Focused Revision for Student Success

1. Six Trait Writing Focused Revision for Student Success

2. MPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework

3. MPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework Area - Writing Context - School Audience - Teachers

4. MPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework Area – Writing / Context – School /Audience - Teachers I. Curriculum Alignment (Carr & Harris, 2001; Marzano, 2000) A.WI State Standards / MPS Learning Targets 1.Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. 2.Plan, revise, edit and publish clear and effective writing. 3.Understand the function of various forms, structures, and punctuation marks of standard American English and use them appropriately in written communication. B.Curriculum and Instruction C.Assessment 1.Formative 2.Summative II. Process (Graves, 2003; Murray, 1999; Elbow, 2000) A.Prewriting B.Drafting C.Revising D.Editing E.Publishing F.Reflecting III. Developmental Stages (Teale & Sulzby, 1986) A.Pre-emergent B.Emergent C.Early D.Developing E.Established IV. Components of Writing (Dietrich, 1974; Spandel, 2001) A.Ideas B.Organization C.Voice D.Word Choice E.Sentence Fluency and Variety F.Conventions V. Approaches (Hill, Mallow & Patterson, 1999) A.Shared Writing B.Modeled Writing C.Interactive Writing D.Guided Writing E.Writers’ Workshop F.Independent Writing

5. Six Trait Writing Enhances What Effective Teachers, Schools and Districts are Already Doing • Currently: Students earn holistic scores (0-4) from the most writing assessments. These scores derive from summative rubrics and can provide teachers, parents, schools and members of the community with a snapshot of student performance. Holistic scoring provides an overall rating of student writing.

6. Holistic (summative) scoring alone does not improve a student's ability to write.

7. Students need more than an overall score to improve. • We must be able to analyze their writing and break it down into strengths and weaknesses (look at it analytically as well as holistically). • Teachers must break down the components of traits such as organization into teachable elements (e.g. leads, sequencing, pacing, transitions and conclusions). • Students must understand what makes good writing work, how to accurately assess it and how to employ purposeful revision and editing strategies to enhance their own work (life-long learning).

8. “Writing by nature is holistic. An analytic approach simply makes revision manageable.” (from Creating Writers by Vicki Spandel)

9. “I always did well on essay tests. Just put everything you know on there, maybe you’ll hit it. And then you get the paper back from the teacher and she’s written just one word across the top of the page, “vague.” I thought “vague” was kind of vague. I’d write underneath it “unclear,” and send it back. She’d return it to me, “ambiguous.” I’d send it back to her, “cloudy.” We’re still corresponding to this day … “hazy” … “muddy”…”Jerry Seinfeld (Sein Language Bantam Books: 1993)

10. To improve, students must: • Know what good work looks like • Compare their work to the standard • Understand how to close the gaps • --Royce Sadler (Australian Researcher)

11. Studies show that most teachers spend a superhuman number of hours scoring writing. To help students improve, it would help to have a common vocabulary that everyone was familiar with: students, teachers, parents--everyone.

12. The research foundation of Six Trait Writing is formative assessment. Formative = Assessment FOR Learning Summative = Assessment OF Learning

13. According to Dr. Rick Stiggins of the Assessment Training Institute, there are seven specific ways to use Assessment FOR Learning

14. Specific Ways to Use Assessment FOR Learning STRATEGY #1 PROVIDE A CLEAR VISION OF THE LEARNING TARGET TO THE LEARNER STRATEGY #2 USE MODELS OF STRONG AND WEAK WORK

15. Specific Ways to Use Assessment FOR Learning STRATEGY #3 OFFER REGULAR EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK (MEANINGFUL, ACCURATE, TIMELY, & SPECIFIC) STRATEGY #4 TEACH STUDENTS TO SELF-ASSESS AND SET GOALS

16. Specific Ways to Use Assessment FOR Learning STRATEGY #5 DESIGN LESSONS TO FOCUS ON ONE ASPECT OF QUALITY AT A TIME STRATEGY #6 TEACH STUDENTS FOCUSED REVISION

17. Specific Ways to Use Assessment FOR Learning STRATEGY #7 ENGAGE STUDENTS IN SELF-REFLECTION, KEEPING TRACK OF THEIR LEARNING, AND SHARING

18. The Six Trait Model for Writing Instruction and Assessment has an easy-to-understand, practical vocabulary that can be adapted to fit kindergarten through 12th grade (and beyond) in a variety of modes and genres of writing.

