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Ideas:
Students should have a list of interesting topics to write about in their writers‟ notebooks,
and the teacher should have a chart of ideas posted somewhere in his/her classroom. Be
sure to add to this list continually throughout the year as it‟s a work in progress.
If students say, “I don‟t know what to write about,” you can refer them to this list. I
prefer to reply, “That‟s too bad. I guess you won‟t be talking today because writing is
simply talking on paper.”
How well do your students stick to the topic at hand and develop their ideas? If they‟re
struggling here, be sure to model mini-lessons in your write aloud time during writer‟s
workshop.
The Six Traits of Writing are:
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Organization:
The number one organizational rule for the M.A.P. test is for the paper to have a
beginning, middle and end. Many teachers use the hamburger method to teach this and
expand from there. See document at the end of this page for another example of a
prewriting graphic organizer.
Voice:
Consider using magazine pictures or greeting cards and have students pretend to be a
person/object in the photo. What would that person look like/sound like? Be sure to model
a strong example of this before asking students to write. The voice is like the student‟s
thumbprint on the page.
Remember that
this is minimal;
it’s just a graphic
organizer.
What would the dog sound like?
Where’s he planning to go? What
will he do when he gets there?
What would the toothbrush sound
like?
Word Choice:
Are you tired of words like said, nice, pretty …? Put them to bed … or in jail … or …
Conventions:
Do you have your editing checklist posted in your classroom? The list should start small
and gradually expand as the year progresses. Consolidate items where you can so the list
doesn‟t become overwhelming.
Prescription Pad Editing
Dr. Rich Allen modeled a fun way for students to peer-edit or self-edit papers at the Brain
Expo in Newport Beach, California last week.
Materials needed:
Clipboard, Editing Prescription Pad, White Lab Coat (if you have one), Large Manila Envelope
Students look for:
Severed Spelling
Capitalization Cold
Run-on Runny Nose
Indent-itus
Punctured Punctuation
Tense tension
Once diagnosis is finished, the results go into a large manila envelope labeled “Official X-
Ray Results.”
It‟s fun, but this only diagnoses the „editing mistakes.‟ It doesn‟t check for staying on
topic, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, etc. Before students submit a paper for
editing, consider having them complete a checklist to ensure they have met all
requirements for a solid piece of writing.
Source: Allen, R. (2008). Green Light Classrooms: Teaching Techniques That Accelerate Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press (pages 151-153)
My Writing Ideas
~Remember that writing is simply talking on paper.
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K: L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
XYZ:
Firs
t, Th
en,
Fina
lly,
Closing Sentences:
Use
details,
details,
details!
Consider
a simile
here:
like a …
Restate Prompt Here:
Remember
to use juicy words!
Pre-S.C.R.I.P.T.-ion for Writing Dr.________________ Edit
Name of Writing:_____________________________ By:______________________
Type of Illness:
Severed spelling
Capitalization cold
Run-on runny nose
Indent-itus
Punctured punctuation
Tense tension
Serious of Illness: 1 2 3 4 5
Recommended Treatment:_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Pre-S.C.R.I.P.T.-ion for Writing Dr.________________ Edit
Name of Writing:_____________________________ By:______________________
Type of Illness:
Severed spelling
Capitalization cold
Run-on runny nose
Indent-itus
Punctured punctuation
Tense tension
Serious of Illness: 1 2 3 4 5
Recommended Treatment:_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Source: Allen, R. (2008). Green Light
Classrooms: Teaching Techniques That
Accelerate Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press (pages 151-153)
Source: Allen, R. (2008). Green Light
Classrooms: Teaching Techniques That
Accelerate Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press (pages 151-153)
IDEAS
LEAD SENTENCE
BODY
CLOSING SENTENCE
ORGANIZATION
VOICE
I left my
„thumbprint‟
on the page.
WORD CHOICE
SYNONYMS
What word can
I use INSTEAD
of nice?
SENTENCE FLUENCY
My writing flows when read
aloud. Some sentences are
long, some are short and some
are somewhere in the middle.
CONVENTIONSLOOK OUT! I HAVEA CHECKINGPENCIL, ANDI’M READY TO USE IT!
