1. Six Trait Writing
Helpful web sites, and this PowerPoint are found online under Teacher helps on my web page.

2. Six Traits is: Common language to talk about writing
Shared vision of what “good” looks like in all forms of writing
Assessment tool for teachers and students
Model for use in a writing process classroom
Ruth Culham

3. Six Traits is not: A writing curriculum
A quick fix, silver bullet, magic potion, or an easy answer
Successful in classrooms where worksheets matter more than critical thinking
by Ruth Culham

4. Six Traits Ideas Organization Voice Word Choice Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Presentation is considered the 7th trait. Optional if you also want to teach presentation.

5. How To Teach the Traits Introduce 1 trait at a time.
Read a short book as an example of the trait.
Have students participate in a whole group activity about the trait.
Share rubric for the trait.
Teach the trait across the curriculum and use the terms and elements in all areas.
Don’t try to teach all 6 traits at once. Take at least a week with each trait, and more time if needed.
Collect books that are good examples of each trait.
Keep a file of rubrics, lessons, and books.
Make rubrics for traits available for students.
Use the 6 trait terms in all areas. Don’t limit it to writing class.
Have students write every day.

6. Getting Started
Teach writing process: graphic organizer, rough draft, share, revise, edit, publish
Teach students proofreading marks
Post proofreading marks in the room
Online practice
Begin teaching proofreading marks with daily oral language.
Have a large copy of proofreading marks and writing process on display for students to refer to in class.
Give students time to go online and practice with the online proofreading game.

7. Idea is the main idea, the heart of the story.
Discuss choosing a topic
Model topics too big/good, narrow topics
Model using graphic organizer for details of topic
Make details be something the reader does not already know
The IDEA trait is the main idea or heart of the message. The message must be clear, Details are not obvious and general. You must begin the writing process with the IDEA.
Practice with topics that are too big like my family, dogs, pets, Christmas, and narrow them to good topics like, when my dog had puppies, the Christmas we had no electricity, Have students show by hands open wide or closed to indicated too big or narrow topics.
Write on the board “Five Good uses for a Pocket.” List the reasons student give, and encourage imagination. Point out how the imaginative ideas make the topic fun.
Have students use a graphic organizer showing details for uses of a pocket.
Successful writers do not tell readers something they already know.

8. IDEAS Read a book that is a good example of the Idea trait
Review rubric and use to score the book
Read Rotten Teeth or another book that demonstrates the trait IDEAS. Model using several books.
After modeling, pass out a rubric and have students rate and discuss one of the books according to the rubric. I use a baseball rubric and the children decide which base the author made it to, or if they scored a home run.
We also use a chart as a visual to score the book with the rubric.

9. IDEAS
Give the students a simple topic and have them write a paragraph concentrating only on the IDEA.
Share examples you have collected.
Review what a single, double, triple, and home run looks like.
Have them score their own paper and peer edit using proofreading marks.
Do not score them on anything but IDEA.
If you have another class available, trade and score the other classes papers.
Continue daily, in many subject areas, practicing and focusing on IDEA.
Now that students have a better understanding of IDEAS, give them a graphic organizer to fill out for “Five good uses for a Pocket”. Review the IDEA rubric. Have students write a paragraph using the graphic organizer. Share them with the class and peer edit with baseball rubric. I scan them and review them on the SMARTBoard.
Continue practicing Ideas for several weeks before moving to another trait.

10. ORGANIZATION is the pattern of the writing. Does it make sense?
Teach beginning, middle, end
Share good beginnings and endings of stories
Story Strips
Transition words
Display beginning, middle, end posters. Teach beginning (sunrises), middle (sun high in the sky), end (moon). Read story and have them identify beginning, middle, end.
Distribute story strips and have students try to place them in correct order. Discuss importance of the correct order.
Display transition words chart and discuss.
Practice writing leads and conclusions. Share good examples.
At this point I emphasis never say “the end” or “that is all I have to say”, etc.

11. Organization Share a book with good organization
Have students score the book with scoring guide
Read Dog Breath or another book to the class and look for transition words. Discuss the beginning and the conclusion.
We add to the existing transition word list.

