2. 6+1 Traits TM of Writing A St. Vrain Valley School District Professional Development online course module Created by Cathy M. Nunez, Instructor Career Development Center nunez_cathy@stvrain.k12.co.us

3. Course Contents  6+1 Traits TM of Writing  Teaching Tips  Scoring Tips  References and Links

4. 6+1 Traits TM of Writing The seven elements of good writing include:  Ideas Ideas  Organization Organization  Voice Voice  Word Choice Word Choice  Sentence Fluency Sentence Fluency  Conventions Conventions  Presentation Presentation Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation Note: Roll your mouse over the links above to go directly to that trait.

5. Ideas  Clear messages produce strong ideas  Ideas become the theme of the writing  Good ideas include informative, interesting and important details Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation

6.  Internal structure of a written piece  Information flows logically  Strong connections or bridges from one idea to the next Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation Organization

7. Voice  The heart and soul of the writing  Personal involvement in the writing shines through  Voice distinguishes good writing from the average Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation

8.  Use everyday words well  Use rich, colorful and precise language  Clarify and expands ideas  Move the reader to a new vision Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation Word Choice

9. Sentence Fluency  Rhythm, and flow of the language  Cadence, power, rhythm and movement  Fluent sentences do not slow the reader down Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation

10.  Mechanical correctness of the written piece  Capitalization, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and proper grammar  Grade-level accommodations are made with this trait only Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation Conventions

11.  Visual part of the written piece  It draws the readers attention to the writing  May include charts, graphs, or graphics, and text formatting Good Writing IdeasOrganizationVoice Word Choice Sentence Fluency ConventionsPresentation

12. Teaching Tips Helping your Students Become Better Writers  Discuss one Trait at a time  Read sample papers out loud to your class  Discuss what sounds “pretty good” and what “needs work”  Use the Trait rubric from the NWREL website Remember: Your comments mean more than corrections If writing is not the main focus of your class, then work on one Trait over several weeks, or two Traits over the entire term. You can read sample papers out loud to your students asking them to consider what sounds pretty good and what needs work. Using the Trait rubric from the NWREL website, you can make appropriate comments on student papers. Remember, your comments mean more to students, than the corrections you make.

13. Scoring Tips The Do’s and Don’ts of Rating your Students Don’t Worry About…  Handwriting  Titles  Length  Topic  Speed When scoring student writing, remember that the handwriting is as good as it gets, and while titles are nice, they are not required. Don’t worry about the length of the writing, worry more about what is not there. Also, remember that ideas can come from lots of places and don’t worry about how long it may take to read the writing.

14. Scoring Tips The Do’s and Don’ts of Rating your Students When scoring student writing, consider the message your comment is sending: What does it tell the writer? Remember to use the rubric from the NWREL website to stay consistent. As you are scoring the assignments, remember also to take stretch breaks, and don’t skim or scan the papers because students can surprise us. Lastly, when scoring, be sure that what you might have a problem with is not one of your pet peeves. Do Worry About…  The message  The rubric  Fatigue  Skimming and scanning  Overreacting

15. References and Links Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (2001). Assessment. Retrieved November 22, 2002 from http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/scoring.asp?odelay=3&d=1 http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/scoring.asp?odelay=3&d=1 Created by: Cathy M. Nunez cnunez04@email.uophx.edu University of Phoenix Online Applications of Multimedia and Web Page Design/EDTC 560 Dr. Tommy Martin December 11, 2002