Writing Resources for Students & Teachers
These writing resources will not only help students become more effective writers, but will provide teachers help in developing those writing skills. These resources, information and tools can be used by both the students and the teachers regardless if the students are in home school or in a private/charter/public school setting.
Writing Resources
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional materials. We provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community and users worldwide will find information to assist them with many writing projects.
One Year Adventure Novel
The One Year Adventure Novel writing curriculum guides students (grades 8–12) step-by-step through the process of writing a compelling, fully structured novel in one school year. Video-based and self-directed, it is ideal for home school students but also works in co-ops and schools.
University of Illinois – Springfield Writing Handouts
The University of Illinois – Springfield Writing Handouts contain many links and resources to help improve your writing for both general and academic styles.
Writing Formats
Modern Language Association (MLA)
MLA style is a system for documenting sources in scholarly writing. For over half a century, it has been widely adopted for classroom instruction and used worldwide by scholars, journal publishers, and academic and commercial presses.
More Information about MLA Style
OWL MLA Formatting & Guidelines
American Psychological Association (APA)
APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education and the social sciences. The APA style originated in a 1929 article published in Psychological Bulletin that laid out the basic guidelines.
Books about Writing
A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker
A Writer’s Reference is the most widely-adopted college handbook ever published. The new edition is available in a classic version that provides more help with academic writing, serves a wider range of multilingual students and lends more support for college research — all in an easy-to-use quick reference format.
Writing Tools
Citation Machine
Citation Machine is an online tool that automatically generates citations in MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian and thousands more.
Grammarly: Free Grammar Checker
Grammarly is an online proofreading tool that checks text for grammar, punctuation and style. It also features a contextual spelling checker and plagiarism detector.
Hemmingway Writing App
Hemmingway Writing is a popular writing app that has several tools to help you become a stronger writer.
Writing Activities
Home for Educational Resources (H.E.R.)
A great website for teachers to download and build writing activities for students in Pre-K and Kindergarten.
Read Write Think
It is a website that contains many resources and tools for students of all grade levels to help improve their writing skills.
Pete’s Power Point Station
PPPS is a website that has developed many power points and games for teachers to use in order to help develop their students writing skills.
Home School
Home School Writing
This website contains writing links and resources for children who are home schooled.
How to Teach Writing in Your Home School
Teaching writing is one of the more challenging parts of home schooling for many parents. Even if you are a strong writer yourself, you may find that guiding your children in that process is not easy. And if you aren’t a confident writer, it can be downright scary.
Pre-School
Handwriting Worksheets and Printable Activities
These are handwriting and creative writing, printable materials to learn and practice writing for preschool, kindergarten and early elementary school students.
Preschool Writing Worksheets and Printables
These preschool writing worksheets are a great way to develop your child’s budding writing skills. From identifying letters and numbers to getting comfortable with letter sounds and simple sight words, our preschool writing worksheets are the perfect way to ease your child into writing.
