Some teachers write in their own journals as students work on theirs, and some occasionally create a piece of writing as a whole-class project. The mechanics of writing are taught in the context of writing rather than as unrelat drills and worksheets. Lessons are crafted to address needs revealed in student writing. Less frequently observed, very helpful Teachers provide numerous opportunities for students to write for real purposes and for real audiences, who frequently respond to them. At a rural elementary school in western Kentucky, the principal is invited to hear students read their writing and to react to it.
Parents are another audience.
One group of students wrote the governor to request a meeting with him while they were visiting the capitol on a field trip. The teacher suggested that the students write the governor but did not see the letters before they were mailed. Their letters produced a call from the governor's secretary to schedule a meeting time. The secretary reported that the governor was persuaded by the sincerity of the letters. Teachers make an effort to give students access to computers at all stages of the writing process.