Title: 6-Trait Writing Instruction and Assessment
16-Trait Writing Instruction and Assessment
2How Did You Learn to Write?
- I always did well on essay tests. Just put
everything you know on there, maybe youll hit
it. And then you get the paper back from the
teacher and shes written just one word across
the top of the page, vague. I thought vague
was kind of vague. Id write underneath it
unclear, and send it back. Shed return it to
me, ambiguous. Id send it back to her,
cloudy. Were still corresponding to this day
. . . hazy . . . muddy . . . - Jerry Seinfeld, SeinLanguage
3-
- Nothing frustrates a young writer or an older
writer more than looking at a finished piece
and knowing it isnt very good, but not knowing
what to do about it. - Tommy Thomason
4Questions to Consider
- How do we teach studentsand how do students
learnto write well? - What do we look for when grading students
writing, and how do we explain those grades to
students? - How do we teach students to revise their own
writing? How do we show them specific ways to
improve?
5What do we value in writing?
- Read Redwoods
- What do you notice about this students writing?
- Identify its major strengths and weaknesses.
- Share your observations with a partner.
- Discuss what advice you would give this writer.
- What grade level is this writer? What was the
prompt? - 11th grade
- Write about a memorable place.
6What do we value in writing?
- Read Mouse Alert
- What do you notice about this students writing?
- Identify its major strengths and weaknesses.
- Share your observations with a partner.
- Discuss what advice you would give this writer.
- What grade level is this writer? What was the
prompt? - 7th grade
- Write about your summer vacation.
7Objectives In the next 60 minutes . . .
- Learn the language of the six traits
- Learn how focus lessons can be used to help
students improve their writing trait by trait - Understand how the six traits relate to the
writing process - Understand how the six traits create an important
link between assessment and instruction
8The Six Traits A Brief History
- Originated in Oregon in the 1980s
- Vicki Spandel, NWREL researchers, and 17 teachers
- Purpose to develop a consistent vocabulary for
defining good writing/writing instruction to
create an assessment rubric to be used across all
grade levels - Evaluated thousands of papers (all grade levels)
and identified common characteristics of good
writing - Those qualities became the six traits
9The Six Traits of Good Writing
- Ideas
- Organization
- Voice
- Word Choice
- Sentence Fluency
- Conventions
- (1) Presentation
10Defining Ideas
- Ideas make up the content of the piece of
writingthe heart of the message. (Culham) - The ideas are the heart of the message, the
content of the piece, the main theme, together
with the details that enrich and develop that
theme. (NWREL)
11-
- When I was in school I thought details were
just extra words to add in a story to make it
better. I thought detail was decoration or
wallpaper . . . Details are not wallpaper they
are walls. - Barry Lane
12Teaching Ideas
- For students to arrive at good content, we must
help them - Select an idea (the topic)
- Narrow the idea (focus)
- Elaborate on the idea (development)
- Discover the best information to convey the idea
(details)
13Narrowing the Idea R.A.F.T.
- R.A.F.T. stands for . . .
- Role of the writer
- Audience for the piece of writing
- Format of the material
- Topic or subject of the piece of writing
- Example You are Jerry Spinelli, author of the
delightful novel, Stargirl. Design a three-part
advertising campaign that will assist you and
your publisher to convince one of the major movie
studios to buy the movie rights and make a
feature film based on the book.
14Elaborating on Ideas
- Ask Me a Question
- In groups of three, students take turns reading
their writing aloud to the group. - The listeners do not comment. Instead, they
write down three questions they have (things they
want to know more about) and give them to the
writer. - This helps the writer become more aware of
details he or she might want to add during
revision.
15Defining Organization
- Organization is the internal structure of the
piece, the thread of meaning, the logical pattern
of the ideas. (Culham) - Organization is the internal structure of a piece
of writing, the thread of central meaning, the
logical and sometimes intriguing pattern of the
ideas. (NWREL)
16- Good prose is architecture.
