Despite the importance of writing, many students perform below grade level and lack the skills needed to succeed (Zumbrunn & Krause, 2012; Santangelo & Olinghouse, 2009) . There are many factors that influence student writing development, but there are others that contribute to student writing problems. According to Graham (2008) and Zumbrunn & Krause (2012), both students and teachers have difficulty grasping the concept due to the complex nature of writing and teaching writing. Therefore, many factors hinder student achievement and teachers' approach to teaching. Teachers need to understand why writing is important and its development before attempting to teach it. However, many teachers do not have this knowledge (Graham, Gillespie, & McKeown, 2012). Most believe that the desire to write comes from teaching basic writing strategy and motivating students. Although motivation plays an important role in learning, the lack of these basic writing strategies results in low motivation (Lan, Hung & Hsu, 2011). Many believe that students should be motivated to write to be successful, however, Graham (2006) found that writing development is shaped by all of these factors: strategies, skills, knowledge, and motivation. He defined motivation as “an increased sense of efficacy regarding one's writing abilities.” Zumbrunn and Krause (2012) found that students need to have the opportunity to write in a non-threatening classroom set by the teacher. Unfortunately, many teachers do not realize how their teaching methods contribute to their students' lack of motivation. Students' apprehension about writing primarily stems from their fear of feedback and evaluation of their writing (Mascle, 2013). In the... center of the document... Troia, G. A., & Graham, S. (2003). Effective writing instruction in all grades: What every educational consultant should know. Journal of Educational and PsychologicalConsultation, 14(1), 75-89. Troia, G. A., Lin, S. C., Cohen, S., & Monroe, B. (2011). A year in the writing lab: Connecting writing teaching practices to teachers' epistemologies and beliefs about teaching writing. The Elementary School Journal, 112(1), 155-182.Troia, G. A., & Olinghouse, N. G. (2013). The common core state standards and evidence-based educational practices: The case of writing. School Psychology Review, 42(3), 343-357.Wise, K. (2005). The importance of writing skills. Publications Quarterly, 50(2), 37-38. Zumbrunn, S., & Krause, K. (2012). Conversations with leaders: Principles of effective writing instruction. The reading teacher, 65(5), 346-353.