Mrs. Stagg's Class

6 Traits of Writing

Writing is a huge part of our curriculum because as the old saying goes...

"Good readers are good writers, and good writers are good readers."

My goal this year is to familiarize our students with the terms and concepts of these traits in an attempt to help our students become better writers.

The traits are listed below with a description of each trait.


Ideas
Ideas make up the content of the piece.

When the ideas are strong, the overall message is clear.

The main points or storyline are

* awareness of details

* knowing what's important or interesting
* clarity, focus, sense of purpose
Organization
Organization is the internal structure of the piece, the thread of central meaning, the pattern of logic.

The internal structure of piece has:
* a clear beginning, middle and ending
* the ability to organize and group
* a good sense of sequence
A satisfying conclusion wraps it all up, yet leaves the reader with something to wonder about.
Voice
As important as voice is to creating a good piece of writing, it is hard to define.

It is how the reader knows it is really you speaking.

Voice is how the writing draws the reader in and creates a bond between the reader and the writer.

It is the style, tone, and flavor of the writing piece.
It evokes an emotional response, tailoring communication to an audience
Word Choice
Word choice is about the use of rich, colorful language that communicates not just in a functional way, but also enlightens the reader.

In good descriptive writing, strong word choice clarifies and expands ideas.

In the readers mind it creates images so real, you feel like you are part of the story itself.
* awareness of language
* understanding that there are different ways to say things
Sentence Fluency
Sentence fluency is the auditory trait.

Fluent writing is graceful and varied.

Sentences are easy to read, well built, and seem to flow.

Strong fluency is marked by creative phrasing, alliteration, and word order that makes reading feel natural.

Fluent reading is free of awkward word patterns.
* a variety of sentence lengths
* uses more complex sentences
Conventions
Conventions deal with the editing of spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage, capitalization, and paragraphing.

Original writer/presenter: http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/