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12 Tools for National Novel Writing Month

November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo), a "fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing." Writing is an important aspect in every subject area. This week, we’re sharing 12 cool tools to get your students engaged in digital writing (and maybe starting their first novel).

Grades 2-12

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program

If you are interested in learning more about NaNoWriMo, start here, the home site for this month-long event. Find writing badges for students to earn, writing buddies to join, helpful resources for students in both English and Spanish, and more!

Grades K-6

Story Maker

Young students can create simple and easy stories without registering by simply typing the story and drawing a picture using the many drawing tools provided. You can also add pages for a longer story. Once finished, print the PDF of the story.

Grades 2-12

Ourboox

Publish ebooks in any language. The pages of the book will flip, and the tool has an accommodation for languages that read from right to left. Keep track of how many readers you have and view their comments. Use an email to sign up and get started.

Grades 3-12

Elementari

Create interactive digital stories that include drag-and-drop text, illustrations, and shapes. Choose from image filters and a variety of fonts to personalize the look of your story. Other tools include the ability to animate illustrations or text.

Grades 1-12

My Storybook

Get started using clipart from the site, upload your own images, or use their draw tools to create your own artwork. Click the text box and change the font, text color, and size. Add more text and pages to your book, too. Use an email to save or share.

Grades K-12

ePubEditor

Establish your account to begin, then follow prompts to upload images, text, videos, or audio. Allow others to edit and add to your book using the share editing option. When complete, publish and share the URL for your book.

Grades K-12

Twitter Chat: OK2Ask Campfire: Digital Storytelling Strategies and Resources

View this archived Twitter chat related to digital storytelling strategies and resources. During the chat, participants defined and discussed the basic elements of digital storytelling and explored ways to integrate digital storytelling in content areas.

Grades 5-12

Popped

Bring a social media feel to story writing and planning. Write a story or screenplay the same way you text. Create an account and begin a new project, either as a story or movie. Add two characters, upload an image for each character, and write.

Grades K-12

826 Digital

Establish your free account to find mini-lesson sparks, quality writing instruction, topic- and genre-focused lessons, and larger projects based on topics or themes. View the Writing Gallery to find a large selection of student writing examples.

Grades 8-12

Notebook.ai

Try out this story planning tool for writers. After registering, choose from different sections of the site to begin creating different portions of your fantasy world. Options include universe, character, world, creatures, governments, and much more.

Grades K-6

Imagine Forest

Begin writing right away by uploading one of your own images, or find inspiration by exploring the site. Click the Activities link to earn points through writing challenges. Choose the Write link to create your own storybook using an image provided.

Grades K-12

Tolks

Use this simple storytelling tool by creating an account with your Google or Twitter profile. Choose characters (or upload an image) to narrate your story, then add dialogue, preview, and edit or save. Share using the provided URL.

This Week at TeachersFirst

We invite you to join us this Tuesday for our next OK2Ask virtual workshop. We’re also excited to share a related blog post and our weekly poll.