🗑 Make writing a game with this new app

📢 Groovelit helps every student tell their story

Your students need a spark.

They have so many brilliant ideas, but sometimes, they need encouragement to take pride in them. As teachers, that’s why we built Groovelit.

• Experience impact you can see: Revel in the furious typing, the cheers as winners are announced, and the smiles as students’ hard work is made visible.

• Celebrate what matters: Whether it’s effort, mastery, or collaboration you want to spotlight, Groovelit’s points, badges, and leaderboard make every writing task feel like The Oscars.

• Connect with every writer: Get to know your students more deeply as you build their confidence and watch them blossom as writers with Groovelit’s positive reinforcement system.

🗄 TEMPLATE 🗄

📔 Comp notebooks? Nah. Interactive digital notebooks.

I LOVE my paper notebooks. And I’ve seen teachers do really, really cool things with interactive composition notebooks.

But if yours are dragging a little — and you’re looking for some more interactivity?

You might try them in Google Slides.

In this post — Google Slides interactive notebooks + 20 activities to fill them — we share how you can transform this timeless classic with some techy upgrades.

🎁 BONUS: There’s a copy-and-use template to get you started!

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🗣️ Groovelit: Every student has a story. Help them tell it

I still remember going to my high school English classes.

I liked my teachers well enough. (One of them is still a friend!) But the writing assignments? Ugh … I didn’t look forward to them.

That’s a problem. Why? Because, even as a student, I saw myself as a writer!

• I was on the high school newspaper staff AND yearbook staff.

• I was planning on majoring in journalism in college.

• I wrote part-time for the local newspaper.

If a kid who self-identifies as a writer isn’t motivated by writing in class? Something is amiss.

I wish my teachers had Groovelit (groovelit.com) when I was a student.

What is Groovelit?

Groovelit (groovelit.com) is a gamified writing platform designed to help 5th-10th grade students find their voice.

In under 10 minutes a day, your students can write more, write better, and actually enjoy the process. The platform offers engaging, bite-sized daily activities that transform the writing process.

In short: it sets the stage for the kind of writing that students will love. Then, the more that students practice — and enjoy practicing! — you’ll see their writing skills skyrocket.

NEW POST: Groovelit: Every student has a story. Help them tell it

How does Groovelit work?

1. Sign up for an account at Groovelit.com. (The free plan is generous, and you get 30 days of premium features for free when you register.)

2. Launch a Groovelit game. You can choose from pre-created writing prompts — or create your own.

3. Pick the specifics: game length (5 min, 10 min, 20 min); scoring mode (team, individual, collaborative); etc.

4. Students join with a code and they start the game!

5. Students get a writing prompt and start writing. They’re awarded points instantly during the game based on words, sentences, and other qualities they demonstrate as they write.

6. Afterward, Groovelit analyzes their writing. They get immediate feedback — and the teacher can display some samples that Groovelit chooses on the big screen in front of the class.

What I love about Groovelit

I’ve checked Groovelit out for a while now and have played a few games. Here’s what really stands out to me …

1. This low-stakes writing builds confidence. Students are writing — and it isn’t a big, important essay for a large percentage of their grade. They do short, fun prompts … and they’re doing them for points in a game — not points in the gradebook. That’s a huge difference for anxiety and motivation.

2. The competitive points system is fun. It rewards students for key writing skills, like clear claims, supporting evidence/reasoning, and strong vocabulary. Plus, you can opt to provide bonus rounds where students revise their work and demonstrate mastery of a key skill like reasoning/explanation of evidence.

3. The prompts are varied and engaging. You don’t have to wrack your brain coming up with a writing prompt that will pique your students’ interest. You can choose from tons of pre-made prompts that help students finish a story, use key vocabulary, analyze a text, and write creatively.

What do the Groovelit writing prompts look like?

Groovelit has tons of pre-written prompts you can just browse and select based on what you want your students to do. They include text-based, narrative, persuasive, and vocabulary-based prompts and more.

Of course, you can create your own prompts. Groovelit walks you through the process to create the perfect prompt, choosing the type of prompt to writing the details to choosing the power ups, and more.

Here are five great pre-written prompts you’ll find in Groovelit …

• A new take on classics: Students can rewrite classic stories, like "Little Red Riding Hood," from a different perspective encouraging creative expression and self-expression.

• Persuasive writing with a twist: Groovelit makes persuasive writing feel like a game. Students can make an argument about "the most overrated thing that everyone seems to love.” This helps them learn to make a claim and defend it using reasoning.

• Vocabulary that sticks: Vocabulary games help students relate new words to words they already know, making learning and retention easier. For example, a game about "Creepy Houses" introduces words like "dilapidated" and "foreboding."

• Debate hot topics: The "Year-Round School: Good or Evil?" prompt challenges students to make a persuasive argument for or against year-round schooling. Using reasoning and logic, they must defend their claim, turning a real-world issue into a valuable writing exercise

• Finish the story: The "finish the story" prompts get students engaged with a compelling narrative hook. A prompt like "The Cyber Bully" asks students to continue a suspenseful story, helping them practice writing a narrative and using their imagination.

Get started with Groovelit

Groovelit’s “free forever” plan is generous — and it includes hundreds of writing prompts!

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!