National Writing Project Rolls out New Website

If you haven't signed up for the free resources and online access to National Writing Project Resources .... DO IT! This is THE COMMUNITY for writing teachers. You won't be sorry you joined.

Here's an announcement I just got in their newsletter that I want to pass along:

NWP Launches New Website

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website, www.nwp.org. The new site beautifully showcases the depth and breadth of the work of the writing project, including resources that writing project colleagues have written and developed over many years.

Among the changes you’ll notice are

• a new NWP Sites section devoted to site development
• a Results section featuring research on NWP's effectiveness
• an expanded Resources section showcasing hundreds of articles
• a new Calendar with an assortment of views according to types of events
• an improved Search function that delivers more extensive results.

Use the online form at “Contact Us” to comment on the new website.

Top 20 6-Trait Resources

These resources come from my del.icio.us social bookmarks. (Network name wiredinstructor)

1. Fifty (50!) Tools which can help you in Writing - lifehack.org

   tips from poynter.com on writing

   to writing writing-process 6-traits ... saved by 4729 other people ... 2 days ago

2. Techlearning > > Poetry Out Loud > September 7, 2007

   Hear British poets read 21 of their own poems, including, incredibly, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1890 reading of "The Charge of the Light Brigade," as recorded by agents of Thomas Alva Edison

   to writing 6-traits poetry ... on sept 11

3. ReadingLady.com :: ReadingLady.com Teaching Resources

   Posters for the six traits in word document form

   to 6-traits writing writing-process ... saved by 1 other person ... on sept 05

4. 6+1 Traits for Revison | Scholastic.com

   edit / delete

   Ruth Culham provides overview of traits. Links to other support materials.

   to 6-traits writing writing-process ... saved by 1 other person ... on sept 05

5. Essay Punch: An Interactive Writing Tutorial

   The web site provides questions that help to guide users step by step through pre-writing, writing, organizing, editing, rewriting, and publishing.

   to writing 6-traits writing-process writers ... saved by 38 other people ... on aug 26

6. Storybase.net - writing prompts for fiction writers

   web 2.0 oriented writing prompts

   to writing writing-process writers 6-traits ... saved by 2 other people ... on aug 26

7. Journalists Writing Style guide

   English (UK) Detailed style guide from the other side of the pond.

   to 6-traits ... saved by 289 other people ... on aug 08

8. Research on the 6+1 Trait Writing Model for Improving Student Writing

   65 page pdf of research on effectiveness of 6 traits in writing achievement. also ppt slides from ASCD presentation

   to 6-traits ... on aug 08

9. Hartman Reader Page

   Web 1.0 page dedicated to words, their meanings, and various bits of literate trivia.

   to wordchoice 6-traits ... saved by 4 other people ... on aug 07

10. The Write Weblog: Six Traits of Writing Brainstorming

    Classroom blogging project, good example of how to use a blog in a writing class.

    to 6-traits blog ... on july 29

11. Quotable Quotes on Writers and Writing

    to writing writers writing-process 6-traits ... saved by 99 other people ... on june 03

12. Advice to writers by Vonnegut

    How to Write With Style by Kurt Vonnegut

    to writing 6-traits ... saved by 363 other people ... on june 02

13. UWC @ TAMU - Writing Process

    webliography of writing process resources
    

    to writing 6-traits e-learning ... on may 11

14. In digital age, more t's are crossed poorly - The Boston Globe

    impact of technology and nclb on handwriting.

    to 6-traits writing ... saved by 6 other people ... on may 08

15. ESL 6-Traits

    Forms for scoring 6-traits elements with an ESL orientation

    to 6-traits esl ... on may 05

16. Six Trait Writing Ideas

    Fun page of links to various 6-traits links!

    to 6-traits writing ... on may 05

17. Lesson Plan:"All About Me" Paragraph - Grade 5 Writing

    This is an introductory lesson for students in the beginning of the school year, based on a collection of ideas from "The 6-Traits in Writing" (rubrics adapted to be kid-friendly), and also the "10-Point Writing Checklist." This collection of organizers i

    to 6-traits writing ... saved by 2 other people ... on may 05

18. 6+1 Trait Writing @Web English Teacher

    Web English Teacher presents the best of K-12 English / Language Arts teaching resources: lesson plans, WebQuests, videos, biography, e-texts, criticism, jokes, puzzles, and classroom activities. Permission to link is granted to any educational site.

    to writing 6-traits ... saved by 32 other people ... on may 03

19. The Neverending Tale

    The Neverending Tale is for kids and kids-at-heart. It is a choose-your-own-path adventure story- like you might read in a book. But you can add to the tale where ever you like. Whatever you add will become part of the tale, anything you can think of.

    to writing writing-process 6-traits ... on may 03

20. The Opportunity of Voice (Techlearning blog)

    David Jakes on Digital Story Telling. Meat for thought here. How does medium is the message reality of web 2.0 tech interact with traditional ways of teaching writing (6-traits)? Hint: It's all about audience, and to find an audience you have to underst

    to writing 6-traits digital_storytelling ... saved by 2 other people ... on april 24

6-Traits PowerPoint Resources

This is worth looking at! There are many power point projects on this site that you can download and use for class or parent presentations. Take a look!

http://languagearts.pppst.com/6traits.html

6-Traits Writing Online: Enroll Now!

Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6 Traits: Classes are are Filling Fast!

WRITING COURSE:
EDUC 744 909F Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6-Traits - Middle/High School (Gr. 5-12) 3 gr. cr. begins October 1, 2007

Learn to teach and assess writing with the 6-Traits of writing (voice, ideas, word choice, organization, sentence fluency and conventions). Learn to use the 6-Traits with the writing process to teach revision strategies. Help learners meet higher standards and improve test scores.

Please forward this announcement to teachers in your district.

Earn graduate credits via online courses that support your professional development goals for licensure renewal, salary advancement and advanced certification.

Sign up soon to reserve your spot! Registration closes ten days before the class begins

to allow time for assigning user names, passwords and ordering/shipping the textbook.

Classes are TOTALLY ONLINE. You may participate from your home or school computer. Registration is limited to 20 participants per section.

Syllabus and other details:

http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/traits.shtml

REGISTER ONLINE
or
REGISTER BY FAX
Fax: (715) 232-3385

Text Messaging & Conventions

ttyl, y? bcuz pos
Lost on my subject line?
Allow me to translate...

Talk to you later.
Why?
Because, parent over shoulder

(which means: my mom is staring at the computer screen so don't type anything that will get either of us in trouble)

My daughter doesn't realize I speak "text" (or txt, rather) - I like it that way...I keep tabs and she doesn't realize it. But that's not for this post. This post is about the idea of discussing "conventions" (and presentation, really) with your secondary students. Txt is a language of the young. It is a written language. It is shorthand and electronic. They live, eat, and breathe this language by cell, IM, and email 24/7. It is their native language - we will not break them of it - we must accept that. Obviously not all conventions or presentation problems are texting-based, but it does creep in - the lack of capitalization and punctuation is an acceptable convention of instant messaging and texting as the message box only allows 160 characters total. And capitalization requires several convoluted cell phone key punches. In addition, spelling is phonetic to eliminate excess letter characters and the time it takes to formulate a response. When a teen has 14 friends in a chat room - time of response is highly vital.

I don't write this to excuse the poor conventions of the Gen Wi-Fi writers, but I do want teachers to understand where their students live. Remember when you were listening to "your" music as a teenager and your parents told you it was awful and to turn it down? You simply rolled your eyes and thought they just had no idea what current life was really about...welcome to current life.

Rather than simply stating that it is unacceptable to turn in work with poor conventions - and editing away the texting habits of a generation - open up a discussion (especially with high school students) - about appropriate time and place for different kinds of writing. In the same way that we use a comma after the greeting in a friendly letter and a colon after the greeting in a business letter, the conventions for punctuation, spelling, etc., change for the digital environment one is in as well. See if students can arrive at examples like: An email to your teacher or boss *should* be clean of "txt", but an email or IM to your friend can be filled with it. Also, you might steer the discussion toward judgments potential employers, college admissions officers, etc., might make (first impressions) of the student, if all they had to go on was a piece of writing with misspellings, no capitalization, and no punctuation. If students can understand the authentic reasons for proofreading, editing, and revising, they will be more inclined to voluntarily do it themselves.

Your thoughts?

Lisa@hersoapbox
(Lisa Chamberlin, was taught about the traits by Vicki Spandel. She recently co-facilitated Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6-Traits)

Organization: Where do you find the best leads?

Michael LaCerra: If you think about it, whenever a student read a novel, s/he has probably read a half-way decent lead about it---where? The back cover.

So, in helping students lead the reader into the body of their writing, I actually focus on reading. For part of the school year, students write their own leads for the independent reading they have finished. They put presentation touches on them, too, and then they go in a big 3-ring binder in my room where others can reference when looking for a book to read.

By using this process at the beginning of the year (with reading), I am usually able to quickly transfer these concepts over to writing instruction during Q2. Ongoing, students reinforce these skills by turning their leads into podcasts. Our school's server is being updated at the moment, so I cannot share an example--sorry.

In the end, students are learning effective writing strategies almost without even realizing it until we focus on it--kind of funny.

In teaching 8th graders, the far more challenging aspect is helping students improve their endings. So many of the strategies are the same as leads, but I have never been happy with my instruction or the students products. Any ideas? Thanks.

And lastly, I primarily focus on having my students use sophisticated transitions as opposed to "first, second, last". I have used this in the past for: VOICE, transitions, dialogue, and word choice.

http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/page13.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwyj78FpYt4

Start at the 35 sec mark...or have students re-inact it...just a thought.--mL

Ideas & Voice

Let me share Audrey's response to the following question: --"Wouldn't a piece that has well developed ideas usually contain voice?"


