Improving Student Writing Skills - cse crafts

Teaching Using the Traits of Good Writing
one-on-one with a student, you might hand him/her
directions for short, additional practice and move on. Of
course, activity sheets or their like are no substitute for
personal help, but when your time is tight, there may not
be another good option. Be careful in your use of lessons
guided by activity sheets; instead, consider using them as
another tool in your teaching kit.
Using the Language of the Traits
The traits provide the vocabulary you and your students
can use to evaluate any writing (Hoover, 2001). By
noticing how authors use the traits, students will gain a
clearer idea of how to apply the traits in their own writing.
Strive to integrate the traits into any conversation
or discussion, creating no distinction between times that
you are in “trait mode” and times that you are simply
teaching writing—the traits are writing! Encourage students
to use trait vocabulary in small groups, peer revision,
and while giving comments following an Author’s
Chair. In fact, the more integrated the traits are in your
instruction, the more students will learn to recognize
and manipulate them in their own writing.
Trait-Based Lessons
Trait-based lessons make a clear use of mini lessons, if
you are formatting your class as a writing workshop. For
example, you might start a class period with a lesson on
how to revise for word choice. Another day, you could
combine traits, focusing on how ideas are organized into
paragraphs. Potentially, you could start every class period
with a quick trait-based lesson before asking students
to continue their Authentic Writing assignments during
independent work. If you are focusing more on direct
instruction, you can easily design lessons that teach,
practice, and then assess students’ use of one or more of
the traits. Remember to differentiate your instruction
based on class needs.
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