1.  6 +1 Traits Alison Owens

2.  It provides--a language for talking about writing  Consistency in assessment  Makes revision and editing manageable  Empowerment for all students, increased motivation and thinking skills  Links reading and writing  Foundation for real-world writing  Lays the ground work for more writing in PARCC assessments

3.  Introduction to the 6 + 1 Traits  Definitions of each writing trait  Writing process and the traits  Lessons/activities for each trait  Writing assessments

4.  What are the Keys to Higher Writing Scores????????

5.  Write daily.  Integrate writing with content areas.  Model writing.  Strive for school-wide continuity of instruction.  Follow a checklist for best practices.

6.  Listening to examples of good writing  Practicing the different traits  Applying practice to writing essays  Students evaluating their own writing

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8.  Ideas  Organization  Voice  Word Choice  Sentence Fluency  Conventions

10. Ideas are the heart of any piece of writing… It’s all about the information Ideas paint pictures in a reader’s mind Informational text becomes reader-friendly Ideas demonstrate clarity, focus, sense of purpose

12. Organization is the internal structure… It’s not just paragraphs, but what’s in them! Does it make sense? Is the writing easy to follow? A well-laid-out road map? Does the lead ‘hook’ the reader? Are transitions smooth and appropriate? Is the conclusion satisfying?

13. isualize (Audience & Content) rganize (Outside the box) nterpret raft laborate or Eliminate

14. Voice is personality… and confidence Individuality and perspective Enthusiasm and expressiveness Is the author knowledgeable about the topic? Does the piece hold the reader’s attention? Is there real passion? Does the author care? Is the voice appropriate?

15. How exquisite! Sounds scrumptious! ‘A breath of fresh air…’ Listen to the serene stillness...

16. Word choice is clear, precise and colorful… Find the word that is ‘just right’ Stretch to use new, interesting words Think verbs, verbs, verbs (use high energy words) Eliminate tired, trite words Cut the fat… only use words that carry their own weight

18. The rhythm and flow of the sentences… Sounds soothing to the ear… A variety of sentence length and structure Text begs to be read aloud Smooth transitions support fluency Punctuate. Periods are a good thing!

20. Editing & revising for conventions… Use of proper format (indentation, margins, spacing, etc.) Correct use of capitalization, punctuation and spelling Maintain verb tense and subject verb agreement throughout composition Use adverbs, clauses and phrases correctly Use homophones and other vocabulary correctly

21.  Ideas  Organization  Voice  Word Choice  Sentence Fluency  Conventions

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23. Prewriting/Ideas and Development: 30%  It’s during this part of the process that students will “take apart” the prompt, determine the role and purpose as authors, and then begin to plan their response. Drafting/ Organization, 25%,Voice, Word Choice 15%, Sentence Fluency 15% Revising/Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency  Gives students the opportunity to “re-visit” their responses and see what needs to be added, deleted, or rearranged. Editing/Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions 15%  In this stage writing is made suitable for publication. Publishing/Presentation  It is the finished response, which only occurs after the student has completed each previous stage.

24. 24 6 +1 Writing Assessment Traits and the Writing Process convention presentation purpose audience form Ideas Organization Voice Word choice Sentence fluency + 1 Traits of Writing

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26.  Step 1: Choose from a wealth of appropriate literature for teaching a given trait. Use the 6 trait Language.  Step 2: Student work on several writing activities to develop the trait. Teacher modeling very important.  Step 3: Students work with sample student papers as a class and in groups. They learn to rate the papers using the 6 Trait rubric.  Step 4: Teacher provides an assignment connecting to the curriculum (focus on one trait at a time). Students then use a rubric of that trait to peer respond/edit each others work.  Step 5: Teacher assesses

27.  Take a look at the 6 trait writing activities... with your group and discuss how you could use them in your classroom. More activities can be found in: Daily 6 Trait Writing by Evon Moor (1 st -6 th ) 6 + 1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham

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29.  Blow up balloons one at a time.  Tie the balloon.  Cut a length of yarn and attach to the balloon.  Hand the balloon to the assessor for evaluation.  Any balloon not done correctly will rejected by the assessor by popping it with a push pin.  Each group must try to figure out the evaluation criteria for “acceptable” work.

30.  Each trait has its own rubric that ranges from stages 1-5.  Keep in mind…the better you know the scoring guides, the more skilled you’ll be at assessing papers.  Take a look at the rubric handout with your group. www.rubistar.com

31. Math Journaling Quick Writes Lab reports Informal writing tasks Learning logs-definitions/concepts Concept maps “Today in History”- www.thinkfinity.comwww.thinkfinity.com Science… www.wonderopolis.comwww.wonderopolis.com www.factandaphoto.com

32.  IDEAS/VOICE: Goal: Extensive Development of several ideas or one important idea with extension and elaboration on all or most points.  ORGANIZATION: Goal: Organized with smooth flow from one idea to the next through the use of transition and sequencing. Unity is evident no wandering.  WORD CHOICE: Goal: Precise, appropriate, accurate, and specific word choices convey the correct meaning and appeal to audience.  SENTENCE FLUENCY: Goal: Excellent control of formation of sentences. Variety of sentence structure, type, and length contribute to fluency and interest.  CONVENTIONS: Goal: Error-free or very few errors in approximate proportion to length of paper. Adequate grammar and word usage for grade level.

33.  Write daily.  Integrate writing with content areas.  Model writing.  Strive for school-wide continuity of instruction.  Follow a checklist for best practices.

34. What can you “take away” from today’s training? Something you liked, will use in your classroom or just something you want to remember. Please take a few minutes to write it down on a piece of paper.  International Center for Leadership in Education

35.  Please feel free to contact me anytime… Alison Owens aowens.reac3hcoach@gmail.com I encourage you to browse my website, where you will find lots of 6 trait resources http://owensandhall-reac3hcoach.weebly.com