Developing your writing skills: useful websites to help you be successful!

Because your writing skills will be tested but also because it is a vital life skill here are some useful sites to help you develop your skills...

A good place to begin is the Homework Center at www.factmonster.com. This site offers the basics for different types of writing you may encounter in middle school.
http://www.factmonster.com/homework/writingskills1.html

A more advanced and detailed site that is extremely useful is How-To-Study.com.
http://www.how-to-study.com/index.html

http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/TRAITS.HTM

Essay Websites:

http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,2-8-0-122,00.html
This site is offers this advice at the beginning...
The Keys to Effective Writing
Tips for Tackling Your Essays and Papers
"Writing skills are essential for succeeding in high school, college, and at a job. If essays and papers stress you out, keep in mind, writing is not just an end result, but also a process that helps you develop your ideas and think logically."
 

http://www.studygs.net/5paragraph_edit.htm
This site offers clear steps and instructions for writing a five paragraph essay.

http://www.studygs.net/index.htm
This index has from the homepage of Study Guides and Strategies has extremely helpful information. See "Writing Basics" and "Writing Types" to help improve your skills.

http://7-12educators.about.com/library/howto/ht5essay.htm
This is a step-by-step guide from www.about.com for writing a five paragraph essay. There are some good links included.

http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/essay/
After you understand the parts of a five paragraph essay this site will give you an example.

http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/write_cn/journey.htm
This site from Cal State LA offers an analogy that may be helpful. Although this is a college level site there are good links and information.

http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/EssaysToc.html
This site from the University of Victoria. This includes information on types of essays and is very thorough!

An Online Writing Workshop from Purdue University:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Click on the links under Navigation for helpful guides.

Online Version of The Elements of Style by William Struck, Jr.

http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html

Online Grammar Handbook

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/CWS/wworkshop/writer_resources/
grammar_handbook/grammar_handbook.htm

This site is from the University of Illinois. There are other good links under Writer's Resources at the top of the website.