She helps us see the interactions and differences clearly:

I started wondering about this very same question as I was scoring "The Note".

My first thinking was that a piece with voice = 4 or 5 would also have a high score for ideas. Topic focus and selection of relevant, compelling, personal (experiential) details are shared by both voice and ideas.

But #1: Would it be possible to have a piece of writing where the author is very engaging and personal (Voice 4 or 5) but the ideas are just a string of wonderings grouped together, a broad range of topics (Ideas 3 or 2)?

But #2: Would it be possible to have a piece of writing where the the topic is narrow; the writer speaks from experience, giving quality details; and the reader's questions are anticipated and answered, (Ideas 4 or 5) yet the writing is sincere but impersonal and lacking risk (Voice 3)?

Perhaps a high score for Voice or Ideas would mean at least a 3 or 4 for the other trait of this pair?

What do you think?

Are there any examples you can think of?

I May Have Found My Voice

Maria reports from Summer School:

One thing I learned from the class readings, which was reinforced oddly enough in my summer school Kindergarten job today, is that the best way to engage students is to share your own writing with them. Show them your own struggles/process/evolution as a writer. Invite their input.

I tried it with Kindergarteners today, with phenomenal success.

As I relayed a description of my backyard, using simple drawings on a whiteboard and labeling the pictures, the students enthusiastically chimed in with suggestions of what to add ("How about a cat who wants to eat the goldfish in your pond?"); comments about their own backyards ("My dad built a waterfall in ours."); and helpful hints on spelling ("Sun" is spelled s-u-n.). Then, when I had the students develop their own stories in their journals, I found myself absorbed in the details of their lives. In the past, I have insisted that they write something first, then illustrate it. I learned today how unnatural that is for young writers. I also learned how much fun it is to hear other people's stories, even 6-year-olds!

Tomorrow, I am going to revisit the description of my backyard with my young charges. I am going to muse out loud about whether there is anything I could add to my story, either in the form of more pictures, or more words. Perhaps I will even venture to write a sentence about it. I will teach them, subtly, that you can go back to a piece anytime you want, planting the seeds of "revision". I will ask them to revisit their stories from yesterday, and decide if there is anything they wish to add.

(You may or may not recognize that I got the Kindergarten ideas from author Lucy Caulkins and her books on writer's workshop. Her work reinforces my conviction that sharing my writing with students is a sure way to prime their creative pump.)

Online Discussion: Vocabulary Lists & Word Choice

1 - Question - Terese
I am curious about how educators feel about vocabulary lists. Are they a necessary evil? I know I have introduced vocabulary lists to my first graders from their reading stories. We have learned to use dictionaries and thesauruses this way. The children are writing the definitions weekly and are tested. Of course, we do other activities with the words, but does defining them help retention? Are the tried and true vocab. lists and word choice activities such as we have read about best when combined to help students retain meaning and build vocabulary?

2 - Re: Question - Eryn
I think that vocabulary lists can be helpful. I also think its great that you are introducing them to dictionary's and the thesaurus. What a great skill to develop when you are young. Many kids get to the upper elementary grades and above and don't have any idea about using a dictionary. I also think its helpful for students to understand the meaning behind the words they are reading in their stories. It helps not only with reading comprehension but with writing too. Great question!~Eryn

3 - Re: Question - Terese
Thanks for your encouragement. My kids actually love doing it. I let them think they are doing third grade work and it makes them feel great.

4 - Re: Question - Shirley
My only question would be can the first graders understand the words in the dictionaries and thesauruses? If so, then you are teaching them to use these books instead of fear them!Shirley

5 - Re: Question - Terese
Yes, they can understand them. They are dictionaries and thesauruses made for young children, not the ones older children would be using. They definitely regard it as work that should be for much older children. I try to make them think that they are so smart that they can do it anyway. It works!

6 - Re: Question - Shirley
I love having the children think they are doing work that should be for older children too. Just yesterday I was teaching art and did a project with 1st graders that was designed for older children. I made sure they knew they were "extra talented!"

7 - Re: Question - Terese
That's one of the glories of teaching young children. It is so easy to make them feel special. I love it!

8 - Re: Question - Kathy
I personally have never in first grade used a vocabulary list. We stop and explore the meaning of words in our shared and guided stories by looking at synonyms and antonyms and definitions. I like the idea in the book about keeping a list of these new words that they learn so that they don't forget to use them. I don't know if we need to have them writing the definitions and being tested on them. Is that part of your curriculum?just a friendly opinion:)

9 - Re: Question - Terese
Yes, it is in our curriculum. My students actually love doing it and it is building their confidence.

10 - Re: Question - Jennifer
I think vocabulary lists and isolated word lists can be beneficial when our purpose is to open our students' eyes to word possibilities. However, we have got to make sure that we make explicit connections back to real-life, meaningful writing experiences.In my classroom, my first graders circle words that they think they will need to change the spelling of or use a different word or words during the act of writing. Then after they have done the really hard work of recording their message, they go back and fix those words. Jennifer

11 - Re: Question - Terese
I agree. I know my students remember their vocabulary words because they are connected to a reading story. I hear them saying things such as, "Oh, that was a vocabulary word" and they go searching through their vocabulary notebook. They use this as one more resource for both word choice and for spelling.

12 - Re: Question - Elizabeth
Here is my two cents from an ESL stand point : research has shown that a child needs to hear a word in context 50+ times before it is added to their internal vocabulary. Lists are not bad things - remember we all have different learning styles!

13 - Re: Question - Terese
Thanks for that reminder. You are so right.

14 - Re: Question - Mary Catherine Bolton ( Mar 1, 2007 5:28 PM )
Well, speaking for the OLDER kids (2nd grade:), we intro vocabulary before we begin reading their weekly story in their anthology. We orally define this vocab, read a "getting ready to start" page that introduces this same vocab, listen to the story, then the students have to use each vocab word in a sentence for homework that night. We review these words again when we read the story the next day, and the day after that they take home their anthologies to read the story to their parents. Kind of a traditional approach, but it seems to work in helping them get a feel for the words for reading comprehension. In addition to this, we have a word wall and individual word lists which we use when we come across interesting words.

15 - Re: Question - Mark
I have done extensive research into the area of spelling and vocabulary use. For my entire life I have struggled with spelling and word usage. And I was raised on word lists. I did this research to help me improve my own spelling, after all I teach English and spelling is somewhat important. Well, Based on this research I completely redesigned the focus of spelling and word use in my classroom.

Essentially, what I found was that in normal circumstances we all use a set amount of words, but we do not All use the same words in our writing. Variety in our message is achieved by rearranging these words. Because of this we all have words in our individual schema that overlap…it is these overlapped words that appear on lists of most commonly misspelled words along with other word groups such as modifiers and conjunctions.

This is so oversimplified but the long and the short of it was is that people will only use words they are comfortable with, unless they have to go out of that comfort zone. The further they go out of that zone, the more errors they will make. So, in my mind, the road to improved word use and spelling was to create a place where my kids would feel safe so that they could experiment with unfamiliar words.

Ahhh… You may say, didn't you say that if they leave this zone their misspellings increase?…Yes in fact I did. And that's what I want. I want them to increase their personal vocabulary and their accuracy in that set of words.

So instead of using lists, I find their vocabulary and spelling in their writing. For a number of reasons I find it easier, and more authentic for them. As part of their editing they need to identify misspellings in their papers, and most of the time it is the same words. Once identified, they choose ten words to work on. And working on them is simple. They write the word ten times in a system called old way – new way. Essentially, they spell the word incorrectly, then correctly next to it – close their eyes and spell it out loud and then write it into a sentence. They do that five times per word, and then their done. Until the next time they misspell another word.

I have been amazed at how much their spelling has improved within the context of their writing. I know this works because of the improvement I have seen in my own nemesis.

Uh… is this what you were talking about?

16 - Re: Question - Terese
I think your idea is great. I think I will try it or something similar. Thanks.

17 - Re: Question - Kathy
I agree with you. Our spelling instruction is built in to our writing curriculum. It is hard for teachers to pull away from lists. However, research shows that students tend to memorize the list for a test and not retain the information. I look for words in my students writing and then common misspelled words are added to our word wall. Individual words that are misspelled are added to personal dictionaries. I think this is so meaningful for students.

18 - Re: Question - Mark
Yes, we do personal dictionaries as well. I forgot to mention that in my first post. For me, the coolest thing is to see them go for the personal dictionary before going for the Webster which, my class has nick named the Onion. Long story...

19 - The Onion - Shirley
In this class we are talking about writing, so when you feel that need to practice your writing . . . we would love to read the long story about the "Onion"!Shirley

How to introduce the 6-Traits?

Peter, a thoughtful Middle School reflects...

As I dig into the course, I keep asking myself how I can efficiently and smoothly introduce the six trait framework to my students in a meaningful and engaging manner?

• One trait at a time?
• Teachable moments?
• Gradually introduce the lingo and zoom in through lessons and activities over time?

I suppose that I have more questions than answers! Currently, I frame my writing instruction in terms of genres more than traits, although I'm being strategic about introducing traits now that I'm in this course. So far, I'm having a blast and it's gratifying having new material and instructional practices to bring to class.

Relating what I do (or have done) to the ideas trait that we explored in module 3, I began the year by using Nancie Atwell's "writing territories" activity. The students attach the list to their writing folders and add to it once every couple of weeks. Clearly, recording the ideas is critical because they are so easy to lose! In class, we write about three days a week minimally, using quick-writes: question prompts, integrating weekly vocab. terms into a story or response, etc. Students also work building the genre pieces that I mentioned above (this is driven by the Vermont Writing Portfolio requirement).

