Teaching the Foundations for Skillful Writing: Assessing the Traits of Writing: EDUO 9207, is the first, and prerequisite course in a series of courses designed by Dominican University of California, Division of Continuing Education. In today's standards-based educational environment, with much emphasis on preparing for annual testing, teachers must carefully choose their focus. Helping students to hone one writing trait at a time gives developing writers time to review and assess their work in more depth, with the meaningful intention of improving their writing.

This course supports the implementation of the Common Core Anchor Standards for Writing and will lay the foundation for a systematic approach to the teaching of writing, one aspect at a time, through the use of the following writing traits: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions & Presentation. By learning and using these traits, both instructor and student will have a common understanding of how to assess and improve writing, which helps make the teaching of writing more manageable.

This course aligns with Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing. It especially supports CCR #4, Producing Clear and Coherent Writing, and CCR #5, Developing and Strengthening Writing. Using the traits of writing promotes higher-order thinking, analysis and discussion.

Required Text: Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction by Vicki Spandel, Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 5th Edition. (ISBN 020561910X)

Instructor: 

mvarni@dominicanCAonline.com