Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction, 5th Edition

Written by the pioneer of 6-trait writing, this fifth edition brings everything up to date, offering a comprehensive overview of the best education strategies and philosophies of writing assessment and instruction. It provides clear guidelines on helping students draft, assess, and revise their writing, as well as explicit criteria to show students precisely what they must do to succeed as writers in virtually any situation. Because the six traits are so widely used at the state level, many school districts are incorporating them into state standards and state assessments. This book can dramatically help teachers to prepare their students for success on state tests and beyond. Give students the preparation they need to become writers for life!

 

• New lessons, suggested by numerous teachers throughout the country--all tested and tried with students in the classroom!
• Lesson ideas connected to sample papers, offering students many opportunities to learn and practice revision skills.
• Updated rubrics, offering greater clarity and ease of use, including:
  • a teacher favorite, the Leap the River 6-point model, that shows students precisely when and how writing moves from beginning levels (in need of revision) to proficient levels (demonstrating strength).
  • a brand-new 3-level rubric that can be adapted as a 5- or 6-point scale. This model offers students and teachers more flexibility than they have ever had in a rubric, with the descriptive richness of the 5-point scale and the thoroughness and precision of the 6-point.
• New teacher voices in Chapter 10 to offer a wide range of instructional ideas. The author explicitly identifies key strategies, making this chapter much more user friendly and easy to skim for favorite moments.
• Spanish translations offered for some key items: "Leap the River" rubric for students, a Spanish student checklist, and--also brand new--Spanish trait summaries for use by teachers in introducing the traits.
• Strategies for challenged writers–-and for those who need a challenge–-are part of virtually every chapter, from lessons to process to recommendations from teachers. Those who work with struggling writers will gain ideas for making revision small and manageable, while those who work with more advanced students will discover ways to make trait-based writing as challenging as their students can handle.
• New primary continuums invite even the youngest writers into the trait-based classroom, all while emphasizing instruction, exploration, and discovery–-not assessment.
• Study group discussion questions and activities offer challenging and diverse ways for study groups or students in a writing class to extend their learning and work in teams. This book is intended to be used by groups who are serious about rethinking and redesigning their writing instruction and who wish to make the six traits part of that plan.
• Increased emphasis on informational writing appears throughout the book, both in examples and in lessons.

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

 

1 Creating a Vision

Who Invented the Six Traits?

Assessing to Learn: The Bridge to Revision

Ten Reasons to Make Six-Trait Writing Part of Your Instruction

Building a Personal Vision

Chapter 1 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

2 Creating Assessment to Match the Vision

Keys to Quality Assessment

Holistic 6-Trait Scale (Figure 2.3)

Horizontal and Vertical Integrity (Figure 2.4)

A Few Good Prompts (Figure 2.5)

Barry’s Prompts (Figure 2.6)

Rules of the Road for Writing Prompts (Figure 2.7)

Large-Scale and Classroom Assessment: Lessons from Two Perspectives

Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Assessment

Twelve Tips for Succeeding on Writing Tests (Figure 2.8)

Lessons Learned from Classroom Assessment

Chapter 2 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

3 Warming Up–and Scoring Well

What Makes Writing Work (Figures 3.1 and 3.2)

Building a Community of Writers

The Redwoods (Figure 3.3)

Mouse Alert (Figure 3.4)

What Teachers Value in Writing

What Teachers Value in Writing (Figure 3.5)

War of the Rubrics

Teacher 6-Point Writing Guide (Figure 3.6)

Getting Ready to Score Papers

Suggested Scores and Comments

Scoring Grid Master (Figure 3.7)

Making Your Scoring Consistent

Pet Peeves (Figure 3.9)

Chapter 3 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

4 Building a Foundation: Ideas and Organization

Ideas: The Heart of It All

Ideas “Shortie” (Figure 4.1)

Practice Papers

Paper 1: Making Decisions (Expository, Grade 8)

Paper 2: Harder Than You Think (Personal Essay, Grade 10)

 

Organization: Showcasing It

Organization “Shortie” (Figure 4.2)

Practice Papers

Paper 3: Some Cartoons Are Violent! (Persuasive, Grade 3)

Paper 4: The Baseball (Narrative, Grade 5)

 

Looking At Additional Papers

Paper 5: Unscripted Television: Enjoy It While You Can (Persuasive, Middle School)

Paper 6: Einstein (Informational, Grade 5)

Paper 7: Writing Today (Persuasive, Grade 9)

Paper 8: A Great Book (Literary Analysis, Grade 8)

Paper 9: Writing Is Important (Expository, Grade 11)

Paper 10: Under the Knife (Expository, Grade 12)

Paper 11: Be Happy With What You Have (Literary Analysis, Grade 3)

Paper 12: How to Be a Good Driver (Expository, Grade 12)

Paper 13: The Funeral of My OREO (Narrative, Grade 4)

Paper 14: Computing Batting Averages (Expository, Grade 6)

Paper 15: Cats or Dogs (Persuasive, Grade 6)

