1. The sixth element of the
Conventions
The sixth element of the
6 + 1 Writing Traits
PowerPoint Modified from a lesson found at Point

2. What are conventions? Spelling Punctuation Capitalization Grammar
Paragraphing
Having correct conventions means that the reader can pay more attention to your creative thoughts and ideas.

3. For starters…
Do not let conventions slow down your writing…. Write, write, write…
While writing, don’t stop to look up the spelling in the dictionary, etc. Circle the word in question and come back to it later.
When you’re writing and you feel stumped, alert yourself to return, but don’t stop altogether.
Model this technique

4. Spelling Look it up in the dictionary or on your dictionary app
Unacceptable Excuses:
I am a bad speller!
Spell Check auto-corrected it this way.
Remedies:
Look it up in the dictionary or on your dictionary app
Proofread: Ask a friend, parent or teacher
Look at the resources around you

5. Punctuation Know the different types of punctuation. period . comma ,
question mark ?
exclamation point !
colon :
hyphen –
ellipse …
parentheses ( )
How are all of these punctuation marked used?

6. Capitalization When do I use capital letters?
Names of people – Christopher Columbus
Words used as names – Nana
Titles used as names – President Obama
Abbreviations – NFL
Proper Nouns – New York City
Historical Information – Civil War
Organizations - Republican

7. Capitalization continued
Geographic Names – Yokosuka, Kanagawa-shi
Nationalities – Japanese
Languages – Spanish
Titles – Wonder
First Words – The sky is blue.
Days & Months – Monday, September
Holidays – Labor Day
Greetings – Dear Charlie,
Closings – Your friend, Margo

8. Grammar Check all your sentences. Do your subjects & verbs agree?
Do you have sentence fragments or run-on sentences that don’t work? (Refer back to the sentence fluency trait)
Do your subjects & verbs agree?
Yuki walk to the fishing hole. (nope)
Tyrone, Shaun, and Amy loves to go fishing. (nope)
* Read aloud to check; share with your “editor”

9. Paragraphing
A paragraph is a group of sentences that concentrate on one topic.
Indent each time you begin a new topic.
Most paragraphs should include a…
Topic sentence – tells what the paragraph is about
Body – detail sentences that back up the main idea
Closing sentence – sums up the big idea
Discuss how some ideas can be shortened paragraphs, especially dialogue.

10. Conventions
In order to be good at editing you need to develop an eye for mistakes.
Check everything
Check it again
Read it out loud
Have a friend check it
It is hard to edit your own paper because you know what you want to say, although that may not be what is written on the page.
Some teachers think it’s the most important trait… however, it’s one trait! But know that you are JUDGED by your conventions expertise. Show them what you’ve got!

11. Let’s look at our drafts… 
The
End