The%20Six%20Traits%20of%20Quality%20Writing

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Six Traits of Writing Presented by Leslie Terry
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Why Should I care?

• Because 6 - Trait writing provides
• Common language
• Consistency in assessment
• The how to students need to
• revise

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To Teach the Traits

• Teach the concept first
• Surround students with writers language
• Share strong and weak examples from written
• works
• Write - and link writing activities to the traits
• Practice revision and editing on the text of
• OTHERS

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Six Traits of Writing

• Ideas Content
• Organization
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Conventions

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Ideas and Content

• This trait is the HEART of the message
• the central idea and support.
• CLARITY - makes sense.
• FOCUS - narrow and manageable size
• QUALITY DETAILS - noticing little things that
  others might not notice.
• How does it look at intermediate grades?
• Writing has a clear, direct message that is
  focused.

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Ideas and ContentLinks to Instruction

1. Prewriting
2. Keeping Journals
3. Moving from broad topic to focused and narrow
   ideas
4. Learning to observe carefully
5. Borrowing ideas from other writers
6. Knowing the purpose for writing

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Activities to Help Students Select Ideas Adapted
from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• Free Writing - Ask students to write whats on
  their minds or what theyre feeling right now or
  what theyve been thinking about lately.
• Flashback- Look through journal entries or family
  photos, personal mementos that stimulate
  memories.
• Favorite places- think about a place they love to
  go and make a class list of favorite places.
• I Remember Poem -Create this poem as a list of
  possible personal narrative stories.
• Call It Out- Pick a category from an appropriate
  content area. Call out questions encourage
  students to chime in with different answers. Go
  from general questions to narrow ones, developing
  narrow topics. Record topics on chart and let
  students do a quick write on one of them.
• String-Along- Bring some string or any item to
  class. Divide students into groups and ask them
  to generate as many ideas as they can about the
  possible use of the item. Create a class list,
  dividing ideas into categories. Write a short
  focused paper about the uses of item being
  discussed.

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• It Happened to Me- Tell a story that that has
  happened to you to your students, embellishing
  for dramatic effect. When finished, let them
  ask you questions. Ask if it would make an
  interesting idea for a story. Next, create a
  poor chronological outline of what happened- a
  hodgepodge of major minor details. Then have
  students give you advise for making it less bland
  by deciding which details to keep, delete, and
  elaborate. Finally, read the entire story to
  them.
• Ask Me a Question- Divide students into groups of
  3. Each student tells a story of a memorable
  event that has happened to him or her. The
  listeners cant interrupt. Instead they write 3
  questions so that the storyteller becomes aware
  of details he may have left out which can be
  included in the final story. This can also be
  used to prepare for persuasive text. Have each
  student tell their opinion about a controversial
  topic to the listeners. Then the listeners write
  3 questions for the opinion.
• Leave It Out- Read a familiar story leaving out
  important or juicy details. Ask students what
  it missing. Read the original story. Discuss
  the importance that elaborating and filling in
  blanks for the reader is an important step in
  making ideas clear.
• Show, Not Tell- Make a list of telling sentences.
  In small groups, have students brainstorm as
  many details as they can about the general idea
  theyve selected. Ask students to rewrite the
  general statement (telling) into one that is more
  focused, interesting, detailed (showing).

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Adding Details / Show, Not Tell

• Example 1
• Silkworms are interesting bugs. They
  make silk. They hatch from eggs and then they eat
  a lot. Later they go into a cocoon. When they
  come out, they turn into moths. Next, the female
  lays eggs and it starts all over again.
• The Japanese have been using their silk for
  4000 years! They take the silk from the cocoon.
  Then they make silk for you and me. Theyre
  pretty cool bugs, arent they?