Chapter 4 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

5 Adding Flavor: Voice, Word Choice,
   and Sentence Fluency

Voice: Fingerprints on the Page

Voice “Shortie” (Figure 5.1)

Books (From Which) You’ll Love Reading Aloud (Figure 5.2)

Practice Papers

Paper 1: Why You Need a Job (Persuasive, Grade 9)

Paper 2: Zeena and the Marshmallows (Persuasive, Grade 5)

 

Word Choice: The Bridge from Message to Voice

Word Choice “Shortie” (Figure 5.3)

Paper 3: Chad (Descriptive, Grade 3)

Paper 4: Pets Are Forever (Informational, Grade 8)

 

Sentence Fluency: Variety and Rhythm

Sentence Fluency “Shortie” (Figure 5.4)

Paper 5: A Rescue (Narrative, Grade 4)

Paper 6: The Mysteries of Birds of Prey (Informational, Grade 5)

 

Looking at Additional Papers

Paper 7: A Sunflower Seed (Expository/Reflective, Grade 5)

Paper 8: Reflecting on Saba and History (Memoir, Grade 7)

Paper 9: Reflections on Writing (Personal Essay, Grade 12)

Paper 10: Fishing (Narrative/Expository, Grade 11)

Paper 11: Review of Exploring the Weather (Literary Review, Grade 8)

Paper 12: You Whant to Be My Friend? (Personal Essay, Grade 3)

Paper 13: Homeless (Narrative/Memoir, Grade 6)

Paper 14: Movies and Books: A Comparison (Comparative Analysis, Grade 8)

Paper 15: Why I Write (Expository, Grade 7)

Chapter 5 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

6 Framing the Picture:
   Conventions and Presentation

Conventions and Presentation: Editing and Framing

Conventions “Shortie” (Figure 6.1)

Practice Papers

Paper 1: Haircut from Hell (Narrative/Imaginative, Grade 6)

Paper 2: The Ritual of Sticks and Rocks (Imaginative, Grade 6)

 

Putting All Traits Together

Paper 3: File Sharing Is Not the Spawn of Satan (Persuasive/Expository, Grade 12)

Paper 4: A Beautiful Dream (Memoir, Grade 12)

Paper 5: A Strange Visiter (Narrative/Imaginative, Grade 5)

Paper 6: The Day My Grandfather Died (Narrative, Grade 4)

Paper 7: Let a Non-Natural-Born Citizen Be President (Persuasive, Grade 7)

Paper 8: Computer Blues (Narrative, Grade 12)

Paper 9: The Pirate Ship ( Descriptive, Grade 5)

Paper 10: A Collaboration of Thoughts on Art (Expository Essay, Grade 10)

Chapter 6 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

7 Using Traits to Support Writing Process

Learning Process from the Inside Out

Getting Started

Important Things to Model for Students (Figure 7.1)

What About Genres?

Connecting Traits to Process

Traits Supporting Process (Figure 7.2)

Experience: Where Ideas Come From

Prewriting/Rehearsing: Giving Shape to the Ideas We’ve Chosen

Webbing  Example (Figure 7.3)

Listeners’ Questions (Figure 7.4)

Sally’s Life Map (Figure 7.5)

Drafting: Going From Beginning to End

Sharing Your Voice With an Audience

Revising: Letting the Traits Shine

Editing: Making the Reader Feel “At Home” in Your Text

Publishing: Honoring and Preserving Writing

Assessing: For Students, the First Step in Revising

Chapter 7 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

8 Using Writers’ Language to Unlock Revision

Starting with Process . . .

 . . . then Workshop

Giving It Power

Guess what? You’re already doing it . . .

Connecting to Research

Making a Plan

Four Keys to Success

Key 1: Surround Students With Writers’ Language

Student 6-Point “Leap the River” Writing Guide (Figure 8.1)

Student Checklist (Figure 8.2)

Simple Checklist (Figure 8.3)

Key 2: Teach Students to Be Assessors

Key 3: Call on Literary Mentors for Examples

Key 4: Use Focused Lessons and Strategies

Planning Lessons (Figure 8.5)

Lessons and Strategies for Ideas

Sensory Details Chart (Figure 8.7)

Lessons and Strategies for Organization

Out-of-Order Lines from Sneed B. Collard’s The Deep-Sea Floor (Figure 8.10)

Lessons and Strategies for Voice

Lessons and Strategies for Word Choice

Lessons and Strategies for Sentence Fluency

Lessons and Strategies for Conventions

Copy Editors’ Symbols (Figure 8.25)

Copy Editors’ Symbols for Young Writers (Figure 8.26)

A Message for Parents and Other Caregivers

Dear Parent Letter re Conventions (Figure 8.29)

Chapter 8 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

9 Troubleshooting: Dealing With
   Common Writing Problems

Problems With Ideas

Non-Fiction Read-Alouds (Figure 9.2)

Problems With Organization

Informational “Map” on Nutrition (Figure 9.4)

Problems With Voice

Problems With Word Choice

New Words (Figure 9.8)

Problems With Sentence Fluency

Problems With Conventions

Helping Challenged/Beginning Writers

Sample Style Sheet (Figure 9.9)