12. Organization
Give the students a simple topic (directions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and have them write a paragraph concentrating only on the ORGANIZATION.
Share examples you have collected.
Review what a single, double, triple, and home run looks like.
Have them score their own paper and peer edit using proofreading marks.
Do not score them on anything but ORGANIZATION.
If you have another class available, trade and score the other classes papers. Give the kids a number to keep them anonymous.
Continue daily, in many subject areas, practicing writing and focusing on ORGANIZATION. You can point out steps for a math problem using transition words.
When they are understanding ideas and organization have them write and score a story on both IDEAS and ORGANIZATION.
Examples I use are how a bill becomes a law, or the water cycle, to have them write in another subject area.
If you have them write a paragraph on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich you can actually do it and follow the directions to see if it works!

13. VOICE makes the writing come to life and have personality.
Discuss purpose of writing. Who is your audience?
Share types of music, art work, or books. Each has a different voice and purpose.
Work in groups with samples of voice. Place on T-chart as voice or no voice.
Read samples out loud to listen for voice.
Are you writing to persuade, inform, entertain? You need to know your audience so you can match voice to purpose.
Play two types of music- classical/rock and roll and talk about different styles or voice. You can do the same with art work, instruments, singers, books. Each has their own individual voice. Voice gives personality.
Pass out samples of voice or no voice paragraphs and work in groups to categorize and place them on a t-chart.
Plays are also good ways to introduce voice.
When writing, write like you are talking on the phone.

14. VOICE Share a book with good VOICE
Have students score the book with scoring guide
Review scoring guide for voice and have students listen for the voice in the book.
Read the Big Wide-Mouthed Frog or another book with good voice.
Score the book with the scoring guide.

15. VOICE
Give the students a simple topic and have them write a paragraph concentrating only on the VOICE.
Share examples you have collected.
Review what a single, double, triple, and home run looks like.
Have them score their own paper and peer edit using proofreading marks.
Do not score them on anything but VOICE.
If you have another class available, trade and score the other classes papers.
Continue daily, in many subject areas, practicing writing that focuses on VOICE.
Have them score a story on IDEA, ORGANIZATION, and VOICE.
Remind them that voice is their personality coming through as they write!

16. WORD CHOICE Do the words create a picture and capture your attention?
Model by reading aloud selections with good word choice
Make “Tired Word Wall”
Words that describe senses: sound, feel, smell, see, and taste
Make menu using adjectives
Ten sentences on topic, no word repeats
Verb Play
Climb Inside an Adjective
Tired Word Wall-Post words on a chart that are overused. Make a list next to the words that could be used instead of these. Examples would be nice, fun, big, or really.
Talk about words that convey the senses. CRASH, THUNDERING for sound. FLUFFY, BILLOWY for feel. Some words make you think of smells- POPCORN, BROWNIES, ROSES. Words you can taste are SALTY, CHOCOLATE. You can see the SEASHORE or a MOUNTAIN.
Show menus and discuss how the menu helps you decide what to order. The descriptions of the food use adjectives to describe the food. Have students write an item for the menu using sensory, descriptive words. You can publish this as a class menu. Another choice is to take the school menu and describe it in an appealing way.
Choose a topic and instruct students to write 10 sentences on the topic. They cannot repeat any word that has been used. This means all words, even the, a, an, etc.
Verb Play is used to practice choosing stronger verbs that can paint a picture for the reader. Example: Joe went to the office. Change the verb to show different things. Point out the verb can paint a picture and change the meaning.
Adjectives- Have each student choose an adjective and fill in the blanks on the worksheet..

17. WORD CHOICE
Read a book with good WORD CHOICE. Suggestions are: Donovan’s Word Jar, Miss Alaineus, and Sir Cumference and the First Round Table.
Have students score the book with scoring guide for WORD CHOICE

18. WORD CHOICE
Give the students a simple topic and have them write a paragraph concentrating only on the WORD CHOICE.
Share examples you have collected.
Use the baseball rubric and review what a single, double, triple, and home run looks like.
Have them score their own paper and peer edit using proofreading marks.
Do not score them on anything but WORD CHOICE.
If you have another class available, trade and score the other classes papers.
Continue daily, in many subject areas, practicing writing and focusing on WORD CHOICE.
Have them score a story on IDEA, ORGANIZATION, VOICE, and WORD CHOICE.
When they reach the point of scoring multiple traits they no longer use the baseball rubric. We use one that has all traits being scored on one rubric.

