The Six Write Traits

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(No Transcript)
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The Six Writing Traits

• Kingston Raycraft
• Four Peaks Elementary
• School District 98
• Fountain Hills, Arizona

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Whats a Trait?

• Traits of a great taco
• Traits of a good film
• Traits of good writing

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Which trait should I teach first?

• Ideas
• This is the foundational trait.
• Your idea is your whole reason for writing.
• All other traits flow out of, and are influenced
  by this one.

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Ideas

• The Lead Seed
• Dont say anything. Dont even look up..
• In this note I will ask you, the teller of this
  bank, to give me all the money in your drawer
• Traditional lead
• Introduction Say what we are going to say say
  it and then say it again.
• A LEAD is NOT a 1 sentence. It is a 0!
• Leads are seeds that help a writer begin to
  figure out where the plant is growing.
• Leads are an organizational tool, a motivational
  tool, and a springboard into a piece of writing!

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Leads are magic flashlights that shine down
through a story showing the writer what to put in
and what to leave out.
John McPhee
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Snapshot Leads (0)

• Create a picture in the readers mind

• Abraham Lincoln wasnt the sort of man who could
  lose himself in a crowd. After all, he stood 6
  ft. 4 in. tall, and to top it off he wore a high
  silk hat. His height was mostly in his long bony
  legs, and when he sat in a chair he seemed no
  taller than any one else. It was only when he
  stood up that he towered about other men.

Lincoln A Photobiography
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Talking Leads

• Maybe you want to start with a line or two of a
  dialogue.
• Where is Papa going with that ax? said Fern to
  her mother as they were setting the table for
  breakfast.

Charlottes Web
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Thinking Leads
Start with a thought inside a character or you.

• Up until I turned twelve years old the kind of
  friends I had were what youd expect. They were
  my own age more or less. Most of them were born
  here in Serenity along with me. And all of us
  went to the same school together.

Onion John
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Definition of Ideas

• The content of the piece
• The heart of the message
• The main theme
• What the writer has to say
• The message

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Writers of Idea should do the following

• Narrow the topic to something specific
• Use fresh and original ideas
• Write from experience
• Show insight in the writing
• Make the main idea stand out
• Use supporting details , 2s
• Stay in control of the topic
• Develop the topic in an entertaining way

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Ideas, Content, and Power Writing

• The title, if there is one, relates to the main
  idea of the paper and hooks the reader. The
  writer sticks to the main idea and leaves out
  details that do not matter.
• The paper contains enough information to cover
  the subject.
• Each paragraph contains clear, relevant details
  that develop and support the main idea.
• The writer chooses details that are interesting,
  important, and informative.

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Wacky Research Reports

• Try selling something you are studying.
• To get into the right mindset, read ads from
  newspapers.
• Come up with details about your subject that are
  appealing. (collect facts)
• Use research to sell your product.
• Who are you selling to? What age? What gender?
  What is the product going to do for them?

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For Sale America
Buyer Native Americans

• Nestled between 2 major oceans and bordered on
  the north and south by 2 friendly countries, the
  United States of America has already been
  subdivided into 48 convenient parcels plus a vast
  track of land near the Arctic Circle and a few
  heavenly islands in the Pacific.
• Though no longer containing huge herds of
  buffalo to hunt and crystal clear streams and
  lakes to fish in, native peoples will still enjoy
  the vast tracts of farmland and those with Visa
  cards will be able to buy food and manufactured
  items to help them forget the pristine beauty
  which was lost. You can also watch nature
  documentaries on TV.
• Call 1-800-BUY-IT-BACK today for a free
  appointment

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The Profile Poster

• A profile is a great way to display your most
  revealing information in a manner that is
  immediately understood.
• Begin by collecting vital information about your
  subject.
• Next, take the most striking information and
  place it into a poster form.
• Be sure to include categories (name, age, etc)

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The Amazon Rain Forest

• Name Rain Forest
• Height 50 feet
• Weight More than you can imagine
• Favorite Food Sunlight
• Favorite Drink Water
• Hobby Providing rich canopy of life for more
  than half of the worlds species.
• Favorite Saying Burn me up and you will gag!

