June Preszler TIE Aug. 21, 2007

 Revisit the traits  Three-Minute Write  Think-Ink-Pair-Share  Summaries  The Picture Worth a Thousand Words  RAFTS  Create a trait lesson that you can use during the first weeks of school

 There are six of them. How many can you name and explain?  Three-Minute Write: List the traits and provide a definition for each one. Returning teachers: What two traits did your building choose to focus on during the school year?

 Ideas are the heart of the message, the content of the piece.

 Clarity and control  Focused and relevant  Details that matter  Fresh and original  Substance and accuracy

 Organization is the internal structure, the thread of meaning, the pattern of ideas.

 An inviting introduction  Thoughtful transitions  Logical sequencing  Pace is under control  A satisfying conclusion

 Voice is the heart and soul, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the conviction of the writing.

 Individual and engaging  “Aches with caring”  Honest, committed, responsive  Suits audience and topic  Strong interaction with the reader

 Word choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves and enlightens the reader.

 Lively Verbs  Original and deliberate choices  Special moments  Visual  Specific and precise

 Sentence fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language…the way writing plays to the ear— not just the eye.

 Rhythm, flow, and natural cadence  Smooth phrasing  Well-built sentences  Sentence length enhances meaning  Varied sentence beginnings

 Conventions represent the mechanical correctness of the piece.

 Spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar/usage, and paragraphing (indenting)  Ready for a public audience  Control brings out style and enhances ideas  Experimentation that works well  Shows more than just the basics

 Presentation focuses on the form and layout of the text; the piece should be pleasing to the eye.

 Think-Ink-Pair-Share

 Not a person  But a thing  “The biggest enemy our children have are those things sitting in front of you and they’re called books.”—Gerard Baker

 “What do you do with your enemies? You conquer them.”  “We have to redefine our enemies and conquer them.”

 “We have to count coup on books.” Think-Ink-Pair Share

 Getting to the heart of the matter

 R=Heart (Role)  A=French Fries (Audience)  F=Complaint (Format)  T=Effects of fat in the diet (Topic)  S=Warn (Strong Verb)  You are Heart and are concerned about your good health. Write a letter of complaint to the French Fries warning them of the effects of fat in the diet.

Dear French Fries, I’m writing to give you a warning. You are killing me! You may not realize that one small serving of you contains more saturated fat than I can handle in an entire day. I’ve had it with your high sodium, fat, cholesterol, and artery-clogging ways. Your value- meal family may be easy on the wallet but you are really costly to me. Clean up your act, The Heart

Dear Mary, It is important to use punctuation. Why aren’t you using punctuation? Punctuation marks are periods, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and so on. When you write you should always use my marks or people won’t know what you mean. I know your teacher has shown you how to use my marks. Please use them everyday. Thank you, Peter Punctuation Ruth Culham, 6+1 Traits of Writing: Professional Study Guide

 During the first month of school, use the trait lesson you designed  Use a trait scoring guide to assess student work  Be prepared to discuss student work at our next meeting (bring it along)