One challenge faced by many writing teachers is meeting the needs of students with varying skill and confidence levels. This article describes strategies used in a Composition and Rhetoric I course to meet the needs of basic and college-level writers. Sample assignments focusing on the theme of literacy and learning are provided, including an effective prewriting strategy called the Literacy Lifeline. The practices described are supported by Bartholomae and Petrosky's course framework in "Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts" (1986) in addition to other sources.