The Complete K–8 Writing Program from Ruth Culham
Grades 6-8
See a Core Week of Instruction for Grades 6-8

Now Available!

Implementation is based on a 40-minute instruction block that includes whole class activities, peer reviewing, one-on-one conferencing, and differentiated small group instruction every week.

Traits Writing Grades 6-8 Components
Traits Writing Teaching Guide

Teaching Guide

Contains focus lessons, mentor text lessons, warm-up activities, differentiated small-group activities, tips for managing independent writing, and much more.

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Traits Writing Comments Book

Comments Book

Contains 100 "just-right" comments, correlated to the trait scoring guides. Write the comments on papers or use them in one-on-one conferences, small groups, and whole-class lessons to inspire your students!

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Traits Writing Implementation Guide

Implementation Guide

Explains the instructional model, the research behind it, and ideas for scheduling instruction and managing the classroom. It provides detailed guidelines for assessing writing using the trait scoring guides, converting scores to grades, keeping records, and reporting progress to parents.

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Traits Writing Student Handbook

Student Handbook

25 copies of the Student Handbook include definitions of the traits and key qualities, worksheets, write-on pages, warm-up activities, "Think Abouts," author previews, graphic organizers, tip sheets, publishing checklists, and other tools that support instruction in the Teaching Guide.

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Traits Writing: Writing Folders

Writing Folders

Provide a place for students to stash works in progress. Pockets inside prevent papers from sliding out and the Editing Marks chart on the back provides a handy reference.

Traits Writing Traitspace

Traitspace™

Every program comes with access to Traitspace, a password protected, easy-to-navigate website that includes:
• Video interviews with authors of Mentor Texts
• Student materials
• Benchmark Papers & Assessment Tools
• Record Keeping Forms and much more!

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Mentor Texts

26 Mentor Texts in a Literature Anthology (excerpts from high-quality fiction and nonfiction) or on Everyday Text posters (functional texts such as speeches, reviews, cartoons, signs, brochures, ad campaigns, and songs) serve as models for teaching the key qualities of Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, and Sentence Fluency. Each text is keyed directly to a lesson in the Teaching Guide and is accompanied by a voice of the writer who created it or of a writer who creates texts similar to it.

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Trait Posters

Cool and colorful posters, one for each trait, that remind students of key qualities to think about as they draft, revise, and edit their work. Each one showcases a "Trait Mate" from the Student Handbook.

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Everyday Text Posters

Everyday Text Posters

Everyday Text Posters are examples of real-world text that students encounter in their everyday lives and are included in the lesson plans.

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Overview of a Core Week

Instruction is based on a 40-minute daily writing block. If you don't have that much time, you'll find an alternate schedule in the Traits Writing Implementation Guide.

Introductory Lesson on the Key Quality (15 minutes)
Writing Folder Application: Pinpointing a Piece (10 minutes)
Independent Writing (15 minutes)
Whole-Class Warm-Up Activity (20 minutes)
Writing Folder Application: Pinpointing a Piece (10 minutes)
Independent Writing (15 minutes)
Differentiated Small Groups (40 minutes)
Mentor Text Lesson (15 minutes)
Writing Folder Application: Improving the Piece (10 minutes)
Independent Writing (15 minutes)
One-on-One Conferences (20 minutes)
Partner Conventions Check (10 minutes)
Whole-Class Reflection on the Key Quality (10 minutes)