The Radio
and Television News Directors Foundation, to help scholastic journalism
grow where it does not exist and flourish where it does. This site is
geared toward teen journalists, their teachers and guidance counselors.
Content includes skills-building exercises, sample lesson plans, a
spotlight on high school newspapers across the country, interaction
with professional journalists, updates on scholastic press freedom
issues, a database of journalism scholarships and links to university
journalism programs.
Paradigm
Online Writing Assistant
http://www.powa.org/
Developed by Professor Chuck Guilford of Boise State University,
Paradigm helps students think about what goes into a writing before
they ever start to draft. There are sections on discovering what to
write, organizing, revising and editing your writing. Also several
types of essays are addressed: thesis/support, argumentative,
exploratory, and informal. There is enough content for teachers to send
students to Paradigm for online guidance, or teachers might want to use
the resource to guide their own classroom instruction. Prof. Guilford
has done an excellent job of summarizing much of the research on the
process approach to writing.
Big
Six
http://big6.com
Big6 is a systematic approach to information problem solving useful
whenever an individual has an information-oriented problem. This Big6
website includes lesson plans, curriculum, a directory of schools and
districts implementing the Big 6, tools that help to teach the Big 6,
and directions for joining the electronic discussion group
Only a Matter of
Opinion?
http://library.advanced.org/50084/
Editorials, columns, and editorial cartoons are classified as opinion
pieces. Only a Matter of Opinion? introduces opinion pieces,
encouraging all to write and to draw their own after instruction and
research.
Poetry Express
http://www.poetryexpress.org/
15 Poems You Can Write Now is a great resource for teachers looking for
poetry activities. Most of the activities had good examples for
students, while leaving room for creativity spirit.EThe area for
Sharing gives ideas for conversation starters when talking about
poetry, the first steps of criticism (at its most positive).
Decoding Visual Language Elements in News Content
http://www.katebrigham.com/thesis/demo.htm
An interactive activity to illustrate some of the essential concepts
and a method for building visual and media literacy skills by exploring
the role that visual language elements play in shaping news content. A
nice teaser to get students interested in the topic. Click on the gray
box labelled "Decoding Visual Content" then click on the boxes on the
right twice to start the activity. We wish there was more!
Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by APA
http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
When in doubt, go to the source. The APA, one of the major style guides
for academic writing, has revised their guidelines for electronic
citations. Keep up with the latest information for citing all your
electronic sources, including electronic databases. Having these
resources online sure beats buying a book every time something changes.
Common Errors in
English
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
Students and teachers will enjoy browsing Professor Paul Brians'
alphabetically sorted list of common
errors in English. The page also links to non-errors,
commonly
misspelled words, suggestions, and more.
Communication Skills Writing Program
http://www.engl.niu.edu/comskills/
This Northern Illinois University website contains good resources for
instructors, students and tutors. Editor's Grammar and Mechanics tutors
students on editing terminology and punctuation and allows students to
quiz themselves. The use of quotations and plagiarism are also covered.
100words
http://www.100words.net/
For writers, the challenge is to write every day. See some examples
from participants who wrote 100 words (exactly) every day for a month.
Some are poems; some are stories. Warning: recent postings contained
foul language! The content is suitable for mature students of writing
only.
A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language
Association (MLA) Documentation
http://cctc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml
This guide takes a comprehensive look at research techniques, proper
forms for citation based on MLA form, and much more. From Capital
Community-Technical College in Connecticut.
CyberGuides
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/SCORE/cyberguide.html
CyberGuides are back! For those of you that missed them, CyberGuides:
Teacher Guides and Student Activities, are back after a brief hiatus.
The guides were created by California teachers as supplementary,
standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction centered on core
works of literature. So, all you literature and literacy teachers,
check out the newly revised works.
Tools For College Writing
http://www.cabrillo.edu/services/writingcenter/290/essays.html
This site introduces basic skills of college writing strategies in
order to help ESL students, students with learning
disabilities,
and just plain old students who have a hard time getting their ideas
onto paper. Features include dictionary definitions that appear in the
lower frame, writing skills tutorial, and audio clips (which didn't
work), and information about college culture for new students.
Collaborative Writing Projects
http://www.nelliemuller.com/Collaborative_Projects.htm
Collaborative writing projects for ESL/EFL and mainstream classes using
WebQuests. It goes something like this: Choose a topic or teacher may
choose one for you. Working in groups, record every thing your group
does and add it to your work file. Your work file must be handed back
to the teacher at the end of each session. Participating in the project
and making mistakes is part of this experience. Add reflections at the
end of the project. Good team skills are essential for the success of
the project which consists of 3 stages: Work File, Written File, and
Oral Presentation. Lots of support along the way make this one a
winner. Created and maintained by Nellie Deutsch.
Anagram Server
http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
"Did you know that parliament is an anagram of partial men? Or, Clint
Eastwood an anagram of Old West Action? Someone once said, "All the
life's wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie." Here is
your chance to discover the wisdom of anagrams." This site provides a
fun online tool that creates anagrams from any word or phrase you type.
http://artsconnected.org/
The Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Walker Art Center created this wonderful resource to allow different learning styles to be influenced by art. The art gallery allows visitors to create their own online gallery of their favorite pieces, while the Playground lets users create a variety of different types of artwork. Older students will love the interactive art activity in "Another Look" in the Look and Listen part of the Playground. Explore online or download the Teacher's Guide
Basic Steps to the Research Process
http://www.crlsresearchguide.org
Some high school teachers will require research projects and assume that you know how to do them. This research guide goes step by step through the process. One of the best parts is the Tip section. These tip sheets come in handy for quickly locating whichever part of the process a student needs. Tips include: Selecting a research topic; Making source cards; Finding information within sources; Writing a statement of purpose; Brainstorming research questions; Writing a thesis statement; Citing sources;
Biography
Maker
http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomaker.htm
These online lessons explain what a biography should be and walk
writers through questioning, learning, synthesis, and story-telling.
