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Young Writers

Express Your Thoughts...

On Paper

Useful resources to inspire
and improve your writing!


 

Online

Great places to "publish" or share
 your writing on the World Wide Web!

 

Resources for Parents & Teachers

ABCs & Handwriting Help

 

 

Tips & Tricks
for Getting it Down On Paper


 

 

Book Report Wizard

Created by author and elementary school teacher Corey Green.

Creative Writing Prompts

Need an interesting idea, place, or character to help you get started?  Try these interesting story beginnings about times machines, aliens, other planets, evil scientists, or other wacky fun.     Please note that some of these are .doc files, so you will be prompted to "open" or "save" the file you wish to view.  From BogglesWorld.

Find Out How to Become a Journalist

Aimed at high school students, this site is full of top level information on how to break into the field of writing and reporting for newspapers, magazines, and TV.

 

 How to Cite Online References

Learn how to cite online stuff like websites and webzine articles This quick over view from CyberBee will get you going, plus it offers great links to learn even more about citing online materials.


 

Learn About Grammar

This is an excellent resource for learning the names of those pesky parts of the sentence and understanding how they best fit together.  Not sure what the difference is between a transitive and an intransitive verb is?  This is the site for you.   After you've read the material, you can even quiz yourself to make sure you understand.  For even more help with grammar...

Check out these Frequently Asked Grammar QuestionsFind answers to the most commonly asked questions about grammar, including when to use "lie" instead of "lay", when to capitalize job titles, and how to use punctuation correctly inside parentheses.

For some more advanced help with grammar be sure to stop by The American Heritage� Book of English Usage, a service of Bartleby.com.

 

Learn How to Get Published

Author Deborah Morris has put together these great tips for kids (or anyone) to take their writing to the next step:  publication!

 

Poetry Writing for Kids

Lots of useful tips and in-depth instructions.  Don't miss  their lessons on How to Write Funny Poetry.

 

Poetry Workshop @ Scholastic Online

Professionally published poets like Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Jean Marzollo give tips for kids in grades 1-8.  Have fun while learning about descriptive words, rhythm, and much more!

 

Rhyming Dictionary

Having trouble finishing your poem because of rhyming troubles?  This interactive Rhyming Dictionary allows you to enter the word you're trying to find a rhyme for... hit go... and magically get a list of words that will rhyme with it!  Pick the one that fits your poem and away you go.

 

Story Writing Tips --- for Kids

Corey Green is an elementary school teacher and the author of the Buckley School Books, including The Phantom Student, a group of stories about the kids in Mr. Hoker's sixth grade class.  Because she writes her own stories and teaches the kids in her classes how to write, she has some great insights to help you write a better story!

Corey carves the act of story writing up into these basic parts:

While you're visiting the website, don't miss her excellent Book Report Wizard

 

Tips for Budding Reporters

Find out how to get the inside scoop, track down a story, and interview people.  Fans of Wendelin Van Draanen's Shredderman book Secret Identity will especially love this page.  By Random House.

Tips on Writing
 (and Not Giving Up) by Judy Blume

The famous author of such classics as The Pain and the Great One and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing offers some important tools and ideas to get you going and keep you going, all the way through finishing your story and finding a publisher.

 

Writer's Club for Kids
with Mary Pope Osborne

Get tips about character, setting, plot, and detailing with examples based on Civil War on SundayYou can even mail Mary Pope Osborne your questions, about writing or about her books.

 

Write Your Own Greek Myths and Epic Adventure Tales!

Here is some information that we put together for a creative writing class. You will find great writing ideas and great links for fun, education, and creative inspiration.  Also don't  miss our...

  Greek Links Surf these fun links to get inspired for your projects.  You'll find online fables and myths plus photos of Greece and fun stuff like a Greek Myth Mad Lib!
 

 


Online Games & Activities

for Young Writers

 

Amazing Kids

Check out and enter the latest writing contest, read their online e-Zine and what other kids have submitted, and get a real published author for your mentor!    You can also learn how you can mentor other kids!  Be sure to read their interviews with authors like Jane Kirkland, Eric Shansby, Brandon Keefe, Laura Tisdel, Guy Gilchrist.
 

Children's Writings

A great listing of various places where kids can share their writing on the World Wide Web.

 

Joggle

Similar to "Boggle", this games asks you to make words out of the random letters on the grid.  Words may be formed from adjacent squares in any direction, and must contain at least three letters.  See if you can beat the computer!