- Ernest Hemingway
17Teaching Organization
- Strategies for effective organization include
- Beginning with an inviting and focusing
introduction - Providing thoughtful links between key points and
ideas - Employing a logical, purposeful, and effective
sequence - Controlling the pacing
- Closing with a satisfying conclusion
18Sequencing Mix It Up
- Choose a short piece of texta poem, a magazine
article, a short story, etc. - Cut the text into pieces so students can move
them around like a puzzle. - Ask students, in groups, to put the parts in
order. Which comes first, second, third, last?
How do you know? - If students disagree, discuss the different ways
students have organized the parts. Are they
logical and effective?
19Introductions Share Examples
- Use mentor texts to show students a variety of
ways to begin, and post a list on the wall. - A thought-provoking question
- A hint of the conclusion
- An anecdote
- An indication of main points
- A dramatic or eye-opening statement
- A quotation
- Encourage students to add to the list as they
discover additional models in their independent
reading. - Variations Sorting Leads, Matching Openers and
Closers
20Defining Voice
- Voice is the soul of the piece. Its what makes
the writers style singular, as his or her
feelings and convictions come out through the
words. (Culham) - The voice is the heart and soul, the magic, the
wit, along with the feeling and conviction of the
individual writer coming out through the words.
(NWREL)
21- We must teach ourselves to recognize our own
voice. We want to write in a way that is natural
for us, that grows out of the way we think, the
way we see, the way we care. But to make that
voice effective we must develop it, extending our
natural voice through the experience of writing
on different subjects for different audiences, of
using our voice as we perform many writing
tasks. - Donald Murray, Write to Learn
22Teaching Voice
- Voice emerges when the writer
- Allows the writing to sound like him/herself
- Shows that he/she really cares about the idea
- Writes with energy and enthusiasm
- Writes with the reader in mind
- Takes risks to make the writing memorable
- Matches the writing to its audience and purpose
23Learning to Hear Voice in Literature
- Collect short passages that exemplify strong or
distinctive voice, put them on overheads, and
read them aloud. - Have students discuss what they think they know
about the writer (or narrator) - Is the writer young or old? male or female?
- What feeling does the writer want to communicate?
- Does the writer care about this piece of writing?
- What kind of audience is the writer addressing?
- How do you know these things? What aspects of
the text led you to these conclusions?
24More Ideas for Teaching Voice
- Greeting Cards Collect a variety of birthday
cards, and have students sort them romantic,
sarcastic, sincere, cute, sentimental, etc. - Voice In, Voice Out Give students a piece of
text that lacks voice (instruction manual,
textbook, memo, etc.) and invite them to add as
much voice as possible. Read the two versions
aloud and discuss the differences. Try it the
other way, toohave students remove the voice
from a strong piece of writing. - New Voices, New Choices Have students write the
first sentence of a letter (on the same topic)
for five different audiences.
25Defining Word Choice
- Word choice is at its best when it includes the
use of rich, colorful, precise language that
moves and enlightens the reader. (Culham) - Word choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise
language that moves and enlightens the reader.
(NWREL)
26-
- The difference between the almost-right word
and the right word is really a large matterits
the difference between the lightning bug and the
lightning. - Dont say the old lady screamed. Bring her on
and let her scream! - Mark Twain
27Teaching Word Choice
- Teaching word choice involves
- Striking Language Sharpening students
descriptive powers - Exact Language Using lively verbs, precise
nouns, and accurate modifiers - Natural Language Making it sound authentic
- Beautiful Language Choosing colorful words and
phrases - Ruth Culham, 61 Traits of Writing
28Descriptive Limits
- Put this prompt on the board Write about a
moment when you were unbelievably scared. - As a class, discuss possible ways to approach the
topic. - When everyone seems ready to begin writing, tell
them that the words scare, frighten, fright,
fear, fearful, afraid, spook, startle, terror,
terrorize, terrify, panic, cold sweat, shock,
surprise, dread, turn pale, hair stand on end,
blood run cold, and teeth chatter are all off
limits. - After students have time to write, debrief the
experience. What did they discover? How did
this activity make them more (or less) creative
in their word choice?
