writing paragraphs
topic sentence
fully developing ideas

I had Cal writing paragraphs today, and for the first time, instead of trying to argue his way out of it, he pretty much got right down to work. I had him write about professional hockey players in the Olympics, and although the goal was to write a pro and a con essay, he only finished the former. But, finally able to talk about the content of writing, rather than the structure, which is something Cal needs to work on. He doesn't have an opinion about most things, or get excited about much, so his writing up till now has focused on getting to the end of it, instead of developing an idea. By the end he had written a solid paragraph about why the pros should still play in the Olympics.