Generally, we create a finished piece every six weeks or so with breaks here and there. The instruction is very process oriented and gives ample time to each stage, idea generating, research, prewriting, organization, writing, revision, editing, yada yada yada....

In addition to Atwell's idea generating process, I also picked up a couple of tricks from visiting author, Jack Gantos, who generates his content by making the memory maps as described this week's reading. These materials also go in student folders. The only addition or modification would be to make them as visual as possible, using small icons/sketches to truly illustrate the event and/or main characters. It's a fun, personally meaningful way to brainstorm and the kids discovered how many ideas they actually had at their disposal (this is, of course, after they complained painfully that they had nothing to put on their idea maps!).

The trick with the maps is to make them as focused or specific as possible. Jack Gantos, for example, showed us one that he created for his childhood years in Barbados, and one for his house. Each map could contain at least 20 stories! I also had the kids create a "life line" where they brainstormed and plotted a 20 events--highs and lows--over the course of their lives (that they could remember).

This activity also provided food for thought and stimulated the development of several very creative writing topics.The main reason that I like beginning with these types of activities is that they are conducive to sharing, they are visual, and the kids' ideas tend to build upon one other.

A last thought on ideas: throughout the writing process, I use a variety of graphic organizers to help students collect and select relevant details that support focus statements. This is one area, however that i'm looking to enhance. I have a couple of good resources on writing by Jim Burke (who seems to be making quite a name for himself recently). He's published through Heinemann Press--an excellent publisher.

Ultimately, my goal is to develop a growing resource of lessons and activities to help students practice idea development to in a variety of ways that they find engaging and fun, rather than tedious and arduous. Rather than make them groan and develop a rash when we discuss writing, my goal is to foster genuine enthusiasm and interest. Can pigs truly fly? Ideas?

NCLB & High Stakes Testing: Tell your stories

The request comes from Kathy Champeau
Wisconsin State Reading Association NCLB Co-Chair . . .

Please help us document the impact of high stakes tests on students' and others' lives.

We are looking for teachers, parents, guidance counselors, school nurses, or anyone else who has firsthand experiences that can help us document as richly as possible the experience of high stakes testing in schools.

If you have stories you can share with us, we ask you to participate in a very short and completely anonymous survey. It should take about fifteen minutes - perhaps more if you have a lot to say.

Interested school personnel please go to:
http://m1e.net/c?40065577-iGBM/YeQVYL1E%402449269-tpJQkLhKUm8EM
(www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=351423260023)

Interested parents please go to:
http://m1e.net/c?40065577-BWmtNm3nd7jK.%402449270-c50s.y5mOGbT%2e
(www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=246153266525)

If you know of anyone else who may have pertinent experience to contribute please direct them to these websites.

Thank you for your help,

Peter Johnston (Professor, State University of New York at Albany)
Kathy Champeau (Reading Specialist, Wisconsin State Reading Association)

Writing Strategies Web Site

I'd like to recommend the Writing Strategies Web Site. Jim Collins of the University at Buffalo has created a website worth your attention. This is a rich resource for information about 6-traits, the writing process, and writing across the curriculum. If you need classroom poster materials, teaching ideas, or advice on how to teach the traits as part of the writing process, this site will be a treasure chest of goodies for you.

You'll be able to download a series of fourteen traits specific PDF files. These files are richly illustrated and would make a great writing center display, or presentation set for an in-service.

Here's a clever presentation of the traits and the writing process:

This diagram shows how you might roll out a traits based writing process in your classroom:


Take the time to visit this site! You'll be glad you did.

6-Traits Online (University of Wisconsin-Stout)

Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6 Traits: Classes are are Filling Fast!

WRITING COURSE:
EDUC 744 909F Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6-Traits - Middle/High School (Gr. 5-12) 3 gr. cr. begins June 18, 2007

Learn to teach and assess writing with the 6-Traits of writing (voice, ideas, word choice, organization, sentence fluency and conventions). Learn to use the 6-Traits with the writing process to teach revision strategies. Help learners meet higher standards and improve test scores.

Please forward this announcement to teachers in your district.

Earn graduate credits via online courses that support your professional development goals for licensure renewal, salary advancement and advanced certification.

University of Wisconsin-Stout School of Education online courses begin in a few weeks.

Sign up soon to reserve your spot! Registration closes ten days before the class begins

to allow time for assigning user names, passwords and ordering/shipping the textbook.

Classes are TOTALLY ONLINE. You may participate from your home or school computer. Registration is limited to 20 participants per section.

Syllabus and other details:

http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/traits.shtml

REGISTER ONLINE
or
REGISTER BY FAX

Fax: (715) 232-3385

Tuition is the same fee for in-state and international participants. You may pay via credit card, school purchase order or invoice.

REGISTER ONLINE at
http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/register.shtml

Dennis O'Connor
Instructor & Course Author
Department of Education
Online Professional Development
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University
oconnord@uwstout.edu
530-318-1145 or 760-471-5262

Traits Resources!

