What is Middle Grades/Middle School

This chapter argues that quality writing instruction that supports students' motivation and self-efficacy as writers is essential for those students to become future advocates and change-makers in their communities. This chapter is organized to support this perspective by first exploring the challenges of teaching writing in the middle grades, to better understand why so many students receive substandard writing instruction. The sections that follow explore the relationship between writing achievement and motivation and build the connection between writing motivation and equity. Finally, the authors make recommendations for classroom practices that help develop writing motivation in the middle grades and thus support more equitable outcomes for all students.