19. SENTENCE FLUENCY Is the writing smooth and easy to follow, shows variety, and fun to read aloud?
Vary sentence length
Review 4 kinds of sentences
Vary types of sentences when writing
Read writing aloud with good fluency and compare to poor fluency example
Sentence Stretching
Vary first words
Sentence combining
Stretch it Out- To help students vary sentence length, tape the words of a short sentence on a rubber band. Stretch the rubber band and allow students to add words to make the sentence longer. Ask questions when and why. Work in groups to revise the short sentence. Share results with the class. When writing remind them to consider stretching short sentences..
Post a chart with the 4 kinds of sentences: Declarative, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory. Give students sentences to place under correct heading, then have the students make their own samples to place on the chart.

20. SENTENCE FLUENCY
Read My Sister Ate One Hare, or any other book suggested for good fluency.
Have students score with the sentence fluency rubric
Use every opportunity to teach the traits. When I read aloud to the class I usually ask if they feel it has good fluency. We read to the students daily, and some things we read do not flow and the kids will usually say it is hard to follow or understand.

21. SENTENCE FLUENCY
Give the students a simple topic and have them write a paragraph concentrating only on the SENTENCE FLUENCY.
Share examples you have collected.
Review what a single, double, triple, and home run looks like.
Have them score their own paper and peer edit using proofreading marks.
Do not score them on anything but SENTENCE FLUENCY.
If you have another class available, trade and score the other classes papers.
Continue daily, in many subject areas, practicing focusing on SENTENCE FLUENCY.
Combine all they have learned and have them score a story on IDEA, ORGANIZATION, VOICE, WORD CHOICE, and SENTENCE FLUENCY.
I will play the matching game with the Six Trait chart and see if they can remember the 6-traits by having them read the definition and match it to the trait. It is good to review the ones they have learned earlier.

22. CONVENTIONS Capitalization Punctuation Spelling Grammar and usage
Paragraphing
Teach conventions daily with daily oral language. Have students copy from board and correct.
Use proofreading symbols.
Have mini lessons on each convention.
Practice editing for one convention at a time.

23. CONVENTIONS Read Punctuation Takes a Vacation
Discuss problems they had without punctuation.
Go over rubric for conventions.
Show letter on the board that students wrote without punctuation and discuss the problems created without punctuation.
Dear, Punctuation
Please come! Back We need you? We, miss you, too. Life at? School is! “difficult” without, you? We can?t do reading writing or riddles? Without punctuation Chapter 4 of our book Ace, Scooper, does,nt make sense We, will, never? Take punctuation for! Granted again. Wont you please come back before on Friday: Mr Wright says. Punctuation, please come home
Sincerely
Mr’ Wright.s Class

24. CONVENTIONS
Have them score a story on IDEA, ORGANIZATION, VOICE, WORD CHOICE, and CONVENTIONS!
After all the traits have been taught I continue to review and focus on traits with activities and read books that are good examples. The writing process goes on all year long and for the rest of their life.

25. Letter Grades from Rubrics
If you use the 4 point rubric you can total the scores at the end of the grading period and get a percentage.
When you use the 5 point rubric assign your score to a letter grade and percentage.
5=A 95% 4=B 85% 3=C 75% 2=D 65% 1=F 55%
Have the students keep a portfolio of their writing. If you have them write using computers you can keep it in a folder on the computer also. The portfolio helps them see the adding on of the traits and their improvement.

26. Grading Don’t grade every trait every time
Only score on traits you have taught
Use words not numbers when commenting on papers
Assess and provide feedback
Give them an opportunity to share their writing with the class, SPED, AR, Speech, Library, Principal, parents, etc. Post them online, make books, podcast, etc. Students like to be published and share their work.
I send home a scoring guide and have the parents read and score the writing with their child.

27. Conclusion Continue to teach 6 Trait in all subjects
Never consider they are finished reviewing any of the traits