THE SIX TRAITS OF WRITING in SHORT STORY



THE SIX TRAITS OF WRITING in SHORT STORY Name:

The Six Traits of Writing include ideas/content, organization, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and conventions. Each of these traits are essential to good writing for any purpose, whether you are writing an essay or a creative story.

All directions in this packet are bolded. Make sure you complete all of the activities.

Trait 1: Ideas/Content

As you begin your story, you must generate ideas.  Your ideas and content are the reasons for writing a paper.  Every paper should convey a message and be easy to follow. Some thoughts to get you going:

What is my message and is it focused and clear?

Did I include important details relevant to my topic?

Did the reader learn something new?

Is my paper interesting and easy to understand?

Read the story below:

I went on vacation this summer. It was a lot of fun. We camped at night and hiked during the day.  It was exciting to be in the woods and I hope that I go again next year.

Was this an interesting story? What are some questions you have after reading?

Here are some example questions to ask:

Where did the writer go? Who else went? What made it fun? What was the weather like? What was the memorable?

Add TWO more questions that could be answered:

Question 1: _____________________________________________________________________________

Question 2: _____________________________________________________________________________

Now it's your turn. Write about a vacation you enjoyed, keeping these and any other questions you have in mind.

Here is the beginning of one writer's revised vacation story as an example:

This past August my friend and I hopped into my Honda and headed to Glacier National Park in Montana.  We had a long drive in front of us. But, we passed the time by imagining the adventures we'd have trekking through the park's winding trails. As we cruised through the flat lands of North Dakota, our eye lids started to droop. So, we stopped at tiny motel that had a blazing sign stating, "Rest your head, in our comfy bed."  Unfortunately, when we arrived in our room, we discovered that we weren't the only ones to rest our head there. Under the blankets, we discovered........

This time the writer shared important details. The message was clear and focused.

Write a vacation story here. It does not have to be a true story. 100+ words.

Trait 2: Organization

Organizing your ideas helps a reader move through your paper in a meaningful way. Here are some things to keep in mind as you write your paper:

Does my beginning hook my reader?

Is my paper easy to follow? Did I choose the best way to organize my story?

Do my ideas link to a main message?

Do I have a strong conclusion that wraps up the story?

When writing short stories, don’t forget about the importance of an interesting introduction that grabs the reader’s attention, as well as a captivating conclusion that leaves the reader with something to think about.

Read the story below.

Jack used the money from the golden eggs to help his family.  He crept inside only to find a scowling giant holding a hen that laid golden eggs.  A huge beanstalk grew to the sky.  Luckily, Jack reached the bottom first.  They all lived happily ever after. When Jack got to the top, he spotted a beautiful castle.  He started chasing after Jack.  He waited until the giant took a nap and then snatched the magic bird.  Jack was so excited, he climbed up to the top of the beanstalk.  So, Jack raced to the beanstalk and began to scurry down to safety.  The giant climbed down after him.  The giant woke up!  Jack decided to steal the hen.  Jack grabbed an ax and chopped down the beanstalk. Once upon a time Jack planted some magic beans.  The giant fell and was never heard from again.       

Did you have trouble following this story?  It is not organized effectively. The writer's ideas are not in order.  

The story has been recopied below by sentences. Number the sentences on the lines provided in order, making sure to organize the ideas so it makes sense.  There are sixteen sentences in all.

_______ Jack used the money from the golden eggs to help his family.  

_______ He crept inside only to find a scowling giant holding a hen that laid golden eggs.  

_______ A huge beanstalk grew to the sky.  

_______ Luckily, Jack reached the bottom first.  

_______ They all lived happily ever after.

_______ When Jack got to the top, he spotted a beautiful castle.  

_______ He started chasing after Jack.  

_______ He waited until the giant took a nap and then snatched the magic bird.  

_______ Jack was so excited, he climbed up to the top of the beanstalk.  

_______ So, Jack raced to the beanstalk and began to scurry down to safety.  

_______ The giant climbed down after him.

_______ The giant woke up!  

_______ Jack decided to steal the hen.  

_______ Jack grabbed an ax and chopped down the beanstalk.

_______ Once upon a time Jack planted some magic beans.  

_______ The giant fell and was never heard from again.     

Trait 3: Sentence Fluency

Fluent writing has rhythm.  Sentences vary in length and structure.  It is easy and pleasurable to read aloud.  

