English language arts teacher Zachary Wright describes how he uses "Mad-Lib"-like templates to help his unconfident writers (which is most of his students) see precisely how to do things like write a thesis statement, extract examples from the text, and structure a coherent essay.

The author, a high school language arts teacher, describes her move to a high-needs urban school after 13 years teaching in predominantly middle-class suburban schools. Unlike her former schools, in which a culture of compliance prevailed, her new school serves students who don't necessarily cooperate unless they see how the curriculum matters to…