6 Trait Writing The Yummy Analogy

The 6 Traits of Writing are like a delicious Ice Cream Sundae!

Put it all together you have a yummy treat! How Does That Work? The Bowl = Ideas The Scoops = Organization The Mix-Ins = Voice The Perfect Toppings = Word Choice The Syrups = Sentence Fluency The Spoon = Conventions Put it all together you have a yummy treat! Each of these pieces on there own do not work, but when you blend them together in the right amounts, they form the perfect treat!

The Bowl = Ideas Bowls are the foundation of any good sundae Bowls come in many shapes & sizes and are designed for a variety of purposes After you pick the right style of bowl, you still have to chose one that is the right size Without ideas, you can’t have a piece of writing, just like a Sundae would be hard to make if you didn’t have a bowl to put it in. The issue is that there are a lot of different bowls in the world, just like there are a lot of different ideas you can write about. Some bowls serve a specific purpose like a cereal bowl, pasta bowl, soup bowl, serving bowl, etc just like our ideas serve a specific purpose in writing. But even after picking the right bowl, you still have to find the right size. That can sometimes be the hardest part of an idea – narrowing it down to the right size for your writing.

The Scoops = Organization Traditional Sundaes include three delicious scoops just like any good piece of writing has three specific sections: Vanilla = Beginning Chocolate = Middle Vanilla Swirl = End We want to hook our readers with a good strong lead at the beginning of our writing. Through the middle we want to connect our ideas and topics so that they flow smoothly from one to another. The end must wrap it all up by connecting the beginning and middle so that the reader feels satisfied.

The Mix-Ins = Voice What you mix into your Sundae says a lot about you. What you bring to the mix is what makes it interesting. Make sure the audience knows your enthusiasm, involvement and feelings on the topic. Make your voice part of the piece. You have to add your own flavor to your writing which allows your reader to connect better to the story.

Just-Right Toppings = Word Choice Use the right toppings at the right time to really make your Sundae pop. Try using words that create pictures, precise nouns and lively verbs. Ever get a Sundae with to much Whip Cream? It is so heavy that it weighs everything else down. That can happen with your word choice too. To many adjectives and adverbs can really weigh your writing down. Try focusing more on precise nouns, action packed verbs and words that help create a picture, not just send your reader running for the dictionary.

Sweet Syrup = Sentence Fluency Syrup flows over ice cream, mix-ins and toppings to create a blend that is perfect. Sentences in your writing should flow and blend to create the perfect rhythm. Don’t get stuck on one syrup though – variety helps keep things new and fresh. Try altering beginnings or sentence length to really make your writing syrupy sweet.

The Spoon = Conventions Grab the spoon early and there may be nothing good to go after. Wait until the Sundae is all built to grab the spoon. CAPS (capitalization, agreement/usage, punctuation, spelling) are important but wait until everything else is in position before you start working on them. Working on conventions in your writing is important. The problem is if you start working on them to early you will still have to come back and do it again after you working on voice, word choice and sentence fluency. So take your time and do it right – keep the conventions work where it belongs – as the last step before you share your masterpiece for the world to enjoy.

With all of the pieces assembled it is time to enjoy a yummy treat! The Perfect Sundae With all of the pieces assembled it is time to enjoy a yummy treat!