Intended for teachers who want to improve writing instruction in their kindergarten or elementary school classroom, this two-part guide offers ideas for kindergarten teachers to help their students express their feelings through writing and reports on a district-wide writing assessment in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The first part, which is divided into three sub-sections, offers ways kindergarten teachers can help students deal with their feelings of pain or abandonment through the writing or dictating of letters, discussion of problems, and the reading of stories about children's problems. The second part of the guide focuses on a 13-month assessment of sixth grade students' writing. Included is information about the development of definitions of good elementary school writing, the identification of district goals, the evaluation of criteria, and attendance at writing workshops. (JC)