Transcript Presentation

SIX TRAITS WRITING REVIEW
Honors English 9
Mrs. Ivey
Six Traits
 Ideas
 Organization
 Word Choice
 Voice
 Sentence Structure and Fluency
 Conventions
IDEAS
 Write small!!!
 Big topics are unmanageable. They lead to boring
generalities.
 Get rid of deadwood.
 Separate good details from unnecessary information.
 Don’t generalize…
 Words like good, exciting, fun, special, and nice say
nothing. Be specific!!
IDEAS---What is it???
 Clarity
 Focus
 Quality details
 Strong support of your topic
 Authenticity
 No fillers
ORGANIZATION
 Spend time on a good lead…
 This is how you hook your readers and you only get a
moment to do it. Make it great!
 Have a center!
 Be sure you have a focus…a main idea…a theme. And
stick to it throughout the entire paper.
 End with Flair.
 Nothing squelches a good piece of writing like a weak
ending. End strong!!
ORGANIZATION…What is it???
 Guides the reader
 Strong lead
 Natural, effective transitions
 Smooth flow point to point
 Orderly arrangement of information
 Good pacing
 Satisfying conclusion
WORD CHOICE
 Think verbs…
 Adjectives can’t compete with a great verb! Use all
kinds of great verbs instead of worrying with
adjectives.
 Favorite words!!!
 Keep a notebook of favorite words then use them in
your writing!
 Cut the Fat.
 Words only have power if they carry their own weight.
Get rid of words that you don’t need.
WORD CHOICE…What is it???
 Accuracy
 Precision
 Avoidance of jargon and cliches
 No ponderous “let me impress you” language
 Language that fits audience, purpose
 Words that paint pictures
 VERBS, VERBS, VERBS
VOICE
 Think of your audience…
 Who are they? Be sure to write to them specifically.
 Know your topic.
 Do your research. Knowledge puts confidence into
your voice.
 Care about the topic!!!
 If you’re bored, why should your reader care? Write as
if your topic were the most fascinating subject in the
world…maybe it is!!
VOICE…What is it???
 Individuality
 Liveliness
 Enthusiasm for topic
 Confidence that comes from knowledge
 Tone fits audience, purpose
 Sensitivity to audience needs
 Appeal to keep readers reading
SENTENCE STRUCTURE & FLUENCY
 Read aloud…
 Make a habit of reading all your pieces aloud. How else
will you know how it sounds? Are some parts hard to get
through? Now’s the time to fix it.
 Check out those first four words.
 When you use the same openers over and over, it has a
numbing effect on your readers’ brains: I enjoy football. I
love football. I think football’s the best.
 Don’t get breathless!!
 Some writers get carried away when they’re writing and
forget to separate one sentence from another. Punctuate!
SENTENCE STRUCTURE & FLUENCY…
What is it???
 Easy rhythm and flow
 One sentence glides into another
 Variety in length
 Variety in structure
 Delightful to read/hear
 Easy to read with expression
 Easy to follow
CONVENTIONS
 Double space all rough drafts…
 Give yourself room to read, room to work.
 Read from the bottom up.
 When you’re looking for spelling errors, read from the
bottom up. That way, you won’t focus on meaning and
you won’t skip right over words that aren’t spelled
right.
 Start in the middle!!
 Good editors go through copy more than once. And
the second time around, start in the middle and give
part two the attention it deserves.
CONVENTIONS…What is it???
 Evidence of proofreading/editing
 Easy-to-process text
 Only light touch-ups needed
 Appealing layout
 Presentation guides reader’s eye to key points