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Adding Details / Show, Not Tell
Example 2 Did you know that the beautiful,
fine silk that feels tingly against your skin is
actually produced by two glands on a silkworms
head? Thats right, you may have worn something
from a bug! Hey, but dont worry, this is a
cool bug. these interesting caterpillars start
from a small, in fact tiny, gray egg. It takes
fourteen days for the eggs to hatch. The eggs
will hatch within an hour of each other.
Instantly, they start eating mulberry leaves.
Mulberry leaves are the silkworms main diet.
Silkworms eat constantly! In three weeks, the
silkworm
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will weigh five grams. when they reach this
point, they are ready to spin cocoons and they
weigh 12,000 times more than when they were born.
It takes 24 days to reach this point. When
they get sluggish, stop eating, and look waxy,
that means they are getting ready to start
spinning their cocoons. To start, they spin a
line to anchor the cocoon to a tree branch. It
takes three days to spin a complete cocoon.
During this time, silkworms have to rotate once
every three seconds. In three days the silkworm
will rotate 75,000 times. Even though most
of the silkworms are not allowed to hatch, some
are. When they are ready and formed, an enzyme
is produced to soften the cocoon. when they come
out, theyve turned into moths. Next, the
females produce pheromones to attract males.
Soon after the female lays small gray eggs, the
process starts over again.

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The Japanese have been rearing silkworms for
4,000 years. The inner layer of silk within the
cocoon is what is used. This stand of silk is a
mile long and transparent. There is
no substitute for this silk. One farm usually
has 2,000 cocoons. Raw silk is purchased from the
farm in the form of thread. As you can see,
the silkworm is a special bug, and is
very important to the clothing industry. Grade
8, expository based on research. From the
collection of the Oregon Department of Education,
1999.
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OrganizationThis trait is the internal structure

• Inviting Opening
• Sequencing - logical and effective
• Linking words/phrases
• Pacing
• Effective Ending
• How does it look at intermediate?
• Create organizational structures that balance all
  aspects of the composition
• Use effective transitions
• Support all statements and claims with anecdotes,
  descriptions, facts, statistics, and specific
  examples.

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OrganizationLinks to instruction

• Strong leads that exhibit students awareness of
  the audience and purpose
• Essays that are clear, coherent, and focused
• Writing that contains formal introductions,
  supporting evidence, and conclusions.

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Activities to Help Students With Organization
Adapted from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• Share Student Leads- Ask students to share leads
  from their work and have classmates offer ideas
  of different ways to begin their work.
• Share Examples from Literature- Read excerpts
  from a variety of sources to show how
  professional writers choose to begin their work
• Teach Organizational Options
• Organize by space- Begin with big
  impression, then
• move to smaller details
• Organize by Time- Organize
  chronologically.
• Organize by Content- Categorize
  information into categories and write paragraphs
  developing them.

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• Teach Transitions- Connecting words and phrases
  help readers see how one idea ties to another.
  Read a passage omitting the transitions. Then
  read it again with the transitions so students
  can see how transitions add clarity to a piece.
• Mix It Up- Reorder a poem, story, recipe, etc.
  and ask students to reassemble it in the correct
  order. Cut the text into pieces so students can
  play with it like a puzzle. Ask them to look for
  transition words, lead sentence, then the
  conclusion.
• Putting it in Order- Read aloud a familiar story.
  Have one student stand up and retell the
  beginning and another child to tell the ending.
  Next, have different children tell the middle of
  the story while arranging themselves logically
  between the beginning and the end.
• Step by Step-Have student write directions for an
  activity such as making a sandwich. Next, have
  classmates follow the written directions in
  order to illustrate the importance of order.
• Pacing- On an overhead, create an outline of a
  story that treats all details with the same
  importance. Ask students to help you revise the
  piece for organization, noticing that some
  details are very important and need elaboration,
  while others arent important or can be combined
  with other small details.
• Brainstorm the Possibilities- Make a list of
  techniques authors use to conclude their work.
  Hang the list in the room (profound thought, a
  surprise, a quote, a tie-up, a question or open
  ended statement, a summary, a laugh)

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Choose Strong LeadsIn any kind of writing,
leads are critical. Read each lead and have
students explain why one is better than the
other. Read aloud different leads from childrens
literature and let them tell you why the lead was
strong or not.

