Presented by Becky Ahern, GPAEA Language Arts Consultant, for Corse, Grimes, and Blackhawk Schools in Burlington, IA, Feb. 20, 2012.

1. Six Traits Writing
Overview
Burlington Elementary Schools
February 20, 2012

2. Purpose
• Examine the characteristics of 6+1
Traits of Writing
• Consider the connections between
6+1 Traits to Iowa Core and the
Write Tools
• Collaborate with colleagues to
develop a toolbox of resources for
writing instruction

3. Isn’t reading student
writing fun?
• Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and
Benjamin Franklin were singers of the
Declaration of Independence. Franklin
discovered electricity by rubbing cats
backwards and declared, “A horse
divided against itself cannot stand
alone. Franklin died and is still dead.

4. What about these gems?
• Miguel Cervantes wrote Donkey Hote. The
next great author was John Milton. Milton
wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died. And he
wrote Paradise Regained.
• Voltaire invented electricity. Gravity was
invented by him. It is chiefly noticeable in the
autumn when the apples are falling off the
trees.
• Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis.
• Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the
Organ of Species.
• Madman Curie discovered radio.
• Karl Marx became one of the Marx
brothers.

5. Foldable Format…
• Explaining the Traits
• Rubrics / Checklists
• Assessing Student Writing
• Revision & Editing
• Resources

6. Activity
The Writing Sneeze:
Write continuously for
three minutes using the
following sentence
starter as a springboard:
My fears / concerns for writing instruction are…

7. Activity
Talk at your table:
What were you thinking as
you wrote?
How did you organize your
thoughts / writing?
Did you make changes as
you wrote?

8. The Dreaded Writing
Assessment……….
• What is the
key
tobetter
writing ?

9. Key to Better Writing…
• Write daily.
• Integrate writing with content areas.
• Require students to do more than one
draft.
• Model writing.
• Save student work in portfolio or folder.
• Strive for school-wide continuity of
instruction.
• Follow a checklist for best
practices.

10. What is 6+1 Traits Writing?
It is NOT a program or curriculum.

11. What is 6+1 Traits Writing?
• Shared vocabulary…teachers and students
• An analytical scoringguide
• Tool for writing and using the writing process
• System to provide Feedback to students /
Guide for instruction

12. History of the Six Traits Professional
Development Model
• Developed in the 1980’s by teachers from
across the country
• Thousands of papers evaluated at all grade
levels…identified “common characteristics
of good writing”
• “qualities”… became
the six-traits

13. Six Traits Helps Us
Teach the Qualities of Good Writing!
*Ideas
*Organization
*Word Choice
*Sentence Fluency
*Voice
*Conventions
The 6Traits of Writing by Jennifer Heidl-Knoblock and Jody Drake.
http://www.coehs.uwosh.edu/fox_valley_write/writings/2005writings/jenniferheidl-knoblochjodydrakepro.ppt

14. 6+1 Traits
*Ideas
*Organization
*Word Choice
*Sentence Fluency
*Voice
*Conventions
*Presentation
The 6Traits of Writing by Jennifer Heidl-Knoblock and Jody Drake.
http://www.coehs.uwosh.edu/fox_valley_write/writings/2005writings/jenniferheidl-knoblochjodydrakepro.ppt

15. Connecting to Iowa Core…
p. 22

16. 6+1 Traits allows teachers to…
• Use scoring guides to explain what is expected
• Use samples of student writing to teach
• Help students discuss specific features of their
writing
• Improve student writing through helping
students understand the qualities of good
writing
• Incorporate a variety of lessons/activities to
teach the strategies for each trait

17. Connecting the Writing Process and
Six Trait Writing

19. The 6+1 Trait Writing Model for
Assessment and Instruction ®
1. Ideas
Ideas are the heart of the message, the content of
the piece, the main theme, together with the
details that enrich and develop that theme.
2. Organization
Organization is the internal structure, the thread of
central meaning, the logical and sometimes
intriguing pattern of ideas within a piece of writing.
3. Voice
Voice is the magic and the wit, along with the
feeling and conviction of the individual writer
coming out through the words.

20. The 6+1 Trait Writing Model for ®
Assessment and Instruction
4. Word Choice
Word choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language
that moves and enlightens the reader.
5. Sentence Fluency
Sentence fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language, the
sound of word patterns, the way in which the writing
plays to the ear—not just to the eye.
6. Conventions
Conventions refer to the mechanical correctness of the
piece—spelling, paragraphing, grammar and usage,
punctuation, and use of capitals.

21. The 6+1 Trait Writing Model for
Assessment and Instruction ®
+1. Presentation
Presentation zeros in on the form and
layout of the text and its readability;
the piece should be pleasing to the
eye.
SOURCE:
Overview the 6+1 Trait®Writing Model and Scoring Rubrics by Dr. Michael Kozlow,
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory April 3, 2005 ASCD Conference
presentation. www.nwrel.org/ascd05/Traits.ppt+

22. ADVANTAGES OF SIX TRAIT
ANALYTIC SCORING
• Gives us a model for responding to student’s
writing
• Provides vocabulary for talking with students
about writing
• Provides a solid foundation for revision and
editing
• Allows students to become evaluators

23. Hattie’s Work

25. Reflections on Assessment
“Engaging young writers actively in the use of
criteria, applied to their own or others’ writing,
results not only in more effective revisions but in
superior first drafts….Most of them show
significant gains…, suggesting that the criteria
learned act not only as guides for revision but as
guides for generating new material.”
-George Hillocks, Jr.
Research on Written Composition: New Directions for Teaching, 1986, p. 160.

