How To Use the Six Traits of Writing

If you are an English teacher, you probably immediately recognize the name Ruth Culham. And chances are, she is also highly regarded by you and your colleagues. Culham’s research-based Six Traits of Writing has revolutionized the world of writing instruction and practice. By perfecting one skill at a time, trait-based writing teaches writers to become independent in creating, revising, editing, and presenting their work. Each of Culham's traits provide evaluation tools, which can assist teachers in working with students to improve their writing. Additionally, they provide the necessary scaffolds to teach young writers independence. You can find a multitude of resources that will help you to define each trait, guide mini-lessons, provide trait-specific practice, and evaluate writers’ progress. The following are resources that can help jump start a trait-based program or add to an existing one.

Books and Instructional Guides

If you take a look at the available resources in print, it can be a bit overwhelming. Since 2003, Culham has published books and instructional guides to aide instruction. The newest resources are Common Core-aligned and help teachers organize and plan a solid writing program. Here are a few of Culham's book titles:

• 6+1 Traits of Writing, Grades 3 and Up: This is the original book written in 2003. It contains everything you need to know about implementing the traits of writing. Since then, Culham has written books focusing on primary and middle school writing.

• 6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Primary Grades: A focused resource for primary-grade writing programs. The writing vocabulary given at the earliest stages of this program establishes consistency for later grades.

• Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School (Theory and Practice (Scholastic)): This is the middle school-focused version that provides examples and mentor texts suitable for middle school learners.

• Reproducible Writing Forms for the Writing Traits Classroom: Middle School: A collection of rubrics, organizers, checklists, and more of everything you need to guide instruction.

• Daily Trait Warm-Ups: 180 Revision and Editing Activities to Kick-Off Writing Time: A must-have for beginning writing time. It focuses writers on specific tasks and allows them to practice key skills that reinforce the traits.

Online Resources

Trait-based writing has led to numerous renditions and means of conveying information to young writers. Utilizing online resources can be a quick resource and reference tool to organize and guide instruction and learning. The following are two online resources that focus on trait-based writing and provide useful examples, prompts, and strategies for teaching the traits:

• The Literate Learner is a website for teachers that is devoted to help organize and plan a trait-based writing program. It also includes helpful links to other resources, as well as rubrics, examples, and simple explanations of each trait. Used in conjunction with more specific resources, this website is another great tool to keep in your "resource bag."

• Writing Fix is another website created by teachers, for teachers, that includes trait-based instructional strategies. The Post-It Note strategy for teaching the traits is a genius method of using sticky notes as a way to guide revision and editing in small groups. This technique maintains trait-based vocabulary that allows writers to further their independence as writers/revisers. The Post-It Notes plan for revision and editing can be printed for classroom use.

Trait-Based Writing Lessons:

Instead of Said: Dialogue Adventures

Here is a lesson that focuses writers on finding other ways to use the word said in their writing. After learning or reviewing synonyms, students listen to a mentor text that helps them decipher other words to use in dialogue writing. The lesson is easily adaptable for writers at various levels and stages of learning.

Six-Trait Writing: Organization

This lesson helps pupils to better organize their writing. The mini-lesson demonstrates the importance of proper sequencing and the use of transitional words and phrases.

Jeffery and Sloth

This creative lesson reviews the traits of writing and helps learners to begin to formulate and organize writing ideas. The mentor text, Jeffery and Sloth, is a great example of the traits and how to generate writing ideas.