With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy, as well as the onset of the C3 framework from the National Council of Social Studies, social studies teachers are tasked with integrating content and writing instruction in thoughtful and relevant ways. A middle school social studies teacher addressed this complex task by integrating a planning strategy for argument-based writing in his 8th-grade United States History class. To frame the teaching of the planning strategy and social studies content, the six instructional stages from the Self-regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model were used. This article highlights the teacher's exploratory use of cognitive strategy instruction, SRSD, and impact on student writing.