It gives strategies for helping create a good social climate in the classroom. I also believe that we can influence the climate of our classroom by our degree of compassion for our students and by our own actions. I know that with the higher grades, it can be more difficult in the classroom. I think this is a result of all that the students have to deal with outside the classroom. I find that this would be a great opportunity to approach those issues in writing.
Calkins gives many good strategies to make teaching writing successful with adolescence.