Writing Buddy ✍️

Writing Buddy is an interactive, AI-powered literacy tutor designed to help students (Grades 3-5) improve their reading and writing skills. It features a friendly AI companion that provides real-time feedback, generates engaging stories, and guides students through structured writing exercises.

🚀 Features

1. Free Write Mode 📝

• Creative writing area with AI-generated prompts.
• "Publish Story" button to celebrate completion with confetti!
• AI Feedback: Get instant, encouraging feedback on grammar, creativity, and clarity.
• Score Gating: Submission is gated until the student achieves a quality score of 8/10.

2. Reading Comprehension 📖

• Generates unique reading passages tailored to the student's grade level.
• AI creates comprehension questions that require inferential thinking.
• Context-Aware: The AI tutor knows exactly what story you're reading and can check your answers.

3. RACE Practice 🏃‍♂️

• Structured practice for constructed responses using the Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain strategy.
• AI generates short texts and questions to practice specific skills.

4. Dashboard & Progress Tracking 📊

• Activity Grid: Visualize "Last 30 Days" of activity (GitHub-style).
• Stats: Track words written, stories read, and daily streaks.
• Badges: Earn achievements for consistent practice.
• Persistence: All progress is saved locally, so you never lose your streak!

5. Smart Chat Companion 🤖

• A dedicated AI buddy for each mode (Free Write, Reading, RACE).
• Persistent Sessions: Switch tabs without losing your conversation context.
• Session Reset: Automatically starts a fresh chat when you generate a new topic or story.

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React (v18), TypeScript, Vite
• Styling: Tailwind CSS (v4), Lucide React (Icons), Framer Motion (Animations)
• State Management: Zustand
• AI Integration: Anthropic Claude API (Claude 3.5 Haiku)
• Persistence: LocalStorage

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🚦 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js: Version 18 or higher is required. Download Node.js here.
  • Verify installation by running node -v and npm -v in your terminal.
• Anthropic API Key: You need an API key from Anthropic to use the AI features.

Troubleshooting

If you see npm: command not found or similar errors:

1. Ensure you have installed Node.js from the link above.
2. Restart your terminal or computer after installation to update your system PATH.

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/writing-buddy.git
   cd writing-buddy

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables Create a .env file in the root directory:

   cp .env.example .env

   Add your Anthropic API Key:

   VITE_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

4. Run the Development Server

   npm run dev

   Open http://localhost:5173 to view it in the browser.

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🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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🛡️ License

Distributed under the MIT License.