It is important to think about:

Is my story easy to read?

Do my sentences begin in different ways?

Did I use some long and some short sentences?

Does my story sound smooth as I read it aloud?

Read this paragraph.

My horse is white. He has one blue eye and one brown eye. He is friendly. He likes when we brush him. He snuggles his nose into us when we brush him. He is fun to ride. He is my horse and I am glad.

You probably noticed that most of the sentences started the same way. Think of some different ways to change these sentences to make the story easier and more fun to read; it sounds choppy the way it is because of the repetition of the similar beginnings and short sentence length.

Now read this paragraph.

My friendly horse, Flash, has one blue eye and one brown eye. This majestic white creature loves when I brush his soft coat. I can tell because he snuggles his nose into me and whinnies. He also loves to race through the corn fields behind our barn. Whoosh! Flash gallops through the stalks like a Nascar racer flying around a speedway. I clutch his mane and shriek with laughter. He is a wonderful horse!

This story had different sentence beginnings and added a bit more detail. It made the story more interesting for the reader. Try to add some different beginnings to your stories when you write to make sure your sentences flow.

Rewrite the following paragraph in the space below to make it more fluent and interesting to read.

I went to school. I went to all of my morning classes. I ate lunch. Then I went to my afternoon classes. I got some homework. Then I went home. Then I ate dinner. Then I did my homework. Then I went to bed.

Trait 4: Word Choice

The specific words that you choose create images, capture a reader's attention and make your story memorable.

Look at your paper and decide:

Have I used some strong verbs or colorful phrases that grab my reader?

Have I chosen the most precise word?

Have I used any unique words?

Did I repeat common words too many times?

Read the following paragraph.

The big bear stood by the water. He looked at his shadow in the big lake. He thought that he looked very nice. He went to take a drink of water. A fish went by. The bear wanted to eat the big fish. He ate up the fish and went away.

You probably noticed that the author used words that were not that exciting. Words like that are called “DEAD WORDS.” Brainstorm some words or phrases you could use instead of the underlined words that would make the story more lively and memorable for the reader. Revise the story adding precise, colorful, vivid words.  Notice how an author's voice and choice of words makes a story unique.

Brainstorm new words underneath the dead words:

Big Looked Very Nice Drink

Went Wanted Eat Ate

Revise and rewrite the story here:

Trait 5: Voice

Your voice is what gives your writing personality, flavor and style.

Questions to think about as you write your story:

Can you tell I am enthusiastic about my topic?

Does this writing sound like me?

How do I want my readers to feel? (Keep your audience in mind! – Who is reading this?)

Will my story hold readers' attention? Will they want to hear more?

Read the two stories below and decide which author grabs and holds your attention.

I went canoeing with friends. They brought their dog. It was hot outside. The water felt good. The dog liked to play in the water with us. We all got wet.

One sizzling August afternoon my friends and I cruised down the Wisconsin River on a bright red canoe. Their energetic golden retriever, Paddington, rode along with us. Whenever one of us would shout, "Switch sides," Paddington would jump up and dance around. One time he leaped so high, he tipped the bouncing boat. We all flopped into the water splashing and laughing like baby seals.

Which story was more interesting to read? In the second story you could hear the writer's voice. The author's enthusiasm made it easy for readers to imagine what was happening.

Read the story below, and then revise it to add in your own voice. 100+ words

My friend and I went to a concert. It was a good concert because it was my favorite band. We had a lot of fun. The band played my favorite song. It was great. I liked it.

Trait 6: Conventions

You've finished your first draft.  Now it is time to start editing for conventions.  These include spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization and paragraphing.  Proper use of conventions make your story easy for others to read.

To begin editing ask yourself:

Did I leave spaces between words and sentences?

Did I use a title?

Did I use correct punctuation?

Did I use capital letters in the right places?

Have I proofread for correct spelling and grammar?

Have I indented any new paragraphs? 

