6-Traits Bulletin Board Displays

Teachers have been introducing the trait language to students in a variety of ways. Here are some of my favorite 6-Traits introduction strategies. Thanks to all of you who have sent in new pictures! If you would like to email digital photos of how you have introduced the traits into your environment, we'll post them on our website for all to see.    read more...

6-Traits Bulletin Board Display Contest Entries

Thanks to all the teachers who have already sent in their first-of-the-year 6-Traits bulletin board pictures! Teachers who send in a picture of their 6-Traits bulletin boards before October 1st will have their names placed in a drawing for a free pass to one of Kristina Smekens regional workshops. Check out some of these great ideas.    read more...

Dabble with alternatives to the traditional research paper

Have you ever considered options beyond the traditional report? Check out what four different teachers did to dabble with research writing in their classrooms.    read more...

Teach students how to omit clichés from their writing

A sign of a more sophisticated writer is one who can write with strong description, interesting similes and metaphors. Unfortunately, in an attempt to include more description and imagery, students often pull from a bank of overused, voiceless and predictable clichés.    read more...

Incorporate “Answer of the Day” in your morning-work routine

One teacher finds that the best way to get students to write great questions is to simply give them the answers!    read more...

6 traits displays for the upper grades

Primary classroom displays for the 6 traits range anywhere from Clifford with six dog dishes to underwater scenes with six different sea creatures representing the traits. When you're working with kindergarten through 3rd, you can get away with almost anything! But what about the upper grades?    read more...

More than happy, glad, sad, mad

If you ask students to identify how a character is feeling in a story, you might hear one of the following four words pop up: happy, sad, glad, mad. Character emotions and traits are not something children automatically understand. To help students with this, we need to be intentional.    read more...

Organizing your anchor paper collection

You know how important it is to show authentic examples of student work to your class, but keeping track of why you kept a certain piece is tricky. We've all collected piles of papers from one year, and then wondered why in the world we wanted a particular piece when we looked at it the next year.    read more...

The “+1″ of 6+1 writing

With all of the 6-traits emphasis for writing, the +1 seems to have taken a back seat to the traits. I understand why -- publishing takes so much time! Teachers shy away from having students actually publish a piece because it could take weeks.    read more...

Kid-friendly 6-traits reminders

The 6 traits aren't rocket science, and yet, when you first learn them it seems like there's a lot to keep track of, doesnt' it? Students feel the same when the 6 traits are new to them, too.    read more...