Communicating ideas and information is what makes writing meaningful--yet many upper elementary and middle school students write in a vacuum, without considering the aims of their writing or the needs of their readers. This highly informative, teacher-friendly book presents a fresh perspective on writing instruction along with practical methods for the classroom. Teachers learn ways to promote the skills and strategies needed to write and revise effectively in a range of genres: personal narratives, fiction, and poetry, persuasive, explanatory, and "how-to" writing, and writing for high-stakes tests. Special features include vivid classroom vignettes, examples of student work, evaluation guidelines, and suggested "mentor texts" that model different genres.