 

Kidsread.com

Visit this site to write email to your favorite author!  A huge listing of authors.  K.A. Applegate (Animorphs) to J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) to Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House) and many more.

 

 

Kid Pub

"More than 43,000 stories written by kids from all over the planet!" You can check out the newest ones or look through the "oldies but goodies" section -- you can even search for stories about your favorite topics. AND, you can add a story of your own!  Don't miss their new writer's forum, where kids writers can post messages to each other, about writing, favorite authors, or whatever's on your mind!

 

KidsCom

A new story writing challenge each week! They will start you off by providing suggestions for a character, a place, and a prop (a thing in the story), but you provide the rest. Check it out to add a story of your own, to read the stories, and to vote for this weeks best stories.  Explore their chat and buzz section to hook up with other kids into writing.

 

Magnetic Poetry

Ever see those tiny magnetic words to stick on the refrigerator -- you move them around to make your own sentences.  This website works the same!  Move the words around to make your own poetry or humor.
 

Make Your Own Captain Underpants Comic

Help George and Harold create a cool new episode in the Adventures of Captain Underpants, then e-mail it to a friend!
 

One Million Years From Now...

Add your own story -- about you! If someone found your fossilized footprints in the distant future, what would they miss out on by not having a written record of your journey here? Tell us about it, and we will web-publish it, right here on Earth's Kids!

 

Puzzlemaker 

Make your own puzzles! Use this site from Discovery Channel to create your own mazes, word searches, and more. Share them with friends, siblings, teachers, and classmates.  Great for teachers and homeschoolers!

 

Reading Rainbow's Young Writers and Illustrators Contest

Every year kids just like you submit their stories to PBS's Reading Rainbow contest for young writers and illustrators.  Shouldn't you be one of them?
 


Stone Soup

Have a story to publish or an illustration to share with the world? Check out this print magazine written for kids and by kids, then read their "guidelines for publication" to see how to submit your work to them. (Your work may also appear online!)
 

Show Off

Here's a place to publish your poetry or other creative writing to the World Wide Web. It's part of Crunch, an online 'zine where you can also submit your own reviews of books, music, computer games, etc. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Education.
 

Synonym Toast

How many synonyms can you grab before the toast burns?  From Scholastic.com
 

Wacky Web Tales

Excellent "Mad Libs" to create your own silly stories.
 

Word Central -- online dictionary from Miriam Webster

A great place to look up words! You can also check out the buzzword of the day, try the spelling bee, send a secret coded message to a friend, check out the music room to create your own verses and poems, conduct silly and fun English Experiments, and more.

 

Wizards and Pigs Poetry Pickle

This funny game helps you learn about the properties of poetry ...while collecting magic keys and potions to find the dragons lair.  Beware of goblins!

Writer's Block

Here's a place for girls 11-12 & older to share their stories. You will want to read some of the awesome stories other girls have turned in! Great stuff. Be sure to check the poetry section too -- to add your own, or to read what other girls have written! Sponsored by the Girl Scouts.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Write Myths, Folktales, & Fairytales

Top authors like Jane Yolen give great ideas on how to write your own fairytales, myths, and folktales.  From Scholastic.com.

 

Writing With Writers

Here's a great place to get ideas and instruction for writing your own stories, poems, and more. Features writing tips, sample stories, warm up activities, assignments, and even a certificate!

Check it out to learn about Biography Writing with Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Folktale Writing with Alma Flor Ada, Mystery Writing with Joan Lowery Nixon, Myth Writing with Jane Yolen, Poetry Writing with Karla Kuskin and Jack Prelutsky, and all about Writing a Book Review with Rodman Philbrick. Oh-- and don't miss Journal Writing with Virginia Hamilton. Daily journaling is the best way to sharpen your writing skills! (Site sponsored by Scholastic)

 

Writing Prompts

Use these interactive mini programs to help you come up with the beginnings of a story. 

 

Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing
by C.J. Cherryh

Editor and author C.J. Cherryh gives a short but powerful overview of the most common sins of overused and misused language.  Aimed at more advanced writers ready to sharpen their skills to publication quality.  Funny and illuminating.

 

Write Stronger Paragraphs

Just as words are made up of letters, stories and essays are made up of paragraphs.  This site tells you all you need to know to write a really great paragraph, including topic sentences, supporting details, and a great closing sentence.  It helps you understand the process of prewriting, writing, and editing so that your writing will really shine.


