Writing

Six Traits of Writing

A trait can be defined as a quality or characteristic critical to a successful performance. There are traits for good writing, just like there are traits for good dancing or ice skating. The traits for good writing are ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. The use of traits give the writer a clear picture of what to do when they are writing and revising. **You will find a description of all the traits below.**

What are we working on?

Ideas: October-January
 * The heart of the message
 * Show, don't tell
 * Adding details

Organization: January- May
 * Hook the reader
 * Add details
 * Wrap up with a strong conclusion
 * Build bridges

Monthly Writing concepts: Sept-November- Personal Narratives December: Opinion/ persuasive writing, Fictinal writing January: Expository Writing <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">February-April: Informational/Research project <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">May-June- Poetry

__**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Ideas **__

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Your ideas and content are the reasons for writing a paper. Every paper should convey a message and be easy to follow. Some thoughts to get you going:


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What is my message and is it focused and clear?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Did I include important details relevant to my topic?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Did the reader learn something new?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Is my paper interesting and easy to understand?

__**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Organization **__ Organizing your ideas helps a reader move through your paper in a meaningful way. Here are some things to keep in mind as you write your paper: Does my beginning hook my reader? Is my paper easy to follow? Did I choose the best way to organize my story? Do my ideas link to a main message? Do I have a strong conclusion that wraps up the story?

__**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Voice **__ Your voice is what gives your writing personality, flavor and style. Questions to think about as you write your paper: Can you tell I am enthusiastic about my topic? Does this writing sound like me? How do I want my readers to feel? Will my story hold readers' attention? Will they want to hear more?

__**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Sentence Fluency **__ Fluent writing has rhythm. Sentences vary in length and structure. It is easy and pleasurable to read aloud. It is important to think about: Is my story easy to read? Do my sentences begin in different ways? Did I use some long and some short sentences? Does my paper sound smooth as I read it aloud?

__**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Word Choice **__ The specific words that you choose create images, capture a reader's attention and make your story memorable. Look at your paper and decide: Have I used some strong verbs or colorful phrases that grab my reader? Have I chosen the most precise word? Have I used any ** unique ** words? Did I repeat common words too many times? __**<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Conventions **__ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">You've finished your first draft. Now it is time to start editing for conventions. These include spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization and paragraphing. Proper use of conventions make your story easy for others to read. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">To begin editing ask yourself: Did I leave spaces between words and sentences? Did I use a title? Did I use correct punctuation? Did I use capital letters in the right places? Have I proofread for correct spelling and grammar? Have I indented any new paragraphs? Copyright � 2002 Edina Public Schools