Writing Skills Resources

Below are listed Internet Resources to help complement and enrich your teaching of the ELA Middle Years Language Arts Curriculum in the Grade 6 Writing Strand.

• Reading and Writing to the Middle Years - David Booth - This is an 18 page PDF excerpt from Chapter One of his book. Besides good discussion of Reading and Writing theory, its most valuable teaching resource are two charts: Reading Goals for Students and Writing Goals for Students.
• Guide to Grammar and Writing / Principles of Composition - from the Guide to Grammar and Writing sponsored by Capital Community College Foundation in Hartford, Connecticut. This online site has great web pages giving helpful tips on all aspects of Grammar Usage and Writing.
• Writing Strategies - Teaching strategies for the writing process are outlined and categorized in detail at the Sask. Learning Resource Site. Each stage of the writing process is covered in an overview,while the site includes a peer conferencing guide, mini-lessons, suggestions for writers' workshops, and portfolio and assessment checklists.
• Word Central - Look up words (fast!) in the Student Dictionary! Better still: Build Your Own Dictionary! Stump your friends with today's Daily Buzzword!
• Middle School Teacher / Student Resources - a collection of Grammar and Writing-related Web Sites
• Writing with Writers - from Scholastic comes this site where students work with authors, educators, and illustrators to guide them in developing their writing skills. Contains links to a large variety of writing genres
• Grade 6 Writing - an assembly of links from the Ottawa-Carleton School Board for teachers and students. Includes Spotlight, Lesson Plans/Activities, and Background Information / Resources
• The Web English Teacher - This is large Web Site devoted to the teaching of English at Middle Years level and above. The site includes online resources for teaching Vocabulary, Book Reports, Drama, Grammar, Mechanics and Usage, and much more.
• Writer's Workshop - Writer's Workshop is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum. This Web Site describes the technique and how to implement it.
• Pick a Story - Create a Wacky Tale - from Funbrain.com comes this online game where students are given the opportunity to plug-in nouns, verbs and adjectives to create a simple but wacky finished story.
• More Ideas than You'll Ever Use for Book Reports - 140 Ideas for teachers and students on how to present books they have read.
• The Art of Living and Writing Quotations - a wonderful list of inspiring quotations about writing and the writing process suitable for posting in your classroom.
• Learn New Poetry Forms - Information about Ghazal, Haiku, Renga, Sijo, and Tanka poetic forms.
• Forms of Poetry for Children - Mother Goose, Poems Set to Music, Limericks, Free Verse, Haiku, Cinquain, Concrete, and more.
• Video V219 - Three Writers - 29 minutes - Presents a series of interviews with people who write. With one exception, they are not writers. They work at a variety of occupations but they all need to write well to be successful in their work.
• Grammar: Interactive Writing Activities - These sites feature interactive grammar and writing sites that are fun to use with SMARTboards. The online games and quizzes cover topics such as nouns, verbs, sentences, proofreading, capitalization, punctuation, plurals, and more. There are links to an eThemes Resource on writing prompts and to the eThemes index that leads to many more resources on grammar and writing topics.
• Grammar: Adjectives - These sites have definitions and examples of adjectives. Includes many activity ideas, handouts, practice exercises, online quizzes, and more. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on character traits.
• Grammar: Homophones - These sites are about homophones, which are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Includes lists of common homophones plus movies, online quizzes and many practice exercises.
• Grammar: Nouns - These sites are about nouns. Read about different types of nouns and their functions. Includes plural, singular, common, proper, countable, non-countable, and more. There are examples, interactive quizzes, online games, handouts, and classroom activities. eThemes Resources on possessive nouns and pronouns are linked.
• Grammar: Paragraphs - These sites have tips and examples on how to write good paragraphs. Includes graphic organizers to help students write down topic, detail, and concluding sentences. There are classroom activities and online writing exercises. Includes links to eThemes Resources on sentences and writing prompts.
• Grammar: Possessive Nouns - Theses sites are about possessive nouns. Includes rules on how to form possessive nouns and examples of them. There are interactive quizzes, games, a PowerPoint, and classroom exercises. There is also a link to an eThemes Resource on nouns.
• Grammar: Prepositions - These sites are about prepositions and prepositional phrases. Includes tutorials explaining prepositions and how they are used plus an animated movie on prepositional phrases. There are online games, quizzes, and classroom activities to practice identifying prepositions.
• Grammar: Pronouns - These sites explain the different types of pronouns, including personal, possessive, demonstrative, and more. There are charts, handouts, online games, an animated movie, and audio of a Schoolhouse Rock song.
• Grammar: Sentences - These sites explain the different types of sentences. Includes examples of interrogative, declarative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. Also learn about run-on, compound, and complex sentences. Discover which punctuation ends certain types of sentences. Includes many online games and quizzes. There are links to eThemes Resources on nouns, verbs, paragraphs, and more.
• Grammar: Verb Tenses - These sites explain the different verb tenses and provide examples on how to use them. The tenses include present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, future perfect, present progressive, past progressive, and future progressive. Test your knowledge by completing the numerous interactive quizzes. There are also links to eThemes Resources on regular and irregular verbs.