• 1a. This will be a story about picnics on our
  apartment
• roof. Ready? Here goes.
• 1b. I will always remember when the stars fell
  down around me and lifted me above the George
  Washington Bridge.
• 2a. The night Max wore his wolf suit and made
  mischief of one kind and another, his mother
  called him, WILD THING! and Max said, ILL EAT
  YOU UP! so he was sent to bed without eating
  anything.
• 2b. In this story, I will tell you about Max, a
  boy who acts wild sometimes.

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Staying On Topic / Maintaining Focus

• Once upon a time, there was a beautiful
  princess who lived in a huge castle. She loved
  her home with the tranquil lagoon and lovely
  flower garden.
• On her 18th birthday, her father told her that
  he was venturing off to a new land to look for a
  prince for her to marry. Weddings are fun. I
  was a bridesmaid at my sisters wedding.
• The princess begged to go with her father to
  find her prince, but her father refused. She was
  so angry! Why couldnt she get married to
  someone that she loved?
• That night she ran away from home in search of
  her prince

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Voice

• This is the personal quality of the piece - the
  sense of the writer behind the words.
• Flavor or tone appropriate to the purpose of
  the audience.
• Commitment to topic.
• Involvement, enthusiasm, integrity.
• How does it look at intermediate?
• Individuality Sparkle
• Exuberance Humor
• Love of writing Playfulness
• Appropriate for type of writing

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VoiceLinks to instruction

• Helps writers feel safe/accepted
• Point out voice in books
• Reward risk --even over success
• Provide opportunities to hear voice of
• others
• Writing TO someone

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Activities to Help Students With Voice Adapted
from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• Voice in Art- Gather 4 - 5 art prints that depict
  the same subject. Choose artists whose styles
  differ significantly. Ask students to compare
  prints and make lists of the ways they are alike
  and how they are different. Help students see
  that each artist develops his or her voice
  through their work, and over time, it becomes
  recognizable to others.
• Make a Book of Books- Keep a class book of
  favorite passages to show how good writing
  affects us.
• Greeting Cards With Voice- Gather samples of
  birthday cards and categorize them romantic,
  sarcastic, sincere, cute, sentimental, and so
  forth.
• Compare and Contrast- Find two or three books on
  the same topic, but by authors with different
  styles. (The Three Little Pigs and The True
  Story of the Three Little Pigs) Discuss the
  different ways the author of each piece writes
  using a different voice.
• The Old Switcheroo- Ask students to think of a
  favorite story that they could tell to a partner.
  Next, ask them to change their story by telling
  it from a the point of view of one of the other
  characters. Ask them how the voice changed.

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• Voice in, Voice Out- Find a sample of writing
  where no voice is used manuals, textbooks are
  often a good source. Have students rewrite the
  piece, trying to put in as much voice as
  possible. Try this activity in reverse, too.
  Taking voice out is a good activity for building
  awareness of this trait, since to remove it, they
  must understand it!
• New Voices, New Choices- Have students write the
  first sentence of a letter to 5 different
  audiences. For instance, if you are studying
  ways to keep our environment clean, have them
  write to the local newspaper, their grandmother,
  an anti-environmentalist, a friend, or the
  president of a local consumer-rights group.
  Discuss how the voice in the writing will change
  depending on the intended audience. Describe
  appropriate voices for each of the audiences.

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Word Choice

• Correct, accurate use of language.
• Vivid, precise, memorable, noteworthy
• Effective - original use of everyday
• words rate high scores.
• How does it look at intermediate? Correct word
  use without overuse of thesaurus
• Originality
• Experiment with use of idioms, analogies,
• metaphors, and similes.
• Images, pictures, and ideas that evoke
  particular
• words or phrases.
• Verbs, unusual or well-used adjectives and
  adverbs.
• Misuse of language or over-reliance on the
  Thesaurus tends to hurt scores!

