Student writers go the distance with a strength-training approach. Good writers don't wing it-they have a plethora of skills. They list, picture, circle, strategize and revise to make language come alive. They know what to use and when. Like ace athletes, they are highly trained, well-versed in the techniques found in this lively book. This volume provides a method for instruction that gives students the fun they want and the targeted skill practice they need. Slinky paragraphs, pop-up poems, paint chip plotting, and many other activities get the serious business of teaching critical and creative writing done. The author shows you how to go about it systematically, so writing is tied to relevant lessons and writing standards. Help students learn to: hone skills in persuasive writing, argument, fiction, poetry, memoir and more; toggle between brief and multi-step writing tasks, to build stamina (and not hyperventilate when faced with complex compositions); tap into auditory, visual, and kinesthetic, and digital components of crafting; think about word, sentence, and paragraph-level techniques; and jump the high-jumps of research writing by getting good at each smaller leap. Students in middle school and high school often feel they are forever-sprinting toward a high-stakes writing task. With this book, you help students crowd out stress with a strength-training approach to success.