• The Neverending Tale
  The Neverending Tale is for kids and kids-at-heart. It is a choose-your-own-path adventure story- like you might read in a book. But you can add to the tale where ever you like. Whatever you add will become part of the tale, anything you can think of.
  (tags: writing writing-process 6-traits)

• 6+1 Trait Writing @Web English Teacher
  Web English Teacher presents the best of K-12 English / Language Arts teaching resources: lesson plans, WebQuests, videos, biography, e-texts, criticism, jokes, puzzles, and classroom activities. Permission to link is granted to any educational site. Here you'll find all their 6-traits resources in one place.
  
  (tags: writing 6-traits)

How to Introduce the 6-Traits to your students.

One recurring question about teaching with the 6 traits is: “How do I go about introducing traits to my class?” This is a first draft of a lecture I'm developing for my online class: Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6-Traits.

Establishing the writing process as the basis for instruction. It’s always (IMHO) Writing Process first, then the traits. You will find this assertion in Spandel & Culham’s works as well.

It does make sense to teach the traits in conjunction with the writing process. The pre-writing phase of the traits is the perfect place to hammer home the importance of Ideas in writing. Pre-writing is when a writer finds the ideas that light them up. For this reason, voice is another important concept to teach as part of pre-writing. We know that voice flows when writers are passionate about their topics. A good topic springs from sound pre-writing activities mated with the understanding of the trait of voice.

Yeah, but what do I do on Monday Morning?

When starting at the beginning of the year I introduced traits to my middle-schoolers sequentially: ideas, voice, word choice, organization, sentence fluency I gave about 3 weeks to a trait.

We'd practice each new trait's core concepts in many small chunks. Writing examples, working with contrasting examples, all of the methods I discuss in the 6-traits online class, plus all of the methods shared by the world wide group of dedicated teachers in the class.

After introduction and practice of a trait, we move on to the next trait.

Seize Teachable Moments

If a chance to talk about another trait presents itself while you are ‘in deep’ with the current trait, go ahead: do it. Don't be afraid to quickly introduce another trait. If you’re introducing ideas, it’s a good idea to talk about voice etc. You don’t have to do a mini lesson or go into depth, but say enough to be appropriate for the moment. This creates a foundation for the concepts to come.

Use 6-Traits Posters

I had traits concepts up around the room in poster format to refer to as needed. Sometimes just walking over to the poster and touching it as you talk is enough to set the pattern for kids. You'll notice kids glancing at the posters and explanations. They know where to look to get the bullet points of the concept. Constant coaching on the concepts is the way to go.

Teach & Re-Teach
Like we do in our online class, each time I started teaching the concepts of a new trait, I would refer back to the previous traits, while foreshadowing those to come. It's recursive practice, teach and reteach throughout the year.

Traits and the Writing Process Work Together

This recursive loop of presenting the traits is similar to the way the writing process works. Pre-writing leads to drafting; drafting reveals the first rush of ideas and voice.

It's at this point that revision should enter the process, working a first draft up to a second draft is more than fixing the spelling and making things neat, yet it's often at this point that the writing process breaks down.

Revision!

• Kids don't know what to do.
• Teachers lack the vocabulary to provide specific and focused feedback.

Understanding how to spot and improve traits in writing provides a way to revise the writing and keep the process evolving. Understanding the traits powers up the writing process by providing entry points for revision.

Revision!

So often, kids (and teachers) think revision is just fix the spelling and punctuation and write it over neatly.

Save intense focus on conventions and presentation to the publishing stage of the writing process and dive into the meat of the process by learning to revise using word choice, organization, and sentence fluency. This will blow the embers of first draft ideas and voice into full flame.

Waiting for Eureka Moments

When you first start teaching with the traits you wonder if all this work is really worth it. You have to go at it (initially at first) on pure faith. Over the course of the first year it will come together. It will take faith and patience.

I'll admit it felt miraculous when I could see that my kids really were understanding things at a depth! This ability to apply traits concepts to their writing usually showed up around Christmas!

I recall a true eureka moment as I listened to previously inarticulate kids from my toughest class (you know the class that won’t jell and you have before or after lunch) speak eloquently about the ideas and voice they heard in the stories being read aloud. Their comments were on point, supportive, and insightful. They were writers helping each other.

At that moment I felt like crying.

At that moment I knew why I’d hung in all these years as a teacher.

It is moments like that I hope I can help you all find!

Dennis

Annenburg Media: National Poetry Month!

Annenburg Media's Learner.org offers Voices and Visions... great online video of poets, poetry, and word smithing in general:

National Poetry Month

> This April, immerse yourself and your students in the hour-long
documentaries of "Voices & Visions"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/vv71.html>. Featured poets include
Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and William Carlos
Williams. Several programs are scheduled to air on the Channel in April;
click on "Broadcast Dates" for details.

> Our literary analysis series "Literary Visions"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/lit72.html> includes seven programs
about different aspects of poetry.

