The Write Spot

The 6+1 Traits: IDEAS

In the last newsletter we introduced the 6+1 Traits, a common language that teachers and students are starting to use at our school to talk about what good writing looks like.

This week we would like to share more about the IDEAS trait.

So what do we mean by IDEAS?

Ideas are the heart of the message, the main thing that the writer wants to say.  

Without an idea, there is no writing. Good ideas in writing come from a knowledge of the topic you are writing about, choosing which details to include and which to leave out, creating clarity and interest. As readers, we are drawn to texts that are original, authentic and focused. Writers with great ideas notice things that others may overlook and describe the ordinary in extraordinary ways. 

The four key qualities of the ideas trait:

• Finding a topic
• Focusing the topic
• Developing the topic
• Using details

Using the idea of a funnel can help us with ideas in writing. Our big ideas enter at the top, then the funnel narrows our ideas to help us find clarity in our message.

Want to try this at home?

Collaborating on a short text at home with your child is a great way to develop a shared love of writing. Perhaps this week you could focus on ideas and help your child to think of something ordinary that they have seen or experienced and describe it in an extraordinary way.

Feel free to email any pieces through to us (georgina.drew@education.vic.gov.au and sarah.hance@education.vic.gov.au) and we will feature a selection in the next newsletter.

Look out next time for a focus on the ORGANISATION trait.

References: The 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham