Welcome!from your partners at

Key visuals from this presentation

are available by email .Send all requests to. . .

scott_miller@hmco.com

K-12EASY

Process

Tra

its

Flexib

le

Key Idea:

In order to get to your destination, you need an appropriate vehicle with all the necessary moving parts

RESEARCH BASED

Assessment

Correlated

Do

main

s

K-12

EA

SY

Process

Traits

Do

main

s

RESEARCH-BASED

Assessm

ent

Correlated

Flexib

le

• Provide you with a deeper understanding of these elements

• Demonstrate how to integrate these elements to achieve results

Allow me to begin with a quick, relevant story. . .

Year One Results:Teacher confidenceWriting scores #2API 850 - 917Closed the “math gap”

Our Goals:

•Cover all 6 traits. . . . . .within the writing process!

•Teach all forms of writing

•Address writing as thinking!

•Make writing instruction (and grading) easy across the curriculum!

Universal,

mutual

commitment

0 10 20 30 40

Cent.

Cole

CH

DC

Garf.

MV

RV

2005CST2004CST

CST Writing: (% Students Scoring 5-8)

Tone

Attitude!

Personality

Sentences flow

Goes somewhere

Strong transitionsIrony

Colorful verbs

Specific nouns

Logical sequence

Engaging lead

Neatness

Punctuation

Sentences have rhythm

Thought provoking

Motivation

Interesting

Metaphor

Personification

Different sentence types

IDEAS ORGANIZATION

VOICESENTENCE FLUENCY WORD CHOICE

CONVENTIONS

Discovering the Traits:What is good writing?

WriteTraits

“Technically Sound Writing”

Voice

Word Choice

Sentence Fluency

Organization

Ideas

ConventionsTypicalModels“Technically

Sound Writing”

KABLOOEY!

Making a Difference:

Climbing the Ladder to SuccessWith the Traits

How do you teach writer’s VOICE?

Good VOICE is builtupon three other traits

VOICE

IDEASSENTENCEFLUENCY

WORDCHOICE

When you change these. . .

You change your “voice!”

The Writing Process

Draft

Revise/Edit

Final Draft

Prewrite

Publish

ideasorganization

word choice

voice

conventions

sentence fluency

ideas

organization

ideas

word choicevoice

sentence fluency

voice

Traits help us to understand how

the writing process works!

conventions

voice

Draft

Revise/Edit

Final Draft

Prewrite

Publish

ideasorganization

word choice

voice

conventions

sentence fluency

ideas

organization

ideas

word choicevoice

sentence fluency

The Big Idea:Whenever you execute one of the steps in the writing process, you are manipulating one or more traits!

conventions

Activity RecapDay One: Prewriting

• Brainstorm and ORGANIZE your IDEAS while. . .

• considering your audience (birthplace of VOICE)

Day Two: Drafting

• Write the sentence/select the right WORD CHOICE to carry your message

• write structurally sound sentence(s)—SENTENCE FLUENCY

Day Three: Revision

• Revise for any TRAITS you wish

• Show them. . . then let them (Students work with partners)

Day Four: Editing

• Students exchange papers and locate mistakes (CONV.)

Day Five: Publishing

• Students share their work with others

• Share first drafts and final drafts together

Using Traits and Process withPrimary and EL:

What about non-writers?

Trait-based instruction can reach

everyone

French Food

Chinese Food

Italian Food

Sea Food

The Master Chef

BAM!

Kick it up another notch!

Recipes

Proportion

Season

Sauté

Select Ingredients

Hungry for more information?

Let’s sink our teeth into another key concept!

Blizzard, 2006

The Master Writer !

Narrative

Descriptive

Response to Lit.

Research Report

IDEAS

ORGANIZATION

VOICE

SENTENCE FLUENCY

WORD CHOICE

CONVENTIONS

Expository

Reflective

“BAM”?

