Six-Traits Writing

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Six-Traits Writing
Introduction Ideas and Content Organization Voice
Word Choice Sentence Fluency Conventions Six-Trait
s and the Writing Process
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Introduction
Just as human beings must learn to walk before
they can run a marathon, good writers begin as
readers.
When you especially like a piece of writing, it
may be because the writing has moved you or
taught you something about yourself and your life.
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Introduction
Good writing is not a work of magic.
It can easily be broken down and understood as
the six traits of writing.
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Introduction
These six elements of strong writing will help
you improve your writing skills and review the
work of others.
Ideas and Content
Word Choice
Organization
Sentence Fluency
Voice
Conventions
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IntroductionUsing Six-Traits Writing
By using Six-Traits Writing, you will better
understand the strong points of your writing, and
you will also be more aware of the points that
you can improve upon.
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Ideas and Content
If you are telling a friend about a really good
book or movie, the most important information you
can give is what the book or movie is about.
Ideas and content are the most important parts of
any piece of writing. They give the message of
the text, sometimes called the thesis or main
idea.
Readers enjoy a work of writing with interesting
ideas and content.
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Ideas and ContentIdentifying Main Idea and
Supporting Details
The main idea is the central point of any piece
of writing, whether its an essay, an article, or
a book.
In persuasive writing, the main idea is expressed
through the writers opinion.
In narrative texts, the main idea is usually
expressed through theme.
A main idea can be stated directly or implied.
For example, a theme can be implied through the
details that the writer includes in a story.
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Ideas and Content Supporting Details
Supporting details make connections for your
readers to make your writing understandable and
interesting.
Opinion Litter laws are a terrific idea.
Supporting detail Studies have shown that
communities with laws against littering have
property values that are higher than average.
Theme The house that Mr. Jones lived in looked
sad. Supporting details A torn shutter flapped
against the gray, peeling siding and a lone strip
of gutter hung forlornly across the second-floor
window.
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Ideas and ContentSelecting a Purpose
What is your purpose as a writer?
to inform
to persuade
to entertain
to emotionally move
The type of writing you produce should match your
purposefor example, to tell a story, to share an
experience, or to convince someone of something.
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Ideas and ContentAudience
When you watch a TV commercial, you can often
tell the audience its aimed at.
Writers also have an intended audience.
As you write, think about who the ideal reader
would be for your piece of writing and write for
that person.
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Ideas and Content In your writing
Use the following checklist to help you evaluate
the ideas and content in your writing

• My topic is well-focused.
• My ideas are original and interesting.
• I have drawn from personal experience or
  knowledge.
• My key details are carefully chosen.
• The development of my topic is well thought out
  and understandable.
• My supporting details are correct and relate to
  the topic.

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Organization
Organization is the way you choose to put your
writing together. It is the underlying frame that
gives your writing shape and power.
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OrganizationChronological
If you are telling a story or want to show cause
and effect, the most common organizational
pattern is chronological, or the order in which
things actually happen.
One evening at dinner time, our cat got out.
Later we found Mercer, shivering in a tree. At
about 800 that night, my father put a ladder
against the tree to try and get Mercer down. By
830, we arrived at the hospital. Shortly after
that, a doctor told dad he had a broken arm.
By using time-related words, you can lead a
reader through an experience.
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OrganizationSpatial Organization
Descriptive writing relies on a clear sense of
how details relate to one another. This is known
as spatial organization.
The bathroom was a mess after Maddy took a
shower. There was water puddled all over the
floor from the bathtub to the linen closet in the
corner. Her dirty clothes were scattered across
the wet floor and some were hanging out of the
clothes hamper. Her blush and eye shadow were
spilled across the counter and all around the
sink.
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OrganizationOrder of Importance
To inform or persuade, you can start with your
strongest point. This method of organization is
called order of importance.
The most important argument for supporting a
school recycling program is that it gives us
students a chance to reduce the waste that our
school contributes to the local landfill.
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OrganizationLogical
Logical organization classifies or divides a
topic into parts. For example, to write about
related ideas, you may want to compare and
contrast them.
Both the trumpet and the French horn are brass
instruments, but the French horn has a mellower
sound.
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OrganizationMixed
You must decide which type of organization best
suits your purpose in writing. You may choose to
combine several organization strategies in a
mixed order.
For example, you might begin with order of
importance to emphasize your main idea and then
switch to chronological order to tell the rest of
your story.
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Organization In your writing

• Use the following checklist to help evaluate your
  writing with organization in mind

• My text has a logical sequence of ideas.
• My introduction grabs the readers attention.
• My pacing is careful and controlled.
• My transitions make clear connections between
  ideas.
• My organizational structure is appropriate to my
  purpose and audience.
• My title sums up the main idea of my text in an
  imaginative way.

