The authors of this article describe their inquiry into implementation of the writing-focused Common Core State Standards in a co-taught English 9 class in an urban school. They describe instructional moves designed to increase student success with an assignment called the Gift Essay, with particular focus on planning and other organizational strategies, use of exemplars, and social interactions of varying kinds. Examples of student work and classroom materials to scaffold high-quality writing are provided. The article concludes with a call for interpreters of the CCSS to embrace a broad conceptualization of genre without stigmatizing personal narrative or insisting on genre purity. (Contains 6 figures.)