For Students Who Need a Challenge

Plan for Revision (Figure 9.13)

Chapter 9 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

10 Listening to Teachers’ Voices

In Elaine’s Self-Contained Sixth Grade Classroom

Writing Coach Checklist (Figure 10.1)

In Jim’s High School Classroom

In Billie’s Seventh Grade Classroom

Reading, Traits, and Connections (Figure 10.2)

In Ellen’s AP English Classroom

In Judy’s Third Grade Classroom

In Barbara’s Middle School Classroom

In Andrea’s Multi-Age Second-Language Classroom

Thoughts, Feelings, Actions (Figure 10.5)

In Sue’s Elementary Art-Based Classroom

In Sammie’s Tiger Learning Center

Chapter 10 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

11 Going Informational

How Informational Writing Is Different

Teacher 6-Point Informational Writing Guide (Figure 11.1

Student 6-Point Informational Writing Guide (Figure 11.2)

 

Sample Papers

Paper 1: Black Widows (Informational, Grade 3)

Paper 2: Bears in the Wild (Informational, Grade 4)

Paper 3: Thomas Alva Edison: Wizard of Menlo Park (Informational, Grade 5)

Paper 4: Driving Tests Should Be Harder (Persuasive, Grade 7)

Paper 5: Humboldt Penguins (Informational, Grade 9)

Paper 6: The Middle Ages (Informational, Grade 7)

Paper 7: Life in the Middle Ages (Informational, Grade 9)

Paper 8: Solar Energy (Informational, Grade 9)

Paper 9: Kill Measurement 34–Now! (Persuasive, Grade 8)

Paper 10: The Violin (Informational, Grade 10)

Paper 11: Libraries (Informational, Grade 9)

Paper 12: Expanded Definition: Resonance (Technical, College)

Paper 13: Pablo Picasso (Informational, Grade 7)

Paper 14: Desert Tortoise (Informational, Grade 7)

Paper 15: The Chameleon (Informational, Grade 4)

Paper 16: The Giant Panda (Informational, Grade 4)

Chapter 11 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

12 Exploring the World of Beginning Writers

If you work with challenged writers . . .

Teaching Ourselves What to Look For

Helping Writers See Their Strengths

How the Traits Look Early On

Paper 1: Bat and Spider (Age 4)

Paper 2: Mike’s Note (Age 4)

Paper 3: Clouds (Grade 2)

Paper 4: Sam Is My Friend (Grade 1)

Paper 5: My Favorite Brother Is Nick (Grade 1)

Paper 6: I Like My Library (Grade 1)

Paper 7: Catdog Shopping (Grade 1)

Paper 8: Mason’s First Book (Kindergarten)

Paper 9: Old (Grade 3)

Paper 10: Dear Tooth Fairy (Grade 2)

Paper 11: Jamey the Cat (Grade 2)

Paper 12: Brad’s Pyramid (Grade 2)

Paper 13: Mr. Bear Is Loving (Kindergarten)

Paper 14: My Grocery List (Kindergarten)

Paper 15: My To-Do List (Kindergarten)

Paper 16: My Winter Vacation (Grade 2)

Ideas for Teaching Traits to Beginners

Thinking Like a Writer Posters (Figure 12.1)

Favorite Books for Primary

Paper 17: Guess Why I Like School? (Grade 1)

Paper 18: My Dog (Anonymous)

Paper 19: Dictated Story About the Coyote (Grade 2)

Simple Editing Checklist for Primary (Figure 12.3)

Advanced Editing Checklist for Primary (Figure 12.4)

Copy Editors’ Symbols for Beginning Writers (Figure 12.6)

Continuums for Charting Growth

Primary Continuums (Figure 12.9)

Give It Time

Chapter 12 in a Nutshell

Study Group: Interactive Questions and Activities

 

 

13 Communicating With Students

Through Comments

Through Conferences

Two-Minute Conference Topics (Figure 13.2)

Through Response Groups

Through Grades

Scores for Chris on Five Assignments (Figure 13.5)

Communicating With Parents and Other Caregivers

To Parents and Other Caregivers . . .

 

14 Expanding the Vision

 

Appendices

 

Appendix 1

Teacher 3-Level Writing Guide (Adaptable to 5- or 6-Point)

 

Appendix 2

Student 3-Level Writing Guide (Adaptable to 5- or 6-Point)

 

Appendix 3

Student “Leap the River” Writing Guide in Spanish

 

Appendix 4

Student Checklist in Spanish

Appendix 5

Trait “Shorties” in Spanish

 

Appendix 6

Student Checklists (and Simplified Checklists) for

n       Narrative Writing

n       Informational Writing

n       Persuasive Writing

n       Literary Analysis

 

Appendix 7

Teacher 3-Level Informational Writing Guide

(Adaptable to 5- or 6-Point)

 

Appendix 8

Student 3-Level Informational Writing Guide

(Adaptable to 5- or 6-Point)

 

Appendix 9

Sample Correlations

 

Appendix 10

Blank Master of Lesson Planning Chart (Figure 8.5)