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Voice
Voice is the unique sound and style of a writers
language.
The words on a page come from a real person, with
a distinct life, background, and point of view.
Together, these help determine a writers voice.
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Voice
Read the following passage and focus on the voice
of the writer.
I was a very smart child at the age of
thirteenan unusually smart child, I thought at
the time. It was then that I did my first
newspaper scribbling, and most unexpectedly to me
it stirred up a fine sensation in the community.
It did, indeed, and I was very proud of it, too.
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Voice
Was this passage written by the same writer? How
can you tell?
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own
life, or whether that station will be held by
anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my
life with the beginning of my life, I record that
I was born (as I have been informed and believe)
on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was
remarked that the clock began to strike, and I
began to cry, simultaneously.
The first passage was written by American
humorist Mark Twain. The second is by English
novelist Charles Dickens.
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Voice
You can develop your own writing voice by making
careful choices about

• Toneshows your attitude toward your subject
• Word choiceallows you to define your point of
  view
• Stylemay include formal or informal language,
  distinct speech, and different points of view
• Sentence lengthvarying sentence lengths makes
  writing interesting
• Paragraph structurecreates rhythm and flow in
  your writing

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Voice In your writing
Use the following checklist to help evaluate your
own voice

• The tone of my writing is appropriate for the
  purpose and the audience of the text.
• The reader is aware of the real person behind the
  text.
• My writing shows a strong connection to the topic
  and explains why my readers should care.
• My point of view is sincere, interesting, and
  clear.

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Word Choice
Word choice is an important way of defining
yourself as a writer.
Choosing words that communicate your exact
meaning is a large part of successful writing.
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Word Choice
The meaning of a word is not limited to what it
says in the dictionary. Being aware of
connotations and denotations will help to sharpen
your language skills.
Denotation is like a words dictionary definition.
One definition for the word new is young.
Connotation is the emotions or associations that
a word suggests.
The word immature also means young, but its
connotations are more negative.
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Word Choice
Jargon is specialized vocabulary.
In computer programming, open source refers to a
type of software that anyone can use or change.
A cliché is a tired, overused expression.
live and learn, thats the way the cookie crumbles
While you should avoid jargon and clichés,
careful use of idioms, or figurative expressions
that cannot be taken literally, can make a text
interesting.
dead as a doornail, let the cat out of the bag,
dumb as a door knob, as cold as ice
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Word Choice
Loaded language refers to words or phrases that
are used to appeal to the emotions. Often, the
same idea can be presented in a positive or a
negative light depending on the words used to
describe it.
The police officer calmly faced the angry mob.
The police officer coldly eyed the crowd of
protesters.
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Word Choice In your writing
Use the following checklist to help evaluate your
own writing with word choice in mind

• All my words are specific and appropriate.
• My language is natural and not overdone. Clichés
  and jargon are rare.
• My text contains exciting verbs.
• My key details are carefully chosen.
• I use vivid words and phrases, including sensory
  details.

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Sentence Fluency
Sentence construction is another important part
of your writing style. Show sentence fluency by
varying your sentence length, using clear
transitions, and developing an interesting rhythm.

• Avoid common problems that may confuse readers
• sentence fragments
• run-ons
• choppy or wordy sentences
• poor transitions

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Sentence FluencyAvoiding fragments and run-ons
A sentence fragment is a partial sentence. It may
be missing a subject or a verb.
No subject Runs after the ball.
No verb Cat up a tree last night.
A run-on sentence includes multiple sentences put
together in a grammatically incorrect way that
confuses the reader.
Buck got back on his horse and he looked for his
lost cow but he couldnt find them.
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Sentence Fluency Stringy sentences
Avoid stringy sentences in your writing.
The cowboy rode after the lone cow that had
strayed from the herd and then he found the cow
and roped it but then it got away again and it
ran towards the shelter of some trees.
Can you tell what the most important idea is in
the sentence above? It has too many ideas strung
together with conjunctions.
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Sentence Fluency Choppy or wordy sentences
Choppy sentences are extremely short, and wordy
sentences are too long.
Choppy Elvis was the King. He played guitar. He
lived at Graceland.
Wordy As spelling bee champion, I savored my
splendid and well-deserved triumph and enjoyed my
status as spelling bee champ for an entire
bliss-filled year.
Too many choppy or wordy sentences might put your
reader to sleep.
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Sentence FluencyMaking transitions
Transition words and phrases guide readers by
connecting sentences and ideas. Transitions also
provide clues to the organization of your
writing.
Comparison/Contrast however, on the other hand
Chronological before, after, since, when
Cause-and-Effect because, therefore, so, since
Order of Importance mainly, most importantly,
then
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Sentence FluencyIn your writing
Use the following checklist to help you evaluate
your own writing with sentence fluency in mind

• The meaning of my sentences is clear to the
  reader.
• My sentences vary in length and structure.
• I use varied sentence beginnings.
• My writing has a steady rhythm.
• My dialogue is natural.
• I use good transitions between sentences to show
  how my ideas work together.

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Conventions
Rules are an important part of any group activity.
In writing, conventions are the agreed-upon rules
that govern grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
and spelling.
Agreeing on the rules of language and writing
makes it easier to communicate.
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ConventionsParagraphing
Paragraphs help readers understand how ideas
relate and where your writing introduces a new
idea or presents a conclusion.
Paragraphs should
begin with an indentation
be clearly focused on one main idea
break in a logical place
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Conventions Grammar and usage
Do all of your sentences follow the rules of
grammar and usage? Do they have both a verb and a
subject, as well as correct capitalization and
punctuation?
To check your writing, ask these questions about
grammar and usage

• Do my sentences have both a subject and a verb?
• Do the verb and subject in each sentence agree?
• Do I use the correct forms of verbs and pronouns?
• Have I used any double negatives?

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Conventions Punctuation and capitalization
We may take agreed-upon spelling and punctuation
for granted, but it wasnt always in use. This is
from the 1623 publication of Romeo and Juliet.
But soft, what light through yonder window
breaks? It is the East, and Iuliet is the Sunne,
Arise faire Sun and kill the enuious Moone, Who
is already sicke and pale with griefe,
Follow the conventions of punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling to help your readers
understand your writing.
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ConventionsIn your writing
Use the following checklist to help you evaluate
your own writing with conventions in mind

• My paragraphs are regular and organized.
• My grammar and usage are correct and clear in
  meaning.
• My punctuation is correct.
• I understand capitalization and use it correctly.
• I have spelled difficult words and proper nouns
  correctly.
• My writing is complex enough to show that I
  understand conventions.

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Six-Traits and the Writing Process
The six traits are not a substitute for the
writing process. However, you can use your
understanding of the six traits as a roadmap for
strong and effective writing.
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Six-Traits and the Writing Process
Prewriting is the first step in the writing
process. To incorporate the six traits, you can
explore ideas and choose a topic (Ideas and
Content)
develop a thesis statement or main idea
(Organization)
think about audience, purpose, and tone (Voice)
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Six-Traits and the Writing Process
Writing using the six traits will help you to
develop sentences and paragraphs that explain and
elaborate on your ideas (Ideas and Content)
create an effective introduction (Organization)
include clues that make the audience aware of
your purpose in writing the piece (Voice)
use language effectively to say exactly what you
want (Word Choice)
build effective transitions between sentences and
connect ideas (Sentence Fluency)
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Six-Traits and the Writing Process
Revising and editing with the six traits in mind
will help you
evaluate and revise your content (Ideas and
Content)
evaluate and revise your organization
(Organization)
refine the style of your writing so that it suits
your audience and conveys your voice (Voice)
evaluate and revise the style of your writing to
eliminate weak or unnecessary words (Word Choice)
examine your sentence construction for clarity
and variety (Sentence Fluency)
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Six-Traits and the Writing Process
Proofreading your writing with the six traits as
a guide means you can
reflect on the finished piece (Ideas and Content)
identify and correct errors in sentence
construction (Sentence Fluency)
proofread the piece to catch errors in spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization (Conventions)
publish the piece for its intended audience
(Voice)
Including the six traits in your writing process
will allow you to produce strong, focused writing
that is enjoyable to read.
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The End