"Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."—Benjamin Franklin.

This especially rings true when it comes to teaching writing. As teachers we must begin our instruction with good planning. Beginning with "the end" in mind is the key to success for our students. In other words, with each new form of writing taught, we must know the quality of writing we are expecting and communicate that to our students from the outset. In doing so, we are setting up the learning target and then the process becomes teaching them how to hit it! When students know what they are supposed to learn and how their work will be evaluated, they are equipped to rise to the level of expectation.