1. The Six Traits of Writing

2. Ideas The main point Awareness of details Knowing what’s important and interesting Having clarity, focus, and a sense of purpose.

3. Organization The structure of the piece Having a beginning, middle, and end The ability to organize and group A good sense of sequence

4. Voice Evidence of writer behind the message Enthusiasm, individuality, personality, and charm of the writer Tailoring communication to an audience Evokes an emotional response

5. Word Choice Evidence of precision in the use of words Awareness of language Understanding of different ways to say things Stretching to use new words

6. Sentence Fluency Rhythm and flow of the language Sentence sense Ear for language patterns Use of complex sentences Variety of sentence lengths

7. Conventions Mechanical correctness of the piece Awareness of writing conventions: spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage, paragraphing and capitalization