Introducing 6 Traits into Our Writing Helping to Make Our Writing More Complete

Isn’t reading students’ writing fun? Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared, “A horse divided against itself cannot stand alone. Franklin died and is still dead.

What about these gems? Miguel Cervantes wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died. And he wrote Paradise Regained. Voltaire invented electricity. Gravity was invented by him. It is chiefly noticeable in the autumn when the apples are falling off the trees. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Madman Curie discovered radio. Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.

The Dreaded Writing Assessment………. What are the Keys to Higher Writing Scores????????

Key to Higher Writing Scores….. Write daily. Integrate writing with content areas. Require students to do more than one draft. Model writing. Save student work in portfolio or folder. Strive for school-wide continuity of instruction. Follow a checklist for best practices.

What are the 6 Traits?

What are the 6+1 Traits? 1.Voice 2.Word Choice 3.Conventions 4.Sentence Fluency 5.Organization 6.Ideas 7.Presentation

Ideas Start with the ice cream. What’s a sundae without the ice cream? The main idea or topic sentence is essential and begins the piece. All other “add-ons or toppings” enhance the ice cream (main idea).

Organization Hold it all together with the bowl. The bowl (organization) makes the ice cream (ideas) easier to grasp and prevents it from “melting away.”

Word Choice Something more to go on that sundae? Sprinkles, candies or chopped nuts also enhance the sundae. There are many types of add-ons (word choice) to compliment your sundae (main idea).

Voice Hot fudge, strawberries, pineapple, enhance the ice cream. Toppings add individuality to the ice cream (main idea). We don’t all like the same things on our sundaes, do we? Without toppings, ice cream is just too blah!

Sentence Fluency Will there be anything else to go on your sundae? How about some whipped cream to help the toppings “flow along?”

Conventions & Presentation What’s a sundae without a cherry to “top it off?” Polish up your dessert and add the finishing touch. It’s all in the presentation… looks CAN fool the stomach! And now… grab a spoon and enjoy!