Using Technology to
Enhance the Six Traits
ESU 6 Blue River Cohort
January 4, 2012
Mitzi Hoback & Suzanne Whisler
Today’s Outcomes
O Review the six traits
O Share resources and activities that
support six trait writing in your classroom
O Share technology tips and sites that can
be incorporated to enhance writing
instruction
Self-assessment of Writing in
My Classroom
O Writing is not a regular part of my program
and occurs sporadically throughout the
year.
O My students write once a week.
O Daily lessons include writing assignments
for my students.
O Large blocks of time are allocated to
student writing.
Is Your Writing World Worthy?
I wish we could change the world by
creating powerful writers for forever instead
of just indifferent writers for school.
~Mem Fox
Where do you begin?
O Provide opportunities for your students to
write often and for many purposes
O Write with students
O Model writing
O Use the language of writing
O Share books you love
O Use think-alouds
O Introduce the writing process to your
students
Emergent and Developing
Writers Need . . .
O Explicit instruction on
writing skills and strategies
O Opportunities to respond in
lessons
O Positive, corrective
feedback on performance
“A good beginning goal for kindergarten and
first-grade writing is fluency. This means we
want kids to write lots of words. When
children can sit down and put their thoughts
on paper quickly and easily,
they are fluent writers
even if they make errors..”
Bea Johnson
Never Too Early to Write
“…the keys to writing well:”
O Have a strong, clear idea.
O Use details and pictures to paint a picture in your
reader’s mind.
O Write with authority and voice.
O Organize your information so that a reader can follow it.
O Use words that make sense—and that are lively as well.
O Write with fluency and variety—the way good dancers
dance.
O Make your conventions as strong as you can so that
readers can figure out your message.
Spandel, 2008, Creating Young Writers
Teaching Skills and Strategies
O Model
I do it.
O Prompt We do it.
O Check
You do it.
Ideas
O The paper is focused, clear, and specific
O It all makes sense
O The topic is small enough to handle
O There are important telling details that
go beyond common knowledge
O Clear
O Interesting
Ideas Lesson
O Read All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan.
O
O
O
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Discuss places that are important to each of us.
Have students list as many memorable places as they can
and have them share their lists. With younger students
make the list together.
Have students pick one place from their list they would like
to write about and list all the details they can in one
minute. Remind them to write down what they see, hear,
smell and feel.
Have students use their details to write a draft of their
memorable place (Skip lines to save room for revisions
and additions.)
Younger students may draw a picture of their favorite
place and may have a word or a sentence with the picture.
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Ideas Lesson
•Less Is More: Using Social Media to Inspire
Concise Writing
•Online media like Twitter and Facebook can
inspire students to write both fiction and
nonfiction and reflect on the benefits and
drawbacks of writing “short”.
•Example
•For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.
•http://nyti.ms/uWlR30
The Learning Network, Shannon Doyne & Holly Epstein Ejalvo
Technology Tips & Sites for Ideas
K-2
O Use picture prompts (K-12)
O http://www.flickr.com
O http://www.gettyimages.com/CreativeImages
O Build Yourself Wild
O http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
O The Story Starter Jr.
O http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm
O ToonDoo (K-12)
O http://www.toondoo.com/
Technology Tips & Sites for Ideas
3-5
O Writing Prompts & Journal Topics
O http://bit.ly/vcVp7G
O Pic Lits
O http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.
aspx
O The Story Starter Jr.
O http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm
O 911 Writer’s Block
O http://www.webook.com/911writersblock
Technology Tips & Sites for Ideas
7-12
O Persuasive Essay Topics
O http://bit.ly/vlJZ7d
O 501 Persuasive Writing Prompts
O http://www.scribd.com/doc/55697/501-
Writing-Prompts
O Creative Copy Challenge
O http://www.creativecopychallenge.com/
O Persuasive Writing—Pet Peeves
O http://nyti.ms/ruXPPB
Getty Images
ToonDoo
Pic Lits
Organization
O There is a snappy lead that gets the
reader’s attention.
O The paper is easy to follow.
O Everything fits in the right place.
O Provides connections.
O Like a road map, easy to follow.
