1. MENTOR TEXTS QUESTIONS
SIX TRAITS OF WRITING
MENTOR TEXTS QUESTIONS

2. FOR EACH TEXT…
Write a paragraph discussing how the text conveys the theme of THE HUMAN CONDITION.
Remember to explain what ideas and questions the text poses!

3. IDEAS

4. QUESTIONS What is the text about?
What is the main topic/s of the text?
Give three examples/quotes from the text that support this theme.
Remembering that the “text is meant to go beyond the obvious”, does the text represent the writing trait of IDEAS well? Why/why not?

5. ORGANISATION

6. QUESTIONS
How is the text organised/structured? (e.g. formatting, heading, etc.)
Do the ideas flow in a logical and understandable manner?
Does the text end with a sense of conclusion? Why/why not?
Remembering that the “structure is meant to fit the ideas”, does the text represent the writing trait of ORGANISATION well? Why/why not?

7. SENTENCE FLUENCY

8. QUESTIONS
What kinds of sentence types does the text use (e.g. simple, complex, or compound)?
Are there a variety of sentence types or does the author only focus on one or two?
Is the text a good one to read aloud? Why/why not?
Remembering that the “texts should sound good to the ear”, does the text represent the writing trait of SENTENCE FLUENCY well? Why/why not?

9. WORD CHOICE

10. QUESTIONS
Describe the language the author uses. Is it appropriate to the text?
Choose four examples from the text where the language “jumps out at you”. Write one or two sentences for each example explaining why.
Give two examples of each type of word choice: action verbs, specific nouns and descriptive adjectives.
Remembering that the “writing should make the words and images linger in your mind”, does the text represent the writing trait of WORD CHOICE well? Why/why not?

11. CONVENTIONS

12. QUESTIONS
Are all of the conventions in the text correct (e.g. spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, etc.)? Choose five examples of the author using “incorrect” conventions and write them correctly.
Why might the author have chosen to use the conventions in this way?
What ways do we check the conventions in our own writing? Why is this so important?
Remembering that the “conventions need to be corrected before publishing a piece of work”, does the text represent the writing trait of CONVENTIONS well? Why/why not?

13. VOICE

14. QUESTIONS
Describe the voice used in the text (i.e. how does the author sound?)
How does the author sound like they are talking to us and that they actually care what they are writing about?
How does the “voice” of this text differ to the “voice” used in a newspaper or encyclopedia article?
Remembering that the voice needs to give “personality to the written piece”, does the text represent the writing trait of VOICE well? Why/why not?