Mastering the 6 Traits (with a cheat sheet!)
Your students won’t truly know the 6 Traits of writing until you do. Oh, maybe they’ll be able to rattle off the six terms, but do they know the little nuggets that fall under each trait? Do they really understand what that trait includes? Do you?
To master the traits, it might require more than a poster on the wall. For me, it required a personal cheat sheet. This was nothing more than an index card that listed the six traits and the skills or nuggets each targeted. I carried it around with me all day long, and whenever I heard a smooth passage of text or great use of figurative language, I’d say, “I love that part. It’s got great--(I’d quickly glance at my cheat sheet and add)--sentence fluency.”
The cheat sheet helped me tie the traits to particular skills. And once I was doing that for the students, then they had a better grasp of what the traits meant. You can build your own index card cheat sheet, or you can download one. Danielle Vorick and Deanna Wyrick, teachers at Whispering Meadows Elementary, made one and graciously offered to share it with other teachers. Thanks, ladies!
Download the cheat sheet for K-1 (Word Document).
A few years ago, I took this to the next step and created a two-sided cheat sheet for the 6 traits. One side highlights primary, the other upper grades. Use the Word documents above to make your own, or visit The Literacy Store for my 6-Traits of Writing Cheat Sheet.
