​Transitions are the glue that holds writing together. Click the slideshow above to see what transitions look like below, at, and above the eighth-grade level. Honestly, the advice for above grade level introductions will easily hold you over through any level of higher education you could hope to achieve. 

To achieve the levels shared to the left, this Slides presentation is separated into three columns, and basically works like the menu of Chipotle: just pick one item from each column and you're guaranteed an effective transition. Not all items fit perfectly with all other items, so a little care and editing will be necessary for successful use of this tool. 

This tool helps students write explanations that are at or above grade level. As you work your way through this slideshow to improve your writing, make sure not to jump to the "expert" level explanations. They're actually for expert writers. If you're at or below grade level, trying to jump to the best possible transitions will be as ineffective as a person trying to go from never working out, to following the training regimen of an Olympian. 

These sentence frames work in conjunction with the explanation Slides to the left. The tool on the left explains how to explain, and this is a simple, nuts and bolts guide to how to apply that learning. 

Once you "finish" your essay or quick write, click above to add some flair to your writing. This is an excellent protocol to move level three (at grade level) writing up to level four (above grade level) writing. 

We use connection tools to create the body paragraphs of our essay while we progress through the unit. They're a great, consistent tool ot...you guessed it, CONNECT different texts to each other!

Poetry is difficult to quantify. It's difficult to grade. It's like defining the difference between art and doodles. I'd argue the difference lies in the intentionality behind the design, whether the medium be clay, watercolor or Microsoft Word. The tool above helps quantify how to intentionally write poetry by starting with topic selection and a simple sentence, and then adding all the elements necessary for a poetic aesthetic. [Internal rhyme intended, obviously.] 

When it comes to creative writing, the single, most important skill is to be able to "show" your audience what's happening in a story and not simply "tell" them what's going on. One of my students, Jakayla, articulated the difference better than I ever could when she said, "so 'telling' sounds like you're summarizing a movie to your mom after you get home, and 'showing' is what it's like to actually watch a movie." The tool above will explain the difference between "showing" and "telling" writing, offer some examples, and end with a cheat sheet for aspiring writers to work with. 

I'd recommend using this tool after learning and familiarizing yourself with the "showing" vs. "telling" tool above. This tool shows students how to combine the concepts of being a "showing" author with the tenets of effective characterization. You'll see some examples of each type of characterization, and read some tips, tricks, and important punctuation reminders. 

Download a copy of this plot structure chart (you probably know it as "the witches hat" if you're under fifteen years old) to organize a creative story.  Don't forget, when writing a story, the plot moves forward step by step, not by giant leaps. 

Use this tool to learn how to punctuate dialogue correctly. There are a few simple rules, but following them is imperative for an audience to understand your dialogue. 

Appropriately-punctuated dialogue is just the first step towards effectively incorporating dialogue into a story. Effective dialogue tags are the next step. In this tool, we'll look at how to write effective dialogue tags 

Not sure when to start a new paragraph while writing a story? This is something a lot of students struggle with because story writing is very different than the organization of an essay. Click the image above to learn when to add a paragraph to your stories!

Building a short story in class and not sure what to add next? Use these sentence frames to help you add more to an existing story!

If you're stuck while writing a story, these sentence frames will help you to develop your characters, advance your plot, describe your setting, and build suspense!