Becoming Writers: Session 1
Building 6 Trait Awareness –
Just the Basics
Deb Wragge
ddwragge@esu8.org
ESU 8 Staff Development
Welcome
• Overview – Session 1
– The 6 Trait Model
– Qualities Teachers Look for in Writing
To be effective teachers of writing, we must
first teach ourselves what good writing is,
and then we are better equipped to teach
our students.
Vicki Spandel (5th edition, p. 13)
10 Reasons to make 6-Traits
Writing Part of your Instruction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Provides a language for talking about writing
Keeps your assessment consistent and honest
Makes writing and revising manageable
Supports and strengthens the Writing Process
Guides purposeful editing and revising
Empowers student as partners in writing with the
teacher and fellow classmates
7. Increases student motivation, while promoting
thinking skills
8. A way of linking reading and writing
9. A foundation for real-world writing
10. A way of saving assessment time
What is 6 Traits Writing?
• A shared vocabulary for teachers and
students
• A method of scoring and examining
writing consistently
• A tool for writing and using the Writing
Process
• A feedback system to students
• A tool to guide instruction in the
classroom
6 Traits allow teachers to…
•
•
•
•
Use rubrics
Use samples of student writing
Help students discuss specific features
Improve student writing through the
qualities of good writing
• Incorporate a variety of lessons/activities
Levels of Implementation
Pre-Trait
Trait Dabbler
Trait Trainee
Trait Trooper
Trait Master
Where are you on this continuum?
10 Reasons to make 6-Traits
Writing Part of your Instruction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Provides a language for talking about writing
Keeps your assessment consistent and honest
Makes writing and revising manageable
Supports and strengthens the Writing Process
Guides purposeful editing and revising
Empowers student as partners in writing with the
teacher and fellow classmates
7. Increases student motivation, while promoting
thinking skills
8. A way of linking reading and writing
9. A foundation for real-world writing
10. A way of saving assessment time
The 6 Trait Model
• Ideas –
– the heart of the message, topics supported with relevant details
• Organization –
– the internal structure of the piece, order makes sense: introduction, body
paragraphs, conclusion, and transition are smooth
• Voice –
– the tone and flavor of the author’s message, text makes you feel some type of
emotion: laughter, crying, anger; without voice, it is usually boring
• Word Choice –
– the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning
• Sentence Fluency –
– the rhythm and flow of the language
• Conventions –
– mechanical correctness, spelling, capitalization, and grammar/usage
Qualities Teachers Look For in Writing
Ideas...
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clear – Makes sense
Narrow, manageable topic
Holds my attention
Sounds like writer knows the topic well
Fresh original perspective
Important, telling details that go beyond
common language
• Shows insight
Organization...
• Inviting lead, draws me in
• Provides connections – detail to detail,
paragraph to paragraph
• Starts somewhere, goes somewhere
• Fun to predict, but… … some surprises, too!
• Doesn‘t just STOP, ends with purpose and
closure
• Satisfying conclusion – sense of resolution
• No redundant summaries
Voice...
•
•
•
•
•
Sounds like a person wrote it
Sounds like this writer - no one else
Brings topic to life
Punch, flair, style, courage
Makers the reader respond – cry, laugh,
smile, get chills
• Sense of involvement
Word Choice...
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Simple language used well
Strong verbs
“Just right” words & phrases
Memorable moments, vivid images
Creates word pictures, movies in the mind
Minimal redundancy
Minimal slang, jargon, inflated language
Not just correct - precise
Sentence Fluency...
• Carefully crafted sentences
• Varied sentence length and structure
• Varied purposeful sentence beginnings:
Now, After a while, Because of this,
Nevertheless, As a result,
Consequently, However, Therefore…
• Rhythm, cadence; easy to read aloud
and with voice
Conventions...
• Looks clean, edited and polished
• Most things done correctly, no BIG,
GLARING errors
• Easy to decode, decipher, comprehend, &
follow
• Easy to focus on ideas, voice, organization
The 6 Trait Model
Ideas
Organizatio
n
Voice
Word
Choice
Sentence
Fluency
Conventions
Assignment: Build a Personal Vision
of Writing Instruction in Your Classroom
To Include:
1. Incorporate process and product, as well as
classroom culture
2. Help students to understand your
expectations. This increases their chances of
success.
3. Share examples, share examples, share
examples of strong and weak examples.
4. Model, model, model.
Sample: My Personal Vision
of Writing Instruction in My Classroom
• I will
– be a writer, myself
– set aside 15-20 minutes of direct writing instruction, if
not daily, no less than two sessions per week
– teach, model and implement the Writing Process
• implementing, modeling, monitoring and adjusting lessons
and techniques
– teach and guide students to interpret and use the
language of writing and scoring guides through the
use of examples and non-examples
– incorporate writing into all subject areas
“When students write more frequently,
their ability to think, reason, analyze,
communicate, and perform on tests will
improve. Writing is critical to student
achievement.”
Douglas Reeves, Ph.D.
Becoming Writers:
Up Coming Sessions…
• Session 2 (Each mode will be its own Session 2)
– Rubrics and the Writing Process:
• Tips on using Rubrics and learning to assess what’s important
• Using the Writing Process and connecting the Traits to
–
–
–
–
Narrative
Descriptive/Explanatory
Persuasive
Informational/Explanatory
• Session 3
– Using samples, samples and more samples as exemplars
to increase student success
• Session 4
– Prompts: Tips on selecting, creating and writing to
prompts
Becoming Writers: Session 1
Building 6 Trait Awareness –
Just the Basics
Deb Wragge
ddwragge@esu8.org
ESU 8 Staff Development