O There is a graceful ending. It doesn’t
just stop.
Organization Lesson
O Read The Gingerbread Man to the class.
O Discuss the beginning, middle and end of the story
with the class.
O Use a paper that has been folded in thirds,
demonstrate that the first section is for the first part of
the story, the middle section is for the middle of the
story, and the last section is for the end of the story.
O Have students draw a picture of the beginning, middle,
and end of the story in the appropriate space.
Depending on the age and ability of the student, a few
words or sentences can be added.
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Organization Lesson
O Read Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos
O Explain that authors often use clue or
transition words to guide the reader.
O Go back through the book and have
students identify the clue or transition
words.
O Chart the words for students to refer
to in their writing
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Organization Lesson
O Use a children’s picture book, such as “The
True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Lane
Smith.
O “Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs.
Or at least they think they do. But I’ll let you in on a
little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because
nobody has ever heard my side of the story. I’m the
wolf. Alexander T. Wolf. You can call me Al. I don’t
know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started,
but it’s all wrong.”
O Discuss why it is a good lead. How does it make the
reader beg for more? How does it hook the reader?
Four Square for Organization
Technology Tips & Sites for
Organization K-12
O Graphic Organizers
O http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
O Types and Examples of Transitions
O http://bit.ly/pU1cKK
O Brainstorming
O https://bubbl.us/
O WritingFix Organization
O http://bit.ly/v4Z7iV
O Use a picture prompt and have students
write beginnings or endings for the picture.
Capture their ideas on a Google Doc.
Voice
O It sounds like the particular writer.
O The writer seems engaged, involved with the
O
O
O
O
O
topic.
It brings the topic to life.
The paper is full of feelings.
It makes me respond – laugh, smile, cry, wince . .
.
I want to read it aloud.
It has pizzazz!
Voice Lesson
O Read Guess How Much I love You by Sam
McBratney.
O Discuss all the ways Little Nutbrown Hare told his
father that he loved him. Showing feelings is a sign
form of voice.
O Have the class name other words and phrases you
could use to tell someone how much you love them.
Record answers on a chart.
O Have students copy one of the phrases or have
them write one of their own and illustrate it. You
might prepare a template for them:
“I love you more than ____________________.”
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Voice Lesson
O Read Fly Away Home and Smoky
Night by Eve Bunting.
O Have students work in pairs or groups
to find the words used to convey the
feelings in the book.
O Chart the feeling words.
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Voice Lesson
•This I Believe:
• Imitating NPR's "This I Believe"
broadcasts to create an original podcast
about a current event or issue
O http://writingfix.com/I_Pod_Prompts/Thi
s_I_Believe1.htm
Technology Tips & Sites for Voice
O Idiom Site
O http://www.idiomsite.com/
O The Writing Fix
O http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm
O Giggle Poetry
O http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx
O Skype: www.skype.com
O Skype an Author Network
O http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/
O http://bit.ly/rAqU1W
Technology Tips & Sites for Voice
O Instant Poetry Forms
O http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/n
ewpoem.htm
O The Writing Fix – Feeling Game
O http://writingfix.com/forkids/feelin
ggame.htm
Word Choice
O There are moments that stick with
you.
O There are strong verbs and precise
nouns.
O The words are colorful, snappy, vital,
brisk and fresh.
O The words create word pictures.
O The words are just right.
I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one.
~A.E. Housman
Word Choice Lesson
O Read Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane
Chapman
O Chart and discuss all of the “wow” words the
students hear
O Rock or Pebble Game – Creating Writers, Spandel
O Some words have muscle. They carry a lot weight.
They have substance, meaning and impact.
O Have an assortment of words and have children
determine if the word is a “pebble” a vague word or
a “rock” an impact word.
O Make Word Posters
Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction ~ Rebecca Olness
Technology Tips & Sites for
Word Choice
O Wordle
O http://www.wordle.net/
O Snappy Words
O http://www.snappywords.com/
O Glogster
O http://www.glogster.com/
O Synonyms for said
O http://www.cyberspaces.net/6traits/
O Tagxedo
O http://www.tagxedo.com
Word Choice Lesson
O Find non-examples of good word choice: banal
thank-you notes or cheap greeting cards.
