Writing+Best+Practices-+Six+Traits+of+Writing

Writing Best Practices- Six Traits of Writing

Six Traits of Writing is a systematic approach for looking at writing one part at a time. Since writing is such a complicated activity, this approach helps students break down the task and understand it better. Similar to a pie, as whole it may look like too much to eat but when cut into pieces or parts and focusing on one trait at a time students can make writing and editing more manageable. With practice, students can then learn to be critical of their own work and can make improvements in the quality of their writing.

What are the six traits of writing?

**Ideas**: The heart of the paper--should be a topic that is important to the writer and should be small enough to handle in the paper. It should have clear ideas, a purpose, or focus and provide the reader with interesting insights. A theme holds the paper together, giving a meaningful, focused, and detailed exploration of the topic.


 * Organization **: The road map gives purpose and structure which directs the reader through the paper beginning with a strong lead or hook and catches the reader's interest right from the beginning. The details along the way lead and help build toward the conclusion, keeping the reader engaged right to the very end. The transitions should move smoothly from one idea to the next, helping things fit together easily for the reader (Great Source Write, 2006).


 * Voice **: Voice is the personality of the writer coming through on the page. It should connect with the audience and fit the students’ purpose for writing. A strong sense of voice demands that the writer make a commitment to the writing and write honestly with conviction.


 * Word choice **: Good word choice involves being able to look critically at verbs and select ones that are active, powerful and energetic. It means being able to choose just the right words to make the writing sound natural and precise. Good word choice will provide a clear picture in the mind of the reader and connect with the reader as if they are a character in the story.


 * Sentence fluency **: Sentence should vary in length, with a variety of sentence beginnings. A good writer will know when to use what length of a sentence that will make the sentences flow smoothly from sentence to sentence. Good sentence fluency stands out when a piece of writing is read aloud.


 * Conventions **: The rules of a language and the common patterns of grammar, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and capitalization that readers, come to expect in good writing. It makes the writing easy to read and understand. Strong writing is edited for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling so the writing is understood. This is the most mechanical of the six traits and requires writers to learn editing and proofreading skills.

Presentation is everything. Ensure the students give their best work writing neatly and with very few grammatical errors. Rubrics for writing assignments and activities is a good way to ensure students are meeting all criteria.

References: Great Source Write (2006). //Six Traits of Writing.// Retrieved from []

The Literate Learner (2013). //The Six Traits of Writing.// Retrieved from []