 

Read the paragraph below.

i went to the beech this sumer with my friends? we brout our towls and a piknik lunch  we had fun swiming to the dok and makeing sand castles the best part of the day was wen we saw the ice cream cart we all got an ice creem sandwich.  it was a great day at the beach

Rewrite this paragraph editing it for spelling, punctuation, spacing, grammar and capitalization.  Add your own title.  

6 Traits Toolbox - Conventions Practice - MAD LIBS Bingold

Fill in the words here. Then place them into the story on the reverse side of this page. Use colorful, vivid words!

1. [Adjective_________________________]

2. [Noun_________________________]

3. [Adjective_________________________]

4. [Adjective_________________________]

5. [Adjective_________________________]

6. [Verb_________________________]

7. [Family relation_________________________]

8. [Adjective_________________________]

9. [Plural noun_________________________]

10. [Adjective_________________________]

11. [Adjective_________________________]

12. [Noun_________________________]

13. [Noun_________________________]

14. [Repeat previous noun________________________]

15. [Plural noun_________________________]

16. [Adjective_________________________]

17. [Noun_________________________]

18. [Noun_________________________]

19. [Verb past tense_________________________]

20. [Article of clothing_________________________]

21. [Noun_________________________]

22. [Adjective_________________________]

23. [Emotional state_________________________]

24. [Noun_________________________]

25. [Noun_________________________]

26. [Plural noun_________________________]

27. [Verb_________________________]

28. [Noun_________________________].

29. [Noun_________________________]

30. [Noun_________________________]

31. [Adjective_________________________]

32. [Noun_________________________]

33. [Verb past tense_________________________]

34. [Noun_________________________]

35. [Noun_________________________]

36. [Noun_________________________]

37. [Adjective_________________________]

38. Noun_________________________]

39. [Plural noun_________________________]

40. [Adverb_________________________]

The Story of Little Red [1_________________________] Hood

Once upon a [2_________________________], there lived a [3_________________________] girl called "Little Red [4_________________________] Hood". Little Red [5_________________________] Hood just loved to [6_________________________] in the forest.

One day, her [7_________________________] called to her and said, "Little Red [8_________________________] hood, would you please bring this basket of [9_________________________] to your [10_________________________] grandmother in the woods?"

Little Red [11_________________________] Hood started off down the [12_________________________], but on the way she met a big bad [13_________________________]. "Where are you going?" the [14_________________________] asked her. "Oh," she replied, "I am going to bring these [15_________________________] to my grandmother, so that she will become less [16_________________________]!"

The [17_________________________] quickly ran down the [18_________________________] to grandma's house, and when he got there he [19_________________________] her in one gulp!

He quickly put on her [20_________________________] and got in the [21_________________________].

When Little Red [22_________________________] Hood walked in, she was [23_________________________] to see the [24_________________________] in grandma's [25_________________________].

"Why grandma!" she said. "What big [26_________________________] you have!"

"The better to [27_________________________] you with, my dear!" he yelled, and jumped out of the [28_________________________].

Luckily, at that very moment a handsome [29_________________________] happened to be walking along the [30_________________________] and heard Little Red [31_________________________] Hood fighting with the [32_________________________]. He [33_________________________] the door down, then smacked the [34_________________________] with his own [35_________________________]. The [36_________________________] begged for mercy and ran away. Then Little red [37_________________________] hood and the [38_________________________] shared some [39_________________________] and lived [40_________________________] ever after.

ANSWER:

Organization Activity

Once upon a time Jack planted some magic beans.  A huge beanstalk grew to the sky.   Jack was so excited, he climbed up to the top of the beanstalk. When Jack got to the top, he spotted a beautiful castle.  He crept inside only to find a scowling giant holding a hen that laid golden eggs.  Jack decided to steal the hen.  He waited until the giant took a nap and then snatched the magic bird. The giant woke up! He started chasing after Jack.  So, Jack raced to the beanstalk and began to scurry down to safety.  The giant climbed down after him.  Luckily, Jack reached the bottom first.  Jack grabbed an ax and chopped down the beanstalk. The giant fell and was never heard from again.  Jack used the money from the golden eggs to help his family.  They all lived happily ever after.   

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download