This course design describes a 3-credit, two-week intensive Stretch and Studio Practicum course at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Because the Stretch and Studio composition curriculum is designed to help students who may be at greater risk of not succeeding, instructors are required to complete the practicum before teaching in the program. The learning outcomes for the practicum ask instructors to (1) become familiar with the theory and pedagogy of basic writing, multilingual writers, metacognition, and reading instruction; (2) develop best practices in writing instruction for students who traditionally have been marginalized in higher education; (3) recognize students' existing skills and literacies as resources and strengths that can be built upon; and (4) develop activities and assignments to help Stretch and Studio students progress toward and reflect on the learning outcomes for first-year composition (fyc).