27. Provide a Clear and Understandable
Vision of the Learning Target.
“Good assessment always begins with a
vision of success.”
~Richard Stiggins,
Student-Centered Classroom Assessment

31. Other Friendly Reminders for Scoring
1. Refer to the scoring rubric. Do not rely just on
your memory or your intuition.
2. Physically marknumberss on the rubric while
scoring to ensure your judgments are being
made based upon the characteristics the
rubric provides.
3. Remember to score each trait individually
without allowing the score from one trait to
influence your scoring of another trait.

32. Other Friendly Reminders for Scoring
4. Think of a 3 as the point on the scoring
continuum where strengths and weaknesses
balance. Any score above a 3 indicates
dominant strengths; any score below a 3
indicates dominant weaknesses.
5. Do not dwell on a particular essay’s
weaknesses. Focus your attention on
identifying the set(s) of descriptors that best
describe the characteristics of the essay.

33. Other Friendly Reminders for Scoring
6. Remember that you are assessing the writing—
not the writer—and only a single performance
at that.
7. Keep in mind that the prompt is only meant
to motivate the writer and provide a
springboard for the student to begin
generating ideas. Readers should score the
quality of the writing, not the student’s
adherence to the prompt.

34. Analytic Scoring Rubric

35. Activity: Practice Scoring
1. Read the first sample paper and try your
hand at scoring using the rubrics. Compare
and discuss your scores with a partner.
2. Compare your scores to the scores provided.
3. Now try your hand at scoring the second
practice set of papers. Again, compare and
discuss your scores with a partner.
4. Compare your scores to the scores provided.
5. One more time! Score…Discuss…Compare.

36. Helping WritersReviseTheir Writing
Ideas/Content Organization Voice/Tone
Sentence
Word Choice
Fluency

37. Helping Writers Edit Their Writing
Ideas/Content Organization Voice/Tone
Sentence
Word Choice Conventions
Fluency

38. Editing & Revising…
• Teach editing 1st (Kids think
they’re the same)
• Practice with a simple checklist
• Introduce Revision by modeling
• Edit after you revise your writing
Cunningham, Particia M. & Cunningham, James W. (Spring 2000). What Really Matters in Writing
(p. 114). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

39. Four Ways to Revise…
• Adding… Pushing in
• Replacing… Trading
• Reordering… Cutting & Sorting
• Removing… Chopping out
Cunningham, Particia M. & Cunningham, James W. (Spring 2000). What Really Matters in Writing
(p. 115). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

40. Resources

47. Instruction

48. Ideas and Content
• Classroom Bank or List
• Journal Page
• Realia
• Literature Experience
• What else?
• http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/lan
garts/pdf/6traits/ideas.pdf

50. Pictures Spark Ideas
1
3
2

52. Key Qualities…Organization
• Abrilliantbeginning
• A MIGHTY middle
• Anexcellentending
• Well-ordered details

53. Organization
Taking Ideas, moving them
around, and grouping them to
make sense…
…to convey a message.

54. A brilliant beginning…
• A thought-provoking question
• A hint of the conclusion
• A funny story / personal anecdote
• A list of serious, logical points
• A dramatic statement
• An expert quote
• A set-up / Snapshot

55. A MIGHTY middle…Options
• Space…general to specific
• Time…chronological order
• Content…details in categories
• Perspective…know the
perspective from which they are
writing

56. A MIGHTY middle…
• Teach Transitions:
–To show location
–Compare / Contrast
–Time
–Conclude / Summarize
–Add Information

57. Anexcellent ending
• Look to authors…
–A Profound Thought
–A Surprise
–A Quote
–A Tie-Up (common in primary)
–A Question or Open-Ended
Statement

58. Anexcellentending
• Look to authors…
–A Challenge
–A Summary
–A Literary Device
–A Laugh

60. Graphic Organizers
• T-Chart
• Stop Light
• Sentence / Paragraph Frames

61. Organization for Primary
Lesson Ideas

62. Drawing and Internal Talk
1. What will I draw/write about?
2. What should come first?
3. How should I draw it?
4. Does this look the way I want it to look?
5. What should come next?
6. And next?

63. What to Look & Listen For
• Pictures and/or text balanced on the page
• Coordination between text and picture (they go
together)
• Multiple pictures that show sequence
• Grouping of details, ideas
• Text that shows sequence: First ... then... after... next...
later... last
• Text that shows connections: because... so... when ...
however
• Sense of ending: So finally... That’s all ...At last...The end
• Sticking with one main topic or idea

64. 1 2
3 4

65. 4 5
6 7

66. Bats are nocturnal. During the day when the
sun is out, they hang upside down in dark
places and sleep. At night, when the moon
and stars come out, they fly about and go
hunting for food.

67. For more information:
• Kim’s Korner for
Teacher Talk
– http://www.angelfire.com/ks/tea
chme/ideasdescriptors.
html
• 6 Traits Homepage
– http://6traits.cyberspaces.net/
• 6 + 1 Trait Writing
http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/
• 6 Trait Lesson Plans
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/LindaJancol
a/6Trait/lessons.htm#Word%20Choice
• A GREAT Site!!
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/langarts/sixtrtcrsmtrl.htm

69. The End