English Companion Ning Group

Free Audio Stories for Kids

Gathering information to share? How do you pull everything together? LiveBinders is your online 3-ring binder. Best of all, it's free! Would be great for writing portfolios.

Jim Burke shared this article by Nanci Atwell on the Myths of Independent Reading.

A great collection of links on discussion activities for the English classroom.

Vocabulary Games

"This blog is a resource for teachers who wish to view grammar as something to be explored and not just corrected. "

"Scriptwriting is an artform, and creating art is never easy. Everytime you watch a TV show, watch a film or even play a computer game you are taking in the work of a scriptwriter. With today being driven by the various mediums of entertainment scriptwriting has becomes one of the best page and attractive jobs going. Film scripts have been sold for in excess of $1 million. With that sort of money floating around it's no wonder people are becoming more interested in the idea of scriptwriting. "

"What is good writing? Ask an English teacher, and they'll tell you good writing is grammatically correct. They'll tell you it makes a point and supports it with evidence. Maybe, if they're really honest, they'll admit it has a scholarly tone - prose that sounds like Jane Austen earns an A, while a paper that could've been written by Willie Nelson scores a B (or worse). Not all English teachers abide by this system, but the vast majority do. Just look at the writing of most graduates, and you'll see what I mean. It's proper, polite, and just polished enough not to embarrass anyone. Mission accomplished, as far as our schools are concerned. But let me ask you something: Is that really good writing?"

"January 17th, 2010\n\nSolid writing skills open up career-boosting opportunities for professional writers and for those with aspirations beyond their basic job description. Journalists, fiction writers, scientists, teachers, business professionals, law students and other professionals can all get ahead by inspiring and influencing others with their writing. Whether you're an undergraduate wanting tips to organize your papers; a novelist who needs help with character development; or a technical writer in search of tips to write more engaging copy, here are 100 little ways all of you can dramatically improve your writing."