The 6+1 Writing Traits

The 6 + 1 Writing Traits

This week was a bit relaxing. Nevertheless, it was very informative. We learned about the 6+1 Writing Traits. The traits are used as a guide to assist students with their writing. It is hoped that with these traits, the students produce the best versions of their writing.

The traits are as follows:

                              Figure 1. Pinterest

Advantages of the 6 + 1 WRITING TRAITS

There are several advantages of employing the writing traits in composition lessons.

*Before we proceed to further elaborate on each trait, it is important to note that the traits can be reflected in the writing process. A proficient and skillful writer has some of these traits in every step of the writing process.

1.  The six plus one traits can be used as a guide for teachers to assess students writing.
2. It can help teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in writing.
3. It can help teachers to set goals for writing.
4. It can assist teachers in giving feedback to students on their writing.

6 + 1 Trait	Description	Location in the writing process
Content and Ideas	It is the heart of the piece – as it focuses on the topic     All of the other traits are linked to this trait It involves choosing, developing and clarifying the topic	Pre-writing, drafting , editing, revising
Organization	It is a map for the writing        Hooks are used to grab readers’ attention, for example, an opinion, personal experience or a bold statement         It ensures the composition is structured in a logical way Transitions are used for further understanding of a text	Pre-writing, revising
Voice	Brings the writing to life and is referred to the writer’s style      If personal meaningful topics are chosen, the voice would be heard clearly      This allows you to hear someone speaking from the piece     The voice can be related to the writer writing short sentences and having tame writing i.e without graphic language	Pre-writing, drafting, revising *However, it must be recognized that the voice can occur throughout the entire writing process.
Word Choice	Students select words that carefully show the meaning       Imagery is created though colourful language and expressions        Students are encouraged to use strong verbs	Drafting, revising
Sentence Fluency	This involves the flow of language and sentences         This is the expression of ideas in writing (through phrases and words)           The writer’s ability of sentence structures	Revising
Conventions	This involves the mechanical correction in writing          Writing has to be proofread and edited      Students should be able to enhance the readability of their pieces.	Editing, publishing

Figure 2. Table describing the 6+1 Writing Traits

Do   you   want   to   know   why   it’s   called “6+1” ?

Presentation

The presentation is how the piece is laid out. Hopefully, you remember last week’s post with transcriptional writing. In our opinion the presentation trait of writing links best and entails those features of transcriptional writing.

Presentation is found in Publishing in the writing process.

Figure 3. Google Images 

Recommended Link

The following is a recommended link for activities teachers can incorporate into their lessons to develop the writing traits in students:

·  This link provides activities on the 6+1 Writing traits.

• https://www.k5chalkbox.com/6-trait-writing.html

References

Warrican, S. J. (2012). The Complete Caribbean Teacher Literacy. Pheonix: Pearson Education.

 Spandel, Vicki (2012) Creating Writers in the Primary Classroom: 6 Traits, Process,
        Workshop & Literature (6th edition). New York: Pearson

Thanks for reading! Until next Sunday… Goodbye!