Received: from [209.75.187.203] (HELO ) by MDCCLXXVI.com (Stalker SMTP Server 1.8b6) with SMTP id S.0000278747 for <6Tarchive@CyberSpaces.net>; Fri, 06 Aug 1999 23:10:05 -0700 Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 23:10:01 -0700 Subject: 6Traits Digest #47 - 08/06/99 From: "SixTraitsMailring" <6Traits@> To: "SixTraitsMailring" <6Traits@> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Sender: <6Traits@> Precedence: Bulk List-Software: LetterRip Pro 3.0.5 by Fog City Software, Inc. List-Subscribe: List-Digest: List-Unsubscribe: Message-Id: 6Traits Digest #47 - Friday, August 6, 1999 Organization--description by "Barbara D. Martin" organization example by "D. Weissman" Two interesting things by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Archive message from Mickey by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Organization Rubric Assignment by "Valerie Dehombreux" Re: 6Traits- Organization Rubric Assignment by "Gray" Re: 6Traits- Organization Example by "Gray" ***6Traits - Example # 2 - 8/6/99*** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ***6Traits - Example # 1 - 8/6/99*** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ***6Traits - Example # 3 - 8/6/99*** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Re: 6Traits- ***unsubscribe by Hungry site by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ****6Traits - Assignment #3 - 8/6/99**** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Mor information on Organization by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> A *student* rubric guide by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Possible Posters for Organization by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Possible Posters for Sentence Fluency by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Needing some help by Some ideas about organizing your materials by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Organization--description From: "Barbara D. Martin" Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 05:36:18 -0700 1 -- haphazard, disjointed, confusing 2 -- difficult to follow, some sequencing, random details 3 -- structure is inconsistent or skeletal 4 -- organization is clear and coherent, but may seem formulaic. 5 -- organization enhances the central idea(s) and its development. 6 -- order and structure are compelling, perhaps creative, and move the reader through the text easily Barbara ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: organization example From: "D. Weissman" Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 09:00:08 -0400 I found the last chapter of A Break with Charity to be an excellent example of organization. The book begins with the protagonist sitting in church at the beginning of a service of reconcilation. Susanna is questioning her role in the witch hysteria that had swept through her community and wondering what exactly her role should have been, etc. The story then "flashes back" and then moves to Susannah's present for the ending. Susannah is speaking with her husband. The final paragraphs: Are you sure,Susannah? Is your heart at rest then?" "No," I say. "I'm not sure. But I'll worry the matter no more, Johnathan. NOr should you. And we must never tell anyone that Sam Endicott knew what ship William would be on, lest this witch business start over again." " 'Twill never start again," he says. "Are your sure of that, Johnathan?" He looks at me. "No, my love. For we've seen how easily neighbor can mistrust neighbor, and how a crowd can eagerly attend thehanginf of one they've known all their lives. And how doubts can gnaw away at all solid thought, like a mouse at cheese." I nod. "And how fear can take shape," I say, "and become more real than things one can see and touch. And plunge the heart down a dark road from whence one may never return." He takes my hand. "We'll speak naught of the Amiable Tiger," he says. "Promise?" I promise. For I know better than any that the line is thin between what is fanciful and what is real, and human nature being what it is, a witch hunt can easily start up again if we are not careful. A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi. Deb Weissman Gr 6 Jaffrey, NH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Two interesting things From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 21:15:23 -0700 that might interest you: If you want to do a special art project, including classes, exhibits, and performances, but you don't have the money, check with Target about the Target Arts in Education program grants. http://www.target.com or your local Target store. Interested in writing? Twisted Tales and Falsified Fables is the theme = for this year's Fulcrum Publishing kids' writing cntest. Deadline Feb. 1, 2000. Winning scripts published in a book - must be written in Readers' Theater format - easy to do. http://www.fulcrum-resources.com Susan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Archive message from Mickey From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 21:34:34 -0700 Quote from a message from Mickey today. Good news for those of you = looking for archived digests! >At