Here are some websites that specialize in publishing the work of young writers. 

Cicada 

Merlyn's Pen 

Stone Soup

Teen Ink Magazine 

When renowned education writers Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey are not presenting at prominent ed conferences across the country, they are putting their innovative ideas to work back in their San Diego high school and college classrooms. In this excerpt from their fantastic book on teaching academic vocabulary across the disciplines, Word Wise and Content Rich, Fisher and Frey encourage teachers to use paint chips to get students to recognize that words — just like similar shades of paint — can be arranged in a continuum.  Continue reading...

Last month a usage dispute broke out in the comments section here on the Visual Thesaurus. Our "Evasive Maneuvers" columnist Mark Peters described a friend who "started feeling nauseous." Two commenters objected to this use of nauseous, saying that the word properly describes someone or something that is sickening, and that the word Mark should have used is nauseated. Who's right?  Continue reading...

On the occasion of National Grammar Day, the Motivated Grammar blog debunks ten common grammar myths. (Prescriptivists, enter at your own risk!)

We here at the Visual Thesaurus have a long-standing commitment to providing tools for teachers who want to get students excited about language. From our award-winning application to our high-quality lesson plans and other online content, we're constantly looking for ways to help educators enliven their classrooms. Now we're bringing all of those resources together on a redesigned educators page, together with some brand-new features.  Continue reading...

Horton Foote, an esteemed dramatist, screenwriter, and memoirist, has passed away at the age of 92. Here is some of his best collected work.

Three Plays

Three Screenplays

Beginnings: A Memoir

Farewell

As the only euphemism columnist in America, it is my sacred duty to help euphemisms swim and purr to their greatest potential, lest Darwinian forces maul them prematurely.  Continue reading...