> Consider the historical relevance of American poetry in "American
Passages: A Literary Survey"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/apass73.html> Program 10, "Rhythms in
Poetry," and Program 15, "Poetry of Liberation."

> Get upper elementary students started with poetry with this lesson
plan <http://learner.org/redirect/april/start74.html> on our Web site
for "Engaging With Literature: A Video Library, Grades 3-5." The page
includes a link to a list of poems suggested for teaching the use of
line breaks, repetition, and other devices.

> Try out different teaching strategies presented in "Teaching
Multicultural Literature: A Workshop for the Middle Grades"
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/tml75.html>. Draw inspiration from
the work of Nikki Grimes, whose characters in the novel "Bronx
Masquerade" perform at an "open mike" poetry event at school. Grimes's
poems appear on pages 17-20 of this PDF document
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/tml76.html>.

> "The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature in High
School" offers lessons plans for teaching poetry, like this one
<http://learner.org/redirect/april/canon77.html> for teaching the work
of Lawson Fusao Inada. Hear and read an excerpt of Inada's poem "Drawing
the Line" at <http://learner.org/redirect/april/canon78.html>.

---
Visit our Web site <http://learner.org/redirect/april/vod79.html> for
information about our FREE Video on Demand and other viewing options.

First Grade Word Choice Methods

Terese shared these word choice methods...

In first grade, word choice is continuous since their vocabulary is so limited. In the beginning of the year, we use our five senses to brainstorm adjectives for each sense. I make a chart and add to it throughout the year. That way, the words are always available to them when they write.

As the year progresses, I do a lot of modeling.

I write sentences on the overhead with "overused" words. We begin with the verbs, and try to replace the existing verbs with action verbs. We always try to change forms of the verb "to be" to action verbs.

We then try to add exciting adjectives. Again, this has to be modeled again and again.

We are now at the point of the year where we are progressing to short paragraphs on the overhead and revising them. For first grade, we emphasize strong verbs and adjectives.

We draw pictures of the sentences before we revise and after to emphasize the difference. We are always trying to form a picture in our readers' minds. If my first graders don't learn anything else, all of them will be able to tell you that!

Towards the end of the year, we do a beach unit. (As I live in Delaware, that is where the children's minds are by the end of the year anyway.) In pairs, the students pick an ocean-related animal or object and research it. One of our activities is to write a simile for our topic. Of course, we read many books first for examples. Then, the children make a page for a class book of similes. They draw their topic on the left and the object they are comparing it to on the right. They write the simile below.

In first grade, this project is better towards the end of the year when the children are more comfortable experimenting with writing.

PreK - 1st Grade Traits: Using "Wee Can Write" Workshop

Folks, I'm not affiliated in any way with NWREL. I just admire the great materials and training they offer. Wee Can Write is available online from NWREL.

If you're going to be in the North West, don't miss this training:

Carolyn McMahon, co-author of the bestselling book, Wee Can Write: Using
6+1 Trait® Writing Strategies With Renowned Children's Literature, will be
in Portland, Oregon, on April 5–6, 2007, to facilitate this "learn it
today…use it tomorrow" hands-on workshop. Participants will explore a
variety of activities for teaching and assessing the traits of effective
writing using familiar classic literature titles that young students love.

Teachers, instructional assistants, special education staff, and
administrators of "wee" (beginning) writers—preschool, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten, Head Start, and first grade students—are encouraged to
attend.

Attendance is limited to maximize the focused, interactive nature of this
workshop so register soon. As an added incentive, register by March 15 and
save $20 on the already low registration rate.

Visit http://www.nwrel.org/events/see/85 for complete information or call
(800) 547-6339, ext. 187.

Learn about other NWREL workshops at http://www.nwrel.org/events/ .

See the new http://www.thetraits.org ...your one-stop resource for all
your 6+1 Trait® Writing needs, including information on trainings,
instruction assistance, and products.

Writing classroom tips...

A conversation between Peter and Paul about writing workshop:

Hi Paul, I appreciate the insightful process that you're following with your students. What level do you teach? It sounds like you've developed a strong workshop approach with your students. Do you introduce and teach one trait at a time?

From your feedback, it sounds like your curriculum has a good sense of continuity? How do you get there?!??! Also, I'm interested in using the white board in my classroom. My sense is that it would facilitate sharing and contribute an invaluable visual component to instruction. How have you used it in your classrooms? Obstacles? Successes? What is the ultimate learning curve? Thanks for any help you can offer. Cheers, Peter

--------------------------

Peter, I teach Language Arts and Geography to 7th graders. Last year I was tasked with starting an 8-week "Creative Writing" elective for them. I had no idea what to do other than try to follow Nancie Atwell's In the Middle*, so that's what I did. Most activities I've discussed here come out of that class.

Setting up the class takes time each quarter, which is frustrating since it ends pretty quickly. On the other hand, I get to learn from my mistakes and start over 3 times in one school year. Halfway through my 7th quarter now, I'm getting the hang of it.

