The Six Traits of Writing

1. The Six Traits of Writing

2. Quickwrite Question What do teachers look for in good writing?

3. Vocabulary • Ideas-The main message • Organization- Internal structure of a piece • Conventions- Mechanical correctness • Sentence Fluency- The rhythm and flow of language. • Word Choice- The vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning. • Collaboration- Working with someone to produce or create something.

4. What Are The Six Traits? The key qualities that define good writing in all genres of writing.

5. Ideas • The main message • Theme • The writer chooses details that are interesting, important, and informative

6. Organization • Internal structure of a piece of writing • Is the meaning clear • Pattern and Sequence • Logical or chronological order

7. Word Choice • Rich, colorful and precise language • Enlightens the reader • Imagery, figurative language, metaphors, similes

8. Sentence Fluency • Rhythm and flow of the language • Word patterns • Cadence, powerand rhythm

9. Voice • The real person is speaking to us • The writer coming through the words • Heart and soul of writing

10. Conventions • Mechanical correctness of the piece • Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing

11. Is There More?

12. Presentation • Visual and textual elements • Balance of white space with visuals and text, graphics, neatness, handwriting, font selection, borders • Overall appearance

13. So…. What do teachers look for in good writing?

14. In Your Collaborative Groups • Read your responses to your quickwrite to your group. • Revise your responses to include the Six Traits of Writing. • Draw a circle maps, bubble, or flow map of your revised group answer. • Create a rough draft of your response in paragraph form with your group.

15. Resources • http://educationnorthwest.org/traits/trait-definitions#ideas