• Writing: Poetry - These sites provide examples of different forms of poetry written for kids. Includes haiku, acrostic, concrete, limerick, free verse, couplet, and cinquain. Students can read the examples and then create their own original poetry. There are also classroom activities for celebrating National Poetry Month in April. Linked is an eThemes Resource on poets on the Web.
• Writing: Character Traits - These sites focus on character traits and include lists of adjectives that students can use to improve their writing. There are also many activity ideas for having students identify the traits of main characters in stories. Includes lesson plans, graphic organizers, and a link to an eThemes Resource on adjectives.
• Writing: Fiction - These sites have tips to help students write fiction or narrative stories that entertain. Students will learn about the writing process and the elements of fiction. Sites for publishing student work online are included. An eThemes Resource on graphic organizers is referenced.
• Writing: Historical Fiction - Learn more about the genre of historical fiction. There are definitions and listings of recommended children's books, plus lesson plans and classroom activities. Includes links to eThemes Resources on various historical fiction books.
• Writing: Mysteries - These sites are about the genre of mysteries. Includes activities for writing mystery stories and samples of stories written by students. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on mystery books
• Writing: Nonfiction - These sites are about non-fiction (expository) writing. Includes definitions and descriptions of this genre. Examples of nonfiction writing are included from students and professionals. eThemes Resources on graphic organizers, research reports, biographies, and newspaper production are linked.
• Writing: Prompts - These sites have a variety of writing prompts to help students develop stories. Includes some handouts and PowerPoint presentations. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on paragraphs.
• Writing: Realistic Fiction - Learn about realistic fiction, a genre of writing that has situations that could occur in real life. These sites include lists of books that fit into this category and a list of realistic fiction authors. There are also writing prompts to help students write their own realistic fiction stories. Includes links to eThemes Resources on various realistic fiction books.
• Writing: Science Fiction and Fantasy - These sites are about the genre of science fiction writing. Includes reading lists of recommended books for children.
• Writing: Similes and Metaphors - These sites explain how to use similes and metaphors to improve your writing. There are many examples plus interactive quizzes and classroom activity ideas. Includes links to eThemes Resources on personification and other forms of figurative language.
• Writing: Newspaper Articles - These sites have tips for writing newspaper stories. Learn how to write using an inverted pyramid and answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Includes information about headlines, leads, and story angles. There are links to eThemes Resources on newspaper production and news sites for students.
• Writing: Persuasion - A bank of Web Sites that focus on persuasive and argumentative writing for middle and high school students. Learn about the persuasive techniques used in letters, essays, and advertisements. There are suggested hands-on activities, graphic organizers, writing prompts, and assessment sheets. Includes a link to an eThemes Resource on debate.
• Writing: Research Papers - a bank of Web Sites that focus on the steps involved in writing a research paper. Learn how to brainstorm a topic, organize information, use transition words, and write bibliographies. There are tips and handouts on how to evaluate online sources, plus links to child-safe search engines. Includes links to eThemes Resources on online resources and graphic organizers.
• Writing: Personification - These sites explain how to use personification to improve your writing. Includes definitions, numerous examples, and classroom activity ideas. There are also links to two eThemes Resources on other types of figurative language.
• Writing: Memoirs - These sites explain how to write memoirs and include ideas for getting started. There are also some writing examples and lists of recommended children's books that use this form of writing.
• Writing: Alliteration, Idioms, and Hyperbole - Learn how to use different types of figurative language to improve your descriptive writing. Includes definitions and many classroom activity ideas for each topic. There are links to eThemes Resources on personification, and similes and metaphors.
• Teaching Tips: Writing Assessment Tools - These sites include rubrics, scoring guides, and checklists for assessing student writing. Ideas for peer editing and student self-evaluation are included. Several of these assessment tools can be used as they are while others can be constructed online.
• Matters of Fact a read-aloud novel by Brian Kellow - This collection available from the Curriculum Materials Centre contains thought-provoking essays and anecdotes suitable as read-alouds and as models of non-fiction writing. Teachers are advised that response questions following selections are suggested for use as discussion prior to engaging in the extending activities or as reader response prompts. Included are a table of contents as well as contents by alternate themes, contents by form, and an author index.
• Saskatchewan Writes - A searchable data base with photos and biographical data on Saskatchewan authors.
• Multisensory Grammar Activities - This is a collection of worksheets in PDF format for a variety of multisensory grammar activities. To open these files, you will need Adobe Acrobat® Reader™ 4.0 or above installed.
• Meeting Individual Needs - These printable activity pages are designed to help you address a range of ability levels in your classroom.

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