A teacher's careful planning and administering of writing assignments can help stimulate the student's desire to write well. In planning assignments, teachers should have an overall view of the structure of the course, know what can reasonably be expected of the students, find topics close to the students' interests and experiences, encourage independent observation and thinking, and analyze the demands made by a proposed assignment. Instructions to students should specifically define the subject of the paper and its scope, specify an audience for the students to address, contain precise verbs, and be double-checked for clarity, precision, and economy. When presenting the assignment, the instructor should identify for students the major problems they will face in writing the assignment, allow time for class discussion of the assignment and ways of approaching it, and tell the students which features of their work will be evaluated. (SW)