Whether they have learning disabilities or just need extra help, struggling writers can improve their skills dramatically if they get the detailed, explicit instruction they need. This practical guidebook shows elementary school teachers how to make this systematic instruction part of their classroom. Educators will find a wide range of specific strategies that include: (1) activities for every phase of the writing process, from brainstorming and goal-setting to revising; (2) proof of effectiveness with students who have learning disabilities (field testing data included); (3) guidelines on how to teach the strategies and use them across grades; (4) easy-to-learn formats for students, such as mnemonic devices and short step-by-step action plans; (5) exercises specially tailored for different types of writing, including stories, explanations, persuasive essays, reports, and comparisons; and (6) everything teachers need--no additional materials necessary. Photocopiable student worksheets give teachers ready-to-use writing activities, and before-and-after examples of student writing demonstrate how the strategies work. With these practical, scientifically validated ideas and exercises, teachers will help struggling students develop a toolbox of skills to improve their classwork and change the way they feel about writing. This book is divided into 6 sections. Section I, The Power of Writing, contains the first 2 chapters: (1) Writing Uphill: Why Strategy Instruction Is Important; and (2) Writing Is a Dog's Life: A Guide to Writing Difficulties. Section II, Strategies for Teaching, Planning, Writing, and Revising, presents chapter (3) How to Teach Writing Strategies. Section III, Writing Strategies that Can Be Applied Broadly, offers the next 6 chapters: (4) PLEASE: A Paragraph Writing Strategy; (5) PLANS: A Goal-Setting Strategy; (6) STOP and LIST: Goal Setting, Brainstorming, and Organizing; (7) The Peer Revising Strategy; (8) The CDO Revising Strategy; and (9) Summarizing Written Text. Section IV, Writing Strategies that Are Genre Specific, continues with these 5 chapters: (10) Story Writing; (11) Persuasive Writing; (12) Writing Explanations; (13) Writing a Comparison/Contrast Paper; and (14) Report Writing. Section V, Strategies for Self-Regulating and the Writing Process, offers 2 chapters: (15) Self-Monitoring; and (16) Goal Setting. Section VI, Making It Work, contains the final chapter: (17) Guidelines for Implementing Writing Strategy Instruction. Appended is: Sources of Quotes, and Anecdotes. A list of references and an index conclude the book.