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Word ChoiceLinks to instruction

• Verbs, verbs, verbs!!
• Building vocabulary through reading
• Brainstorming - How else could you say it?
• Put tired words to rest
• Eliminate redundancy
• List words you love

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Activities to Help Students With Word Choice
Adapted from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• Painting With Words- Create a bare-bones
  description of a person, place, or object. Next,
  focus on what you are describing. At the
  overhead, think aloud all your associations with
  the topic. Then show students the description
  after you have painted a picture for the reader
  by focusing on interesting details.
• The More Detail, the Better- Have students study
  the same inanimate or live object to see who can
  observe the most details and the most unusual
  details. Allow them one minute to observe and
  take object away. Then give them one minute to
  write down everything they can remember about the
  objects.
• Describe It, Then Build It- Create 2 identical
  collects of building materials (blocks, sticks,
  cardboard, paper, pipe cleaners corks, buttons,
  and so forth). Have one student build something
  from the collection while a 2nd student is not
  looking. A 3rd student observes the
  construction, then describes it in detail to the
  2nd builder who must work only from the
  description. As a class, discuss the role of
  specific and accurate details.
• Active and Passive Verbs- Create lists of
  alternative verbs that show rather than tell,
  (said, run, walked, laughed, cried, etc.)
• Word Jar- Collect precise, descriptive words and
  revisit them often.

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• Find That Word- Read a story or poem with
  excellent words and have students jot down any
  words, phrases, or images that stick in their
  minds. Then have students talk about why they
  chose particular words and why they worked so
  well in creating mind pictures.
• Expanding Small Phrases to Bigger Ones- Give
  pairs of students simple sentences and ask them
  to enhance meaning by punching up the verbs and
  throwing in a few colorful adjectives and precise
  nouns.
• Rice Cakes or Salsa? As students discover some
  bland words in their writing, teach them to ask,
  Is this a rice cake word or a salsa word?
  Every paper should have salsa words!
• Act it Out- Make lists of verbs - some active,
  some passive. Ask students to act out the verbs,
  noticing that passive verbs are more difficult or
  impossible to demonstrate. (eat vs. nibble,
  gobble, munch, scarf, pick at, etc.)

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Eliminating Excessive Adjectives/Selecting Exact
Word Choice

• Magic Mountain is a very cool place to go.
  Viper
• is awesome! I liked it a lot. It was fun.
  Batman is cool,
• but I liked some other rides better.
• Some of them made me very, very, very dizzy. I
• felt like I was going to get sick so I took my
  little sister to
• the kids section for a while. It made me feel
  better.
• I liked the rids as Magic Mountain because they
• all went really, really, fast. We had to wait a
  really long,
• long time and my mom almost made up give up and
• leave some of the long lines. I am so very happy
  that I
• got to go to the very best amusement park in the
  world.

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Writing With Details/ Creating Mind
PicturesVote Story 1 versus Story 2

• Story 1
• Billy came toward me. He was mean. He was
  riding his bike toward me.
• His bike stopped. He looked really, really
  mad! He walked close to me.
• I was scared that he might hurt me.
• Who are you? he asked.
• Im Jose, I said.

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Mind Picture Story 2

• Traveling at lightening speed, Billy drove his
  bike wildly down the steep hill. I began to
  tremble. After moving in only the day before, I
  had already learned that Billy was the town
  bully. Even the grown-up were terrified of him!
  He was headed straight for ME!
• His tires screeched as he slammed down his
  sneakers to stop. I think I even saw smoke
  rising from the asphalt street. His beady eyes
  squinted, his nostrils flared, his mouth was
  drawn tight as he glared at me. Wild red hair
  stood straight up from his freckled face. My
  life flashed before me.
• I gasped. I could almost picture his dirt
  filled nails going right into my neck as he
  strangled me slowly. Would it hurt?, I
  wondered.
• Who are you, Geek?, he growled through a
  space between his two front teeth.
• Uh - uh, Im Bobby and I just moved in
  yesterday, I whispered under my breath. I
  prayed it was not my last breath.