The site includes embedded links to relevant Internet resources and
tips for effective writing.
Kairos: A Journal
For Teachers of Writing in Webbed
Environments
http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/
This peer-reviewed resource for college-level writing teachers,
researchers and tutors (Technical Writing, Business Writing,
Professional Communication, Creative Writing, Composition, and
Literature) deals with the challenges of writing in hypertextual
environments. "In hypertextual environments, writers are not only
learning to strike forcefully in the traditional sense of presenting
the correct words in the proper manner, but are also learning to weave
a writing space that is more personal than the standard sheet of paper.
We are writing differently; we are reading differently; we are learning
differently; we are teaching differently. Kairos is a journal that
addresses these facts individually and syllogistically."
ReadWriteThink: Lesson Plan: Descriptive Writing Memoirs Providing educators and students access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction.
ShortStory
Fiction
Writing - Tips for Fiction Writers on Writing and Publishing.
Advice
and help for beginning and experienced fiction writers on writing
fiction and getting published, including contests, competitions,
exercises, and articles on improving your writing.
The Story Mind - Writing Tips for Story Structure & Storytelling http://storymind.com/store/info/articles.htm
The Short Story
Page>While
the authors may vary in skill and ability, all share a common love for
the craft of writing. The stories linked to this page meet two
criteria: they are all short to medium length stories or poems, and I
like them (and I hope you will too). Join our forums to share
and
read others work! unknownwriters.net register today free!
Writer's
Relief, Inc. - Short Story Checklist.
Miscellaneous Writing Links
Magazines
Exquisite
Corpse - A Journal of Letters and Life
forwriters.com
This is a full purpose writers site with resources on markets, agents,
writers groups, writer conferences and forums for discussing the
writing life and workshops where writers can have their works critiqued
Freelance
Writing offers
writing tips, job postings, market information and original articles
for new writers as well as veteran freelancers. Let me help you learn
how to query, build a portfolio, organize your home office and manage
your time as a successful freelance writer. - Jessica Ramirez.
WriterOnLine
WriterOnLine: expert information on screenwriting and playwriting,
commercial writing, technical writing, fiction and poetry craft,
contest writing, even financial matters for writers!,
Memoir
Writing E-Zine:
An online magazine for memoir writers with tips and
encouragement, challenges and news for both beginners and experienced
writers of life stories.
Poets & Writers
Magazine Poets & Writers Magazine
is the primary source
for what creative writers need to know. Along
with essays on the literary life and interviews with contemporary
writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, the magazine
publishes articles with practical applications for both emerging
and established writers. In addition, it provides the most
comprehensive
listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners
available in print.
Women Writers
web site provides links, information and resources about women
novelists and poets, as well as book reviews and profiles about classic
and contemporary women writers such as Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood,
and Emily Dickinson.
Worldwide
Freelance Writer
resources and a database of hundreds of freelance writer's markets
around the world. Learn to write. And discover where to sell your
writing.
WORMeBooks
WORMebooks
is a dream that is about to come true and it was first thought of by
entrepenuer and free spirited individual named Craig R. Cook.
Craig's dream was to provide the writer a way to express his or her
writing's and supplement an income in hopes of providing unbelievable
entertainment through reading and writing.
Organizations
Association
of American Publishers
Book
Publishers
Publishing
Industry
The
Association of Writers & Writing Programs --
Serving Writers Since 1967 The mission of The Association of Writers
& Writing Programs is to foster literary talent &
achievement,
to advance the art of writing as essential to a good education,
&
to serve the makers, teachers, students, & readers of
contemporary
literature. AWP is a unique organization in the position to help
writers in ways that no other literary organization in the United
States can. The commitment of AWP's individual members is crucial to
AWP's continued success, new programs, & growth of an endowment
to
award honoraria to working writers.
Research
Eighteenth-Century
E-Texts
Medieval
Latin literature. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.
2001-05
The Devil's
Dictionary Ambrose Bierce's classic work.
The
Enchantments of Love
The Jack
London
Collection (DL SunSITE)
The Walt
Whitman
Archive
Bartleby
-- Encyclopedia
ClassicReader--
Read classic books
Encyclopedia Mythica
Orwell Today Everything
Orwell and how the major themes of his work, 1984, are reflected in the
news stories and societal trends of today.
Wikipedia
ShortStory
Fiction Writing - Tips for Fiction Writers on Writing and Publishing Advice and help for beginning and experienced fiction writers on writing fiction and getting published, including contests, competitions, exercises, and articles on improving your writing.
Writing Tips
Beginners Writing for TelevisionBetter web writing -- better reading
Plot Tips And Tricks
Short Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers (Kathy Kennedy)
Short Story Writing Tips - tips for writing short stories
Technical Writing Tips
TV Writer. Com
University of Wisc-Madison writing center writer's handbook
Warnings and Cautions for Writers--Writing Contests and Vanity Anthologies A warning for writers about writing contests and vanity anthologies
Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide | Gotham Writers' Workshop Writing Fiction and Fiction Gallery teach you the craft element of fiction writing and deliver intriguing short stories to read anytime or all the time. Brought to you by the faculty and staff or Gotham Writers' Workshop, the leading creative writing school in NYC and online.