29The Game of Connotations
- I am selective.
- You are choosy.
- She is fussy.
- I am energetic.
- You are jumpy.
- He is unable to sit still.
- I am confident.
- Your are self-assured.
- He is conceited.
- Challenge students to come up with their own
examples.
30Expanding Small Phrases into Bigger Ones
- You cant support an elephant on a step ladder.
- Notice the difference between these two
sentences - The wind was strong.
- The wind fumed and shrieked about the house,
yanking at the loose shingles. - Have students use vivid verbs, colorful
adjectives, and precise nouns to rewrite
sentences such as - The dog was hungry.
- The house was empty.
- My sister got mad.
- The rain came down.
- My shoes were tight.
31Words, Words, Words Everywhere
- Use Word Walls and more to create a
print-rich classroom environment - Keep strips of colored paper handy so students
can record cool words they discover during
reading and writing activities. - Color code them according to parts of speech
precise nouns, descriptive adjectives, energetic
verbs. - Post them on the walls, windows, ceiling, etc.
32Defining Sentence Fluency
- Sentence fluency is the flow of the language, the
sound of word patternsthe way the writing plays
to the ear, not just to the eye. (Culham) - Sentence fluency is the rhythm and flow of the
language, the sound of word patterns, the way in
which the writing plays to the earnot just to
the eye. (NWREL) - Fluent writing is graceful, varied, rhythmic, and
powerful.
33-
- Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no
accident. Very few sentences come out right the
first time, or even the third time. - William Zinsser, On Writing Well
34Teaching Sentence Fluency
- Helping students improve their sentence fluency
means teaching them to - Use a variety of sentence lengths
- Use a variety of sentence beginnings
- Use a variety of sentence structures
- Use repetition of sounds, words, and phrases to
create patterns - Create writing that can be read aloud with ease
35Sentence Stretching
- Ask each student to write a simple sentence of
4-5 words at the top of a sheet of paper. - (Example Matthew ate a pizza.)
- Students pass the paper to the next student who
must add or change one element to make the
sentence more specific and interesting. - After the paper has been passed to 10-12 people,
it is returned to the original owner. - Students write their revised sentences on the
board for all to see.
36End With a Noun
- Experiment with one of your sentences.
- Try ending it with different parts of speech.
- Decide which is the most effective.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss. (noun)
- If a stone rolls, hardly any moss with be
gathered. (verb) - If you are concerned about moss gathering on a
stone, roll it. (pronoun) - When trying to rid yourself of moss, roll the
stone quickly. (adverb) - If you roll the stone, the moss will become
smooth. (adjective)
37Defining Conventions
- Conventions represent the pieces level of
correctnessthe extent to which the writer uses
grammar and mechanics with precision. (Culham) - Conventions are the mechanical correctness of the
piecespelling, grammar and usage, paragraphing,
use of capitals, and punctuation. (NWREL) - Conventions include anything a copy editor might
deal with. - The whole purpose of this trait is to enhance
readabilityto make the writing enticing and
accessible to the reader.
38-
- Editing is easy, all you have to do is cross
out the wrong words. - Mark Twain
39Teaching Conventions
- Teaching students the correct use of conventions
includes lessons that focus on - Spelling correctly when publishing work
- Applying basic capitalization rules with
consistency - Using appropriate punctuation marks to guide the
reader - Using appropriate grammatical structures to
communicate ideas clearly and convincingly
40 Tips for Teaching Conventions
- Get a good sense of what students know and what
they still need to learn. - Teach the skills that are developmentally
appropriate for students to add to their
repertoire of conventions. - Allow for plenty of practice, time to experiment,
and opportunities to apply the new skills in
their writing. - Hold students accountable for the specific skills
for which they have an understanding. - Use wall charts and mentor texts.
