Updated on March 8, 2017
These free websites and apps help students of all grade levels with a variety of writing and composition skills. They range from guides for essay writing, biographies, research papers, and writing prompts to comic creators and online book and story writing tools. Some of the sites include lesson planning resources for teachers.
The Writing Navigator is a free online tool and app that helps students in grades 6-12 to plan, draft, revise and publish their writing projects. The Writing Planner provides prompts and scaffolding for students to generate ideas and organize them…
In this collection of videos, authors of children’s and teens’ books share their thoughts with kids on creative writing – where they get their ideas, their writing techniques, how they create characters, how they start and end stories, etc.
Kids of all ages, as well as teachers, can create share, and read digital books using UDL Book Builder. Teachers can take advantage of the model books that illustrate how to support a variety of learning styles and needs. CAST…
Science Writer is an online tool designed to help middle and high school students write lab and class reports on science topics. It provides a writing structure that supports the essential elements of a science report so students can concentrate…
The Daily Writing Prompt provides consistent and meaningful “time on task”. Authors of all ages respond easily to our delightful menu of topics. Carefully crafted prompts appeal to a wide range of age, interests, and ability levels. Years of teaching…
Comments4Kids brings blogging from classrooms around the world together. Students read and comment on blogs from other classes, and get comments on their own blogs in return. In addition to learning reading and writing skills, students learn the etiquette and…
At Storybird, you create an art-inspired story using images on the site. Your completed book appears on Storybird for you to share with others. Teachers can create a class account for their kids. Stories can be printed for a fee.
Kids use characters from the PBS series, Arthur, to create a comic strip. It has an idea generator, that will help kids get started. Then they add their own dialogue and thought bubbles. The finished strip can be saved as…
Teen Ink is a literary website and magazine written by teens. It provides a forum where teens can express themselves through poetry, essays, fiction, non-fiction, opinions, reviews, art and photography. Submissions are welcome. For students, ages 13-19.
Pick one of the Tell-a-Story Challenges and let your imagination go wild! If you want to write your own story from scratch, that’s cool too. The challenges include Robot Mission, ET Tonight, Interview Over, and Teleport Vacation.
From site: Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories…
From site: Can a lion share a cupcake with an astronaut? What happens when a pirate meets a fox in the woods? You have the power to decide — meeting new characters, going on great adventures and creating your very…
From site: You do not have to be a wizard to learn to write excellent five-paragraph essays. You do need some basic skill and practice. At this site, you will find the information you need to learn how to write…
From site: In the early 1980’s, creative teachers in school districts across the country decided there must be a better way to gather useful information about student writing performance rather than with single scores or standardized tests. Teachers wanted an…
This site has extensive writing resources for students in grades 7-12 and their teachers. There are tips and examples on the writing process, rhetoric and logic, different kinds of essay genres, style and language, and different citation formats. Find guidance…