When students begin the creation of work in school, they are typically given verbal and written directions of what is expected, and perhaps a written assessment rubric. This does not usually create a vision of what high-quality work actually looks like—both in genre (e.g., scientific report, persuasive essay) and in a general sense (i.e., what can students my age do that is beautiful, sophisticated and compelling?). We suggest using models of work from Models of Excellence with students to promote discussion and analysis of what quality looks like, in general and in a genre; and to build specific criteria lists for what represents quality. When language describing quality work is co-constructed with students, when it contains students’ ideas and words, it is more clear, memorable and effective. Models of Excellence offers guidance in text and video for facilitating critique sessions in classrooms, and it also contains short inspiring videos that provide a window into the stories behind certain works.