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Sentence Fluency

• This trait focuses on the rhythm and cadence of
  the piece. How does it sound to the ear?
• Listen for smoothness flow
• Variety of sentence beginning
• Differences in sentence lengths
• Variations in general patterning
• How does this look at intermediate?
• Are they beginning to
• Use rhythmic language
• Vary sentence beginnings, lengths, and structures
• Begin sentences in ways that hook them to the
• preceding sentences (transitions)

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Sentence FluencyLinks to instruction

• Pointing out fluency when reading good
  literature
• Writing and listening to poetry
• Combining/detangling sentences
• Wordiness and parallel construction
• Sentence fragments variety

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Activities to Help Students With Sentence Fluency
Adapted from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• Twisted Twister- Have students participate in a
  tongue twister contest to build up their oral
  fluency. This helps them focus on the way
  language sounds. Purchase A Twister of Twists,
  a Tangler of Tongues- Alvin Schwartz or find some
  on the Internet. Invite students to create their
  own.
• Reading Aloud to Yourself-Have students read
  aloud to practice fluency and to experience
  writing that is easy to read aloud.
• Ive Got Rhythm- Read aloud poetry that has
  natural language, not poetry that works so hard
  at rhyming that the natural flow is lost.
• Music to Our Ears- Listen to classical music like
  Peter and the Wolf and Circus of the Animals to
  develop fluency. Let them listen as they close
  their eyes. Then have them listen a 2nd time,
  inviting them to pick a section and write a
  description of what they think is happening.

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• Slinky City- Divide students into groups of 5 and
  give each group a slinky. As you read a piece
  aloud that has little variety, have students
  stretch their Slinky to match the length of each
  sentence. After reading quite a few sentences,
  ask them to stop and discuss what they noticed.
  Were all sentences the same length or were some
  short and snappy while other were long and
  languid? Next, read a piece that does have
  variety in sentence length and structure. Decide
  which piece was more fluent, held their
  attention, and had variety in length and
  structure. Create a class chart that establishes
  criteria for what good sentences should look
  like.
• Choral Reading- Nothing helps students see the
  difference a pause or inflection can make more
  than trying to read a passage or poem aloud with
  other people simultaneously. They need to plan
  where to breathe, stop start, and raise lower
  voices.
• End With a Noun- Sentences are more powerful when
  ended with a noun

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• A rolling stone gathers no moss. (noun) If a
  stone rolls, hardly any moss with be gathered.
  (verb) If you dont want moss to gather on a
  stone, roll it. (pronoun) When trying to rid a
  stone of moss, roll it quickly. (adverb) If you
  roll the stone, the moss
• will become smooth. (adjective)
• Flipping sentences- Write several sentences on
  sentence strips, cutting apart each word. Divide
  students into groups of 3 and have them assemble
  the sentence. Once completed, ask them to
  rearrange the sentence using the same words. On
  the reverse of some words, there will be capital
  letters or punctuation marks so that the 2nd
  sentence will be correct.
• Sentence Fragments Bee- Ask one student at a
  time, Is this a sentence or a fragment? as you
  give them an example written on an overhead. To
  remain standing, the student must give the
  correct answer. The last student standing is the
  winner.
• Which Is Better? Share 2 versions of a piece of
  writing. They will have the same content, but
  very different sounds. Example
• We went to the beach. It was sunny. It was
  warm. We had fun. We flew kites. We ate hot
  dogs.
• We spent a warm, sunny day at the beach
  eating snacks and flying kites.
• Next, let students practice sentence
  combining.

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Omitting Too Many ands or thens

• I have a little sister and her name is Ashley.
  She is so cute. And she knows it! She is only
  two years old and she smiles all the time.
• And sometimes she gets mad at me. I dont like
  it when she plays with my dolls and stuffed
  animals and games and books. I tell her to stop
  and she always screams and then I get in trouble.
  And my mom always thinks I am the one who
  started it and then Ashley just smiles.
• One day, maybe my mom will think it is Ashleys
  fault and then I will smile and smile and smile
  and then I will think she is cute again.

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Getting Kids to Vary SentencesWrite one of each
of the following sentence on sentence strips. On
the reverse side of the two words that can start
each sentence, write a capital letter. Cut up
each sentence and have the students construct the
sentences in two ways. This will strengthen
sentence fluency.

