ABSTRACT
Students who read a lot come to class better prepared to bloom when writing instruction is introduced. Voluminous reading alone does not make the writer, but those students who are readers come to the writing task with a marked advantage. Students who see how other writers shoot their free throws will be more likely to succeed when it becomes time for them to shoot their own. Students were then asked to draft for the rest of the period and to come to class the next day with a first draft. Analyzing models helps them get out of the gate. The key to this assignment, however, is taking the time to have the students dissect what the professional writer did. The lesson is completed by students sharing their bullet notes through a whole-class discussion, thus giving everyone in the class a clear idea of what features made these good essays.
