The seven chapters of this book describe the process conference approach to writing instruction. The first chapter presents four principles used in this approach: adequate daily practice time, student control over and responsibility for writing, emphasis on the writing process, and frequent brief conferences between teacher and students and among peers. The second and third chapters discuss frequent problems in implementing the program and effective classroom management strategies, while the fourth describes different types of conferences. The fifth chapter discusses the different parts of the writing process, suggests how to incorporate work with punctuation and spelling into the program, and evaluates publishing aims and methods. The sixth chapter considers the impact of the writing program on other areas of the curriculum, citing improved student reading skills, a greater integration of the language, and increased student responsibility for learning. The final chapter discusses various methods of evaluating the writing program and suggests ways of keeping parents informed. (MM)