So what are the 6 traits of writing? What does each trait develop? What's the purpose of teaching them?

Let's begin with the latter. . . What's the purpose of teaching the 6 traits of writing? The traits create a common language for teachers and students when teaching and learning about the components of quality writing.

The 6 traits of writing–ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation–are taught explicitly in order for students to understand the vocabulary. Each trait develops a writing skill that students can use in any genre.

Trait 1: Ideas

The first trait is ideas. This trait includes a writer's ability to come up with ideas for writing. While this might seem like a basic skill or trait, anyone who has taught writing knows there are students that “don't know what to write about.”

Students that have trouble with this trait would benefit from instruction in finding ways to come up with ideas. Many times having conversations with your students can help spark some ideas.

If you're looking for more ideas on this trait, check out this article.

Trait 2: Organization

This trait focuses on a writer's ability to keep their writing organized. Whether it be the writing is told in sequential order or information is categorized properly. Organization helps the reader understand the writer's message.

Writers in need of help with organization would benefit from sentence frames using transition words such as first, next, then, and last. For informational writing, having students think of broad topics as headings and including information about the topic would also help with this trait.

This article shares ideas for helping students with organization.

Trait 3: Word Choice

Finding the right words isn't always easy for young students. Heck! Finding the right words isn't always easy for me. But I'm sure you're familiar with the language young writers use. They really seem to like the words: like, love, play, went. . . you know what I mean. Teaching kids there's synonyms for the words they use repeatedly help to make their writing better. While this concept becomes a bit more sophisticated as writers get older, just having a list of synonyms for like can make your writers' writing a work of art.

Can you imagine I like sentences becoming I love, I prefer, I fancy, I adore, I enjoy? Find those words that your students use a little too often and chart some alternative words to help students develop their word choice.

Trait 4: Voice

Even as adults, finding our voice can be a challenge. Showing our passion for a topic and letting our personality shine through our writing are ways we use voice. Conveying feelings and invoking those same emotions in readers are all part of voice. It can be tricky, but a young writer's voice can be found in those heaps of hard-to-read words. And that might just be the key. Allowing writers to just write without worrying about the mistakes that come with writing.

Give students the opportunity to tell stories in class. Ask them questions and find what excites them. Then tell them: I can see you think this is an exciting topic, you should write about it!

Trait 5: Sentence Fluency

Similar to word choice, writing can sound redundant when our sentences have similarities. Sentence fluency includes beginning sentences with new words and varying in length. Long sentences, short sentences, medium sentences. Sentences that flow like someone is speaking. This is sentence fluency and what makes writing enjoyable to read.

Trait 6: Conventions

This seems to be the trait teachers' eyes immediately notice. Why? It's easy to notice spelling mistakes, the lack of spacing, capital letters, and punctuation. But as you can see, conventions is only a piece of writing. And this is why we need to take a step away from the judgey convention eyes and accept that there will be mistake and there's a time and place to address this. In the meantime, let's look for the traits our students are doing well.

If this is something you'd like to focus on with some of your students, this article gives you some tips for how to help students with spelling.

Trait 7: Presentation

Presentation (yes, there's a seventh trait) includes the handwriting, illustrations, the cover, and anything that draws the eyes toward a student's work. No matter how good a piece of writing is, most of us tend to be drawn to the presentation of a book or pieces of writing. Show your students various books, magazines, or anything with text. Discuss what draws them to certain pieces of writing. Is it the cover, the colors, the illustrations? Then discuss how they can make their writing presentable for others.

The 6 traits of writing is the vocabulary used to describe writing. It's a common set of words we use with our students across genres and grade levels to discuss quality writing. The vocabulary of the 6 traits will be used for years to come and will help students strengthen their writing and discuss text. So, how could you use this language in your classroom?

The post The 6 Traits of Writing for Little Ones first appeared on Literacy Please.

At the beginning of each year, I start out simple. I start with teaching students how to write a sequence of events. It's one of the easier concepts for students to grasp, and it's a great way to to incorporate shared writing in the classroom.

Getting Started
Like I mentioned, I begin the year teaching a sequence of events. I like to use shared writing to write about the first day of school or just any day at school. It's something we all know about and we all know the order of our day.

I like to use pictures because kids get ideas from them. Pictures give kids a visual.

Shared Writing
I begin by having my students help me put some pictures in order. I glue them to chart paper and tell the students that we are going to tell about our day in order. We will be giving a sequence of events.

I have them look at the first picture and decide what it is showing. Then I ask them to think of a sentence. I ask them to begin their sentences with the word we because we are pretending we are the kids in the pictures.

After they think, I have the kids share their sentences with a buddy. I randomly select a few kids to share their sentences. I praise each child for some fabulous sentences and write one of their sentences or a combination of all of them by the picture.

Once we're finished, we practice reading our very short narrative together. We discuss why we put it in order and discuss the term sequence of events.

Independent Writing
Now I let them practice on their own. This worksheet is similar to the shared writing, so the students will feel excited about writing something they know and understand.

Because I am teaching the term sequence of event, I don't expect a real elaborate narrative. I just want them to write a story in order. As we continue throughout the year, I'll expect more because we will have learned more writing skills and strategies.

I hope this helps you to get started! Here are the resources for this lesson.

If you would like the complete unit, find it here.

The post Room to Write #1: Sequence of Events first appeared on Literacy Please.

Simon Lester Henry Strauss is a young boy that is not afraid of a haunted house. Around each corner, Henry sees ghosts, witches, vampires, ghouls, and many other scary creatures. The author uses her ideas and rhymes to keep children engaged. With each scary creature that shows up in this book, we can ask our students, “What could you find in a haunted house?”

And this is where our next lesson on Ideas comes in. Students will use their ideas to think of creatures they might find in a haunted house.  Click on any of the worksheets to download for free.

Give students the worksheet. Let them draw pictures and/or words to tell what they could see in a haunted house. Remind students to use their ideas, which can come from books or movies they have seen.

It doesn't end there! You can also have your kiddos write their own haunted house stories.

Have students use the web to help plan their stories. Use the pictures to decide which three things they will find in a haunted house.  Cut out them out and glue in the web.

To write a story, use the topic sentence provided– Last night I visited a haunted house. Next use the pictures to help create a story. For example, First I saw a black bat flying in the air. Next I heard a witch laughing while she made a potion. Finally I saw a white ghost coming toward me! I ran out of the haunted house as fast as I could. 

 
Now I don't use this activity during Halloween, which would probably be more appropriate, but that's OK. This lesson is a great way to use what the students have learned from the first two lessons to use ideas in writing.

Don't forget to check out my other posts to download the free traits of writing posters.
Teaching Ideas with Mentor Text (Rocket Writes a Story)
Teaching Ideas with Mentor Text (Enemy Pie)

Thanks for stopping by! Coming up, the next trait, Organization!

The post Teaching Ideas with Mentor Text (I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House) first appeared on Literacy Please.