The 6+1 Traits of Writing Your guide to earning an “A” in Ms. Love’s class and meeting our BIG GOAL…

The 6+1 Traits of Writing So far this year, we’ve been using the 6+1 Traits to guide our writing and to keep track of whether or not we’re getting better.

6+1 Traits of Writing: Ideas Ideas are the subjects or topics covered in the writing. To have strong writing, you need: A topic – select an idea A focus – narrow the idea Development – elaborate on the idea Details – discover the best information to convey the idea

6+1 Traits of Writing: Ideas Your turn: Use the Content and Ideas portion of the rubric to make sure your outline and draft convey strong ideas in every area of the rubric. If not, make adjustments NOW, before it’s too late!

6+1 Traits of Writing: Organization Organization is how the writing is ordered and arranged. To have strong organization, your writing needs: An inviting introduction – a lead that hooks the reader Development in the middle of the paper – paragraphs that are logically organized and contains clearly linked details Satisfying conclusion – an ending that drives your message home

6+1 Traits of Writing: Organization Your turn: Use your 6+1 Traits rubric to see how your organization is. Make the necessary changes today, before you turn it in tomorrow!

6+1 Traits of Writing: Word Choice Word Choice is the use of language and description. To have strong word choice, your writing needs: Striking language – showcases your descriptive powers Exact language – using lively verbs, precise nouns, and accurate adjectives Natural language – it sounds authentic Beautiful language – choosing colorful words and phrases

6+1 Traits of Writing: Word Choice Your turn: Use your 6+1 Traits rubric to revise the word choice in your draft. Focus on one paragraph at a time to change $10 words into $1,000,000 (MILLION DOLLAR!) ones. Don’t forget that the thesaurus is your friend, and it’s always to your benefit to show, not tell.

6+1 Traits of Writing: Voice Voice is the author’s tone toward the text he/she is writing and his/her connection to the reader. Voice emerges when the writer… Speaks directly to the reader on an emotional level Experiments with style to match the purpose and audience Takes risks by revealing the person behind the words

6+1 Traits of Writing: Voice Your turn: Use your 6+1 Traits rubric to revise your draft and improve your voice. Think of ways that you can show your personal style and connect with your reader – maybe it’s as simple as adding anecdotes!

6+1 Traits of Writing: Sentence Fluency Sentence Fluency is the writing technique, the flow and rhythm of the writing when it’s read aloud. We read as much with our ears as we do with our eyes! To have strong sentence fluency, your writing needs: Well-built sentences A mixture of simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences Natural rhythm (doesn’t sound strange when read aloud) Sentence structures that enhance meaning, not take away from it

6+1 Traits of Writing: Sentence Fluency Your turn: Use your 6+1 Traits rubric to evaluate the sentence fluency in your draft. Make sure you’re being candid in your comments and improve the quality of your writing! This is a biggie – we’re really struggling with this trait!

6+1 Traits of Writing: Conventions Conventions (GRAMMAR!!) are the tools and rules that help readers understand the content of the writing. To have strong conventions, your writing needs very few or no errors in all the following areas: Spelling Punctuation Capitalization Word usage Paragraphing Confusing bits!

6+1 Traits of Writing: Conventions Your turn: This is our last day to edit and revise. You know these rules! Now, put them to use.