English Language Arts

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English Language Arts
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The 61 Trait Writing Model

• Ideas
• Organization
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Conventions
• Presentation
• From 61 Traits of Writing
• By, Ruth Culham

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Trait 1 Ideas

• Simply stated, ideas make up the content of the
  writing piece.
• Strong ideas Clear overall message/content
• Students struggle with ideas because writing is
  complex, they think faster than they can write,
  and they often dont write for themselves.

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Trait 1 IdeasAs teachers, we must help our
students

• Select an idea (the topic)
• Narrow the idea (focus)
• Elaborate on the idea (development)
• Discover the best information to convey the main
  idea (details)

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Trait 1 IdeasSome ways to teach the Ideas
trait

• Free writing
• Flashbacks
• Favorite places
• Picture This
• String Along

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Trait 2 Organization

• Organization is the internal structure of the
  piece, the thread of central meaning, the pattern
  of logic.
• Students struggle with organization because rigid
  organization is often overvalued, organization is
  a difficult thing to achieve, and there is no
  single program to solve all of our organizational
  woes.

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Trait 2 OrganizationAs teachers, we must help
our students with

• Writing an introductiona lead that hooks the
  reader.
• Developing the middle of the papera core that is
  logically organized and contains clearly linked
  details.
• Writing the conclusionan ending that leaves the
  reader satisfied.

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Trait 2 OrganizationSome ways to teach the
Organization trait

• Share examples from literature
• Teach organizational options
• Organize by space
• Organize by time
• Organize by content
• Organize by perspective

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Trait 3 Voice

• Voice is the writers music coming out through
  words, the sense that a real person is speaking
  to you and cares about the message.
• Students struggle with voice because its not as
  concrete as other traits, because there is a
  perception that boring is good, because its a
  bit too personal, and because many teachers still
  say that some forms of writing dont require
  voice.

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Trait 3 VoiceAs teachers, we must remember
that voice emerges when the writer

• Speaks directly to the reader on an emotional
  level.
• Experiments with style to match the purpose and
  audience.
• Takes risks by revealing the person behind the
  words.

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Trait 3 VoiceSome ways to teach the Voice
trait

• Share different artists recordings of the same
  song
• Illustrate the voice trait
• Compare and contrast (same story, different
  authors)
• New Voices, New Choices (5 letters)

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Trait 4 Word Choice

• Word choice isnt just about the useor misuseof
  words. It is about the use of rich, colorful,
  precise language that both communicates and
  inspires the reader.
• Students struggle with word choice because too
  often, language is used to exclude, vocabulary is
  often taught in isolation, and students tend to
  get word drunk.

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Trait 4 Word ChoiceAs teachers, we must teach
our students how to use

• Striking language Sharpen students descriptive
  powers
• Exact language Using lively verbs, precise
  nouns, and accurate modifiers
• Natural language Making it sound authentic
• Beautiful language Choosing colorful words and
  phrases

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Trait 4 Word ChoiceSome ways to teach the
Choice trait

• Painting a picture with words
• Top Ten List of words
• Finding key words and phrases in captivating texts

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Trait 5 Sentence Fluency

• Strong sentence fluency is marked by logic,
  creative phrasing, parallel construction,
  alliteration, and word order that makes reading
  feel natural.
• Students struggle with sentence fluency because
  of the overemphasis on correctness, because
  writing classrooms are too quiet, and because
  writing good sentences is harder than it looks.

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Trait 5 Sentence FluencyAs teachers, we must
help our students with

• Establishing flow, rhythm, and cadence.
• Varying sentence length and structure.
• Constructing sentences that enhance meaning.

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Trait 5 Sentence FluencySome ways to teach the
Sentence Fluency trait

• Reading aloud to yourself
• Sentence stretching
• End with a noun
• A rolling stone gathers no moss.
• Picture your sentence
• This sentence is short.

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Trait 6 Conventions

• Conventions guide the reader through the text,
  making ideas readable and understandable.
• Conventions spelling, punctuation, grammar,
  capitalization, paragraphing, etc.
• Students struggle with conventions because they
  dont see the power of good writing mechanics,
  and because they arent encouraged to take enough
  risks with their writing.

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Trait 6 ConventionsAs teachers we should

• Be sure students understand that editing and
  revising are different.
• Expect correctness, but only according to
  appropriate developmental level and age.
• Value experimentation right along with
  correctness. Its a balancing act.
• Be patient. Learning to use conventions well
  takes time.

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Trait 6 ConventionsSome ways to teach the
Conventions trait

• Take it out
• Error Hunt
• Conventions Experts
• Reading Backwards
• Practice Makes Perfect

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Presentation (1)

• How the writing looks to the reader.
• Writing should have a finished look that shows
  care.

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Presentation (1)As teachers, we need to
encourage the following in our students writing

• Uniform spacing
• Legible handwriting appropriate use of fonts and
  sizes
• Appealing use of white space

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6 1 Traits of WritingThe Complete Guide

• By, Ruth Culham