19. This model has the potential to improve teaching and learning. • Paul Diederich’s 1974 article (Measuring Growth in English. Urbana, IL: NCTE.) reported English teachers averaged 130 papers and 8 minutes spent on each for a total of 18 hours per assignment. • Teachers who use the Six Trait Model have acknowledged improvement in: • their own confidence in the accuracy of their scoring • their tools for explaining grades to student writers • their ability to make revision suggestions

20. Five very clear categories (which have come be known as traits) emerged: • 1. Ideas: • This was the biggest one with sub-points of “richness, soundness, clarity, development and relevance to the writer’s purpose and topic”. • 2. Mechanics • This was the second biggest: “usage, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling”. • 3. Organization • The third biggest: the internal structure, sequencing/pattern of ideas • 4. Wording/ phrasing • The fourth biggest: rich, colorful precise language; graceful flow of language. • 5. Flavor • The smallest significant category: “style, individuality, originality, interest, and sincerity”.

21. Based on Diederich's research and the work of teachers across the country, Vicki Spandel, NWREL and others created the rubrics most often used today with these six traits. • Ideas and Content • Organization • Voice • Word Choice • Sentence Fluency • Conventions

22. Ideas clear controlling idea focused/ narrowed sufficient information insightful original interesting details complete Organization inviting opening/lead obvious direction/ logical progression effective sequencing connected-ness smooth transitions good pacing strong sense of conclusion In the Six Trait Model each trait has a number of descriptors for good writing. These descriptors came out of Diederich’s study with modifications from classroom teachers.

23. Voice obvious person behind the words writer is committed/ involved with topic reaches out/ connects to audience energetic, lively consistent tone definite point of view Word Choice appropriate to audience & purpose active, energetic verbs precise, concrete nouns new twists on everyday words minimal redundancy accuracy of expression paints vivid pictures creative, memorable word combinations

24. Sentence Fluency graceful, easy to read aloud natural, pleasant rhythm structure enhances meaning effective, smooth phrasing effective use of conjunctions & transitions variety in length, type & structure of sentences Conventions correct spelling correct/effective punctuation appropriate grammar/ usage correct capitalization designed to make reading easy

25. There are clear connections between these traits and our MPS Writing Rubric • 4ADVANCED / EXCEEDING • Ideas clearly communicated • Ideas well organized and elaborated • Author’s personality imprinted on the writing task (voice) • Effective word choice; enriched vocabulary • Sentence fluency and variety • Minimal errors in capitalization, punctuation, grammar, usage, and spelling conventions do not interfere with fluency or comprehension

26. The Six Trait approach to teaching and assessing writing can help the teacher:

27. Professional development in the form of workshops, courses, books, videotapes, etc. is available from a variety of sources. • Barry Lane: The Reviser’s Toolbox • Vicki Spandel : Creating Writers and Creating Young Writers • Ruth Culham: 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide • Houghton Mifflin: Write Traits Kits Plus dozens of websites, resource and support materials and a variety of training opportunities across the country

28. Teachers who use the traits often use one, all, or any combination of the following steps: • 1. Introduce a trait by talking about the concept. • 2. Provide an example through interesting literature. • 3. Engage in hands-on activities to help students understand what the trait is and how to improve it, using targeted revision and editing strategies. • 4. Guide them through the analysis of anonymous sample papers. • 5. Provide plenty of modeling and practice.

29. IDEAS: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson ORGANIZATION: What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman, Amos and Boris by William Steig and The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom VOICE:The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Cosmos by Carl Sagan and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson WORD CHOICE: Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg, Come On Rain! By Jon J. Muth and The Twits by Roald Dahl SENTENCE FLUENCY: Slam! by Walter Dean Myers, Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and Koala Lou by Mem Fox CONVENTIONS: Math Appeal by Gregg Tang, Miss Alanieus by Debra Frasier and Speak by Laurie Anderson Teachers can choose examples of writing according to what trait students are learning and what subject they are learning.

30. To Summarize. . .

31. Six Trait Writing

32. Six Trait Writing

33. What you can do now…

34. 1. Empower students with the knowledge, reasoning, and skills needed to help them improve their own writing 2. Learn the elements of each trait 3. Learn how to help students use strategies to reviseeach element (not “work on your organization” but “how might you enhance the conclusion and bring your writing to a satisfying end”?

35. “When you teach me, teach me one thing at a time.”-Albert Einstein