1. The Six Traits The Six Traits of Writing help us describe and improve our writing. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

2. Focus on Sentence Fluency Good sentence fluency means the writing uses sentences that are different lengths and that start with different words. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

3. Good sentence fluency is easy to recognize. Read this description. The sentence fluency is weak. The sentences are all about the same length, and most of them begin with the same word. My dog is great. He is black and white. He is very smart. He does lots of tricks. His name is Scrappy. He likes to play catch. He also fetches the newspaper from the driveway. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

4. Now read the final draft. Notice how sentences are different lengths. Also notice how sentences start with different words. Good sentence fluency makes the writing sound a lot better. My dog Scrappy is great. He is black and white. Scrappy is very smart, and he does lots of tricks. For example, he loves to play catch and fetch the newspaper from the driveway. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency Good sentence fluency is easy to recognize.

5. The writer starts each new sentence with different words. This helps the writing flow. What makes the sentence fluency better in the second sample? My dog Scrappy is great. He is black and white. Scrappy is very smart, and he does lots of tricks. For example, he loves to play catch and fetch the newspaper from the driveway. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

6. The writer uses sentences of different lengths and types. This helps the writing flow when it is read aloud. What makes the sentence fluency better in the second sample? My dog Scrappy is great. He is black and white. Scrappy is very smart, and he does lots of tricks. For example, he loves to play catch and fetch the newspaper from the driveway. 5 words 10 words 14 words Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

7. Creating Variation in Sentence Beginnings There are several ways to make a sentence start with different words. Here are a few examples: Original Sentence: Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Begin with transition words. For example, reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Change the sentence to a question. Is reading one of my favorite hobbies? Of course! Use a pronoun. It is one of my favorite hobbies. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency

8. There are several ways to make a sentence longer or shorter. Here are a few examples: Original Sentence: I like playing card games. Combine two sentences. I like playing card games, and I have a few favorites. Break a sentence into two separate sentences. I have many hobbies. Playing card games is one of them. Add helpful words or a phrase. After school, I enjoy playing card games. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency Creating Variation in Sentence Lengths

9. Remember! Good sentence fluency means that sentences begin with different words. Good sentence fluency means using sentences of different lengths. Good sentence fluency means that the writing flows well and sounds good when it’s read aloud. Writing Trait Introduction: Sentence Fluency