• The boy rushed to school as he ate his
  breakfast.
• As he ate his breakfast, the boy rushed to
  school.
• The team went out for pizza after winning the
  game.
• After winning the game, the team went out for
  pizza.
• The shy boy raised his hand, even though he was
  scared.
• Even though he was scared, the shy boy raised
  his hand.
• The young child refused to admit she was sleepy
  although it was midnight.
• Although it was midnight, the young child
  refused to admit she was sleepy.
• The boy wondered what the scratching noise at
  his window was long into the night.
• Long into the night, the boy wondered what the
  scratching noise at his window was.
• He realized how cold the water was after
  jumping into the pool.
• After jumping into the pool, he realized how
  cold the water was.

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Practice Sentence Building

• The girl walked.
• The boy ran.
• The dog barked.
• The tree grew.
• The father picked up the child.
• The car groaned.
• The teacher taught.
• The bird flew.
• The children worked.

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Conventions

• This trait reflects the general
• correctness of the piece. Has it been
• edited/proofread?
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Grammar Usage
• Paragraphing
• Capital Letters
• How does this look like at intermediate?
• Proper use of infinitives, participles, clear
  pronouns and antecedents
• Correct use of hyphens, dashes, brackets, and
  semicolons
• Applying the spelling of bases and affixes to
  derivatives

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ConventionsLinks to instruction

• Difference between editing and revising
• Learning and using symbols
• Model using clear examples in simplified contexts
• Provide extensive opportunities to receive
  instruction and feedback.

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Activities to Help Students With Conventions
Adapted from 61 Traits of Writing, Ruth Culham

• The Conventions of Conventions- Examine the word
  conventions itself. Discuss, What are the
  conventions of
• - a holiday dinner?
• - a baseball game?
• - the school lunchroom?
• - a typical day at school?
• Ask what conventions help traffic flow. What
  would happen if we didnt have traffic
  conventions? Relate their responses to writing
  and what happens when we dont have conventions
  or use them correctly.
• Conventions Game- Go over basic conventions that
  you know your students can handle on their own.
  Now, tell them you want them to follow some new
  directions such as putting commas where
  semicolons should be, spelling every 3rd word
  incorrectly, capitalizing only words that
  shouldnt be etc. Then give students the
  opportunity to read their pieces aloud and ask
  them if it was difficult to read. Make a list of
  reasons for having rules.

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• Take it Out- Rewrite a short story or passage by
  omitting all punctuation, capitalization, and
  indentation, if appropriate. Group students
  together and ask them to put all conventions back
  in. Have them share and compare their edited
  versions with the original and note any
  differences.
• Be Accountable- At the beginning of the year, ask
  students to decide for which types of errors they
  should be held accountable. Be realistic and
  dont let them overdo their list! Throughout the
  year, add conventions to the list when new skills
  have been mastered.
• Reading Backwards- To check for spelling errors,
  have students read their pieces backwards. That
  way, they focus on each word and dont get caught
  up in the meaning of the words.

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• Silent Interview- Ask a student to come to the
  board. Each of you should have a different color
  marker or chalk. Start by writing a question.
  Have the student answer the question on the next
  line. Continue in this fashion until you have
  several sentences. Next, discuss what would be
  needed if this dialogue was written in a story
  where they couldnt see the speakers.
• Dialogue Posters- Have students examine dialogue
  from writing pieces and have them create a list
  of Rules for Writing Dialogue.

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Name that trait.

• Who is your audience? What do they need to know?
• What is the MAIN thing you want to tell our
  readers?
• Do you have enough information on your topic?
• What is the purpose of this paper? Do you think
  the
• that purpose would be clear to a reader?
• Do you have a favorite part? Why is it your
  favorite?
• Are there any unneeded details you could cut?
• Lets read just your lead. Will it grab the
  readers
• attention?
• 8. Did you tell things in a logical order?
• 9. Lets just read your conclusion. Does it
  leave your
• reader thinking? Hungry for more?

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• Describe the voice of this piece in just one
  word. Is
• Is it the right voice for this kind of
  writing?
• 11. did you use strong verbs? Words like squash,
  linger,
• lunge, rush, fume, gallop, provoke, zoom,
  pummel?
• 12. Do you know the meanings of the words you
  used?
• 13. Did you stretch a little to try a new word?
• 14. Do your sentences begin in different ways to
  add
• interest?
• 15. Are some sentences long and some short so the
  paper
• does not get monotonous?
• Is it easy to read your paper aloud?
• 17. Circle all the words you think might not be
  spelled right.
• Look at each place you began a new paragraph.
  Do
• you think theyre in the right spots?
• Did you leave out any punctuation marks?
• 20. Write down what you think is the strongest
  trait in this
• paper.

