This book describes an innovative, evidence-based method for preparing students for the demands of college writing called Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW). The goal of SSW is to help students become independent learners who understand the value of strategies and can apply them flexibly in future courses and the workplace. The text provides genre-based strategies for rhetorical analysis, planning, evaluation and revision, critical reading of sources, and synthesis of sources that are part of college composition and applicable across contexts and course assignments. Equally important to the SSW approach is that students learn metacognitive strategies for goal setting, task management, progress monitoring, and reflection. Instructional methods include discussion of model essays, think-aloud modeling of strategies, collaborative writing, peer review and self-evaluation, and reflective journaling.

Book Features:

• Integrates three critical components: strategies for critical reading and writing, metacognitive strategies to help students take control of their learning, and pedagogical strategies.


• Provides research-based approaches for teaching developmental writing courses, first-year composition, summer bridge programs, and first-year seminars.


• Offers thorough explanations of the strategies and instructional methods, with practical examples and support materials for instructors.


• Based on two years of design research and three experimental studies which found significant positive effects on writing quality and motivation with college students in developmental writing courses.