6 Traits of Writing:

1. 6 Traits of Writing: How to Make Your Writing the Best That It Can Possibly Be Ideas

2. What are the 6 Traits + 1? • Ideas • Organization • Voice • Word Choice • Sentence Fluency • Conventions • +1 = Presentation

3. Which Would You Choose?

4. Good Description Support Details Excitement Grammar Neatness Ideas Good vs. Bad Writing • Bad • Boring • No details • Mistakes • No facts • Sloppy

5. Ideas… • Is your writing focused? • Is the main idea supported with interesting details? • Does the piece include interesting and original ideas? • Does the writer seem to be an expert on the topic? vs.

6. Ideas… Where do we get ideas for writing? Family and/or vacations

7. pets friends tv or movies

8. Nature

9. fun

10. Famous places

11. home imagination school

12. How do we get ideas? Free Write Ideas… 1) On a notecard, write as many ideas you can think of to write about. Dad Puppy Friend, Jane Vacation to Florida Favorite roller coaster Swimming in Jamaica Building a snowman Favorite subject Sister Favorite season Video games Worst day ever Funniest joke Horseback riding My bike What I want to be

13. How do we get ideas? Notecards… • Write a profession • Write an event • Write a place … you’ll get these back later… but first

14. How do we get ideas? Word Association • Create a word association chain using 8 words. Your word to begin with is Bengal Tiger

15. The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups Why do your parents tell you to eat your vegetables? “Hundreds of grown-up rules remain. The truth must be told about them all!” It’s time for you to choose a rule and create your own “top-secret truth”

16. 6 Traits of Writing: How to Make Your Writing the Best That It Can Possibly Be Organization

17. What do you know about cats? Many student’s writing is like this video about herding cats. The cats are all interesting and unique, as are the ideas that students have, however, in many papers, those ideas are scattered all over like the cats on the prairie. The ideas need to be rounded up and going in the same direction.

18. What’s the first step of organization? A Hook! A hook grabs reader’s attention There are many ways to have a good hook, one kind of good hook is a question… which would you like to read??? Have you ever watched SpongebobSquarepants? Where in the Pacific Ocean can you find a delicious Krabby Patty to eat, live in a pineapple, and drive an underwater boat? Bikini Bottom, of course!

19. Quotes are another way to write a good hook… which one??? “Do you smell that? That smell– It’s the smell of a smelly smell that smells smelly,” stated Spongebob from the show SpongebobSquarepants. “I like SpongebobSquarepants,” said my brother.

20. Onomatopoeia… a word that makes sounds… great attention getters!!! “Meoooowwww!” said Gary, Spongebob’s pet snail. Gary is Spongebob’s pet snail, he says Meow.

21. Poetry is another great way to hook a reader into your writing… I love SpongebobSquarepants! Roses are red, violets are blue, I love SpongebobSquarepants, do you?

22. Interjections!!! Are another good way to grab attention… Hey, watch Spongebob! “Nooooooo!” Don’t touch the TV, I am watching my favorite show, Spongebob!!

23. Statistics also grab attention… Over one million adults and children worldwide tune in to watch the TV show, SpongebobSquarepants on a weekly basis. Everyone should watch SpongebobSquarepants.

24. Ok, enough about a sponge… The second important part of organization is transitions to connect ideas. Some transition words to use are … howeveron the other handbutyetneverthelesson the contrary furthermoreadditionallyandin additionmoreoverbecausebesides thatin the same wayfollowing this furtheralso first... second... third...generally... furthermore... finallyin the first place... also... lastlyin the first place... pursuing this further... finallyto be sure... additionally... lastlyin the first place... just in the same way... finallybasically... similarly... as well

25. Peanut butter & Jelly?? • Cut the strips and organize them!!!

26. Ok, I know you are hungry! Wouldn’t a nice tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwich taste great right now? Here’s what you need to do. • First, get out a plate and butter knife and put them on the counter. • Then get out the jelly and peanut butter jars and put them on the counter. • Take two slices of bread out of the bread bag. • Put them on a plate. • Next pick up a butter knife with your right hand. • Dip the knife into the peanut butter jar. • Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread. • Dip the knife into the jelly jar. • Then spread the jelly on one slice of bread. • Close the sandwich. • Put away the jelly and peanut butter. • Eat and enjoy your delicious peanut butter sandwich. Yummy!

