Wonderful web site for engaging young writers.
Community Review for ReadWriteThink
My Take
I love this literacy web site for all level K-12 students. There are a wide variety of activities that can be done in a single setting in a computer lab stand-alone, also activities that tie in and enhance the reading of specific books and other lessons. Various interactive activities stimulate student creativity, help develop on-line inquiry skills, teach how letters and words sound, how to write various forms of prose as well as poetry, create a drama map, evauate non fiction print, and organize thought for stories and essays.
The activites are high quality for all levels and can be expanded. Searching can be done by grade level, by keyword, by learning objective, and by theme. There are online and offline activities.
There are also tabs for professional development, and parent and afterschool resources. Teachers are able to contribute to ReadWriteThink as well.
How I Use It
I use it often as a computer lab teacher to have students increase computer skills along with writing poems and letters in a very cute format. Many of the activities can be printed in an attractive template. A big favorite at our school is poetry: creating "theme poems" that describe something in that shape (such as an apple). We have made alphbet books and generated business and friendly letters. There is a trading card creator and a travel brochure generator.
When a teacher clicks on a tool, there are reasons why to use it, what to do, and more ideas to try.
Take a look, it's a "can't miss" in my optnion. I have used it successfully for many years and it gets better and better each year.