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Idea Rubric

• Rating of 1 Beginning

Rating of 3 Developing
Rating of 5 Strong
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Organization
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Definition of Organization

• It is the internal structure of a piece of
  writing.
• The order should be logical and effective so that
  the reader hardly thinks about it.
• It should resemble our Power Paragraphs.
• There should be an inviting lead that hooks the
  reader.
• The body should build to an important point by
  using supporting details that fit where they are
  placed.
• The ideas should be linked together with smooth
  transitions.
• The conclusion should tie everything together.

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Writers of Organization should do the following

• Use an inviting lead that hooks the reader.
• Place supporting details so that they fit.
• Use logical and effective structure, order, and
  sequence, Power Writing.
• Use smooth transitions to help the ideas flow
  together.
• Use a conclusion that gives the reader a sense of
  resolution.
• Use a conclusion that ties everything together.
  Our restatement 1.

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Organization

• The organizational pattern makes sense. It is
  easy for the reader to follow along.
• Each paragraph talks about only one idea.
• The conclusion ties everything together with a
  final point or summary.
• The reader isnt left hanging.

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Turning the Knob

• EyesWhat did things look like?
• Eyes What were they wearing?
• Nose What did it smell like?
• Touch What was the air like?
• Taste What was in your mouth?
• Eyes Ears What were they doing?

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Boxes Inside Boxes
It was a very old rug.
torn around the edges with big splotches of white
paint
It smelled of old dog and mildew and when you
walked over it, it scrunched like cellophane
beneath your feet.
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Dont Get Crazy

• Look for clutter in beginnings of sentences and
  in stories. We all introduce too much.
• Hunt down and weed out useless flowery
  adjectives.
• Slice out unnecessary lists of details and focus
  on the telling detail.

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Write Small

• Big Idea

Small Image
Birthday parties are fun.
Licking the pink frosting off the ends of the
candles
Strobe lights flickering over laughing faces as
the beat pounds on
School dances are strange.
The Holocaust was inhuman.
A mountain of childrens shoes
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Small Writing can be funny!

• Funny Concept
• My brother doesnt clean the shower.

• Funnier Image
• I hate hair on soap.

Snobby hotels
The toilet paper is folded to make you think
nobody used it. Do they think were that dumb?
Being so bored at the supermarket, I read all of
Sister Fatimas predictions for the end of the
world and Elviss latest itinerary!
Bored waiting in line at the supermarket
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Add setting to the story

• Setting is a sense of place
• Whats going around the characters in your story?
• Where are they standing?
• Whats the weather like?
• Is your story taking place in Phoenix or Fountain
  Hills?

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endings

• The Loop Ending
• The Surprise Ending
• The Summary
• The Happy Ending
• The Mysterious Ending
• The Sad but True Ending

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The Loop Ending

• The loop ending ends at the same place it begins
  and is probably the most popular way to end a
  story. Some childrens books to illustrate this
  are If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura
  Numeroff, Grandfather Twilight by Barbara
  Berger,and Barefoot on the Underground Railroad
  by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Does your story want
  to end the same place it began?

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The Surprise Ending

• A good surprise ending is not an accident but is
  planned for by a skillful writer. You can trace
  the clues by re-reading the story and looking for
  clues which the writer planted. For example, a
  good mystery story must have a surprise ending
  but you have to have some clue about the real
  villain or the reader will feel tricked. Is your
  story one that wants to throw the reader a curve
  ball in the last inning? If so, try writing a
  surprise ending like these books Earthlets by
  Jeanne Willis, Her Majesty, Aunt Essie by Amy
  Schwarts and The Paperbag Princess, by Robert
  Munsch. The Sixth Sense is another good example.