Persuasive

Blizzard, 2006

ExpositoryIdeas: Clear, relevant

Org: Compare/ContrastVoice: Authoritative,credible

WC: Content specific termsSF: Flowing, varied

Conv: Semicolon, colon

NarrativeIdeas: Entertaining

Org: Chronology (plot)Voice: Informal, authentic

SF: Conversational, naturalConv: Quotation marks

WC: Descriptive

How Traits Relateto the Standards

A sample from Michigan GLCEs grade 8

voice

Draft

Revise/Edit

Final Draft

Prewrite

Publish

ideasorganization

word choice

voice

conventions

sentence fluency

ideas

organization

ideas

word choicevoice

sentence fluency

conventions Organization

Conventions

Ideas

VOICE

IDEAS &ORG

IDEAS & ORG

IDEAS, ORG, VOICE, S.F., WORD CHOICE

CONVENTIONS

voice

Draft

Revise/Edit

Final Draft

Prewrite

Publish

ideasorganization

word choice

voice

conventions

sentence fluency

ideas

organization

ideas

word choicevoice

sentence fluency

conventions

VOICE

CONVENTIONS

CONVENTIONS

CONVENTIONS

VOICE

Scoring Students’Writing in Michigan

Why Trait-Based instructionwill drive-up your scores

MICHIGAN TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

The writing is exceptionally engaging, clear and focused. Ideas and content are thoroughly developed with relevant details and examples where appropriate.

Ideas – Clear, unique, interesting thoughts.Voice – Personality, attitude, and enthusiasm. Correct for audience and

The writer’s control over organization and the connections between ideas moves the reader smoothly and naturally through the next.

Organization – Engaging lead, conclusion, and transitions. A pattern that fits the topic.

The writing is exceptionally engaging, clear, and focused. The writer shows a mature command of language including precise word choice that results in a compelling piece of writing.

Voice – Personality, attitude, and enthusiasm. Correct for audience and purpose.Word Choice – Precise nouns, specific verbs. Few, well-honed modifiers.Sentence fluency – Different lengths and types of sentences “flow”. Sentence beginnings vary.

Tight control over language use and mastery of writing conventions contribute to the effect of the response.

Conventions – Free of errors in capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Tarantulas • Tarantulas have 8 legs.

• Tarantulas’ blood can be blue, yellow—or clear.

• Some people eat tarantulas. When you cook them, their hair falls off.

• Tarantulas are spiders, not mammals.

• Tarantulas have eight eyes, but are almost blind.

• A tarantula’s stomach is in its head.

• Tarantulas eat insects and other things.

• Sometimes, tarantulas will eat their own injured legs.

• Tarantulas smell with their feet.

• Tarantulas use blood pressure, not muscles, to move their legs.

• Tarantulas frighten some people.

Tarantulas

Be a true-blue (blooded) arachnid!

Make a habit of showing-up for dinner underdressed.

Besides, if you think you’re hungry, it’s all in your head anyway. . .

Get a leg-up on your high blood pressure without ever working out at the gym (Muscles are sooo overrated!)

Learn to love the pungent smell of your shoes’ insoles

(or learn to get along without any)

R.A.F.T.IdeasVoice

Word Choice

W.A.C. Strategy

R

A

F

T

ole

udience

ormat

echnique

Here are some examples:

Role Nonvascular plant

Audience Stratus cloud

Format Letter

Technique Persuade

Role Cube

Audience Square

Format Dialogue

Technique Instructions

Role Boston Tea Party Raider

Audience Friend

Format Email

Technique To inform

Role Little fish

Audience Rainbow Fish

Format Note

Technique To persuade

Shortcut to Gravitropism 2.doc.lnk

www.greatsource.com/iwrite

Free go-to resources for great writing!

What’s here for Students?

• Interactive tutorials • Step-by-step

instructions for a variety of writing assignments

• Grammar Handbook• Places to Publish• Contest

What about Parents?• Tips for helping

kids excel on writing tests

• Ideas for giving children feedback on writing

• Link to the Parent Store for great writing resources

What’s here for Educators?

• Tutorials and templates

• Minilessons• Ask the Expert• 6-Trait rubrics• Writing Prompts• Links to state writing

standards

The Importance of Conventions

A woman without her manis nothing.

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

• Time • Structure • Choice• Mini-lessons• Response/ Sharing• Conferences

Writer’s Workshop

is an excellent format for the delivery of writing instruction.provides the structure, but not the content for instruction. fully involves and supports the writing process.is usually composed of the following common elements:

. . .ORGANIZE IDEAS

generate IDEASDraft using:

IDEAS,ORGANIZATIONWORD CHOICE,

SENTENCE FLUENCY,VOICE

Revise & Editfor all 6 traits

Process –orientationTools, environment,

proceduresGenre

Topic/IDEAS VOICE

ORGANIZATIONALpattern

All 6 traits, esp. CONVENTIONS

Common, trait-based writing language

Common concept ofquality writing

Vicki Spandel:“What students

can assess, they can revise!”