last! I have Six Traits digests on line now at > >The good news and bad news... > >Good: It's automated. As soon as a digest goes out, it will be available in the web archive. > >Bad: Digests are not in html format; they're in ASCII text. This means that the background color when viewing digests will be the default background color of the user's browser. No links either, not email or to the archive index page. Use the browser Back button. > >Digests prior to July 20 are not in the archive yet. I have them clear back to June 12 but I have to rename and upload them. Maybe tonight. > Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Organization Rubric Assignment From: Valerie Dehombreux Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:47:36 -0700 (PDT) Level 1: lacks coherence; confusing to reader; no identifiable beginning, middle, and end or effective sequencing; no transitions; awkward pacing; haphazard and disjointed Level 2: unclear; difficult to follow; some sequencing; undeveloped beginning, middle and end; ineffective transitions; confusing Level 3: inconsistent; occasionally unclear; beginning, middle, and end are too obvious; rigid; ineffective details Level 4: clear; predictable; coherent; easy to follow; fitting details; stilted or formulaic transitions; beginning, middle, and end are obvious Level 5: strong; effective sequencing and transitions; easy to follow; fitting details; beginning captures reader's attention and end gives a strong sense of closure Level 6: compelling; creative; easy to follow; strong beginning and end Transitions: Level 1 to 2: haphazard to confusing Level 2 to 3: confusing to inconsistent Level 3 to 4: inconsistent to clear but formulaic Level 4 to 5: clear but formulaic to strong and effective Level 5 to 6: strond and effective to smooth and compelling Sherry Green Fourth Grade Gilbert, AZ =3D=3D=3D Valerie Dehombreux Third Grade Whiteriver, Arizona tafille@yahoo.com _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: 6Traits- Organization Rubric Assignment From: "Gray" Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 15:49:35 -0400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=3D_NextPart_000_0180_01BEE023.48170D20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3D"iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Transitions are underlined Level 1=3D20 Lacks coherence Organization seems haphazard and disjointed Reader remains confused No identifiable beginning, body, and/or ending Lack of transitions Pacing is consistenly awkward Level 2 Lacks a clear organizational structure Difficult to follow=3D20 Reader has to reread substantial portions Too short to demonstrate organizational skills Some attempts at sequencing Missing or extremely undeveloped beginning, body, and/or ending Lack of transitions Attempts organization Level 3 Attempt to organize the writing Overall structure is inconsistent or skeletal Attempts at sequencing Transitions that sometimes work Beginning and an ending present but undeveloped or too obvious Transitions that sometimes work Details may not always be effective Organization lapses in some places Level 4 Organization is clear and coherent Order and structure are present Clear sequencing Organization may be predictable Beginning that may not be particularly inviting Conclusion that may lack subtlety Body that is easy to follow Transitions that may be stilted or formulaic Organization that helps the reader Level 5 Organization enhances the central ideas and development Order and structure are strong and move reader through the text Effective sequencing Structure fits the topic An inviting beginning Satisfying sense of resolution or closure smooth, effective transitions Details that fit Level 6 Organization enhances the central idea and development The order and structure are compelling=3D20 Reader moves through the text easily Effective, perhaps creative, sequencing Strong, inviting beginning Strong, satisfying sense of resolution Smooth, effective transitions Details that fit where placed Roberta Gray Grade 2, Geneva, Ohio rgray7@alltel.net gray_ro@mail.neomin.ohio.gov http://www.neomin.ohio.gov/~geneva/spencer/clasroom/mrsgray/index.htm Sherri Hurst Gr.2 Geneva, Ohio Jackie Meehan Gr. 2 Geneva, Ohio ------=3D_NextPart_000_0180_01BEE023.48170D20 Content-Type: text/html; charset=3D"iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Transitions are underlined
Level 1
Lacks coherence
Organization seems haphazard and =3D disjointed
Reader remains confused
No identifiable beginning, body, and/or =3D ending
Lack of transitions
Pacing is consistenly awkward
 
Level 2
Lacks a clear organizational =3D structure
Difficult to follow
Reader has to reread substantial =3D portions
Too short to demonstrate organizational =3D skills
Some attempts at sequencing
Missing or extremely undeveloped beginning, body, = =3D and/or=3D20 ending
Lack of transitions
Attempts organization
 
Level 3
Attempt to organize the writing
Overall structure is inconsistent or=3D20 skeletal
Attempts at sequencing
Transitions that sometimes work
Beginning and an ending present but undeveloped or =3D too=3D20 obvious
Transitions that sometimes work
