I think we sometimes assume students have been taught certain skills when they have not.  That is why it is imperative that we pretest and use the results to instruct.  We need to stop blaming those teachers who came before us and just teach what needs to be taught.  Saying that, I have some suggestions from experience of what most students need to be taught during their writing class, sometimes every year.  Not only should it be taught, but it should be practiced.  That is what I believe is missing: the application of the skills.

Students need to know the audience for their writing.  Teach what “audience” is.

Students need to be taught what dialogue is and how to use it.  Have students look in their library books for examples.  Have students use dialogue in their own writing.  Apply the skill.

If we want students to use sensory language, we have to teach what that means.  Then we need to have them use it in their own writing.  Again, they can look for examples in their library books.

For students to  know different types of sentence structures, we need to teach them.  Teach one type and have them apply it in their own writing.  Teach another and so on.

New vocabulary needs to be taught and then USED.  Apply the words in their own writing.  Post the words on word walls.

Please, please, please have students practice skills in context and not on isolated skills worksheets.  I am not a fan of worksheets…

Students need to be taught the type of writing modes.  They need practice with all kinds of prompts.  They need to be taught how to read and interpret prompts on a regular basis.

Students need oral and written feedback.

Teach how to revise and proofread.  Use M-E-S-S.  (movability, expansion, slotting, sentence-combining)

Students need to see examples (exemplars) of high quality writing that has clear focus, details, a command of the language, and appropriate sentence variety.

Try to score papers only on what skills have been taught.

FORMULAIC writing is NOT recommended.

You can help your students improve their writing with some planning, persistence, perseverance, and sometimes prayer.  Happy writing.