Six Trait Witing: A Focus on Sentence Fluency and Variety

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Sentence Fluency and Variety
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MPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework
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COMPREHENSIVE LITERACY FRAMEWORK
Area Writing Context School
Audience Teachers
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Components of Effective Writing

• Ideas
• Organization
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency and Variety
• Conventions
• Presentation

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MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS Division of
Teaching and Learning
Notice
Writing Rubric
The six components of the MPS Writing Rubric are
the same six areas found in the Six Trait Writing
Model.
PROFICIENT Main idea communicated Ideas
sufficiently organized and developed Evidence of
authors response to the writing task Appropriate
word choice and usage Adequate sentence sense and
minimal sentence errors Occasional errors in
capitalization, punctuation and spelling
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Definition
Sentence fluency and variety is the purposeful
use of sentence components.
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Elements of Sentence Fluency

• The sentences are well constructed they are
  complete and correct.
• The sentences vary in length, structure, and
  complexity.
• The sentences have varied beginnings.
• The sentences include creative and appropriate
  connectives.
• The writing has rhythm and cadence.
• The sentences showcase the meaning.

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The concept of sentence fluency
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Some sentences should be short and choppy.
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Some sentences should be longer, flowing, and
smooth they should highlight the meaning of the
text.
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What to look and listen for...

• Rhythm, flow, natural cadence
• Smooth pacing
• Well-built sentences
• Sentence length enhances the meaning
• Varied sentence beginnings

Each of these elements could be content for
mini/teachable lessons.
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Teach students how to craft different types of
sentences. Explain why this skill is important.
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For Example
We went to the baseball game. We had fun. It was
raining hard. We got soaked.
Vary the beginnings and combine sentences
Despite being soaked from the driving rain, we
had fun at the baseball game.
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More practice with sentence combining
1. I live in a house. 2. The house is made of
brick. 3. The brick is red.
4. The house has a garage. 5. The
garage is brown.
6. The garage is made of
wood
7. There is a fence. 8. The fence is high. 9.
The fence goes around the house

• I like the backyard.
• The backyard has trees.

Adapted from the work of Dr. Beverly Chin

• How might you combine some of these sentences?
• What effect do sentences of various lengths and
  types have on the reader?

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To clarify meaning, instead of
At this point in time, we feel we are ready to
begin to learn.
Say
Now, were ready to learn.
When revising for sentence fluency, encourage
students to read their work out loud.
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Reading Out Loud
Quality literature is meant to be heard.
Learners of all ages like to be read to. By
reading out loud we not only share the richness
of the language, but we model how purposeful use
of sentence fluency can help enhance or impair
the message.
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Fluency
One of the hardest tasks of the writer is to read
what is on the page, not what the writer hoped
would be on the page. -Donald Murray
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Take a closer look at effective communication.
Point out the effect quality sentence fluency and
variety has when used in environmental print

• Advertisements
• Jingles
• Childhood rhymes
• Raps
• Podcasts
• Memorable quotations
• Well-written passages in books

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Fluency
Key Questions

• Can you FEEL the words and phrases flow together
  as you read it aloud?

• Is the flow of writing right for the purpose and
  audience?

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Literature to use to highlight sentence fluency
and variety
The Shakespeare Can Be Fun! Series by Lois Burdett
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Literature to use to highlight sentence fluency
and variety
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Literature to use to highlight sentence fluency
and variety
Basketball is my thing. I can hoop. Case
closed. Im six four and I got the moves, the
eye, and the heart. You can take my game to the
bank and wait for interest. With me its not
like playing a game, its like the only time Im
being for real. Bringing the ball down the court
makes me feel like a bird that just learned to
fly. I see my guys moving down in from of me and
everything looks right. Patterns come up and a
small buzz comes into my head that starts to
build up and I know it wont end until the ball
swishes through the net.
Myers also wrote HOOPS, another good book for
sentence fluency and variety.
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Literature to use to highlight sentence fluency
and variety
Use poetry to demonstrate sentence fluency!
Rhythm and Rhyme
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Listen to the rhythm Tap to the beat
Include Choral Readings and Readers Theatre in
Your Lessons
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Other lessons for Sentence Fluency and Variety
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Cut the extra words
Example The stadium has enough parking space for
fans automobiles and other vehicles.
The stadium has ample parking space.
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Use Student Sample Papers
A. Review the criteria and expectations of the
rubric
B. Read and assess the student work

• Craft effective feedback that students can use to
  improve future performances.

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To reinforce sentence fluency,
You could say
You created sentences that sound rhythmic when
read aloud. This keeps the flow moving!
It is obvious you know how to compose a
complete sentence this helps the reader attend
to the message.
You have a long sentence, then a short one.
Very effective! The pace of your writing matches
its meaning.
The sentences in your first paragraph begin in
different ways this makes the writing more
interesting to read. How might you add that same
effect to the rest of your work?
The way you chose to organize your phrases fits
the story. The order helps the reader understand
when things happened.
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• Do you
• Frequently read aloud to students?
• Read from a variety of sources(all genres)?
• Encourage students to read their own work?
• Check beginning sentences for variety?
• Show students how to vary sentence length?

• Then youre already teaching aspects of
  sentence fluency and variety!
• Now, make certain (be explicit!) students
  understand the component (trait) and elements
  they are working with as they revise.

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Reflect

• In what ways are you currently teaching Sentence
  Fluency and Variety?
• How might you enhance Sentence Fluency and
  Variety in your teaching?

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Remember
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MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Our Goal
Sentence Fluency and Variety
All students have the knowledge and skills needed
to hit the target!