Details may not always be effective
Organization lapses in some places
 
Level 4
Organization is clear and =3D coherent
Order and structure are present
Clear sequencing
Organization may be predictable
Beginning that may not be particularly =3D inviting
Conclusion that may lack subtlety
Body that is easy to follow
Transitions that may be stilted or =3D formulaic
Organization that helps the reader
 
Level 5
Organization enhances the central ideas and=3D20 development
Order and structure are strong and move reader =3D through the=3D20 text
Effective sequencing
Structure fits the topic
An inviting beginning
Satisfying sense of resolution or =3D closure
smooth, effective transitions
Details that fit
 
Level 6
Organization enhances the central idea and=3D20 development
The order and structure are compelling =3D
Reader moves through the text easily
Effective, perhaps creative, sequencing
Strong, inviting beginning
Strong, satisfying sense of resolution
Smooth, effective transitions
Details that fit where placed
 
Roberta Gray
Grade 2, Geneva, Ohio
rgray7@alltel.net
gray_ro@mail.neomin.ohio.gov= =3D
http://www.neomin.ohio.gov/~geneva/spencer/clasroom/mrsgray/index.h= =3D tm

Sherri Hurst
Gr.2
Geneva, =3D Ohio

Jackie Meehan
Gr. 2
Geneva,=3D20 Ohio
------=3D_NextPart_000_0180_01BEE023.48170D20-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: 6Traits- Organization Example From: "Gray" Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 15:54:01 -0400 You were not born to fail. You were born to succeed. But you are = going to have to learn. No one owes you a thing in this life. I don't want anyone to give you children anything - except your dignity. = -Marva Collins I am remined of the North Dakota farmer who went out to the barn one morning when it was forty degrees below zero. He sat down on a milk stool and took hold of the animal. She turned to him and said, "Thanks for the warm hand." = -Everett M. Dirksen Roberta Gray Grade 2, Geneva, Ohio rgray7@alltel.net gray_ro@mail.neomin.ohio.gov http://www.neomin.ohio.gov/~geneva/spencer/clasroom/mrsgray/index.htm Sherri Hurst Gr.2 Geneva, Ohio Jackie Meehan Gr. 2 Geneva, Ohio ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6Traits - Example # 2 - 8/6/99*** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:12:54 -0700 Zeena Zeena, I know just how you feel. I love chocolate covered marshmellows too! But let me tell you what happened to me. My mom came home from the store one day and let me have a chocolate = covered marshmellow. It was love at first bit. So lite, fluffy, chewy and = slipped down my throat like a small piece of heaven. Just thinking about it makes me want to have another one until I recall what happened I finished my = last bag of those squishy delights. My mom told me I can help myself to a few and before I knew it the whole bag was gone. My mom called me to dinner, and you know, the last thing I wanted or even cared about was dinner, but you know how mothers are, I had to sit down and take one bite of everything. And after that, I had = diaria, diaria, diaria. But I was convinced it wasn't the marshmellows. Last fall my mom bought me all of these cute clothes for my birthday, shorts, jeans, skirts, so when the weather got warm and I went to put on = my new clothes, they didn't fit to my amazement and not because I had grown = to tall, just because I couldn't even zip them up. But it couldn't be the marshmellows, their too lite and fluffy; infact a whole bag or = marshmellows doesn't weight as much as one orange. One day, when I put the tight clothes out of my mind, I grabbed myself = some chocolate covered marshmellows, when I was biting down on one, a sharp stabbing pain went up my tooth and the side of my head. And whenever I ate, my teeth hurt. So my mom took me to the dentist, and let me tell you it was not a pretty picture, I had seven expensive, painful cavities. So Zeena, you can keep pooping those marshmellows into your mouth, but before you do, remember not everything about chocolate covered = marshmellows is sweet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6Traits - Example # 1 - 8/6/99*** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 05:29:30 -0700 Thor is a fun person to be with at least for me, and I cannot begin to recight all we did together. However I could give a few examples. For example, we used to swim in an old stone quorey over by his house. There was a tower in the pond that he used to haul himself up to the top of. Then I'd toss him a steel cable attached to a beam. He would then hurl himself into the deep green muck and disapear whith a splash. And what a splash! Once he swam the whole four hundred and twenty meters of the = pond. He didn't even stop to pant. We also went on skating parties together. He's the one who tried to teach me how to skate. I still don't know despite his efforts. Wehen we whern't swimming or skating we might have been playing Role Playing Games, our favorite pastime. It was not particularly mine though. He liked to play Gamma World, I liked Star Frontiers. Thor had a lot friends here despite his rather unsighly round stature. = But when he moved to vancouver he had trouble making friends. That was the biggest surprise of my life. I suppose you need to know what Thor looks like. Well he's not the most beutifull friend in the world, he had a kind of amber colored eye. they were wide and kind eyes. Made you want to like him, he had a sort of blonde mix whith brown hair. That hair was always clean and straight and stayed close to his head. he also had a very tight color of skin that fit nicely around his bulbous bod. I suppose thats what he had trouble making friends down there because he was so large. But he was my best friend, and always will be. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ***6Traits - Example # 3 - 8/6/99*** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:19:36 -0700 The Great Divide 3/27/96 There are two kinds of people in the world: people who divide people into two kinds of people, and people who don't. Some people return the shopping cart to the shopping cart-holder-thingie, and some people don't. There are people who wear hats, and people who don't. Who build miniature trains in the basement, or not. People who have tools in their garages, = and people who borrow the tools. People who make soup, and people who throw out the chicken carcass. Cat people, dog people. YOU know. As for me, I divide people into all kinds of groups. For one thing, there are people who think my cousin is funny, and people who don't. This is an important concept, and you should listen. Did you ever know someone who made you laugh, reliably, to the point of weeping? Who could be counted on to turn a phrase in just the right way = so that you snort your coffee all over Newsweek? My cousin, Gila, is this person for me. Before I tell you how funny she = is, I must tell you about her usefulness. Gila is a fortyish homemaker and internet explorer who lives in California and spends a lot of time solving people's problems. Do you have a crayon stain on some laundry? Gila will fire up her computer, find the Web site for Crayola, and call you up with Crayon Stain Removal Tips. Then she will call you back the next day to find out if it worked, and follow up three days later with a Xeroxed Stain Guide which you can tape to your washing machine; or, if you want it laminated, Gila will tell you which place is cheapest. Do your children refuse to eat anything which is orange? Gila will determine the best way to make nonorange macaroni and cheese, and bring = you some in a casserole dish. Are you upset because you shot your mouth off at a meeting? Gila will remind you what a generally FINE person you are, and how those Other People who took offense are a bunch of bums. Having = trouble with the Visa people? Gila will write them a blistering letter, fax and e-mail it, and have them licking your shoes by lunchtime. I often need to call my cousin in the daytime, from Idaho, when family things go wrong and I need a pep talk. "My children tell me I am a terrible mother because I make them take Hot Lunch," I say, and she says, "You slut. Can't you even pack a brown bag? It's all your fault, and you should be shot." Then I feel better. If I say, "My mother keeps telling me I have gained a few pounds, and it pisses me off when she does that," Gila will advise, "Just say, 'How tactful of you to have noticed!' " Yesterday I asked Gila to promise me that she will tell me, when we are = old ladies, if I might have Alzheimer's and am obviously two slices short of a sandwich. "I could just tell you now," she said. When a person doesn't think Gila is funny I am morbidly suspicious. It's = a very bad sign, sort of like a person who has a lovely pink blooming = dogwood and cuts it down because it interferes with the TV antennae. Or a person who buys all their groceries at the 7-Eleven. If they don't think she's funny, they probably throw candy wrappers out their car window and don't even, for the love of god, vote. They may even be those humorless clods who watch Home Shopping when "Frasier" is on, or people who don't read the newspaper. Perhaps they are even the type who collect O.J. memorabilia. It could be anything, and it's probably something awful, if they don't think Gila is funny. Such distinctions help me organize my internal world. I need these boundaries in order to know who I can talk to, be authentic with, confide in. I wouldn't want to tell a Gila Isn't Funny person about how my husband refuses to buy furniture, for example. They might take it seriously and advise me on how patience is a virtue and honoring my marriage vows and = all that kind of claptrap. Gila just says, "Well, YOU'RE not a fulltime prize EITHER, you know," which puts it all in perspective. So if you don't think she's funny, I don't want to hear about it. Leave me in ignorance, or I'll get too disorganized. I mean it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: 6Traits- ***unsubscribe From: FRANCHADDC@aol.com Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 21:44:54 EDT Please unsubscribe me. It is just too much to keep up with at this time. Thanks. Frances/Grades2&3/VA franchaddc@aol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Hungry site From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:23:14 -0700 >http://www.thehungersite.com/ > >It costs you nothing. There are tiny ads that you can click on for the >sponsors, if you choose. