Creating a Mindset for Writing: How do we teach our least confident students to write? Convince them that they can--and give them a map.

STUDENT attitudes; STUDY & teaching of language composition; INDEPENDENT reading; WHITEBOARDS; CLASSROOM environment; PARTS of speech

The article discusses the importance of overcoming fixed mindsets as part of writing instruction. Topics include the use of an IR (Independent Reading) whiteboard in a classroom, the use of Mad-Libs exercises for learning parts of speech, and the use of examples from student writing to teach students about how to write.