7 Writing Traits
Ideas
 Organization
 Voice
 Word Choice
 Sentence Fluency
 Conventions
 Presentation

Ideas

The content of your piece – it’s the main
message and details that support your
message.
 Key Qualities
○ Finding a Topic
○ Focusing a Topic
○ Developing a Topic
○ Using Details
Organization

The internal structure of your piece – the
thread of logic, the pattern of meaning.
 Key Qualities
○ Creating a lead
○ Using sentence sequence words and
transition words
○ Structuring the Body
○ Ending with a sense of resolution
Voice

The tone of the piece – your personal
stamp – which is achieved through an
understanding of purpose and audience
 Key Qualities
○ Establishing a tone
○ Conveying the purpose
○ Creating a connection to the audience
○ Taking risks to Create Voice
Word Choice

The vocabulary you use to convey
meaning and enlighten the reader.
 Key Qualities
○ Applying strong verbs
○ Selecting striking words and phrases
○ Using specific and accurate words
○ Choosing words that deepen meaning
Sentence Fluency

The way the text looks and sounds as it
flows through your piece
 Key Qualities
○ Crafting well-built sentences
○ Varying sentence types
○ Capturing smooth and rhythmic flow
○ Breaking the “rules” to create fluency
Conventions

The mechanical correctness of your
piece, which helps guide the reader
through the text.
 Key Qualities
○ Checking spelling
○ Punctuating correctly
○ Capitalizing correctly
○ Applying grammar and usage
Presentation

The physical appearance of your piece –
welcome mat that invites the reader.
 Key Qualities
○ Applying handwriting skills
○ Using word processing effectively
○ Making good use of white space
○ Refining text features