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The Summary

• And to round off tonights newscast, here are
  the highlights once again. A summary ending
  repeats the main points of a story trying to tie
  together any loose end. This type of ending works
  well in speeches that are trying to hammer home a
  point or snowballing stories like Dr. Seusss
  Green Eggs and Ham or songs like The twelve Days
  of Christmas which snowballs along to the end.

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The Happy Ending

• Most fairy tales have happy endings. A happy
  ending such as the one in Cinderella leaves the
  reader with no feeling of sadness. Like a good
  warm blanket it covers us from the cold of life.
  Does it want to end happily, or would it be
  stronger and more real if it ended sadly?

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The Mysterious Ending

• A mysterious ending leaves a lot to the readers
  imagination. This is the kind of ending that
  leaves a big question mark in the readers mind.
  Do you want to keep the reader guessing? Try
  writing an ending like Lois Lowry does in the
  book The Giver.

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The Sad but True Ending

• When we read that Charlotte dies at the end of
  Charlottes Web we are sad. But it has to end
  that way. Try saving Charlotte and the story
  loses its power. It becomes a lie. I call this
  the sad but true ending. Does your story need
  to end sadly? Does your happy ending have a false
  ring? If so, you may want to write a sad but
  true ending. Other books include A Bridge to
  Teribithia by Katherine Paterson, Where the Red
  Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and A Taste of
  Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith.

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Organization Rubric

• Rating of 1 Beginning

Rating of 3 Developing
Rating of 5 Strong
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Voice
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The only thing that really bugs me is when a
student doesnt put his or her personality into
an essay.
College admissions officer commenting on reading
college entry essays.
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Definition of Voice

• VOICE shows the writers personality.
• It contains feelings and emotions so that it does
  not sound like an encyclopedia article.
• The writer should be writing from the heart.
• The language should bring the topic to life for
  the reader.
• The voice should be appropriate for the topic,
  purpose, and audience of the paper.

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Writer of Voice should do the following

• Write honestly and from the heart
• Share his/her feelings about the topic
• Speak directly to the reader (without using YOU)
• Write to be read
• Use more expression
• Give the reader a sense of the person behind the
  words
• Connect with the reader

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Voice

• Your composition sounds different from everyone
  elses. Its unique.
• The composition sounds like the writer.
• The paper shows how the writer feels and thinks
  about the topic.
• The composition has personality.
• The composition is convincing, not fake.
• The composition is fun to read.
• The paper is lively, or exciting in some way.

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Thought Shots

• Thoughts of how you feel
• Thoughts of what you are thinking
• Thoughts about what you are dreaming
• Thoughts about what you are imagining
• Reflections
• Tell.Dont Show

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Lune
A lune is a wonderful short form of poetry that
can be a great way to play with research and
other facts.
The first line is 3 words. The second line is 5
words.The third line is 3 words. You dont count
syllables. A strong lune does something
surprising in the last line.
President Bill Clinton Sitting in a tree
pondering Get the saw!
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Voice Rubric

• Rating of 1 Weak

Rating of 3 Developing
Rating of 5 Strong
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Word Choice
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Definition of Word Choice

• With good WORD CHOICE, the writer creates a
  mental picture for the reader by using words that
  are specific and accurate.
• The writer uses strong action verbs whenever
  possible to show the reader what is happening
  rather than tell the reader.
• The adjectives are descriptive as possible.
• The nouns are specific, not general.
• Slang and clichés are used sparingly, if at all.
• Striking words and phrases catch the readers
  eye, but the language is natural and not
  overdone. Strong word choice is characterized not
  so much by an exceptional vocabulary that
  impresses the reader, but more by the skill to
  use everyday words well.

