Exploring 6+1 Traits of Writing: A Comprehensive Professional Development Program

1. Literacy and 6 + 1 Traits of Writing CMSD Professional Development November – December, 2009 Literacy Coaches

2. Norms for Success • Personal Data (Circulating Sheet) District e-mail only • No cell phones, please no texting • Restroom as needed (honor system) • Parking Lot for concerns • Responsible for the completion of field experiences • Refrain from sidebar conversations • Participate fully in activities

3. Goals • Participants will: • Examine research supporting the 6+1 Trait Writing Model of Instruction • Review the writing traits • Learn the common language of the traits • Use a scoring guide to assess student writing • Explore lesson design • Gain an understanding of how to manage literacy instruction

4. 6 + 1 Writing Traits Survey

5. What is Essential? Student Data Reading Process Standards Accelerated Reader 6+1 Traits of Writing

6. 6+1 Traits of Writing+1 Traits of Writing Ideas/Content Organization Word Choice response to literature Reading Process Standards Standards predict infer conclude contrast retell Accelerated Reader

7. “Integration not only works to foster student motivation and engagement but also adds coherence to the instructional day.” ~Allington and Cunningham 1996

8. Think and Share Brainstorm the qualities that are important in good writing. How do you know when writing is good?

9. Individual Activity • How were you taught to write? What did your teachers do? • Share out / Whole group

10. The Why of 6+1 Trait Writing • Stakeholders wanted an assessment they could use for teaching. • Stakeholders wanted a shared vocabulary they could use with students, colleagues, parents and the community.

11. Description The 6+1 Traits of Writing is an analytical model for assessing and teaching writing. There are seven qualities that define strong writing.

12. Ideas The heart of the message

13. Organization The internal structure of the piece

14. Voice The personal tone and flavor of the author’s message

15. Word Choice The vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning

16. Sentence Fluency The rhythm and the flow of the language

17. Conventions The mechanical correctness

18. Presentation How the writing actually looks on the page

19. Using The 6+1 Trait Scoring Guide as a Teaching Tool

20. Research If you are currently teaching writing using a process-based approach, you are already teaching the traits—in some form. Creating Writers Through 6+1 Writing Assessment and Instruction • By Vicki Spandel

21. Additional Research • One of the most generalizable (sic) strategies a teacher can use is to provide students with feedback relative to how well they are doing… • The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be “dollops of feedback” (p.96) Classroom Instruction that Works Research – Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement By Robert Marzano

22. One More Piece of Research If formative assessment is to be productive, pupils should be trained in self-assessment so that they can understand the main purposes of their learning and thereby grasp what they need to do to achieve. “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment” By Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam

23. 6+1 Traits of Writing By Ruth Culham • Examine the textbook 6+1 Traits of Writing • Consider publication date, author, layout, teacher friendliness…. • Jigsaw of the Introduction, pages 7-19 • Groups of 3-5 • Group 1 (pages 7-11) • Group 2 (pages 11-14) • Group 3 (pages 14-19) • Share

24. Students will: • Take charge of their own writing process. • Understand the difference between strong and weak writing, and use that knowledge to write stronger drafts. • Become good self-assessors of their writing. • Revise and edit their own writing because they can “read” it and because they know what to do to make it better. Creating Writers through 6-Trait Writing, Vicki Spandel(2005)

25. Good writing is… • Ideas and Content • Voice • Organization • Word Choice • Sentence Fluency • Conventions • Presentation

26. Ideas and Content . . . a clear message • Narrow focus • Rich detail • Details are • Important • Informative • Interesting

27. Ideas and Content – Student Anchor Chart What is my message? Is my message clear? Did I try hard to show not tell? Do I have enough information?

28. Let’s look at Ideas and Content. • Take out your scoring guide for Ideas and Content. • Take turns reading what a FIVE would be like, • …then what a ONE would be like, • …then what a THREE would be like. • A FOUR has some 5ness and some 3ness, and a TWO has…

29. Take out your scoring guide Ideas and Content – My Message. 5READY TO SHARE! It all makes sense. It’s really clear. My reader will learn a lot. This is just what I wanted to say. Good, juicy details! 4 Some of 5, some of 3. 3HALFWAY HOME! My reader will get the general idea. You might have some questions. It TELLS, but doesn’t Show. I need to add some details. I’m working on it. 2Some of 3, some of 1. 1JUST BEGINNING I’M AFRAID MY READER WON’T FOLLOW THIS. It’s hard to get started. I’m not sure what my topic is…OR… maybe my topic is TOO BIG. The picture is not very clear. I need more time to think.

30. Scoring Protocol • Read the student-friendly scoring guide for Ideas and Content in this order: 5, 1, 3. • Facilitator reads the sample paper aloud. • Participants think “strong or weak” for Ideas and Content while listening. • Each participant spends a few minutes to decide on a score for the sample paper. Write the score down. • When participants are ready, facilitator tallies the scores and then conducts discussion: “What did you give it and why?” using the language of the scoring guide.

31. Now…use scoring guide… • Using language from the scoring guide describe the content and ideas of this piece – refer to the evidence in the text that supports your choice. • BE PREPARED TO SHARE WITH THE WHOLE GROUP.

32. Student paper: An Important Invention • Listen to a student paper as it is read aloud. • Then use the scoring guide to give the paper a score from 5 to 1.

33. Now let’s look at the student paper. • Take out paper #30, An Important Invention, Grade 10. • Read it silently. • Score it again.

34. The authors gave paper # 30… • A score of 5 for Ideas and Content.

35. Teach students what good writing looks and sounds like. • Show the connection between reading and writing. • Reading good literature models good writing.

36. Lesson: using literature as model for good writing. • Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge, Mem Fox

37. Group activity: • Think of an object that holds a special memory for you. • Write a paragraph about your object and memory. Be prepared to share your paragraph with the whole group. • Listen for rich ideas/content as others share their paragraphs.

38. Let’s continue practicing scoring sample writing. • Take out paper #35, Things That Do Not Change, Grade 11. • Read it together at your table, and score it in your small group, using the Content and Ideas scoring guide. • Decide WHY you would give it a certain score, and discuss the evidence from the scoring guide and the writing sample. Use the scoring form (handout). • Be ready to share and support your final score.

39. 6+1 Traits Recording Sheet Title _________________________________ Score __

40. Scoring Protocol • Read the student-friendly scoring guide for Ideas and Content in this order: 5, 1, 3. • Facilitator reads the sample paper aloud. • Participants think “strong or weak” for Ideas and Content while listening. • Each participant spends a few minutes independently deciding on a score for the sample paper. Write the score down. • When participants are ready, facilitator tallies the scores and then conducts discussion: “What did you give it and why?” using the language of the scoring guide.

41. The authors gave paper # 35… • A score of 1/2 for ideas and content.

42. Let’s continue practicing scoring sample writing. • Take out Paper # 26, Volleyball, Grade . • Read it independently, and score it using the Content and Ideas scoring guide. • Use the language of the scoring guide and the evidence from the writing, to discuss the evaluation of the writing sample. Use the scoring form (hand- out). • Be ready to share and support your final score.

43. The authors gave Paper # 26 Volleyball: A score of 3 for Ideas and Content.

44. A Workshop Model

45. Crafting (whole group) teach a skill or strategy from the Reading Standards (e.g., point of view, character analysis, predicting, author’s purpose, tone) create anchor chart Composing Meaning (35 Z 90) students are reading within their ZPD students are completing graphic organizers students are responding to literature teachers are conferencing with students Reflection (whole group) 2-3 students share their learning discuss how using this skill helps them become better readers

46. Author Inquiry Chart