Six Trait Writing for assessment and instruction

Six Trait Writingfor assessment and instruction

Jen MadisonEducational Service Unit No. 6

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Agenda Welcome! Introducing the Traits

– What Makes Writing Work? – Qualities of Writing

Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait

– Language of the trait– Scoring student work– Teaching and learning activity

Statewide Writing Assessment

What makes writing work? Record one specific characteristic of good writing.

Musical Cards– Trade cards while the music plays.

– When the music stops, partner with the person currently trading with you.

– Read each card and together distribute 7 points between the two cards to represent the degree of importance and relevance toward the question: What makes good writing work?

THE 6+1 TRAITS

Ideas

Organization

Voice

Word Choice

Sentence Fluency

Conventions

Presentation

The heart of the message

The internal structure of the piece

The feeling and conviction of the writer

The precise language chosen to convey

meaning

The rhythm and flow of the language

The mechanical correctness

How the writing looks on the page

Purpose of Traits “an answer to the question: What makes writing

work?” consistent “writer’s language that opens the door

to revision” (a how to for revision) a way to

– organize and clarify good writing instruction– encourage consistent assessment– empower and motivate young writers– encourage thinking skills and self-monitoring

NOT meant to replace instruction of writing process!

(Spandel, Creating Writers, 2005, p. 1-2)

Trait-based Writing Form and language Vision of success

“If we had called them the six keys to good writing, people likely would have made the instructional connection immediately. This is where the true power of trait-based instruction lies—showing students the keys to writing well.”

Spandel, V. (2008). Creating Young Writers

“…the keys to writing well:” Have a strong, clear idea.

– Use details and pictures to paint a picture in year reader’s mind.

Write with authority and voice. Organize your information so that a reader can

follow it. Use words that make sense—and that are lively

as well. Write with fluency and variety—the way good

dancers dance. Make your conventions as strong as you can so

that readers can figure out your message.(Spandel, 2008, Creating Young Writers, p.

7)

What do you notice?• I can just see it. I feel like I’m in

that car.• I love the line “her eyes were as big

as her fists.”• He’s having a good time [most

readers assume the writer is male].• I know these people.• Lively!• I sympathize with Mom-- I hate mice

too!• I like the pickle jar-- I can even

smell the pickles.• Great images-- love Dad backing

into the tree and mom in her nightgown.

• You get every point of view- even the mouse’s!

What do you notice? Boring-- it put me right to

sleep. Flat, empty. Safe. She was writing just to get it

done. Mechanics are pretty good. It doesn’t say anything. The organization isn’t too bad. What Redwoods? The title

doesn’t go with the paper. She (he?) seems like a nice

kid- I want to like it. It’s not that bad for fourth or

fifth grade-- I assume that’s what it is right?



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait



Holistic vs. Analytic Scoring

Holistic

One overall score

Intended to generalize overall effect

Cannot provide specific, needs-based feedback

Used for Statewide Writing Assessment (4, 8, 11)– Provides a snapshot of

district writing

Analytic

Each trait scored separately

Provides more detailed feedback to guide instruction and monitor progress

Used for ESU 6 Analytic Scoring Cooperative and most classroom writing assignments

Holistic Scoring: how well the writing meets the traits overall

Idea Development5 • The writing is clear, well-supported or developed, and enhanced by the kind of detail that

keeps readers reading.

• The writer selectively chooses just the right information to make the paper understandable, enlightening and interesting - without bogging down in trivia.

• Details work together to expand the main topic or develop a story, giving the whole piece a strong sense of focus.

• The writer’s knowledge, experience, insight or unique perspective lends the writing a satisfying ring of authenticity.

• The amount of detail is just right - not skimpy, not overwhelming.

3 • The writer has made a solid beginning in defining a topic or mapping out a story line. It is

easy to see where the paper is headed, though more expansion is needed to complete the picture.

• General, global information provides the big picture - and makes the reader long for specifics.

• Well-focused information blends with repetitive points, trivia or meanderings.

• The writer draws on some personal experience - but too often settles for generalities or clichéd thinking.