 

Understand Copyright Rules

We all know it's wrong to take someone else's work and pretend it's our own ("Hey!  No copying!")  But when you write a report you can't just make up the facts.  You have to look them up and write them down, exactly as they appear.  This is not so tricky for dates in history or science facts, like the boiling point of water.    But what about the biography of a famous person?  You have to get all the important information down, but your teacher wants you to retell it in your own words -- not just copy all the words in the book (or website).   You have to find a balance between writing it in your own words and making sure that your words don't change the facts or meaning of what happened.

But if you were to read a book or article, rewrite it in your own words, and then publish it to the web or print.....you might be accused of copyright violation!  (Especially if you forgot to mention that this was your school report and give full credit for the ideas to the original writer.)

So how do you know if and when it's okay to copy something you find on the net, in a book, or someplace else?  Well, for the full answer have your parent or teacher click here to read the full explanation of copyright laws.   But the easy rule of thumb is: 

  1. Never publish someone else's work, in print or to the web, and say it is your own ("No copying!").
     

  2. If you must borrow facts, pictures, or diagrams always give credit to the writer you borrowed them from.  (This is why your teacher has you make a bibliography.)  Be sure you mention the name of the author and the name of the book.  If it was an article, include the name of the magazine or website in which you found it.    See:  How to Cite Online Sources
     

  3. If you're going to publish what you've written, be sure you don't borrow too much from any particular book or article.  The idea is for you to show what you've learned -- not just to repeat someone else's words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ABC  
&

Handwriting Help

 

Writing Help for Kindergarten and Preschool Kids

 

 

ABC Tracing Sheets

"A is for Alligator" and "B is for Butterfly", these animal themed sheets feature both upper and lower case letters -- all in a large size font suited to young children.

ABC Practice Sheets

Lined paper  with sample upper and lowercase letters.  Each pages features images of objects or creatures that begin with that letter.
 

Animal Letter Tracing Sheets

Trace the name of the animal, and a sentence about the animal.  There are also mazes and other worksheets on this page.

 

 

More Letter Practice Worksheets
 from The Kid's Page Archive

 

*Denotes sheets which may not load properly in Netscape.
 

 

 

 

 

Tips & Lesson Plans for Parents & Teachers

 

Writing for Kindergartners

Tips on helping kids ages 4-6 develop writing skills, from Between the Lions.

 

How To Write a Five Paragraph Essay

Writing a five paragraph essay is one of those basic skills emphasized by "standards based" education.  Every kid is expected to know how to do it and this site will help you understand what to put in those five paragraphs, how to know what order to put your information in, and how to figure out what to say.  Explains the difference between the expository, narrative, and persuasive style essay.    Intended for grades 5 through high school, this site is best read by the parent/instructor who is working with a young person.   We also recommend this article on Paragraph Development and Topic Sentences.

For even more essay writing help check this listing.

 

 

 

 

 


CONNECTING KIDS
with NATURE

E.K. KIDS CLUB
Earth's Kids KIDS CLUB


wild animals


Kids Can...
__________

Check out these
 great pages for Earth's Kids!
__________
 

Saving
The Environment

 

Giving Service
 In Your Community

 

Ending World Hunger


Helping Animals
 

Working For
 World Peace

 

Ending Poverty

 

Use the Power of Information

 

Taking a Stand Against
Prejudice & Discrimination

 

Taking A Spiritual
 Approach To Life

 

Nurturing A Positive Attitude
 

Kids Can...
Change the World!

 

Empowering Children
To Create

Positive Change

 

MORE Fun & Learning
__________

Check out our
 other exciting
pages for kids
__________


OCEAN SCIENCE

pond Science 

WILD ANIMALS

DINOSAURS

SPACE SCIENCE

YOUR BODY!

SOCIAL SCIENCE

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

MATH FUN

GROW A GARDEN

COOKING FOR KIDS

ARTS & CRAFTS

HOLIDAY FUN

WRITERS!

SOUL LIGHT

JUMP ROPE RHYMES

BUNNIES

MORE PETS

 

 

 

 

Spring Fun

 

Saint Patrick's Day

           

Easter 
 

       

 

Mother's Day

 

Summer Fun

 

Father's Day

 

 

 


 Patriotic Holidays




Fall Fun

 

Halloween

 

 

Thanksgiving

          

Hanukkah

         

Winter Fun

 

 Christmas

 

   

 

Kwanzaa

 


Valentine's Day

 

 

 

 

Books & Print Resources

 

 

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