Teaching Writing Fast and Effectively!

The Six Traits of Writing

In teaching elementary students to write well there is “grammar” and there is “writing.” Many teachers teach A LOT of grammar because when it comes to teaching writing, they are at a loss.

What does it mean to teach “writing?” A useful model that can help elementary teachers is the “Six Traits of Writing” model. “The Six Traits of Writing” was developed in the 1980’s by several groups of researchers and teachers in order to bring about a more reliable method for bringing structure to writing.

Starting With the End in Mind: The Six Traits of Writing

The “Six Traits of Writing” model describes what good writers do. Like many breakthrough methods of instruction, this model was created by working backwards. The starting point was examining samples of excellent writing and then determining what made them excellent. The outcome of this project was these six common traits that produce good writing.

Overview of the Six Traits of Writing

• Trait #1 Ideas – The message along with the main theme and details
• Trait #2 Organization – The internal connecting structure
• Trait #3 Voice – The unique expression and point of view of common words and ideas
• Trait #4 Word Choice – Finding the right words to express ideas in a creative way
• Trait #5 Sentence Fluency – Connecting strings of sentences with rhythm and flow
• Trait #6 Conventions – Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and everything else us nitpickers love to pick over. 

The Six Trait Writing Model in Elementary School Writing

Understanding this model can be very valuable for teachers. This model can be an excellent guide and reference in planning instruction and in evaluating student writing. Most writing we teach in elementary school falls under at least one of the six traits listed above. This model puts a name and structure to what we are teaching.

The Six Traits Are Not All There is To Elementary Writing

There are many aspect of elementary school writing that are not addressed in the above “Six Traits” by name. Let’s look at some more “vocabulary words” that the elementary writing teacher must know:

Poetry, report writing, writing a friendly letter, writing with a purpose, writing to inform, writing to persuade, writing to explain, narrative writing, first person narrative, expository writing, compare and contrast writing, creative writing, journal writing, process writing, descriptive writing, the writing process, revising, prewriting, writing a summary, research papers, editing, proofreading, fantasy writing,  genres of writing, vocabulary, writing lists, writing short answers, writing a newspaper article, writing a business letter, literary response, writing a critique or review, technical writing…

The Six Trait Model is Big Picture Thinking for the Teacher  

The teacher will definitely want to be giving lessons on the above six traits. The teacher will want to keep a constant eye on all of these traits as they conference with students and evaluate student writing.

As elementary educators, we want to develop artistic writers! However, we also want to help students develop the writing skills and the writing knowledge that will help them to be successful in middle school. Fast and effective writers are happy students!

For many elementary writers, “voice” is not nearly as important as simply being able to create writing that both they and their teacher can understand and enjoy reading. Too many elementary students struggle with simply getting the job done. In fact, too many middle school students struggle with simply getting the job done.

In elementary school, some traits are more important that other traits!