• Unneeded information may eat up space that should have gone to important details. Where’s the balance?

1 Sketchy, loosely focused information forces the reader to make inferences. Readers will likely notice more than one of these problems:

• The main topic is still unclear, out of focus - or not yet known, even to the writer.

• Missing, limited or unrelated details require the reader to fill in many blanks.

• Lists of “factlets” may be substituted for true development.

• Everything seems as important as everything else.

Analytical Scoring: Writing receives a score for each trait

Using Rubrics:One Way to Respond &

Assess Many formats and varieties

– Thoughtfully select traits for assessment informational/technical writing creative/personal writing

– Have students help create indicators– Provide student friendly versions – Engage students in activities using rubrics– Be consistent

Using RubricsOne Way to Respond &

Assess Always read the entire paper first Refer to the scoring guide often Stronger or weaker? Score each trait separately Remember:

– 1 indicates beginning performance, not failure– top score represents strengths and proficiency,

not perfection Watch out for rater bias

Objectivity Issues and Sources of Bias

Physical characteristics Personal reaction to particular tones, content,

or students Length Positive-negative leniency

– Tendency to be too hard or too easy on everyone Fatigue Skimming Sympathy “Self-scoring”

– Score the writer’s work, not your skill of putting the puzzle pieces together.

Sources of rater bias– Pet peeves, such as….

– Big LOOpy writing (with stars and hearts)– Teeny, tiny writing– Writing in ALL CAPITALS– Tons! Of exclamation (!!!) points!!!!– – Mixing it’s and its– The End (like I couldn’t tell)– Total absence of paragraphs

Objectivity Issues and Sources of Bias

What’s one of your pet peeves?



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: IDEAS



IDEAS: Look for the following… Clarity and Focus of the Content Rich and Vivid Details Clear Sense of Purpose Accuracy Fresh and Original Thinking Quality not Quantity

“Too many scoring systems reward students for including merely more arguments or examples; quantity is not quality, and we teach a bad lesson by such scoring practices.”

-Grant Wiggins

Exploring the Traits Through Student Writing Read the proficient level descriptions for the trait

– Underline/highlight the words that best define the characteristics of proficient

– Mark (?) descriptors requiring clarification

Read the writing thoroughly:– Look for strengths– Score each trait– Prepare to discuss reasons for your score

Ideas Zoom-In

– “What happens if you zoom it on just this part? What does it look like?”

– Essential Idea: Using specific details helps the reader create an image. (Showing vs. Telling)

Graphic Organizers– Make expected content explicit– Model transfer from organizer to

writing

Snapshot– “I want to see it, like a photo in an

album.”

Lesson Ideas

“Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.”

--Mark Twain

Teaching the trait of Ideas Talk about where ideas come

from.

Model differences between generalities and good details.

Read aloud from books with striking detail or strong imagery.

Use questions to expand and clarify a main idea.



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: ORGANIZATION



ORGANIZATION: What to look for…

Enticing Lead Sentence – The first sentence and introduction should be engaging.

Thoughtful Transitions – One paragraph should set the scene for the next

paragraph. Logical Sequencing

– There is a systematic approach to exploring topic. Controlled Pacing

– Details are provided in the right amounts. Satisfying Conclusion

– The piece should have meaningful ending.





Organization Study Logical Order

– Separate sentences/paragraphs from a writing– Ask student to put them in order and identify

the key phrases

Compare Leads or Endings– Find different examples in children’s books,

content text, your own (not so great) examples, brainstorm examples with students.

– Which do you like best? Why?

Host a “Bad Leads Awards Ceremony.”

Teach transition and signal words appropriate for the mode.

Lesson Ideas

The shark’s jaw is located back beneath his long snout, but this does not prevent him from biting directly into the flesh. When he opens the jaw, the lower jawbone is thrust forward while the snout is drawn back and up, until it makes almost a right angle with the axis of his body. At this moment, the moth is located forward of the head and no longer beneath it. It resembles a large wolftrap, equipped with innumerable sharp and gleaming teeth. The shark plants this mechanism in the body of his victim and uses the weight of his own body in a series of frenzied convulsions, transforming the teeth of the jawbones into saws. The force of this sawing effect is such that it requires no more than an instant for the shark to tear off a splendid morsel of flesh. When the shark swims off, he has left a deep and perfectly outline hole in the body of his victim. It is terrifying and nauseating to watch.

(from Jacques-Yves Cousteu, The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea, p. 37)



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: VOICE



VOICE: Look for the following…

Expression of individuality

Reader wants to keep reading

Commitment to the topic

Suits the audience

Fits the purpose

Voice Creative Writing

– Feelings– Enthusiasm– Individuality – Passion

Technical / Research Writing– Perspective– Level of Formality– Level of

Objectivity

Voice is often the reason I

read!

Voice in Informational writing

Confident Knowledge-driven Inspiring

“The Cosmos is a very big place.”

“If we were randomly inserted into the Cosmos, the chance that we would find ourselves on or near a planet would be les than one in a billion trillion trillion (1033, a one followed by 33 zeroes). In everyday life such odds are called compelling. Worlds are precious [1980, p. 5].”





Voice Write voice IN or OUT

– Take the voice out of a passage and have students put their own in.

Bored vs. Excited?– What do these look like? (Students demonstrate kinesthetically.)– “I want to see an ‘excited’ face in my mind when I read your

writing.”– Show them two sample paragraphs using the same facts. Which

was written by an “excited” writer? How can you tell?

Read aloud from works that have strong voice.

Help students identify an audience.

Lesson Ideas



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: WORD CHOICE



Word Choice: What to look for

memorable words and phrases

accurate use of words

appropriate choices for the purpose and audience

not inflated or overused





Word Choice Study connotation (subtleties of word variation)

– Put related words on a continuum– said, whispered, barked, exclaimed, shouted,

screamed, commented murmured, declared, mentioned, hollered

– Apply movement to variations of verbs & discuss differences

Trash overused words & display interesting, lively, or content appropriate words– Use wall displays, bulletin boards, etc.

Show students examples of writing in your content and together analyze words.– Identify specific nouns and strong, active verbs– Identify powerful, meaningful words– Rate level of formality and objectivity

Lesson Ideas



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: SENTENCE FLUENCY



Sentence Fluency: What to look for

Rhythm and flow

Varied sentence structure– Length– Beginnings

Reading ease…not just punctuation

Sentence Fluency ChartAnalyze the mode,

genre, author’s style:

How long are sentences?

How do sentences begin?

What kind of verbs are prevalent?

What kind of sentences are used?

What is the purpose of each sentence?

# of words first 3 words





Sentence Fluency

Read fluent passages out loud– “Do you like the way this sounds? – “How many different ways does this writer begin sentences?”– “Describe the lengths of the sentences. What effect does this

create?”

Mentor Sentences– Collect powerful sentences to use as models of specific

techniques– (prepositional phrases…a strong way to add detail) “Over

bushes, under trees, between fence posts, through the tangled hedge she swoops untouched” (Davies, 2004, p. 12).

Chart expert and student writing fluency– Analyze a passage for sentence lengths, beginning variety,

and other characteristics.

Lesson Ideas

They weren’t always so desperately insularized. Ursus arctos horibilis, the subspecies of brown bear know familiarly as the grizzly, one inhabited most of western North America. From Alaska down into the highlands of central Mexico, from the beaches of California eastward across the Great Plains, it was the commanding presence. Indians of the western tribes feared it, revered it, mythologized it, sometimes hunted it ceremonially; most other predators stayed the hell out of its reach. It fattened itself on bison in the Dakotas, on caribou in Canada, on cattle offal left to rot by the early ranchers in California, and on salmon in the rivers of Oregon. It relished meat, but it was an omnivore, flexible and resourceful in its feeding behavior. It fed opportunistically on vegetable foods; berries and pine nuts when they were available, nutritious tubers, forbs, even grasses. It also ate ants, termites, rodents, moths, and God knows what else. Eventually, in some locations, it would develop a taste for human garbage.

