NoRedInk is an ed-tech website for grades 4-12 that has tons of lessons to help students improve grammar and writing skills. As a middle school ELA teacher, I’m constantly on the lookout for engaging tools to help my students become more proficient writers. Digital tools, in particular, are what I prefer to use since students will be completing their end-of-year writing assessments online, as well. NoRedInk allows teachers to create classes, add students, and assign skills to classes. There is a free and premium account. I use the free version and get more than enough options.
Below are 4 ways NoRedInk can be used to improve students’ writing:
1. NoRedInk has diagnostic tests that teachers can give in order to have a baseline of where each student is, which helps teachers to plan accordingly based on how well students do. The diagnostics do not give a percentile grade. Instead, it groups students into 4 performance bands: struggling, beginning, approaching, and proficient. This is a great tool that can be used to differentiate students right from the beginning of the year. This allows the teacher to provide targeted instruction based on the results of the diagnostics and move forward accordingly.
2. When searching the curriculum library of activities, you can choose between “Grammar & Conventions” and “Writing Concepts.” All of the activities include interactive tools for students to use as they work through various activities. To give you an idea of what this looks like, check out the video below:
3. When students first enroll in NoRedInk, they are given the option to choose from topics that interest them. Once they choose these topics, any activities they complete on NoRedInk will include topics that students chose. This helps to keep them engaged while learning at the same time.
4. One of Noredink’s newer features is guided drafts. This is designed to help your students write a complete essay, and an interactive tutorial is provided to demonstrate essay structure. They currently have 3 types of essay options that can be used: persuasive, argumentative, and literary analysis. According to their website, more are coming soon. Take a look at the guided drafts option.
What tools do you use to help your students become stronger writers? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
