Write with Your Audience in Mind

Writing is not a "one size fits all" formula and it certainly is not formulaic (that's why there are so many genres that cross each other), so one of the biggest failings I can see with my high school students is that audience is not stressed enough when students begin to write. By the time they make it to high school the only piece of advice they have been given is not to use slang in academic writing (which they still do).

We as educators (English teachers in particular) struggle with getting them to put down words on a paper that we often forgo the niceties to get them there. Here is a quick and fantastic video about how to work audience into your writing and how it changes depending on the piece of writing you are working on. 

This is a great way to work in audience in writing with little effort and more importantly saving on time. Purdue Online Writing Lab is easily one of the resources I keep readily available because the way they explain the minute details in writing is so accessible.