Are you looking for some writing resource sites that could be used by your students or yourself? Look no further. Just as there were seven astronauts who had the Right Stuff, I have selected seven sites that have the Write Stuff. Please feel free to share some of your favorite “Write Sites” using the comment link found at the bottom of this post.

In 1976, Purdue University established a Writing Lab to assist learners in their writing processes. Outreach from the Purdue Writing Lab began with a collection of paper-based resources physically mailed to users as they contacted the Writing Lab requesting information on writing, citation, or research. Later, these resources became available electronically through email requests and GOPHER protocal. The Purdue Writing Lab launched its official site on the web in 1995. It is now accessed by millions of users worldwide. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (fondly referred to as OWL) site has been one of my favorite sites for teaching citation format; it also offers wonderful information that includes…

• Writing and Teaching Writing
• Research
• Grammar and Mechanics
• Style Guides
• ESL (English as a Second Language)
• Job Search and Professional Writing

The newly re-designed Purdue Online Writing Lab site also includes links to the OWL podcast, an RSS feed option to the OWL Newsletter, and information on how to avoid plagiarism. The site is an absolute treasure-trove of information that can be used by students, educators, and parents.

The WritingFix site is another rich online source that features “interactive prompts, lessons, and resources designed for teachers, students, and–most importantly–lifelong writers.” This free-to-use writing website is sponsored by the Northern Nevada Writing Project and currently includes over 500 writing resources. While I found the site “visually busy” in terms of layout, there is no question that the site houses marvelous articles, prompts, and information that can be used by students and teachers to develop writing skills across the curriculum.

The Writing Den site is designed for students Grades 6 through 12 seeking to improve their English reading, comprehension, and writing skills. The site is divided into three levels of difficulty: Words, Sentences and Paragraphs. “Words” will help increase student vocabulary and pronunciation; “Sentences” will improve student comprehension and listening skills; and, “Paragraphs” will show students how to organize and edit writing. The Words and Sentences sections feature Real Audio clips so that students can hear words pronounced and sentences narrated. In the Paragraphs Section, students can view an essay that expands on the topics discussed in Words and Sentences. The Paragraphs Section also includes a note set that shows how the sample essay has been organized.

The Writing with Writers site is a terrific site where students can learn from professional writers using “…a step-by-step set of instructions to improve student writing skills. With eight genres — biography, descriptive, folktale, mystery, myth, news, poetry, speech, and book review writing — you [the teacher] can pick the component that best suits your curriculum and needs. Each component has specific grade targets and all components have the ability to publish student work online.” While you are visiting the Writing with Writers site take time to explore some of the additional Scholastic writing sites as well. I specifically honed in on the Writing with Writers site, because I think students can identify with the writers they have come to know and love through books.

Dr. Charles Darling originally developed The Guide to Grammar and Writing site in 1996 to help his students write reports and research papers. He also wanted to create a place where students look for answers to their grammatical questions. The Guide to Grammar and Writing online resource rapidly took on a life of its own with upwards of 30,000 hits per day. Dr. Darling continued to work on the site when he retired in 2005. The site features over 400 reference articles, interactive quizzes and numerous grammar tips that are particularly appropriate for secondary and college level writing students. The Capital Community College Foundation and Advisory Council continues to host the site in loving memory of the man who created it.

Last year I researched and developed a number of writing resources designed to help teachers and young students develop writing lessons. I called the site Recipes to Good Writing and incorporated a recipe card featuring the ingredients needed for a writing assignment, an ingredient checklist, and worksheets. Students could also click on the measuring spoons to access materials online. I included writing recipe cards for the following: various poems, biographies, book reports, business letters, short stories, persuasive essays, etc. Visit the site to download copies of all the recipe cards and associated worksheets. Remember to use the measuring spoons you find on each page. Clicking on a red measuring spoon will link you to an online tool or generator, a green measuring spoon will link you to a site/worksheet you can download, and a beige spoon will link you to an article or lesson. I’m sure your students will use the writing recipes to cook up some great writing samples.

Just as there were many astronauts who followed the original seven, there are also a number of excellent resources that can be used to help your students develop the “write stuff” to be great writers. I found that narrowing resources to seven “write sites” was a difficult task, so I am cheating (just a little bit) by including this last writing resource site posted by the Writer’s Digest. Each year the Writer’s Digest researches and posts links to the 101 Best Websites for Writers. They “sift through more than 2,100 nominations and choose the 101 most valuable…The list has been divided into nine sections: general resources, challenges/creativity, publishing resources, jobs, writing groups and communities, genres/niches, agent blogs, protect yourself and just for fun.” You will undoubtedly find all the “write” material you need to help your students soar as young writers when you search through this marvelous list of resources.