ReadWriteThink.org is an amazing online graphic organizer tool that has countless graphic organizers to help students enhance their writing and reading skills. You can use this website to help students plan persuasive essays, write biographies, and create timelines- to name just a few. The website is very user friendly and produces quality online products that students can feel proud of. I often find that it is difficult for elementary aged students to get started with writing projects. So often they have a general idea of what they want to say, but getting started and organizing their thoughts can be the most challenging part. With ReadWriteThink.org, students can use the online graphic organizers to alleviate these initial stresses. Instead of a three sentence paragraph about why cats are the best animal, students are creating five paragraph essays, with a thesis and supporting their arguments. And, students have the visual aid to guide them.ReadWriteThink.org also has lesson plans available for teachers and ideas for how to use the site in your classroom.
Our current Writing Unit focuses on expository writing. I am working with my students on how to create and support a thesis. We are just working on the introduction right now, but I love this persuasion map on ReadWriteThink.com. With this graphic organizer students are able to easily organize and visualise their thoughts. The map is already laid out for them in a manner that is easy for them to understand. They are analyzing their topic and having to prove why their claim is true.
Another really great thing about this website is that it allows students to share their work via email. Students can comment on each other's work and even send their work to their parents. The site is so user friendly I don't see any challenges. See for yourself:
www.readwritethink.org
