MENA Common Core Conference 2015 Presenter: D. Nickie Manja

CCSS Writing Standards Middle School Writing 6+1 Traits

What we’re going to do today: Find out what we know already know – about 6+1 Traits – about Common Core Writing Standards Write & assess our writing Assess exemplars of student writing – based on 6+1 Traits – based on Common Core Writing Standards Bridge the two assessment systems to create our own rubrics

What we’re going to learn today: How to bridge the 6+1 Traits and Common Core ELA Writing Standards

K W L T I M E : You need up to 6 Post-It Notes: 1 Thing I know about 6+1 Traits 1 Thing I want to know about 6+1 Traits 1 Thing I know about CCSS ELA Writing 1 Thing I want to know about CCSS ELA Writing 1 Thing I know about bridging the two 1 Thing I want to know about bridging the two

6+1 Traits

Definitions of Traits: Ideas – The main message, the content, the main theme, together with supporting details that enrich and develop that message – Assessing: message is clear, details are interesting or important Organization – The internal structure, the thread of central meaning, the pattern or sequence – Assessing: piece begins meaningfully, writer creates a sense of anticipation, connections are strong, ends with a resolution Voice – The writer comes through the words, you sense the writer’s presence in the writing – Assessing: the writer is personally engaged with the writing and imparts a personal tone and flavor that is his/hers alone Word Choice – The use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves and enlightens the reader – Assessing: strong word choice reflects a purposeful choosing of similes, metaphors, or other figures of speech; it shows a skill in using everyday words well

Definitions of Traits: Sentence Fluency – The rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way in which the writing plays to the ear – Assessing: how does the piece of writing sound when read aloud; fluent writing has cadence, power, rhythm, and movement Conventions – Mechanical correctness of the piece, includes 5 elements: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing – Assessing: this area is strongly based on grade level, as older students are expected to have increasingly stronger control of the mechanics, only those areas which have taught should be graded Presentation – Combines both textual and visual elements – Assessing: use of white space, textual and visual pieces, graphics, neatness, visual presentation, font selection, hand writing, borders, overall appearance. Is this piece polished and ready for publication?

Using the Traits Rubric handed out, go over your story and score it. You may either work alone, or you could choose to work with a partner and go over each other’s together. Look at your writing in light of how you would view that of a student.

Discussion: First time working with 6+1 Traits – how was it? What potential does this system have for teaching the process of writing to students? How can it be used to improve student writing? Using 6+1 Traits

Matching Standards to Traits Take the slips of paper with the Common Core Standards Post it on the flip chart where you feel it matches best.

Comparing Rubrics In pairs or groups of three: – Read the exemplar provided. – Use either the Common Core Rubric or the Traits Rubric provided to assess the writing. In groups of 4-5: – Compare how you scored the same piece of writing – What are the differences / similarities? – Can you reconcile the two & in doing so, create a rubric that covers both?