Clay's work regarding how learners develop independent, strategic control over the process of constructing meaning from written texts indicates that all learners need a flexible repertoire of strategies as a network for: (a) "problem solving" or working on text on the run, (b) "self-monitoring" of the message for clarity and coherence, and (c) "self-correcting" or revising when problems occur (Clay, 1991, 2001). Those who struggle with learning in the middle grades may require explicit interventions; their teachers can help them learn to use the network of strategies rubric described in this article as a guide for being independently responsible for constructing meaning. (Contains 3 figures.)