Below are a number of free and paid resources that will help you build on your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. As you use these resources, be aware of your strengths and areas for improvement. Please email me with any additional resources that you find helpful.
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Find information about the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African-American men and the Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College program.
Go to High School Go to College – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
2. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a powerful artificial intelligence tool that can stimulate ideas and creative thinking and aid in the creation of original content for poems, songs, essays, books, or plays. Be aware of ethical and legal considerations when using ChatGPT.
3. Citation Machine
Generates citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats — the exact three styles taught in tutoring sessions. Helps students practice formatting references independently while reinforcing what they learn.
https://www.citationmachine.net/
4. Daily Writing Tips
A free blog delivering short daily lessons on grammar, style, vocabulary, punctuation, and usage. Ideal for students who want bite-sized improvement between sessions — reinforces the habit of noticing and correcting their own writing. DAILY WRITING TIPS
5. Grammarly
A real-time grammar, punctuation, and clarity checker that works in your browser and word processor. The free tier is robust enough to help students catch errors in essays and emails — a natural companion to error-correction and proofreading work. https://www.grammarly.com/
6. Khan Academy — Grammar & Writing
Khan Academy’s grammar section covers everything from basic sentence structure to advanced punctuation entirely free, with interactive exercises and video lessons. Especially useful for students in English 099–101 who need foundational reinforcement. Grammar | Arts and humanities | Khan Academy
7. Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus
The gold-standard free American English dictionary, with a thesaurus, word history, and vocabulary quizzes. More reliable and academically appropriate than Google definitions. Merriam-Webster
8. NoRedInk
A free adaptive grammar and writing practice platform used widely in schools. It personalizes exercises using topics the student cares about — sports, pop culture, etc. — making grammar drills engaging rather than tedious.
9. Open Culture — Free eBooks & Courses
Curates hundreds of free audiobooks, eBooks, and online courses from top universities on writing, literature, and the humanities. Great for self-directed learners who want to go deeper. 800 Free eBooks for iPad, Kindle & Other Devices | Open Culture
10. Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
The Paradigm Online Writing Assistant covers all aspects of writing and is an excellent resource for beginner and advanced writers.
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
11. Project Gutenberg
Free access to over 70,000 classic literary works in the public domain — novels, essays, poetry, and plays. Perfect for literature analysis work. Students who cannot access assigned texts can often find them here. Project Gutenberg
12. SparkNotes.com
Find detailed summaries of literature to increase your understanding of character, plot, theme, setting, symbolism, etc.
13. TED.com — “Ideas Worth Spreading”
A great website full of educational ideas, videos, talks, and animation.
14. The Elements of Style
Excellent grammar and writing resource by Strunk & White. A foundational reference for all writers.
15. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The Purdue University website is an excellent resource if you are a serious writer.
16. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
Excellent resource used throughout United States high schools and colleges that helps writers shape arguments with the use of templates.
they say i say – Google Search
17. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Sometimes you can find great information to get you started on a research project, although you usually cannot cite this information in your essay.
Tutor With Larry 