Best-of-Smekens Writing Conference:
Writing Remix 2017

SECRET SITE

Six-Traits Essentials | Writer’s Workshop Management | Text-Based Responses

Mini-Lesson Instruction | Genre-Specific Units

Six-Traits Essentials

Quick Links: Recognize the 6 Traits within K-12 Student Writing Get Started with the 6 Traits of Writing Create Writing Rubrics in the Primary Grades Prioritize your Trait-Based Instruction Assess Writing with a 6-Traits Rubric

SESSION 1

Recognize the 6 Traits within K-12 Student Writing

See the 6 Traits within the ELA Standards.

For many more student writing samples, check out Launching the Writer’s Workshop—K-2 or 3-12 versions.

Monochromatic mini-posters PDF

Purple Highlighter

Conventions Tool Belt

SESSION 2

Get Started with the 6 Traits of Writing

Reveal mentor text that exemplifies each trait

Carpet Fitter | Body of Evidence

“How Are We Feeling?” mini-posters by third grade teacher Danielle Phillips at Triton Central Elementary (Fairland, IN)

Secondary teachers may prefer to use a passage from the reading curriculum (e.g., Carpet Fitter, an urban legend or Body of Evidence, informational text).

Kid-Friendly 6-Traits Reminders

Incorporate additional supports

Plan introductions with aWriting-Time task.

SESSION 3

Create Writing Rubrics in the Primary Grades

Introduce rubrics

Sentence-Writing Rubric Stars with written criteria

SESSION 4

Prioritize your Trait-Based Instruction

Narrow the focus

Support elementary writers in finding the smallest topic. A strong, narrow thesis statement is typically much longer than a broad, general one.

Elaborate and develop individual ideas

Add supporting “leg” sentences: Hold up each pizza-table idea with sentence “legs” of support.

20 ways to add details

Transition between ideas

Use transitions to show the relationship among claims, reasons, and evidence.

Connect ideas within paragraphs.

Grades 6-12

Grade 9 example of transition sentences

Improve self-editing

Groups participate in Annual “Editing Games.”

Alert the reader to a shift in ideas

Create flow with word spacing

Words, with spaces between them, flow like a string of dominoes.

SESSION 5

Assess Writing with a 6-Traits Rubric

Build non-writing rubrics

Specific mini-lesson instructions for building rubrics with students are detailed within Chapter 7 of Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades 3-12.

Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades 3-12
Chapter 7 – “Building Rubrics”

Build an initial writing rubric

Build and grow a writing rubric with students

When starting Phase 4 of the launch, Kristina referenced the power of creating kid-friendly rubrics with your students. This concept is reinforced in an article in the February 2012 ASCD Education Update newsletter and based on Informing Writing: The Benefits of Formative Assessment by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.Specific mini-lesson instructions for building rubrics with students are detailed within Chapter 7

Convert scores to grades easily using the Rubric Calculator, created by Smekens Education.

Fine-tune rubric implementation

Communicate feedback within the writing rubric.