(from David Quamenn, “Island of the Bears”)



Using Rubrics and Student Papers Trait by Trait: CONVENTIONS



Your students should ask…

(beginning writers) Did I leave spaces between words? Does my writing go from left to right? Did I use a title? Did I leave margins on the sides? At the bottom? Did I use capital letters? Why? Did I use periods? How about question marks? Did I do my best on spelling? Could another person read this?

Your students should ask…

(more mature writers) Have I used fragments or run-ons only for a

conscious effect? Do I have agreement (subject-verb, pronoun-

antecedent, etc.) Does my punctuation accurately guide the

reader? Have I used the correct spellings for

homophones?– Their/there/they’re

Is the format appropriate? (Does it meet the expectations of the audience?)

Have I cited sources appropriately?





Conventions Teach (I do it. We do it. You do it.) editing

marks

Model instead of correcting

Demystify Students: display, explain, and provide alternatives to your pet peeves

Focused Peer Editing– “Circle all of the second-person words (i.e. you,

your). Help your partner find two alternatives for each.”

Lesson Ideas

What do you know about the traits?

A. Ideas / Content

B. Organization

C. Voice

D. Word Choice

E. Sentence Fluency

F. Conventions

Modeling and Examples

Write with your students!– Live writing– Think-aloud– Allow students to contribute to revision decisions – Exaggerated writing

Use appropriate literature– Passages from known literature– Make the text visual

Use student writing– Stress strengths, specific skills/craft techniques

Strategies for Better Instruction TEACH the language to speak and think like writers. MODEL specific craft techniques.

– Name it. Describe it. Explain why it’s good.

READ, SCORE, and JUSTIFY scores on anonymous sample papers.

Provide focused PRACTICE for REVISION. WRITE. (Yes, you.) READ and DISCUSS strengths and weaknesses in all kinds of

writing. DEMYSTIFY writing in your class. Provide thoughtful, effective PROMPTS

Recognizing Craft Techniques:

One Way to Respond Be a collector of the recognizable, replicable, small things

that effective writers do.

Example or Description

Specific Craft Why is it good?

I was sad. inside sentences reader can understand how the author feels

boats, trains, airplanes, and cars

using commas in a series

reader understands that items are separate

Band-Aid box brand name gives an extremely details image in only a few words; can also evoke familiarity or nostalgia

Hale, Crafting Writers K-6, 2008

R.A.F.T.S: a way to prompt Role of the writer

– helps writer decide on point of view and voice.

Audience – reminds writer he/she must communicate ideas to someone else: helps

determine content and style

Format of the material – helps writer organize ideas and employ format conventions for letters,

interviews, story problems, and other kinds of writing

Topic or subject – helps writer zero in on main idea and narrow the focus

Strong verb – directs writer to the writing purpose, e.g. create, defend, analyze, persuade,

evaluate, etc.

Building R.A.F.T.S. Decide on each component. For example:

– Role: Kidney– Audience: Your body/host– Format: Letter– Topic: What you need to stay healthy/why your

host would be better off– Strong verb:Explaining

Write out the assignment in paragraph form, underlining the key components. Most rafts begin with “You are…”– You are a kidney in the human body. Write a letter to

your host to explain what you need to stay healthy and why the host will be better off if you ARE and STAY in tip-top condition.

Building R.A.F.T.S.

Use writing to help students explore a concept from different perspectives and through different formats.– Role– Audience– Format– Topic

Differentiate:– Let students choose one or more components.– Raise Complexity – choose items farther from natural fit– Moderate/Lower Complexity – choose items closer to

natural fit

(Wormelli, R.)

Example: Role: conservative republican Audience: high school students Format: satirical essayTopic: Obama’s economic plan

A Few Resources Northwest Regional Laboratory (NWREL). (2007). 6+1 Trait

Writing. Retrieved October 2008 from http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/department.php?d=1.

Spandel, V. (2008). Creating young writers: Using the six traits to enrich writing process in primary classrooms. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Spandel, V. (2005). Creating writers: Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction. Fourth Edition. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Two Stars & a Wish

Please record two of the most important or relevant ideas you heard.

Please record something you wish about this session

Documents

Six Trait Writing for assessment and instruction