27. You choose one… With your partner, write the directions to one of these… • Frozen Pizza • Walking to the Whitman Gym • Banana Split • Grilled Cheese • Bowl of Cereal

28. Finally, to organize, sum up the main ideas… don’t leave the readers hanging! We need a good conclusion

29. The best way to understand a great conclusion is to look toward the experts… A laugh is a good way to end a piece of writing, “…’Oh, I will, said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…” -J.K. Rowling , Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

30. A summary is a good way to end a piece of writing, “And because so many of them were always begging him to tell and tell again the story of his adventures on the peach, he though it would be nice if one day he sat down and wrote a book So he did. And that is what you have just finished reading.” -Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach

31. A challenge is a good way to end a piece of writing, “Be smarter than I was: Go talk to Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad and other relatives and friends. Discover and remember what they have to say about what they learned growing up. By keeping their stories alive you make them, and yourself immortal.” -Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy

32. As with a hook, a quote is also a good thing to write a conclusion with, “Very softly, she half sang, half summed a song that her grandmother used to sing… If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply; Reflecting the sun and all that’s gone by. Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly, Fly high my baby bird, My angel, my only.” -Louis Sacher, Holes

33. 6 Traits of Writing: How to Make Your Writing the Best That It Can Possibly Be Voice

34. What is VOICE? Voice is the distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing. It is “making it your own” and unique through your style of writing. For example, many musicians have played “The Star Spangled Banner,” but none of them sound exactly the same. That is adding a personal touch and making it your own.

35. How to have voice… Things you need to remember are… • Expressing your thoughts clearly • Having a clear point of view • Addressing the targeted audience • Adding a unique, personal touch to your writing

36. Mood Mood is how you show feeling through your writing. This can be done through word choice, characters, or settings. This is done through your voice in writing, adding something unique through your style. On the dark rainy night Susan sat alone, again.

37. Tone Tone is the writer’s attitude toward something. This is also done through your voice in your writing. It shows how you feel about a topic. It is similar to your tone of voice, sometimes it isn’t “what” you say, but “how” you say it. Think of your mom calling your name, sometimes it is happy, “Hi Joe, I’m home!” sometimes it is angry, “Joe, what did you do?” sometimes it is annoyed, “Really Joe, again?”

38. You try it… voice, mood, tone “Come here, Sally.” A very simple phrase which currently doesn’t have tone… try adding it based on these emotions…

39. Mood and Tone with Tim & Moby Click on Tim & Moby for video!!

40. Our story… There was a boy named Sid. He was walking from his friend’s house to another friend’s house in a neighborhood he was not very familiar with. He got lost and wound up walking through some very thick woods. Suddenly he came to a clearing and found a dark pool lake that was completely calm. He was just about to turn around when the water began to ripple just a little bit. Then the ripples got larger and larger and larger. What happened next was unbelievable!!

42. 6 Traits of Writing: How to Make Your Writing the Best That It Can Possibly Be Word Choice

43. Word choice • Does the writer use everyday words well? • Do the words create a detailed picture in the reader’s mind? • Does the writer avoid repeating words? • Are ideas expressed with strong and precise language?

44. RAFT ROLE AUDIENCE FORMAT TOPIC

45. Role • Role: who the writer is/ Point of View… • Author, journalist, blogger, brother, student, athlete, singer, actor, poet, animal, Santa, teacher…

46. Audience • Audience: who the writer is writing to… • Friend, family member, teacher, boss, Santa, Buddy the Elf…

47. Format • Format: Presentation Style/ the type of writing/ setup the author chose to use. • Letter, Warning Label, Obituary, Newspaper article, blog, user manual, essay, advertisement, speech, diagram, love note, diary entry, poem, song, directions…

48. Topic • Topic: Ideas/ what the writing is going to be about • Is Santa Real? • The True Meaning of Halloween • Stay Away • Welcome to Whitman • How to Wrap a Present

49. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs… lets RAFT!! • Role = • Audience = • Format = • Topic =

50. Dear Plates, Haven’t you had enough moving around yet? I am tired of riding on you and always bumping into my other friend’s plates. Look at what you did last year in Japan, you caused a huge earthquake and tsunami. That isn’t fair to all the people that live on top of me and my friends. I am worried that you will move me away from my best friend, South America. Look at what you did to Pangaea 250 million years ago… you completely destroyed that family! So, Plates, please stop moving around and make the world a nicer place to sit.