Common Pitfalls and Things to Keep in Mind

Tip #1

Ideas – It is not necessary to use the writing process for every writing assignment. Students need to have a variety of writing experiences so they realize that writing looks different ways. We can mix it up with quickwrites, journaling, writing poetry or just sharing ideas that never make it to paper.

Tip #2

Organization – Try not to over-teach transition words. When students are focusing more on which transition word comes next, rather than which part of the story comes next, we need to take a look at how much emphasis we are putting on transitions.

Tip #3

Voice – Try not to confuse the trait of Voice with other literary elements. Voice is commonly confused with dialogue, expression and point of view. While an author’s voice is present in each of these elements, it is not equal to any of the three. Just like the wind can move a cloud, the wind is not equal to the cloud. All of these elements have an effect on Voice, but they are not Voice itself.

Tip #4

Word Choice – Try not to “bury” overused words. It is great to use clever ideas like putting overused words in a “word graveyard,” however, be sure to clearly explain that words don’t need to be completely avoided. Some students think overused words must truly “rest in peace” and that they cannot be used, not even once.

Tip #5

Sentence Fluency – Don’t score the same mistake twice. When scoring Sentence Fluency and Word Choice, repeated sentence beginnings are a Sentence Fluency flaw. Repeated words within the sentence fall under the trait of Word Choice. Try not score the students lower in both areas for the same mistake.

Tip #6

Conventions – Ask students to edit for Conventions in four separate steps. Have them check their paper four times: once for correct capitalization, next for punctuation, then spelling, and lastly for grammar. By dividing up the editing process, students are better able to find what they are looking for and correct more mistakes.

LaRae Kendrick, M. Ed.

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Six Traits and Advanced Six Traits

Tags: Advanced Six Traits, Conventions, Ideas, LaRae Kendrick, Organizations, Sentence Flency, Six Traits, Six Traits Tips, Tips, Voice, Word Choice, Writing