The Big-Blocks Approach. This book helps teachers in the upper grades address specific issues or skills to help students become better writers. The mini-lessons are divided into three sections to use throughout the year. Topics include: Making Decisions About What to Write, Different Writing Genres, Paragraphing in Stories and Informational Text, Self-Editing and Peer Editing, What to Do About Spelling, Using Commas to Separate Words and Phrases, Writing to a Prompt, and many more! After each mini-lesson, students are asked to practice writing.