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ****6Traits - Assignment #3 - 8/6/99**** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:34:01 -0700 Hello, writing facilitators! Last assignment for the week is to come up with some strategies for teaching the trait of organization. Send these strategies to me personally. mailto:susan@desertskyone.com I will compile them and post them to the list and to the website. To get you started, here are some things that my fellow trainers and I thought might help. 1. Use a paragraph taken, perhaps, from the text of a science or social studies lesson or reading which you are studying. Separate it into sentences, rearrange them and number them. Randomly insert one or two sentences which go with the subject, but do not fit in the paragraph. Give the page (or in the case of young children, write on sentence strips and hand out) to your students. Tell them, "Put these sentences in order to form one paragraph that makes good use of sequencing and transitions. There may be sentences you want to delete." 2. Sequence cartoon frames, Sunday comics, poetry stanzas, etc. 3. Have students write directions for an activity, such as making a sandwich. Have peers follow directions. Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Mor information on Organization From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:35:58 -0700 From the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, used with permission: Organization - Where's the Link to Instruction? *Writing leads *Sequencing *Categorizing *Analyzing *Rank ordering *Prioritizing *Identifying main ideas *Making connections *Showing how ideas relate *Resolving problems *Writing conclusions ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: A *student* rubric guide From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:46:25 -0700 You might use something like this for the students to judge their own = papers: 5-6 Paper: Clear and Compelling Direction I've chosen an order that works well and makes the reader want to find = out what's coming next. *My beginning gets the reader's attention and gives clues about what is coming. *Every detail adds a little more to the main idea or story. *All my details are in the right place; everything fits like a puzzle. *I ended at a good spot and didn't drag on too long. *I left my reader with something to think about. 3-4 Paper: Some Really Smooth Parts, Others Need Work The order of my story/paper makes sense most of the time. *I have a beginning, but it really doesn't grab you or give clues about what is coming. *Sometimes it is not clear how the details I have used connect to the main idea or story. *Some of my details are in the right spot, but some should come earlier or later. *I've lingered too long in some places, and sped through others. *I have a conclusion, it just isn't the way I want it yet. I may have gone on too long or just tried to sum up in a ho-hum way. 1-2 Paper: Not Shaped Yet The order in my paper is jumbled and confused. I'm feeling dizzy! *There isn't really a beginning or ending to my paper. It just kinda "takes off...." *I'm confused about how the details fit with the main idea or story. *My ideas seem scrambled, jumbled and disconnected. It's confusing. *Conclusion? Oops, I forgot! From _The Student Friendly Guide to Writing With Traits_ by Vicki Spandel and Ruth Culham, which may be reproduced without permission by classroom teachers and student writers. copyright 1993 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Possible Posters for Organization From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:49:36 -0700 Printed on 8-1/2 x 11 paper in large type - maybe with a nice border. ORGANIZATION I have a good beginning, middle and end. I tell things in an order that makes sense. Student poster of questions to ask about organization: ORGANIZATION *Does my paper have a good beginning? *Did I tell things in the best order? *Does my paper have a good ending? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Possible Posters for Sentence Fluency From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 06:52:46 -0700 I think I forgot to send these for sentence fluency last week. Is there anything else I usually send that I forgot for SF? - Susan Printed on 8-1/2 x 11 paper in large type - maybe with a nice border. SENTENCE FLUENCY My story would sound good if it were read aloud. My sentences make sense. I don't use all of the same words to begin my sentences. Student poster of questions to ask about sentence fluency: SENTENCE FLUENCY *Is my paper easy to read aloud? *Do my sentences begin in different ways? *Does it sound smooth as I listen to it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Needing some help From: TchnTeri@aol.com Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 22:09:54 EDT >Okay, I'm catching up and lost all of the examples of fluency and the ways to >teach it. Could someone send them to me? > >Thanks, >Teri ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Some ideas about organizing your materials From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 07:15:07 -0700 Here are some tips I picked up about organizing your teaching materials = for 6 Traits: 1. You can store everything in a *very* fat notebook with colored tabs between sections. 