41Presentation (the 1)
- Presentation zeros in on the form and layouthow
pleasing the piece is to the eye. (Culham) - Presentation makes the piece easy to read
- Margins are even layout is effective.
- Handwriting or font is legible and clear.
- Illustrations are appropriate and well-placed.
- Everything contributes to the effectiveness of
the writing.
42Why Use the Six Traits?
- It provides a common language for teachers and
students to use in teaching and learning about
the craft of writing. - It provides consistency in writing assessment and
a shared vocabulary for giving feedback to
students. - It provides a guiding focus for writing
instruction and the tools students need to revise
their own writing.
43Why is the 61Trait Model an Effective Teaching
Tool for Writing Instruction?
- Defines good writing in a specific way for the
teacher and the student - Provides a way to delineate areas of individual
strengths and areas of challenge - Allows for greater consistency and accuracy in
assessment - Provides a common vocabulary for vertical and
horizontal alignment of instruction - Develops all of the traits evaluated in state
assessment - Provides a clear link between reading and writing
- Enables students to become self-assessors
44- The writing process is a means to an end and
not an end in itself. - Ruth Culham
45The Traits and the Writing Process
- Prewriting Ideas, Organization, Voice
- Drafting Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word
Choice, Sentence Fluency - Revising All traits except conventions
- Editing Conventions
- Publishing Presentation
46Two Groups of Traits
- Revision Traits
- Individual, creative, complex, and messy
- Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence
Fluency - Editing Traits
- Predetermined, correct, and exacting
- Conventions, Presentation
- Coach students to keep conscious editing out of
the prewriting and drafting process most editing
should occur after revision of ideas occurs.
47-
- Good assessment always begins with a vision of
success. - Richard Stiggins,
- Student-Centered Classroom Assessment
48-
- We must constantly remind ourselves that the
ultimate purpose of evaluation is to enable
students to evaluate themselves. - Arthur Costa
49The Traits and Assessment
- The 6-Trait rubrics can be used by
- Self, peer, teacher
- To assess
- A single trait, a group of traits, all the traits
- The 6-Trait rubrics can also be used as
- A tool for vertical and horizontal curriculum
alignment - An instrument for grade-level, school, or
district measurement - Assessment is not the end of the writing process.
- It is the bridge to revision.
- 6-Trait Writing is all about revision!
50- Assessment is not the private property of
teachers. Kids can learn to evaluate their own
writing. They must take part in this . . . it is
central to the growth of writing. Even before
they write, they need to know about what makes
writing strong or effective. And they need to
know the criteria by which their own writing will
be judged. - Marjorie Frank
51Where do I begin?
- Establish a writing community in your classroom
based on the whole writing process. - Focus your mini-lessons, assessment, and revision
on the traits, preferably one at a time. - Use the vocabulary of the traits when reading and
discussing texts. - Were teaching our students to write, not to
trait. (Ruth Culham, 61 Traits of Writing)
52The Traits and Instruction
- Introduce the concept of the writing traits
- Immerse students in writers language
- Teach students to be assessors of their own and
others work guide them through analysis of
anonymous sample papers use self-assessment in
revising and goal setting - Share strong and weak examples from many
different sources (including literature and
student writing) to illustrate each trait - Use focused lessons that target each trait
include hands-on activities to help students
develop skills and deepen their understanding - Provide numerous opportunities for students to
practice focused revision and editing of their
own work as well as the work of others model
writing and let students coach you
53-
- Think of how many teachers you had who actually
helped you with your writing. Most people can
name one or two. I say to teachers, Be that one
teacher for a child. - Donald Graves
54Resources
- Culham, Ruth. 61 Traits of Writing The
Complete Guide. New York Scholastic, 2003. - Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
http//www.nwrel.org/assessment/ - Spandel, Vicki. Creating Writers Through 6-Trait
Writing Assessment and Instruction. 3rd ed. New
York Addison Wesley Longman, 2001. - Spandel, Vicki. Write Traits 6-Trait
Instruction and Assessment. San Antonio. 24-26
Oct. 2005.