News Release - Daily 6-Trait Writing

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Evan-Moor Educational Publishers releases the highly-anticipated Daily 6-Trait Writing series.

The first teaching resource to provide students in grades 1-6+ with daily practice and instruction on trait-based writing skills arrives in classrooms with rave reviews.

MONTEREY, CALIF. (August 18, 2008) - A blank page can be a scary thing. All those empty lines, all those unwritten phrases, all that space that needs to be filled. It's similar to facing a classroom. All those students, all those expectant faces, all those minds that need to be filled.

So imagine what it's like to face both at the same time. To stand in front of a classroom while holding an empty page. For many teachers, and maybe you're one of them, this is the challenge they face every time they step in front of a classroom without the support they need to help their students become strong writers.

After receiving a cry for help from a local elementary school struggling to teach writing, Evan-Moor Educational Publishers went to work to create an affordable writing resource that provides this extra support that so many teachers have asked for.

"After researching the different methods and strategies for creating strong writers, we found, as many teachers have, that the philosophy of 6-trait writing is the most effective," said Joy Evans, Publisher and Co-Founder of Evan-Moor Educational Publishers. "However, what we didn't find was a resource that provided a number of lessons and activities that strengthen skills in each of the specific traits."

Daily 6-Trait Writing, the newest addition to Evan-Moor's popular Daily Practice Book series, does just that. While many writing programs provide little guidance as to how to write clearly and concisely, Daily 6-Trait Writing breaks writing down into specific, approachable skills that provide grade 1-6+ teachers and students with real, concrete ways to improve writing.

"It's easy to tell a student to cut unnecessary words from a sentence," said Evans. "What's hard is showing them how to identify which words are unnecessary, showing them how to pick valid, compelling words in the first place, and helping them understand why purposeful word choice makes their writing stronger."

The foundation of Daily 6-Trait Writing is 125 targeted 10- to 15-minute writing lessons that are organized into 25 weeks of instruction. The traits of Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Voice are each presented in five-week units, while Convention skills such as grammar, spelling, and mechanics are practiced every day.

Examples of the types of trait-based writing skills covered include:

• Ideas:
  Writing Topic Sentences and Supporting Details, Sticking to the Topic, Choosing Better Details, Developing Character Setting and Plot Ideas
  
  
• Organization:
  Grouping Together Ideas and Details, Grouping How Things Are Alike or Different, Organizing to Persuade, Writing a Complete Ending
  
  
• Word Choice:
  Getting the Reader's Attention, Writing About Action, Choosing Words for Your Audience, Using Figurative Language
  
  
• Sentence Fluency:
  Combining Sentences, Beginning Sentences in Different Ways, Parallel Structure Within a Sentence, Writing a Smooth Paragraph
  
  
• Voice:
  Creating a Mood, Identifying Different Writing Styles, Writing from Different Points of View, Developing Your Own Voice

In order to put this new resource to the test, Joy and her team of developers took Daily 6-Trait Writing to the very place where real assessment takes place—the classroom.

In Marina, California, Olson Elementary first-grade teachers were looking for a daily writing program to supplement their core curriculum. They piloted Evan-Moor's Daily 6-Trait Writing and saw results within two weeks.

"Evan-Moor knows just what a first grader needs and how they think," said teacher Marty Beck, who took part in the program. "Daily 6-Trait Writing gives students the structure they need in writing and the success they desire. The daily 15-minute lessons go a long way in motivating my students to write."

But students weren't the only ones motivated by what Daily 6-Trait Writing had to offer.

"Every day I appreciate so much that I can skim over what I will do the next day, and it is all set with no prep," said Beck. "I am also amazed how well it naturally and easily integrates with the curriculum. It's beautifully sequenced so students of all levels can transition from one skill to the next, and the topics selected are genuinely interesting and engaging."

With the overwhelming success of the pilot program and the subsequent buzz surrounding the new Daily 6-Trait Writing series Joy and her team are excited to see what other teachers and schools have to say.

"I can't tell you how pleased we are with what teachers are telling us about this series," said Joy. "When we hear someone say, 'Wow, this is exactly what I've been looking for,' it really makes us feel like we've done our job. That's why we put in the hard work we do."

And teachers at Olsen Elementary sure were glad they did it.

"We are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Daily 6-Trait Writing had a profound impact on our class's writing this year," said Tina Glen, another member of the program. "We can't wait to implement it next year!"

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For more information contact:
Megan Murray
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Phone: 831-649-5901 ext. 116
Email: meganm@evan-moor.com