6-Traits Cheat Sheet for Assessment

When I was first learning about the 6 traits, it seemed like the different definitions and characterisits blurred together. Too many different things to keep track of.

When teachers attend a Smekens 6-Traits Intro workshop, I know they feel the same way — a little overwhelmed, feeling like they need to remember all the basics for all 6 traits. You could look at your notes from a workshop or carry Ruth Culham’s books around with you or you might want to consider investing in a cheat sheet.

To help teachers remember the basics for each trait, I developed a two-sided cheat sheet. One side highlights the traits as they appear in primary writing; the other side shows the traits for upper grades. Both sides just hit the main points – the basics you need to know to compliment writers on each trait and to be able to assess writers for each trait.