Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Academic Writing: Essay Writing
An overview of essay writing in general with additional pages discussing descriptive, narrative, expository, and argumentative essays.
University of Sydney (Australia)
The Write Site: Overview: Using Quoting & Paraphrasing
This learning module explains the components of academic writing. The module includes the following topics: original material, paraphrased content, summarized information, and direct quotations.
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Introduction to Writing About Literature
This is an introduction to writing about literature; it includes a list of learning objectives for writing about literature including finding and using historical sources to discuss the historical context, finding and using literary...
W. W. Norton
W. W. Norton & Company: Writing About Literature: Effective Quotation
Information about rules and useful strategies for effective use of quotations.
W. W. Norton
W.w. Norton & Company: Elements of the Essay: Thesis
An explanation and examples of interpretive claims and evaluative claims in a thesis statement. Click on list on the right for more information about elements of the essay.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Teaching Expository & Persuasive Texts: Writing Expository Essays
In an expository essay, a type of informational text, the writer clarifies or explains something by using facts, details, and examples in a clear and concise way. To write an effective expository essay, students need a basic...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analysis of Relative Values of Specific Data, Facts, and Ideas
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson we will talk about reviewing the facts and data you use to support your arguments and assessing the reliability of the sources you use.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analyze Literary Essays' Inclusion of Personal Opinions and Facts
In this lesson, you will learn how to identify and discuss the use of facts, personal examples, and ideas and how they are woven into a literary essay.
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Boundless Communications: Finding and Selecting a Topic
This site provides five links to help students select a topic: The importance of choosing a good topic, your areas of expertise, your areas of interest, brainstorming, and scoping your topic.
Leaf Group
E How: How to Write a Briefing Paper
This article by Jody Hanson explains how to write a briefing paper, a concise communication to keep people up to date on the status of a project and any changes.
Other
Ivcc: Integrating and Using Quotations Properly
Written for a college composition course, the ideas in this article are valid for journalists as well. The article gives examples of each of the 4 ways to use quotations in writing. W.9-10.2b Strong Support, L.9-10.2b Colons
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Writing About Issues in the Media
In this lesson students analyze media coverage of current issues and present their findings in a formal research paper and class presentation.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Writing a Persuasive Essay
In this lesson students research opposing viewpoints on controversial issues and develop their own position papers. Though primarily for English classes, this lesson could be easily adapted for an interdisciplinary unit with social...
University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge: How to Look Clever Without Even Trying Part 1
This article explains how to use quotations in an essay.
Joe Landsberger
Study Guides and Strategies: The Five Paragraph Essay
A major requirement of the five paragraph essay is the use of sufficient, appropriate, and interesting supporting details. Use this guide for the entire process of writing the five paragraph essay, or focus on the section about...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Guide: Persuasive Essay
Follow the framework on this page to construct a persuasive essay on any topic. Click on Writer's Model in the upper right to see a Shockwave presentation highlighting how to use the suggestions. W.9-10.10 Write Routinely
The Write Place
Literacy Education Online: Definition Essay
This site provides guidelines for writing definition essays. It also explores various types of definition writing and provides a few short examples.
Steven Kreis, PhD
The History Guide: Finding a Topic
Basic research suggestions are given here to help you select a history research topic.
Other
Writing Den: Essay Builder
Site that gives an overview and general rules in how to write an essay. Sections include Parts of an Essay, How to Write an Essay, and Kinds of Essays.
Other
Writing Den: Essay Builder: Definition Essay
General information and guidelines about writing definition essays. Be sure to look over the entire site for lots of information about writing.
Other
Ten Rhetoric of War Writing Projects
Created by a teacher responding to the events in Kosovo, this list is a great start for a media literacy class project. Good discussion-starting questions are included with each item on the list. Requires some independent research to...
Other
Beginning Reporting: The Rest of the News Story
Just because much attention is paid to the lead of a story, it doesn't mean the middle and the end aren't important too. Here you can get tips on how to make the whole story effective, from a professional reporter.
Other
Hamilton: Essentials of Effective Persuasive Essays
This resource provides good insight on how to structure a well organized effective persuasive essay.
Leaf Group
Classroom: How to Write a Research Paper Outline
This is an article focusing on gathering research information including paper requirements, citation information, and content, and then completing note cards and an outline.