“I always did well on essay tests. Just put

everything you know on there, maybe you’ll

hit it. And then you get the paper back from

the teacher and she’s written just one word

across the top of the page, “vague.” I

thought “vague” was kind of vague. I’d

write underneath it “unclear,” and send it

back. She’d return it to me, “ambiguous.”

I’d send it back to her, “cloudy.” We’re still

corresponding to this day … “hazy” …

“muddy”…”

Jerry Seinfeld (SeinLanguageBantam Books: 1993)

Seinfeld’s teacher was surely the exception not the rule. Studies show that most teachers spend a superhuman number of hours writing very specific comments on papers, but it would help to have a common vocabulary that everyone was familiar with: students, teachers, parents, everyone.

Teach in gan d

lea rn in gh ow to w rite w e ll

G rad in gp ap ers an d

exp la in in g th eg rad es

E xp la in in grevis ion

(h ow to im p rovea p ap er)

A com m on vocab u la ry fo r:

The Six-trait Model for Writing Instruction and Assessment has an easy-to-understand, practical vocabulary that can be adapted to fit Kindergarten through 12th grade and a variety of modes/genres of writing.

This model has potential to improve assessment.

Paul Diederich’s 1974 article (Measuring Growth in English. Urbana, IL: NCTE.) reported English teachers averaged 130 papers and 8 minutes spent on each for a total of 18 hours per assignment.

Teachers have acknowledged improvement in:

Their own confidence in the accuracy of their grading.

Their tools for explaining grades to student writers.

Their ability to make revision suggestions.

Two steps in the evolution of the Six-trait model are easy to trace; one involves a study done by Paul Diederich, John French and Sydell Carlton in 1961 (also reported on in 1974).

Their goal was “to find out what qualities in student writing intelligent, educated people notice and emphasize when they are free to grade as they like” (5).

Sixty reader/graders comprised of 10 college professors of English, 10 professors of social science, 10 professors of natural science, 10 professional writers and editors, 10 lawyers and 10 business executives were invited to read and evaluate 300 papers from college students in their first month at three different colleges. 53 finished the project.

The reader/graders were to rate the papers 1-9 (low to high) and write a few comments about what they liked and/or disliked about each paper.

Diederich and crew used a statistical test (factor analysis) to cluster the readers’ evaluation into groups with significant agreement within them and significant disagreement outside them.

Research Bulletin 61-5 (Educational Testing Service, 1961).

Five very clear categories (which have come be known as traits) emerged:

1. Ideas: This was the biggest one with sub-points of “richness, soundness,

clarity, development and relevance to the writer’s purpose and topic” (6).

2. Mechanics This was the second biggest: “usage, sentence structure,

punctuation, and spelling” (7).

3. Organization The third biggest: the internal structure, sequencing/pattern of

ideas

4. Wording/ phrasing The fourth biggest: rich, colorful precise language. Graceful flow

of language.

5. Flavor The smallest significant category: “style, individuality, originality,

interest, and sincerity” (8).

Teacher nationwide read Measuring Growth in English and realized that it verified ideas they already had about writing from years of experience teaching it.

Seventeen teachers (the Analytical Assessment Model Committee) in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1984, worked with, Vicki Spandel (senior research associate at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory), to create a rubric for grading students’ writing that could be consistent from grade to grade.

Simultaneously, teachers in Montana, Florida and other places were creating very similar approaches to teaching writing.

Based on Diederich’s research and the work of

teachers across the country, NWREL created the rubric

most often used today with these six traits.

Ideas and Content Organization Voice Word Choice (part of

wording and phrasing in Diederich’s study)

Sentence Fluency (part of wording and phrasing in Diederich’s study)

Conventions

In the Six-trait model, each trait has a number of descriptors for good writing.

These descriptors came out of Diederich’s study with modification from classroom

teachers.

Ideas and Content clear controlling idea focused/ narrowed sufficient

information insightful original interesting details complete

Organization appealing opening obvious direction/

logical progression effective

sequencing connected-ness smooth transitions good pacing builds to high point strong sense of

conclusion

Voice

obvious person behind the words

writer is committed/ involved with topic

reaches out/ connects to audience

energetic, lively consistent tone

definite point of view

Word Choice

Natural

active, energetic verbs

precise, concrete nouns & modifiers

new twists on everyday words

minimal redundancy

accuracy of expression

paints pictures

creative, memorable word combinations

Sentence Fluency

graceful, easy to read aloud

Natural, pleasant rhythm

variety in length, type & structure

Structure enhances meaning

effective, smooth phrasing

effective use of conjunctions & transitions

Conventions

correct spelling

correct/effective punctuation

appropriate grammar/ usage

correct capitalization

designed to make reading easy

This approach to teaching and assessing student writing can help the teacher:

1. Catch students’ interest

5. Enhance writing across the curriculum

2. Help them improve their writing skills

6. Make grading easier

3. Encourage them to assess and revise

7. Provide individual student data

4. Engage parents 8. Provide group data

Seminars, books, videotapes, etc. are available from a number of sources

http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/department.asp?d=1 plus many more

Seeing With New Eyes, Picture Books, Dear Parent, 8 part Six Traits of Writing series (NWREL)

Vicki Spandel : Creating Writers

Ruth Culham: 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide

The Writing Conf., Inc.: Adventures in Writing, Using the Six-trait Analytic Scale, This Thing Called Voice

www.writingconference.com

Houghton Mifflin: Write Traits

Many states, school districts, and individual schools have adopted the 6- trait model to varying degrees.

1. Individual teachers

2. English departments

3. Whole school districts

4. State curriculum

5. State-wide writing assessment

Students and teachers work with an easy-to-understand rubric for rating and discussing the strengths and weaknesses

of a written piece. Rubrics have been

designed for a variety of grade or ability levels.

Students each have their own copy of the rubric.

Posters are often used to reinforce the trait descriptors & ratings.

Rubrics use number ratings, such as 1-6, 1-5 or 1-4. For example-

Ideas/ content

Rating of 6: This paper is extremely clear or focused. Relevant anecdotes and details enrich the central theme.

The topic is narrow and manageable Relevant, telling details give the reader important information

that goes beyond the obvious or predictable. Accurate, precise details are present to support the main ideas;

appropriate use of resources provide strong, accurate, credible support.

The writer seems to be writing from knowledge or experience; the ideas are fresh and original.

The reader’s questions are anticipated and answered. The writing makes connections, shares an understanding of life,

and a knack for picking out what is significant.

Rating of 2: No one main idea stands out yet although possibilities are emerging.

The paper hints at topics but doesn’t settle on one yet.

Support is incidental or confusing. Several possible ideas may be present which could

become central ideas or themes for different pieces of writing.

The writer makes statements without specifics to back them up.

The reader has so many questions because of the lack of specific information. It it hard to fill in the blanks.

Glimmers of the writer’s topic or main point show up occasionally.

The model can be used for more than just individual assessment.

A means for writing instruction

A tool for student revision

A device for vertical curriculum alignment

An instrument for school/ district measurement

Teachers using the traits often use one, all or any combination of the

following steps: 1. Introduce a trait through interesting literature. 2. Do hands-on activities to help students

understand what it is and how to improve it in their own writing.

3. Guide them through the analysis of anonymous sample papers.

4. Follow with a writing assignment that targets that trait.

5. Use the 6-trait rubric to provide useful feedback.

6. Guide students through revising their papers based on that feedback.

7. Use a pre-identified rubric to assign a grade to the paper.

Teachers can choose examples of writing according to what trait students are learning and what subject they are learning.

IDEAS: English- Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy ; Biology- Stephen Pinker, How the Mind Works; Social Studies- Stephen Ambrose, A Band of Brothers; Math- David Blatner, The Joy of Pi. Phys ed- A feature article from Sports Illustrated

VOICE: English- Lucie Tapahonso, Songs of Shiprock Fair; Hunter Thompson, Fear and Loathing

SENTENCE FLUENCY: English- James Hurst, “The Scarlet Ibis;” Science- Carl Sagan, Cosmos:

WORD CHOICE: English- N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn; Social Studies-Presidential election year editorials

ORGANIZATION: English or Business, A business letter, Auto mechanics- Chilton’s Manual

CONVENTIONS: English- Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon;

A good example for talking about IDEAS with students in fifth

through eighth might be Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Read chapter five aloud with students and ask them to find descriptors from the IDEAS rubric that fit that reading.

Step 2. Students work on a short,

interesting writing activities to develop IDEAS such as Bud’s Rules

and Things.

BUD’S “RULES AND THINGS” From Bud, Not Buddy, Winner of the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award, by

Christopher Paul Curtis

Rules and Things Number 328 “When you make up your mind to do something, hurry up and do it. If you

wait, you might talk yourself out of what you wanted in the first place.”  Rules and Things Number 83 “If a adult tells you not to worry, and you weren’t worried before, you better

hurry up and start because you’re already running late.” Rules and Things Number 3 “If you got to tell a lie, make sure it’s simple and easy to remember.” 

Rules and Things Number 118

“You have to give adults something that they think they can use to hurt you be taking away. That way they might not take something away that you really want. Unless they’re crazy or real stupid, they won’t take everything away because if they did they wouldn’t have anything to hold over your head to hurt you with later.”  From your experience of life can you make up a rule of your own about dealing with people or how to succeed in life? Here is an example: My Rules and Things Number 28

When you hear someone say, “The fact of the matter is,” be ready for what comes next to be their opinion of what you need to do, usually something that is in their best interest rather than yours. Try to come up with two “Rules and Things” of your own.  

As students develop an understanding of the traits and see them in the work of good writers, they will move toward analyzing these qualities in their own work and the work of their peers. Step 3: Students work with

anonymous sample student papers, as a class and in groups. They rate papers using the 6-trait rubric and discuss their ratings. Teachers often choose papers with a range of ratings to show what is weak/strong. One set that’s often used is a rough draft and the revised draft on the topic of frogs supplied by NWREL. (the papers, not the frongs)

Working in groups, students are asked to choose one trait to use for rating and comparing the

rough and final drafts and follow these directions:

Now look at the Six Plus One-Trait One Pager (pages 4 and 5 of your handout) and find the column for your chosen trait.

Try to assign a rating number for that trait to the rough draft and one to the final draft.

Can you pick any of the descriptors from the ratings that would help to explain to students how the writing has improved from the rough draft to the final draft? Share one with the large group.

Step four: Teachers assign students to write their own papers, giving them a writing task or topic that lends itself well to the target

trait. To target word choice-students

might write descriptive papers about their favorite place or person.

To target organization-students might write how-to papers or persuasive papers about a controversial issue concerning young people in their town.

To target ideas-students might choose to write about an event from an unusual participant’s point of view.

Step five: Students receive feedback based on the Six-trait model (peer, parent, tutor, self

or teacher assessment.) Based on what they

learned from the focus lessons and from analyzing anonymous sample papers, students can attempt to revise the areas that are weak.

Positive feedback will reinforce areas of their writing that are strong.

Step seven: Help students with strategies for revising weak areas

For example: a paper that is weak in the area of Word choice, specifically in precise modifiers and verbs, could benefit from words that appeal to the senses and the substitution of more exact verbs for generic ones.

Not “Todd quickly ate a good sandwich.”

but rather “Todd wolfed down a spicy Italian

sausage sandwich stuffed with Graziano’s sausage and thick slices of mozzarella cheese.”

Step 7: At some point in the writing process the teacher must assess the paper for a grade. The 6-trait model can be helpful at this point.

Back to Diederich’s study- teachers averaged one fourth as much time grading papers

If the focus lessons and analysis of anonymous sample papers have worked, teachers will spend less time explaining and giving examples for their comments

A common vocabulary about the traits of good writing are already established, written down, and rated.

Students will have a range of levels of understanding how to revise or what a

grade means when their papers are returned; they might:

have a clear understanding of what a rating means and how to revise for a specific trait.

need to refer to materials previously used in class before revising.

make use of help from peer editors, tutors or family members.

not completely understand certain traits or how to revise for them and need to ask the teacher for help.

Vertical Alignment for Sentence Fluency

Spiral curriculum twelfth grade sentence

fluency vary: adverbial clause, participial

phrase, infinitive phrase and subject openers.

Choose sentence length for specific purpose

seventh grade sentence fluency

vary sentence length some non-subject openers

fourth grade sentence fluency Some sentences are long and

stretchy Some sentences are short and

snappy

…and the 6-trait scale provides a common vocabulary and springboard for discussions about how an individual student is progressing in writing skills **- or how a whole class, a grade, a school, a district or a state is is doing.

These conversations might involve teachers, parents, counselors. administrators, school boards or any other stake holders in education.

** (especially if used with writing portfolios)