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Writers of Word Choice should do the following

• Use words that create a mental picture for the
  reader
• Use powerful action verbs
• Use adjectives that are descriptive as possible
• Use specific, not general nouns
• Use language that is natural, not overdone
• Avoid repetition

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Word Choice

• The words paint a picture in the readers mind.
• Add drama to your writing by using strong action
  verbs.
• The writer uses specific nouns to identify
  people, places, and objects.
• The writer uses descriptive adjectives to help
  create a mental picture for the reader.
• The writer uses similes or metaphors to explain
  anything unusual to the reader.

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Verbs and Nouns

• Strong writing is built on nouns and verbs, not
  adjectives and adverbs.
• Dont write
• I really, really hate school lunches because
  they are just too disgusting and gross.
• Do write
• I dont eat stale cornbread, ravioli stuffed
  with gray mystery meat, powdered mashed potatoes,
  doughy pizza, beet cubes, army beans that look
  like theyve been through one too many battles
  and yellowing vanilla pudding with gobs of cool
  whip, which coat the roof of your mouth like
  latex paint.

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Sketch People

• He thought he was the handsomest guy in the
  Western Hemisphere. He was pretty handsome
  tooIll admit it. But he was mostly the kind of
  handsome guy that if your parents saw his picture
  in your Year Book, theyd right away say, Who is
  this boy? I mean he was mostly a Year Book kind
  of handsome guy.

Catcher in the Rye
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Sketch People

• The man was an Indiandressed in furs and
  leather, with moccasins that came all the way up
  to his knees. His skin was dark. His hair was
  dark, and he wore a dark colored headband. His
  eyes sparkled in the sunlight, but the rest of
  his face was hard as stone.

Stone Fox
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Thumbnail Sketch

• Aunt Sponge was enormously fat and very short.
  She had small piggy eyes, a sunken mouth, and one
  of those white flabby faces that looked exactly
  as though it had been boiled. She was like a
  great white soggy over boiled cabbage. Aunt
  Spiker, on the other hand, was lean and tall and
  bony, and she wore steel-rimmed spectacles that
  fixed onto the end of her nose with a clip.

James and the Giant Peach
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Sketch Places

• I didnt see hardly anyone on the street. Now
  and then you just saw a man and a girl crossing
  the street, with their arms around each others
  waist and all, or a bunch of hoodlumy-looking
  guys and their dates, all of them laughing like
  hyenas at something you could bet wasnt funny.
  New Yorks terrible when somebody laughs on the
  street late at night. You can hear it for miles

Catcher in the Rye
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Simile Making

• Similes grow out of trying to describe something
  thats just too hard to describe on its own.
• The sun was pasted like a wafer in the sky.
• He was as nervous as a hemophiliac in a razor
  factory.
• Measuring the richness of learning with a
  standardized test is like judging chili by
  counting the beans.
• When my baby sister cries its like the world is
  on fire and all I have to put it out is gasoline.

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Word Choice Rubric
Rating of 1 Beginning
Rating of 3 Developing
Rating of 5 Strong
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Sentence Fluency
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Definition of Sentence Fluency

• Sentence Fluency is the Readability of the
  paper.
• Sentences should have different beginnings,
  lengths, and structure.
• The paper should be written in complete
  sentences, not fragments.
• Fluent writing has cadence, power, rhythm, and
  movement.
• It is free of awkward word patterns that slow the
  readers progress.
• Each sentence is a complete thought that makes
  sense.

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Writers of Sentence Fluency should do the
following

• Give the writing an easy flow and rhythm
• Invite expressive oral reading to the text
• Use writing that sounds natural
• Dont be redundant in your sentence beginnings
• Use compound sentences along with simple
  sentences

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Sentence Fluency

• Sentence Fluency is 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.
• How does it sound when read? That is the test.
  Can the student read it fluently? If so, then it
  has an excellent chance for good fluency.