2. Get a box or crate in which you can put hanging file folders. Buy regular folders in 6 colors + some in manila. Organize one color for the information on each trait and put the general information, rubrics, etc. = in the manila folder. The trainer, for example, had red folders in one hanging file folder. There was one with teaching strategies, one with general information about the trait, such as the posters and link to the curriculum, definitions, etc., and one for the sample writing pieces. At their Kyrene school, they took an early release day and all teachers brought all the materials they had for six traits. Each grade level made = a box which held all the materials. All grade levels had the same colors of folders for the same things. The boxes are kept in the grade level pod. (They were apparently built in the mid-70s when pods with a teacher's work area in the middle were popular.) Any grade level teacher could retrieve the things they needed, and then put them back. The trainer also mentioned that after they had put these boxes together, most of the teachers had a parent helper copy the entire box so that each teacher had all their own materials. Can't imagine why. =3D) If a 2nd grade teacher needed something more advanced or less advanced, = she or he could go to the appropriate grade level, find the same colored = folder she or he was used to, and borrow/return the necessary items. 3. Make transparencies of all the things you will be using over and over = - such as rubrics, samples, etc. Store them in the folders, too. 4. Order Student Friendly Guide to the Writing With Traits. (1-800-547-6339) Each teacher needs one copy. The front copyright says, "May be reproduced without permission by classroom teachers and student writers." This is the book from which I have taken the student rubrics = for you. There are many other student aids in the book, and it isn't = expensive. 5. You might include a folder for each trait that is labeled, "What Does Good Writing Look Like?" and include in that our samples from each traits first assignments. Another place to obtain examples for this folder would be the book, _Picture Books_ by Ruth Culham, NWREL, 5th Edition, 1998. It costs $15 and is available that same 800 number. It includes UPS delivery in the $15 cost. (Orders from outside the US are acceptable. Must be paid in US currency with an additonal 25% for postage.) The books are arranged by trait, and alphabetically. Also includes over 50 teacher generated lessons and activities. 6. I followed the colored folder idea, but since I didn't want to buy a hundred folders of each color, I bought pocket folders - 3 in each color. I put strategies in one pocket, general information about the trait in the middle, loose, and samples in the other pocket. I wrote the trait, or General Information, on the outside in black Sharpie, close to the open edge and dropped them in the hanging files just like normal file folders. They were on sale at Staples for 10 cents each, and came in, just imagine, seven colors. 7. Ideas for the folders you will need for each trait: key points focus lessons activities mini-lessons longer activities (including copies of actual lesson plan pages from books and the NWREL web site student samples To begin, you will need at least one weak sample, one strong sample, and one other sample for each trait. As we continue the list this year, we will all share many samples (I hope!) and our sample stash will grow. We can also ask colleagues for samples of their students' writing. When sharing, remove the student's name. To cover any possibility of parental upset, please send home at the beginning of the year a permission slip for parents to sign. It might = state: "Dear Parents, This year your child will be writing a great many stories and articles in our classroom. I may share your child's writing with other teachers, as = an example of one of the 6 Traits of Writing we are studying. If I do, your child's name and all other identifying information will be removed from = the paper prior to sharing. Please sign below giving permission for your child's work to be shared with others. Sincerely," Or something along those lines. I believe in avoiding trouble. I have a similar note about posting a child's work on the internet, with only the first name and no identifying information. I have not yet had a parent refuse permission, in three years. Just be on the safe side. Interestingly, K-12 students across the country voted Organization as the most difficult trait. "I look back and forth and see potential endings and titles and leads. = I'm looking for a trail through the material I have...." Donald Murray Sound familiar? Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- End of 6Traits Digest -- To unsubscribe, send any message at all to: 6Traits-off@.