Strategies for Teaching the 6 Traits

Contributor

Strategy

Barbara Martin

• Divide your class into groups.
• Assign each group to generate as many ideas as they can about the possible uses of a piece of string.
• Have the class come up with one big list. (I like to hold contests: for each idea the group gets once point, if only 2 groups have the idea then the group gets 2 points for it, if they are the only group to have that idea, then they get three points. They seem to work harder for points even if there is no prize.)
• Have each group divide the ideas into categories.
• Discuss categories as a whole class. Students may revise if they wish.
• Students write a paper about the uses of string.
• This activity could be done again with other common objects.
  

Valerie Dehombreux

Strategies for teaching Ideas (mainly for a non-fiction informational report for 3rd grade)

• For each step of the following, you may choose to have students do the part after you model rt, or after the whole process is finished.
• Model for the students how to choose a topic that interests you. Think aloud, "What am I interested in?" Write down several ideas. Solicit the children's ideas.
• After choosing a topic, do a KWL chart on what you know about the topic and what you want to know about the it. Put what you want to know in the form of questions.
• Take a large piece of butcher paper and write each question on it, with plenty of room underneath. Explain to the students this is how they will be able to organize their questions and write the facts they learn from research under each category.
• Model note-taking from several sources concerning the topic. Write information for each question.
• Discuss with the students: Do I have enough information? Do I have too much? Does my information really explain the answer to the questions?
• Elimate information and look for new information as necessary.
• Finally, model how this information can be turned into a report, with an introductory paragraph, paragraph for each question, and concluding paragraph. Model how to write main sentences and detail sentences for each one.
• Continue the writing process: editing/revising and publishing.
• With a teacher's model, the students can try this process first in groups and then as individuals. This plan can be adapted according to your grade level.