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Sentence Fluency Rubric

• Rating of 1

Rating of 3
Rating of 5
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Conventions
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Definition of Conventions

• Correct Spelling
• Correct Punctuation
• Correct capitalization
• Correct grammar
• Correct paragraphing

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Writers of Convention should do the following

• Use grammar that contributes to clarity and style
• Guide the reader through the paper with correct
  punctuation
• Enhance the readability of the paper with
  conventions
• Reinforce the organization with good paragraphing

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Conventions

• Writing that is strong in conventions has been
  proofread and edited with care.
• The paper isnt one or two huge paragraphs. Each
  new idea has its own paragraph, which is
  indented.
• Ask yourself, How much work would a copy editor
  need to do to prepare the piece for publication?
  This will keep all of the elements in
  conventions equally in play.
• Convention is the only trait where we make
  specific grade level accommodations.

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Rubric for Conventions

• Rating of 1 Beginning

Rating of 3 Developing
Rating of 5 Strong
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Good Critics

• Listen

• Start Positively

• Praise Specifically

• Ask Curious ???

• Ask Helpful ???

• Make you want to write!

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Things I Dont have to do today

• I dont need to read every draft a student
  writes.
• I dont need to correct every grammatical error
  my students make.
• I dont need to pick topics for my students to
  write about.
• I DONT NEED TO BE THE EXPERT WHO FIXES MY
  STUDENTS WORK!!!

DONT DO IT!
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Things to do today

• I will build a class of good critics, give them
  guidelines and Model, Model, Model!
• I will give students the editing pen and
  proofreading symbols.
• I will find tools to have THEM keep track of
  their work.
• If I have 30 students, I will have 30 teachers
  aides. I will train students to assess and
  reflect on their own work daily and take charge
  of their learning!

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Writers Tool Box

• Tool 1 Questions
• Tool 2 Snapshots
• Tool 3 Thoughtshots
• Tool 4 Exploding the Moment
• Tool 5 Making a Scene

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Questions

• Rule NO YES NO QUESTIONS!
• First step a student must read their essay to
  their partner.
• Next step their partner will verbally ask one
  question (not a yes or no question) about the
  essay . The reason he/she asks this is that
  something isnt clear to him/her or they want to
  know more about something.
• Next step the writer places a (?) in the place
  where he/she must revise.
• The partner then takes essay and reads it. Then
  writes a (?) on the paper where they want to know
  more about something or if things are not clear.

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Snapshots

• Tool is a picture of a box camera
• Focus on close physical details
• SHOW US DONT TELL US!
• Freezing the action with words
• After reading the essay, your partner will draw a
  box camera where he/she feels that they have a
  problem visualizing a part of the writing.
  Meaning the writer will revise to make the
  visualization clearer.

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Thoughtshots

• Internal Reflection Id like to know what the
  character is thinking. Let me inside.
• Move inside the characters and show what their
  characters are feeling
• Tool is thought bubble..
• Partner draws a thought bubble where they want to
  know what the character is thinking.

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Three basic things that authors do to portray the
internal reflections of their characters are

• Characters have flashbacks, triggering their
  memories of related events or causes

• Characters have what we call flashforwards,
  predicting the outcomes of their actions and
  anticipating what people will say and think.

• Characters have what we call brain arguments,
  debating with themselves about what is going on
  and what they should do about it.

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Exploding the Moment

• Tool is a stick of dynamite

• Exploding the moment helps students to tell
  important parts in slow motion
• Allows writers to stretch the exciting seconds of
  their stories into what seems like hours,
  creating suspense!

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Making the Scene

• The tool is a directors action board.
• The Making the Scene tool helps students
  evaluate their drafts for the four main
  ingredients of narrative writing
• Action
• Dialogue
• Snapshots
• Thoughtshots

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Partners and students distinguish these four main
ingredients with highlighting pens. This allows
them to see where and how often they are are used.

• Blue is for action

Yellow is for dialogue
Red is for snapshots (here being used to include
physical descriptions)
Purple for thoughtshots or internal descriptions
With the evidence in front of them, students had
reasons to revise and saw possibilities of doing
so.
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A teacher with high expectations requires quality
work products and encourages presentations to
real audiences.
When you leave here I hope that you leave with
this concept.
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The End