O Have students revise for word choice, staying
true to the sentiment
O They should choose specific nouns and vivid
verbs
O Other ideas:
O http://bit.ly/uT0cyd
Sentence Fluency
O The paper is easy to read aloud.
O There are some short and some long
sentences.
O Sentence beginnings vary; they show how
ideas connect.
O There are carefully crafted sentences.
O There is consistency in tense.
O The paper flows.
Lesson Ideas for Sentence Fluency
O Have students list or circle the first word in each
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O
O
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sentence they have written.
Have students count the words in each sentence and
make a list.
Phone Yourself
O Have students read their work into phonics phone.
I Caught It by Sarah Barchas
O http://writingfix.com/6_Traits/Primary/I_caught_i
t.htm
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
O http://writingfix.com/Process/Revision/Owl_Moo
n.htm
Lesson Ideas for Sentence
Fluency
•English with Jennifer: A Blog for Teachers
•Finding the Happy Medium: Teaching
students to use variety in sentence length
http://bit.ly/tCwKnx
Helpful Websites
O Word Counter
O http://www.wordcounter.com/
O Varying sentence beginnings
O http://bit.ly/rJglP9
O Sentence variety
O http://bit.ly/sAB2rx
Conventions
O The paper looks clean, edited
and proofread.
O Capital letters are used
correctly.
O Punctuation was used correctly.
O Spelling is accurate
O Paragraphs are indented.
O The writer used good grammar.
O The reader does not need to do
any mental editing.
Lesson Ideas for Conventions
O Model, model, model
O Keep expectations realistic
O Use word banks or personal dictionaries
O Ask students to double-space
O Give students editing practice often
O Teach editor’s symbols
O Have students read their writing aloud
Helpful Websites
O Common Errors in English Usage
O http://public.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/erro
rs.html
O http://www.vaughns-1pagers.com/language/english-usageerrors.htm
O Common Spelling Errors
O http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/
660/01/
Literature Resources
O Picture Books for Teaching Six Trait Writing
O http://bit.ly/cOtrcH
O Books for Teaching Six Trait Writing
O http://6traits.cyberspaces.net/books.ht
ml
By reading literature often and widely students
more readily learn to write.
~Rebecca Olness
Teaching Traits to Primary Students
O Don’t worry about numbers.
O Describe the strengths you see.
O Help students develop a writer’s vocabulary.
O Comment on their work.
O Ask them to comment on what you read aloud.
O Look at what they are doing well, not mistakes.
O Details
O Self-expression (Voice)
O New discoveries in conventions.
Teaching Traits to Primary Students
O Read as often as you can. Help students . . .
O Hear the voice.
O Listen for details. (Ideas)
O Make predictions. ( Organization)
O Identify favorite words. (Word Choice)
O Listen for the rhythm and flow. (Sentence Fluency)
O Model more than you demand.
O Let writing take many forms.
O Pictures
O Dictation
O Oral story telling
O Labeling
Sites to Check Out
O ESU 4 Six Trait Writing Wiki
O http://esu4sixtraitwriting.wikispaces.com/
O Auburn HAL Class
O http://auburnhalclass.wikispaces.com/
O Suzanne’s Diigo Links
O http://www.diigo.com/list/suzannewhisler/wr
iting
Our Favorite Resource Books
O Using Literature to Enhance Writing Instruction by
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Rebecca Olness
Marvelous Minilessons for Teaching Beginning
Writing, K-3 by Lori Jamison Rog
Crafting Writers K-6 by Elizabeth Hale
Creating Writers by Vicki Spandel
Creating Young Writers by Vicki Spandel
Books, Lessons, Ideas for Teaching the Six Traits by
Vicki Spandel
I Can Write Like That by Susan Ehman & Kellyann
Gayer
Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane
8 Things You Can Do Right Now
1.
Be a collector.
2.
Be a reader.
3.
Form a network.
4.
Post the traits in your room.
5.
Model (be a writer yourself).
6.
Have your students write, write, and write more.
7.
Include parents.
O Read a lot.
Final Thoughts
O Be a writer.
O Make time to
write.