Transcript The Six Traits of Writing

THE SIX
TRAITS OF
WRITING
(Voices)
V= VOICE
The voice is the heart and soul , the magic,
the wit, along with the feeling and
conviction of the individual writing coming
out through the words.
When finding your voice:
Sound natural (Don’t try to sound like
someone else)
 Show your true feelings about the topic
 Speak to your audience

Individual Voice
“We must teach ourselves to recognize our
own voice. We want to write in a way that
is natural for us, that grows out of the
way we think, the way we see, the way we
care. But to make that voice effective we
must develop it, extending our natural
voice through the experience of writing on
different subjects for different audiences,
of using our voice as we perform many
writing tasks.”
Donald Murray (Write to Learn)
O= ORGANIZATION
In a well-organized paper, ideas are
arranged in a logical way that makes the
writing easy to read. When checking the
organization of your paper, look for the
following:
 Is
there a clear beginning, middle, and
end?
 Is the beginning of the paper interesting?
 Do your ideas follow one another logically?
 Does your ending bring together your final
thoughts on the topic?
I= IDEAS AND CONTENT
Ideas should be clear and focused with
well-supported, relevant details. When
checking your ideas and content, look for
the following:
 Do I know my topic well?
 Do my ideas make sense?
 Are my ideas clearly stated?
 Do my details explain and support my
ideas?
 Is my purpose easy to identify?
 Have I deleted all unrelated information?
C=CONVENTIONS
Conventions refer to spelling, usage,
punctuation, and capitalization. When
checking your conventions, look for the
following:
 Did
I capitalize the first word of every
sentence?
 Did I use correct verb tenses?
 Have I created run-ons or fragments?
 Is any punctuation mark missing or
unnecessary?
E=ELABORATE WORD CHOICE
Choose your words carefully and
purposefully. Make sure that they are
vivid and powerful.
 Use
strong verbs, precise nouns and
interesting adjectives
 Make your ideas clear
 Match your purpose for writing and your
audience
 Create a mental picture with your words
Powerful Words
This
is the best way to say this.
My words create mind pictures!
I’ve tried new ways to say
everyday things.
Listen to the power in my verbs.
Some of the words and phrases
linger in my mind.
“Powerful writers and powerful speakers
have two wells they can draw on for that
power: one is the well of rhythm,; the
other is the well of vocabulary. But
vocabulary and a sense of rhythm are
almost impossible to “teach” in the narrow
sense of the word. So how are children
expected to develop a sense of rhythm or a
wide vocabulary? By being read to, alive,
a lot!”
Mem Fox (Radical Reflections, 1993)
In essence: The more you read, the
better you will write.
S=SENTENCE FLUENCY
Sentence fluency in the rhythm and flow of the
language, the sound of word patterns, the way in
which the writing plays to the ear—not just to
the eye.
When revising your sentence structure, look
for the following:
Are your sentences of various lengths?
 Do your sentences have different beginnings?
 Do your sentences flow together and sound
smooth when you read them aloud?
 Do your sentences have power?

VOICES
V- Voice
 O-organization
 I- Ideas and content
 C-Conventions
 E-Elaborate word choice
 S- Sentence Fluency
