Content
This class will focus on how to apply the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's 6+1 Traits™ model to the process of teaching and evaluating writing.

The course activities will investigate the vocabulary, concepts, and application of writing traits to classroom instruction and student assessment. Take a few moments to review the class objectives.

Each module is structured around an Introduction, Readings, Lecture, Activities, an Activity Checklist, and Discussion Forum.

You will work individually and as part of a community to practice and refine your assessment skills. You will score a variety of demonstration papers, discuss your rationale with online colleagues, discover a variety of classroom strategies for teaching the traits, and share your own teaching methods.

While online education is highly flexible and designed to meet your schedule, you will need to set and meet deadlines as part of your weekly assignments and collaborative work. Additionally, your colleagues will depend on you for timely feedback as you work together to deepen and clarify essential concepts.

Course Goal
By the end of the course participants will be able to efficiently assess student writing using the 6+1 Traits™ model. Participants will have shared effective methods for teaching each trait. Finally, participants will publish an original student sample, complete with 6-traits scores and rationales.

Modules

1. Getting Started With Traits
   Introductions, Community, Perspective
2. Trait: Voice
   Finding the Courage to Speak from the Heart
3. Trait: Ideas and Content
   Generating Great Ideas
4. Trait: Organization
   Techniques and Tips for Structuring Student Writing
5. Trait: Word Choice
   Developing Descriptive Vocabulary to 'Show' What You Know
6. Trait: Sentence Fluency
   Developing Rhythm
7. Trait: Conventions
   Conventions - Editing, Not Correcting / Assessments & Grading
8. The Assessment Roundtable
   Bringing It All Together

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ADA Statement
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students are encouraged to register with UW Stout Disability Services for assistance with instructional accommodations due to disabilities. The phone number of the Disability Services office is 715-232-2995 or contact the staff via email at this website: http://www.uwstout.edu/disability/contact.shtml

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Participation
Participants will:

• Exchange posts with their colleagues and participate in discussions using a Discussion Forum;
• Review and discuss online and text based reading materials;
• Use online examples to practice score each trait.
• Score demonstration papers using the rubric and discuss assessment rationale;
• Develop and score an original student sample for all traits.

You will be able to customize activities to your specific teaching responsibilities and needs.

Collaboration
During each activity, you are encouraged to share your discoveries and successes with other participants and collaborate during team problem solving. Participants may share drafts of works-in-progress for peer feedback and discuss ideas and suggestions before submitting the final project.

This may be your favorite part of the course. You will find creative ways to develop lively and fun group process skills as well as outstanding teaching projects.

Desire to Learn (D2L) Course Management System.
Many of the course instructional concepts are developed through discussion using our D2L course management system, and it is important that you check into the course and check the discussions regularly.

Through threaded discussion we exchange ideas with other class participants. You will be asked to complete a minimum of three meaningful postings per week during the course; this will include reacting to readings, discussing the topic/issue of the week, sharing information and resources with classmates, or responding to a problem posted by peers or your facilitator.

You may also participate in real-time one-to-one chats with your facilitator, discussion chats and team chats with learning partners at mutually agreed upon times during the term.

Self-Reflection
Reflective writing is required throughout the course. At the conclusion of each module you will write a concise reflection that responds to the concepts and themes discussed that week. A final reflection, summarizing all weekly reflections is required at the end of the course. Reflective prompts are provide each week. These prompts include questions such as:

• What was the most valuable information that you learned in this module?
• How will you implement this in your school? district?
• In what area(s) do you feel you need more information or practice?

Evaluation
Your final grade will be based on:

30% - Satisfactory completion of module activities

20% - Final Project

30% - Online Discussion (postings to Discussion Forum)

20% - Self-reflection

A -- Exceeds the standard

B -- Proficient demonstration of the standard

I -- Partially Proficient or Incomplete demonstration of the standard (Work must be resubmitted.)

Evaluation of your Discussion Forum participation is cumulative and subjective based on notes that the facilitator records each week. Always feel free to e-mail your facilitator for help in upgrading your participation in the Discussion Forum.

Exemplary: Active, respectful participation in discussions that clearly indicate understanding of course readings. Discussion postings are completed before the deadline, meet or exceed the minimum number required, and are straight to the point, clearly worded, and respond constructively to others' ideas. Discussion responses are posted to postings/questions of other participants and enhance the class discussion.

Proficient: Discussion postings are timely, relevant and include some feedback about the readings and responds to others' comments in the discussions. Meets the minimum number of postings per week.

Partially Proficient: Discussion postings are too few in number, or too trivial to fully meet the requirement. For example, most of the postings are "I think so too" or "I disagree", but lack any argument that adds to the discussion; or includes excessive quoting from the material without any real supporting evidence of how the topic might integrate with their classroom teaching.

Incomplete: Contributes below the minimum two postings per week or contributions are merely perfunctory. For example, most of the postings are "I think so too" or "I disagree", but lack any argument that adds to the discussion, or there is excessive quoting from the material without any real supporting evidence of the topic.

Reflections will be evaluated for clarity and your understanding of the readings and activities.

Any time that you want to ask about your progress, send an email directly to your facilitator.

Required Textbooks

Textbook for K-4* teachers: Creating Young Writers: Using the Six Traits to Enrich Writing Process in Primary Classrooms by Vicki Spandel. Pearson Education Inc. (2nd Edition) 2007.

Textbook for teachers in grades 5-12: Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction by Vicki Spandel. Pearson Education Inc. (5th Edition.) 2009.

*4th Grade Teachers, ESL, Special Ed, and teachers working in 'inclusive' classrooms will benefit from using both books.

Additional reading materials will be included as e-mail mini lectures or references on the WWW.