How do I use Writing Coach?
Hi there! If you’re reading this, you probably want to know how to use our awesome activity called Writing Coach. Powered by Khanmigo, Writing Coach is designed to help you write an essay, every step of the way.
- If you are a learner with an active Khanmigo account, you have access to Writing Coach.
- Note: If you’re a teacher with a free Khanmigo account, you don't have access to Writing Coach, but you can learn more about how to get access for you and your students here.
We've written a guide that will help you through the several stages of the Writing Coach experience:
Get started!
1. Access the Writing Coach
- If you're a learner, click on Khanmigo to see all available activities.
- If you're a teacher in a Khan Academy District with Khanmigo access, click on Khanmigo, then on "Learner Activities" to see all available activities.
- Scroll down to Write and select Writing Coach.
2. The Writing Coach page
- Here, you can start a new essay or manage your existing essays.
Managing your essays
- View existing essays
- If you have existing essays, you’ll see each one listed on the page.
- You can see details like the title and the current stage.
- Clicking on a specific title will take you to that essay in the stage you were previously on.
- Delete an essay
- Click on the trash can icon to delete the essay.
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
- Note: Once deleted, the essay can’t be recovered, so make sure you export it if needed.
Starting a new essay
1. Start a new essay
- Click on “Begin new essay” near the top right of the screen.
2. Enter essay details
- Assignment title: Enter the name of your assignment or a title for your essay.
- Grade level: Select from 7th to 12th grade (Note that while students in lower grades can still use Writing Coach, some of the guidance and feedback may be a bit more advanced).
- Essay type: Choose from Persuasive/Argumentative, Explanatory/Expository, or Literary Analysis.
- Essay prompt/instructions: Enter the specific instructions for the essay, provided by your teacher. These should include details like the essay prompt and what to include.
- Word count (optional): If your teacher provided a minimum word count, enter it here and Khanmigo will make sure you meet that goal.
3. Click on “Let's get started.”
- You are then taken to the “Understanding” stage, where you can review the essay details, ask Khanmigo questions about the assignment, and get some guidance for how to get started.
Writing your essay
1. Outlining
- Once you’re finished asking Khanmigo questions during the “Understanding” phase, you’ve done any research you need to do for your essay, and you’re ready to start on your outline, click on “Next: Start outlining.”
- Use the graphic organizer to enter your thesis and evidence for your body paragraphs.
- You can add more body paragraphs if needed by clicking on the “Add Body Paragraph” button. You can also rearrange paragraphs by clicking on the up or down arrows.
- To add more evidence/examples or reasoning/explanation in each body paragraph, click on the corresponding buttons.
- You can remove different outline fields by clicking on the trash can icon.
- On the right hand side, you can chat with Khanmigo if you need help getting started, if you have questions, or if you want Khanmigo to review your outlining progress so far.
- Clicking on the "Assignment" tab will display your essay's instructions.
2. Drafting
- Click on “Next: Start drafting.”
- This is where you will write your essay in the editor.
- On the right hand side you will see your completed outline.
- You can copy/paste content from your outline into the draft by clicking on the “copy” icon next to the different parts of your outline, and pasting into your draft.
- Click on "Khanmigo" to chat if you need help getting started, if you have questions, or if you want Khanmigo to review your outlining progress so far.
- Click on "Assignment" to get your essay's instructions.
- Click on “Next: Start revising” once you’ve completed your first draft. Note that right now, you can only submit your first draft for feedback once, so make sure it’s a complete first draft before moving on to Revising.
Analysis and feedback
- Khanmigo will analyze your essay and provide feedback on the right side of the screen.
Feedback sections
- At the top of the analysis section, see all feedback areas.
- Click on a section to view specific feedback.
- Highlighted text in the editor will correspond to feedback.
- Click on "Khanmigo" to chat if you need help getting started, if you have questions, or if you want explanations or examples
- Click on "Assignment" to get your essay's instructions.
Editing and revising
- Make corrections in the editor based on feedback.
- You can chat with Khanmigo to confirm if your edits addressed the feedback.
- Click on “Mark resolved” for each feedback item once satisfied.
- See a running count of resolved feedback at the top.
Submit and export
- Click on “Mark as complete” when you finish resolving feedback and are satisfied with your essay.
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Export options: Once you've finished/submitted your essay, you'll get the opportunity to export your essay in the following formats:
- Microsoft Word (.docx)
- Save to Google Drive (requires a Google account)
That's it! Whenever you return to the Writing Coach activity, you’ll be able to see your essay!
Happy writing! If you have questions or need assistance using the Writing Coach, please reach out to our support team through this link. We are here to help!