6 TRAITS OF WRITING
IDEAS - The writing has a clear, focused topic with specific details using real life experiences, imagination, or research. The ideas are the subject you are writing about presented in an interesting, informative way.
ORGANIZATION - The writing has a structure to it that is logical and has order. It has a snappy lead or hook that grabs the reader’s attention, uses transition words to help ideas connect and flow from one to the next, and has a conclusion which signals the end.
VOICE - The writing has the voice, the heart & soul, of the writer. You can hear their personality and feel their emotions. The piece of writing has a “human “ behind it and it becomes REAL. It takes the audience into consideration and is lively.
WORD CHOICE - The writing has colorful words or language that creates a mental image or picture in the reader’s mind. Specific nouns, descriptive adjectives, vivid verbs help to increase the strength of the writing. Use of figurative language combines with word choice to make the piece rich.
SENTENCE FLUENCY- The writing has a flow to it; it is easy to read and understand. It has varied sentence length and types of sentences. It has a rhythm to it. The use of transition words enhances flow.
CONVENTIONS - The writing has few errors in mechanics such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, and paragraphing. The piece looks clean, edited, and proofread. Presentation is something to be PROUD of.