Offered as a guide to teachers of basic writers (remedial or developmental students), this book contains activities for setting and achieving goals, for motivating reluctant beginning writers, and for practicing, stretching, and mastering basic writing skills. The six chapters of the book present ways of approaching rhetorical strategies and language skills that most inexperienced writers need to practice. The chapters deal with the following topics: (1) making and carrying out assignments; (2) the paragraph as rhetorical model; (3) word, sentence, and punctuation skills; (4) support services (audiovisual aids, writing centers, and student-teacher conferences); (5) what beginning teachers should know about testing (an overview of types of tests and ways of scoring the writing test); and (6) beyond the basics. Three appendixes contain suggested lesson plans, 16 informal writing exercises, and sample writing tasks. An annotated bibliography is also included, offering additional resources on topics such as understanding the basic writer, the writing process, the rhetorical content of basic writing courses, dealing with students' errors, and specific teaching techniques. (RL)