The 6+1 Writing Traits

Ms. Karen Sandoz1-17-11

www.wordle.net

“Unless we show children how to read their own writing their work will not improve…What you can assess, you can revise….To help student writers reach this level of assessment, we (as teachers) must first teach ourselves what good writing is. We must learn how to recognize it – not just the mistakes, but the moments of voice, detail, wonder and magic – and we must have a language for talking about it….Then we make students partners in the assessment process. Partners. Not targets. Not victims. Not just recipients of our grades or comments. But fully active participants who speak writers’ language, have their own rubrics (written in student friendly terms) and learn alongside us how to think critically about writing.” - Vicki Spandel – Creating Writers through 6-Trait Writing

•Evolved in the early 1980’s by practicing teachers in Montana & Oregon. They desired an instrument that would provide accurate and reliable feedback for students and teachers.•They began reviewing research on writing assessment and analyzing thousands of student writing pieces to identify the elements of “good writing”.•The teachers identified common characteristics of good writing after evaluating thousands of papers at all grade levels.•In the mid 1980’s, researchers at the NWREL (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) began developing a performance assessment for writing using the identified criteria. This became the 6+1 Trait Model.•Used in virtually all states and many foreign countries and is the model or source of the model used to score papers in numerous state assessments.•Today, it is used from primary through college by teachers of all subjects including foreign language.

http://educationnorthwest.org/traits

History/Background

The 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment provides a common language for teachers and students to communicate about the characteristics of writing and establishes a clear vision of what good writing looks like.

Thousands of teachers worldwide who have been trained in the model improve their writing instruction, their understanding of the qualities of good writing, and their ability to provide effective feedback to students.

Source: http://educationnorthwest.org/traits

From Education Northwest (Formerly NWREL)

•Shared vision and vocabulary for the way we discuss, teach and evaluate writing. •Rubric keeps assessment consistent and honest.•Traits breaks writing and revising into manageable parts.•Traits support and strengthen the writing process.•Revision and editing becomes purposeful with trait-based instruction. •Partnership in writing assessment empowers students.•Learning to assess with confidence and skill increases student motivation while promoting thinking skills. •Links reading and writing by encouraging students to read like writers and write like readers.•Working with well-written rubrics can save you time in assessingSource: Vicki Spandel – Creating Writers through 6-Trait Writing (Copy provided) – Check out comments on p. 346!

Why use the 6+1 Trait Model?

http://educationnorthwest.org/resource/502#a3

6+1 Trait® DefinitionsIdeas - the main message;Organization - the internal structure of the piece;Voice - the personal tone and flavor of the author's message;Word Choice - the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning;Sentence Fluency - the rhythm and flow of the language;Conventions - the mechanical correctness;Presentation - how the writing actually looks on the page.

•Connect to READING!!! - Students need to analyze/critique what they are READING for the traits…and recognize the way different authors shine in certain traits. Use the vocabulary when reading…Read little pieces of what you are currently reading…NYT Magazine, line or passage from your personal reading, speeches, pieces that are strong in some traits and weak in others…See examples in handouts.

•Reading out loud – Famous writers, your own writing, student writing. Have students critique orally and practice using the language. Ruth Culham writes, “One of the best ways to teach fluency is to read beautifully written pieces to students.” Audio books are an excellent source for this. Not only are they great models of sentence fluency, they are known to improve listening and comprehension skills, plus increase vocabulary.

•Writers need trait response as early as the composing stage. Mini-conference and focus on one thing…one trait, one aspect.

•There are so many free materials and simple (and fun!) lessons to teach the traits. It is not enough to just hang posters in your room with the names of the traits on them. They must be used daily and become part of everyday vocabulary.

•Involve the parents and other teachers (non-LAL). R.A.F.T.S is a good example of how traits can be applied in various content areas.

Suggestions/Recommendations

www.thetraits.orghttp://educationnorthwest.org/resource/504 - How to get started with the traitshttp://apps.educationnorthwest.org/traits/lessonplans.php - Lesson Plans - Elem to H.Shttp://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/774 - Example K-2 http://educationnorthwest.org/products - Products

www.writingfix.comhttp://writingfix.com/traits.htm http://writingfix.com/classroom_tools/post_its.htm http://writingfix.com/PDFs/6_Traits/Building_Traits_Overview.pdf - the house!

http://www.writingfix.com/PDFs/6_Traits/Trait_Post_Its_Organization.pdf