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Keys to Success in Modes

• Narrative
• Write a story - Dont make a list
• Remember that a good story makes a point
• Create some tension - a problem to solve, a
• whats-going-to-happen-next kind of feeling
• Do NOT write a bed-to-bed story of everything
• that happened to you that day only tell what
• matters

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Informational

• Be clear
• Teach your reader something new - do not fill
• your paper with things everyone knows
• Imagine you are writing to someone who is
• bored - make it lively
• Explain one, two, or three key points dont try
• to tell everything
• Write as if you find your topic very interesting

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Persuasive

• Outline the issue(s) or problem clearly for
  readers so
• they get it
• Choose ONE position and stick with it - do NOT
• change sides halfway through your paper
• Give reasons for believing what you do - think
  of
• the consequences if people do not agree with
  you!
• Your personal opinion is not a reason - you need
  
• facts, examples, or experience to support your
• argument
• Consider the other side - show how or why their
• argument is not as strong as yours

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Descriptive

• Paint a picture for the reader
• Put the reader right at the scene
• Appeal to ALL senses - sight, sound,
• smells, feelings, taste

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10 Things you can do now

• Emphasize process over product.
• Encourage multiple forms of writing.
• Encourage personal revision/editing.
• Encourage teaming among students.
• Provide multiple opportunities for students
• to be assessors.
• Provide resources - let students help!
• Use the print all around us.
• Involve parents as coaches.
• Encourage students to create their own
• checklists, posters, etc.
• 10. Talk trait language in all content areas.

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Youre Probably Teaching the 6 Traits Now!

• Do you.
• Brainstorm? Do research? Make lists? Do
  interviews?
• Ask readers questions? Use sensory
  details? Pick
• out favorite details? Work on making the
  main
• message crystal clear?
• Youre teaching ideas!
• Organize information? Group things together that
  go
• together? Look for patterns? Write more than
  one lead?
• More than one conclusion? Work on transition
  words like
• next, therefore, after a while? Think how
  order helps make
• information interesting?
• Youre teaching organization!

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• Identify the audience? Think about what the
  audience
• already knows? Wants to know? Adjust the
  voice/tone
• for the audience? Help students find their
  individual voice?
• Leave their personal mark on a piece of
  writing? Make sure voice/tone matches purpose?
  (e.g., business letter vs.
• narrative)?
• Youre teaching voice!
• Stretch your students knowledge of word
  meanings?
• Explore how words are used in the literature you
  read?
• Keep lists of favorite and least favorite
  words? Brainstorm alternatives for tired
  words? Encourage students to define specialized
  terminology (e.g., for math or science)?

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• personal notebooks of favorite words?
  Encourage
• students to teach YOU new words?
• Youre teaching word choice!
• Read aloud to students? Read often - and from a
  variety of
• written sources (tech writing, poetry, business
  writing, novels, etc.)? Encourage students to
  read their own work aloud? Check sentence
  beginnings for variety? Show students how to
  vary sentence length by sentence combining and
  detangling? Work on tips for good sentences
  (e.g., avoiding There is or There are
  beginnings avoiding run-ons)? Keep
  informational/technical pieces short, crisp, and
  to the point?
• Youre teaching sentence fluency!

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• Ask students to proofread their work? Use
  dictionaries,
• spell checkers or other resources? Teach
  students to use
• copy editors symbols? Provide
  opportunities for students
• to practice editing on text that is not their
  own? Model
• editing using your own writing? Ask students
  to be editors for
• YOU? Post copy editors symbols on the wall
  for quick
• reference? Practice editing daily - if only
  for a few minutes?
• Post the 100 most frequently used words for
  easy spelling
• reference? Model use of dictionaries,
  handbooks, and other
• resources?
• Youre teaching conventions!

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The End!