Introducing 6 Traits into Our WritingHelping to Make Our Writing More Complete

Understand the six traits of quality writing Understand the rubric used for scoring student

writing

What does writing instruction look like?

Listening to examples of good writing

Practicing the different traits

Applying practice to writing essays

Students evaluating their own writing

The Writing Process Prewriting (Planning) Writing (First Draft) Revising (Improving your writing) Editing (Correcting for style and

accuracy) Publishing (Sharing)

What are the 6 Traits?

What are the 6+1 Traits?1. Voice2. Word Choice3. Conventions4. Sentence Fluency5. Organization6. Ideas7. Presentation

1.

2.

3.

5.

4.

6.

Ideas are the heart of any piece of writing…• It’s all about the

information• Ideas paint pictures in a

reader’s mind• Informational text

becomes reader-friendly• Pay attention to ‘beyond-

the-obvious’ detail• Ideas demonstrate

clarity, focus, sense of purpose

CLARITY - makes sense.

FOCUS - narrow and manageable size

QUALITY DETAILS - noticing little things that others might not notice.

Ideas and ContentLinks to Instruction1. Prewriting2. Keeping Journals3. Moving from broad topic to

focused and narrow ideas4. Learning to observe carefully5. Borrowing ideas from other

writers6. Knowing the purpose for writing

Organization is the internal structure…

• It’s not just paragraphs, but what’s in them!

• Does it make sense?• Is the writing easy to

follow? A well-laid-out road map?

• Does the lead ‘hook’ the reader?

• Are transitions smooth and appropriate?

• Is the conclusion satisfying?

1. Inviting Opening2. Sequencing -

logical and effective3. Linkingwords/phrases4. Pacing5. Effective Ending

isualize (Audience & Content)

rganize (Outside the box)

nterpretraftlaborate or Eliminate

Voice is personality… and confidence• Individuality and perspective

• Enthusiasm and expressiveness• Is the author knowledgeable about the topic? • Does the piece hold the reader’s attention?• Is there real passion? Does the author care?• Does the text just repeat common knowledge?• Is the voice appropriate?

How exquisite!Sounds scrumptious!

‘A breath of fresh air…’

Listen to the serene stillness...

Word choice is clear, precise and colorful…• Find the word that is ‘just right’• Stretch to use new, interesting words• Think verbs, verbs, verbs (use high energy words)• Avoid ‘Creeping Thesaurus-itis’ • Eliminate tired, trite words• Cut the fat… only use words that carry their own weight

The rhythm and flow of the sentences…• Sounds soothing to the ear…• A variety of sentence length and structure• Text begs to be read aloud• Smooth transitions support fluency• Punctuate. Periods are a good thing!

Editing & revising for conventions…• Use of proper format (indentation, margins, spacing, etc.) • Correct use of capitalization, punctuation and spelling• Maintain verb tense and subject verb agreement throughout composition• Use adverbs, appositives, clauses and phrases correctly• Use homophones and other vocabulary correctly

Remembering the 6 traits… Ideas Organization Voice Word Choice Sentence Fluency Conventions

Six Trait Writing – Student Rubric Ideas: The heart of the message, the

content of the piece, the main theme, with details that enrich and develop that theme.

Organization: The internal structure, the thread of central meaning, the logical and sometimes intriguing pattern of ideas.

Conventions: The mechanical correctness of the piece; spelling, grammar, and usage, paragraphing, use of capitals and punctuation

Six Trait Writing – Student Rubric Word Choice: The use of rich, colorful,

precise language that moves and enlightens the readers.

Sentence Fluency: The rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way in which the writing plays to the ear, not just to the eye.

Voice: The heart and soul, magic, wit, feeling and conviction of the writer coming out.