6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide, Grades 3 and Up

"Ruth Culham masterfully unlocks the magic of writing for teachers and students alike. She's created an invaluable resource for primary teachers to use in guiding children as they begin the journey of learning to write. Included are suggestions on what to say to young writers, teaching ideas, examples of student work, scoring guides to assess primary students' writing and much, much more! Ruth's book will touch your heart and leave you excited about writing. Voice in non-fiction? You bet! Anything's possible, once you know the traits." --- Libby Jachles , Instructional Specialist, Council Rock Primary School, Brighton Central School District, Rochester, NY

If ever there was a book that a teacher could take off the shelf and use, this is the one. Ruth Culham has written a book that should be on every teacher's desk. The format is very easy to follow with lots of GREAT ideas that can be used immediately with your students. Not only is it the perfect writing guide for primary teachers, it gives a scaffolding for intermediate teachers to understand how primary students come to be writers.

I started teaching high school english this year and ordered this book because our district uses the 6 traits to asses the students' biannual writing tests. I decided I should teach them what they'd be tested on...This book has really taught me a lot about using the traits. Each chapter is very in depth and has good examples. There are sample lesson plans and suggestions on ways to emphasize each of the traits.I like the traits because it's a great way to break writing into manageable parts. I'm not just telling my students they got a "C" on a paper. Instead, I'm telling them they wrote a paper that has some strengths and some weaknesses. Further, I can tell them where the weaknesses are and what I think they should do to improve it.But, maybe the best thing is that I am teaching them to score each other's papers and it guides their thinking and scoring. There's a companion book of worksheets and other reproducibles that is almost a must have because it includes rubrics and scoring sheets for students to use.My only wish is that there was a separate book for secondary students. The standards for writing are different. But, even still, this book does cover secondary teaching and I find it very useful.I highly recommend this book if you want to teach your students to be better writers.

Save the $1,000+ you'd spend on a workshop! This paperback has it all. And you get to keep it with you for future reference! I bought this wonderful resource, 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide, on a whim. I implemented it in my classroom, and I just can't say enough about how well it has been received. My middle school students really enjoy the activities I've used nearly straight from the book. Other teachers who come through my room comment on what they see hanging from the walls, things the students created using the structures set forth in 6+1 Traits. The grading rubrics used in the system work extremely well with the Florida standardized writing test scoring system, making this an ideal choice for any Florida teacher. Still, anyone anywhere who wants an easy to remember system with affordable supplemental products should look into the 6+1 Traits system offered by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. While NWREL offers training, I've found this book needs no additional support to be a strong, effective foundation for teaching both the art and the science of fine writing.