The luxury is that I don't have to fit this stuff in with all the other Language Arts content, since that's a separate class. So the kids have 100% freedom of choice on topic selection. And I don't always have to force a schedule on them (and me) like I do teaching Lang.Arts. Organization is NOT one of my strong points, so I like that the structure can be fairly loose. It doesn't get chaotic since the class size is only 15-16 kids.

I intended to start teaching the traits this year, but I haven't felt like I knew the concept well enough to teach it well. So to answer your question, I haven't introduced the traits at all. BUT, since this online class has started, I can't resist working with things that I'm learning. I'll try to do a complete 6-trait delivery for the 4th quarter.

The interactive whiteboard is fantastic for all content areas, particularly with the Internet. Tomorrow, if my writing class needs help with leads, I can have Dennis's lecture and examples up on the board in seconds. One day while reading, a student asked what a rumble seat was. 30 seconds on Google Images, and they see photos from multiple angles, assorted car models, even a Norman Rockwell print.

I'm fairly neutral about technology, neither Supergeek nor Luddite, and I'm totally comfortable using it. And we have a great ET at the school who makes life bearable for the real technophobes. I don't use it as much as many teachers, but I'd hate to go without it. For me the challenge is to keep adding to my skills and creativity with it, and I confess I've been lazy about that lately.

Have I answered what you were asking? As my students know, I can spew out a lot of words without delivering much. I often finish a response to them by saying, "Is that the longest way you've ever heard someone say, 'I don't know' ?" ~ Paul

(This conversation from the Spring 2007 session of Teaching and Assessing Writing with the 6-Traits was used with the author's permission. )

*For more great books about writing see my Writer's Bookshelf!

Strong Leads: 6 Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How)

On the topic of organization and strong leads, Adam offers us some wisdom based on work in journalism:

I've taught several writers how to write leads for newspapers and have used the lesson below to show beginning writers how to shape leads to write in inverted pyramid style.

The 6 Ws are used with a different lead emphasis depending on what the writer feels is the most important aspect of a story.

By focusing on the 6 Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How) students will have something quick to grasp if they're stuck. After they've defined what the 6 Ws are they can determine which is the most important or dramatic.

How is the most difficult W of them all – that's why it's W comes at the end instead of the front -- to write because it's hard to get someone to explain the real reasoning behind things.

WHO #1 – Baskin Robins owners will increase the cost of a single scoop ice crime by nearly double Wednesday across the city because of rising milk costs.

WHO #1 – Consumers have until Tuesday before they begin paying nearly double the amount for a single scoop ice cream before a plan kicks in by Baskin Robins to avert a crisis forced by the rising cost of milk.

NOTE: By showing two examples you can also show that there's not necesarily a single answer or approach to a lead emphasis within newswriting.

WHAT – Ice cream will cost almost twice as much across the city beginning Wednesday as Baskin Robins owners will nearly double their prices because of rising milk costs.

WHERE #1– Across the city, ice cream will cost nearly twice as much Wednesday at Baskin Robins 31 Flavor stores as owners cite the rising cost of milk as their reason.

WHERE #2– At Baskin Robins 31 Flavor stores , ice cream will cost nearly twice as much Wednesday as owners cite the rising cost of milk as their reason to hike prices across the city.

WHEN – Tuesday will be the last day single scoop ice cream at Baskin Robins 31 Flavors stores will be sold at its current price as owners plan to implement a price hike across town they say is due to the rising costs of milk.

NOTE: Look for subtle differences -- here it's Tuesday instead of Wednesday -- that will set your writing slightly apart from others and make it unique.

WHY– The rising cost of milk will cause the cost of a single scoop of ice cream to nearly double Wednesday across the city Baskin Robins officials announced today.

HOW – By doubling the cost of single scoop ice cream beginning Wednesday Baskin Robins officials say they'll be able to remain open across the city and avert an ice cream crisis in the wake of rising milk costs.

After explaining the differences in lead emphasis, rip a newspaper apart and ask students to work in small groups with a couple of pages of the newspaper (Sunday edition works best) and decide what the lead emphasis of new stories on pages handed to them are.

This exercise helps "reveal how the sausage is made" and shows them how writing in everyday life can apply to them. They quickly discover that most news stories begin with what or who.

After this, I have the group rewrite a lead using a different lead emphasis. If they pick a Who emphasis lead, then they have to write a lead with an emphasis besides who.

Because all of the facts and materials are provided, nobody can honestly say they couldn't come up with something. This also builds their ability and confidence in editing others work.

For example, "You're lead emphasized who -- Baskin Robins officials -- when the most important news is really the what -- Ice cream costs will double. What has the most effect on people? Maybe that's what you should lead with.

Teaching the six Ws is applicable in a variety of things, police work, emergency services, lawyers, journalist, report to share holders because like the 6 traits for writers the 6 Ws are the basic elements needed in writing.