"If we expect students to learn to write, we need to teach them how." This statement may seem obvious. But Carol Jago points out that many teachers share the assumption she started out with as a new teacher--that inviting students to write at length about whatever they want will enable them to "magically morph into good writers." Although frequent opportunities to write across the content areas are essential, she argues, we also need to give students something important to write about, as well as individual feedback that challenges them to sharpen both their writing and their thinking. As an example, Jago describes a literature unit on the theme "Working" in which students analyze and discuss a collection of texts that stimulate their thinking and inspire complex, meaningful written responses.