Received: from [209.75.187.203] (HELO ) by MDCCLXXVI.com (Stalker SMTP Server 1.8b6) with SMTP id S.0000281110 for <6Tarchive@CyberSpaces.net>; Mon, 09 Aug 1999 23:10:12 -0700 Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 23:10:01 -0700 Subject: 6Traits Digest #50 - 08/09/99 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 #50 - Monday, August 9, 1999 Organization Examples Assignment by "Debbie SoS" Re: Archives by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ****Conventions - 7/9/99 - #1**** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ****Conventions #2 - 7/9/99**** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ****Conventions #3 - 7/9/99 - Assignment #1**** by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> Update on course by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Organization Examples Assignment From: "Debbie šoš" Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1999 15:24:01 GMT Okay, I am ready to commit to this one! I have given it some thought, = and I come up with pretty much the same levels today as I did earlier--and within 1 level is ok, right? ;) I found example 1-Thor- to have some details in the right spot, but I felt = that the description should have been somewhere earlier. It had a beginning, but it didn't grab me. The conclusion was present but I felt = it was ho-hum. All told, I gave this piece a LEVEL 3-4, probably a 3. I enjoyed the second example-Zeena-but felt that the *title* could have = been a better choice. The beginning, I found to be a bit weak (didn't grab = me), but I thought that the details were in the right order and ended at a good = spot. The author left the reader with something to think about.."Not everything about chocolate covered marshmallows is sweet." With the few weaknesses, I gave this example a LEVEL 5-6, leaning towards a low 6. I admit it, I still found the third example-The Great Divide- to be confusing, and lengthy. The title and the beginning didn't give me a clue = to the piece, and I found the ending unclear. Details did add to the story, but I was distracted with the number and the positioning of them. I = have decided to give this piece a LEVEL 3-4...but since it is stronger = than weak, it would be a 4. Debbie =BAo=BA ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: Archives From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 09:55:34 -0700 >Nicole, and anyone else who missed it, deleted it accidently, or just >somehow skipped over it (which I've been known to do!), the archive site, >which now has all digests, is ><6Traits@/archive/> Oh, duh! That's not right! It is linked on our web index page, but if = you want to go directly there, it's: http://6Traits.CyberSpaces.net/archive The folders at the top have June and July digests. Just click on the folder, if those are the months you want. Apologies, Susan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ****Conventions - 7/9/99 - #1**** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 19:56:30 -0700 Short and sweet: Spelling Grammar and Usage Punctuation Capitalization Paragraphing **Consider *all* key components **Spelling is a hot spot - beware! **The text should look clean, edited, polished -- not perfect. **Conventions should be under control and enhance the readability. **Conventional style guidelines change over time and may vary by topic and audience. Key Question: How much editing would have to be done to be ready to share with an = outside audience? *a whole lot? score in the 1-2 range *a moderate amount? (a little of this, a little of that....) score in the 3-4 range *very little - just a touch-up here or there? Score in the 5-6 range. Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ****Conventions #2 - 7/9/99**** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 20:04:01 -0700 Some brief examples - go ahead and laugh, if you feel like it: ***Her spelling was abyzmall. ***Terrorists are (deadly). ***It's me! Your breast friend. ***Space . . . the finnel fruter . . . . Somewhat better: ***I see you there, calling from your tree house, beckoning in your squeaky, stuttering voice.... "D-D-Donny! C-C-Come h-here! L-Let's d-d-d-drop th-ths cat fr-from the tr-treehouse a-a-a-and s-see what h-h-happens!" Playing around with conventions to create style: ***...but it'll never be like them three years when she was mine. What to Look and Listen for: *left to right orientation on page *top to bottom logic on page *letters facing appropriate directions *distinctions between upper and lower case letters *spaces between words *spaces between lines *name on the page *use of title *use of labels *use of indentation to show a new paragraph *use of upper case "I" as a pronoun *exploration with punctuation, conventionally placed or not *rudimentary spelling, connecting sounds to wrods *readable spelling (can be interpreted without the writer's help) Remember: Conventions is the trait that does partly depend on grade = level. Expectations for 3rd, 5th, 8th and high schoolers are different. They = are required to know, and use correctly, fewer pieces of punctuation, etc. in lower grades. Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: ****Conventions #3 - 7/9/99 - Assignment #1**** From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 20:05:49 -0700 Individual Assignment: Find a passage from a favorite author which you think demonstrates excellent use of conventions. Share it with the group. Children's authors, children authors, or your favorite free time reading author. mailto:6Traits@ Susan Nixon 2nd Grade Phoenix, AZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Update on course From: Susan Nixon <susan@desertskyone.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 20:21:55 -0700 Dear Writing Friends, As you can see, we have started our final week of traits. When we began = on July 5, we had 170 people with us. By the end of the week, 20 had left, and over the last 4 weeks, we've lost another 20 or so, but we've also gained 10, so we're holding steady at about 135-140 participants in the = list. Whether you have been here every day or not, whether you have posted every assignment, or been a reader and cogitator, you are to be commended for spending your precious summer vacation time learning something new. On = the plus side, it will help you, according to research, to avoid Alzheimer's Disease. On the plus side, you will be ready to help your colleagues with the traits. More and more states are adopting the 6Traits of Writing as a method of teaching, evaluating and scoring writing samples, including standardized testing for the state. I have enjoyed the correspondence we have carried on as a group, and the individual notes that have passed between us. You have been a great group with which to work, and I look forward to our continued association as = this course moves to a normal listserv. Thanks to Kerry L., Barbara M., and Linda N. (and probably others I forgot to post on here) we have enough to cover the web site and the list for the next year, plus one month. Thank you so much for taking responsibility = for this. For each of you, it wasn't a hardship. Frankly, for me, it would have been, but I would have done it, feeling that it was important. It's nice that you cared enough to help. Next week, we will address some issues of Writer's Workshop, because many people have asked about it and I promised we would. That will give many = of us time to get back into the classroom, preparing for those new minds we will face in the next week or two. Some of you have longer vacations, or started later than others of us, and you can say, "Nanny-Nanny Boo-Boo," = to those of us back at work. In case you didn't know, that's the mature second grade "hard time" to offer your friends. =3D) I will continue to update and add to the web site, of course, and if there are things you would like to see on the web page, please be sure to let me know. I don't promise to make all your dreams come true, but I do want to make the site something you can visit over and over and continue to use - not much point in it otherwise. Please share the site with all your friends and colleagues. Well, I suppose the engineers and bankers wouldn't be interested. =3D) There are two sets of rubric scores I need to share with you, and I will = do that tomorrow - sentence fluency and organization. If you know of = anything else I've missed, or if you feel that you need further clarification on = any trait, please feel free to throw the question out to the group, or to me individually. According to Psychologist Beth Bruno, on the Teachers Net page, teaching someone a new skill is 90% effective in your learning it yourself. Doing it is 75% effective. So get out there and do and teach! Sincerely, Susan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- End of 6Traits Digest -- To unsubscribe, send any message at all to: 6Traits-off@. Archive of past digests is at: