Assessing writing often deservedly gets labeled as 'subjective', creating a stumbling block for students, and a hard decision making process for the teacher. With the 6+1 trait assessment model, teacher's have at their disposal a powerful tool for communicating what each student's strengths and weaknesses in writing are. By looking at each trait--ideas, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, organization, conventions and presentation--teacher's can provide individualized instruction to help students improve upon each area. Definitions of each trait, scoring guides, sample papers, lessons, activities and more helpful ideas are all included. 304 indexed pages, softcover. For use with grades 3 & up.