Let's start at the end.
Of the 6+1 Traits of good writing, that +1 piece, Presentation, is of utmost importance.
Why, you say? Well, I tell my students that it's because looks really do matter.
Just last week, my 6th grade students were "turning in" the final drafts of their personal narratives on Google Docs to our Google Classroom page. I typically like them to wait until class time to turn it in so that I can go over some final expectations with them before they've reached the point of no return by forfeiting their ownership of the document.
Take your Time
We ended up spending the whole of our 48 minutes together discussing the importance of making a good first impression. We talked about double spacing the narrative ( which does NOT mean putting 2 spaces in between all the words , including punctuation ), centering a title, capitalizing the correct words in the title, using "left align" instead of "justify," indenting all paragraphs using the tab key...
instead of spacing a random number of times
that seems to be different
for every paragraph
the students write.
We also went over other presentation strategies during the class period, including but not limited to proper editing techniques and SPELL CHECK!
While I discussed these "Presentation" options, students got to work making their corrections and helping each other out when there was confusion.
What's that Cliché?
After all the hard work of the planning, drafting, revising, and editing portions of the writing process (you know, the dirty work of writing), students need to know how to type or write a clean copy to publish at the end of it all: Presentation!
Effort
At the heart of each piece of the writing process and each trait of good writing is one of my favorite things to discuss with students: effort. As with most other things in life, the more effort you put in the stronger the final result. If effort is consistent throughout the development of a project or during a sports practice or the writing of a paper, then the last piece should be easier.
I have noticed that the students who understand this and put effort into our writing process sequence have an easier time with the 6+1 Traits of good writing all around. The Presentation looks good, and that's the first impression I want to see when I begin assessing a student's writing.
Dress for Success
If you follow my instructions of centering the title, capitalizing correctly, double spacing, indenting where necessary, and following whatever instructions I've given you regarding the presentation of your paper, then you've created a paper that is "dressed for success."
If you've dressed your paper for success following the guidelines the teacher has set forth, then your content will be easier to read and regarded more seriously.
Do looks matter? Why don't you work on your Presentation and check out how your teacher responds?
And while you're at it, take a look at my website JustWriteWithT to see if you would like to strengthen your writing using my professional feedback.
Of the 6+1 Traits of good writing, that +1 piece, Presentation, is of utmost importance.
Why, you say? Well, I tell my students that it's because looks really do matter.
Just last week, my 6th grade students were "turning in" the final drafts of their personal narratives on Google Docs to our Google Classroom page. I typically like them to wait until class time to turn it in so that I can go over some final expectations with them before they've reached the point of no return by forfeiting their ownership of the document.
Take your Time
We ended up spending the whole of our 48 minutes together discussing the importance of making a good first impression. We talked about double spacing the narrative ( which does NOT mean putting 2 spaces in between all the words , including punctuation ), centering a title, capitalizing the correct words in the title, using "left align" instead of "justify," indenting all paragraphs using the tab key...
instead of spacing a random number of times
that seems to be different
for every paragraph
the students write.
We also went over other presentation strategies during the class period, including but not limited to proper editing techniques and SPELL CHECK!
While I discussed these "Presentation" options, students got to work making their corrections and helping each other out when there was confusion.
What's that Cliché?
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.I know, I know, your parents always told you that it's what's on the inside that counts. While there is value to that advice and a definite time and place for it, it doesn't quite work in the real world. Unless your skills or scores are already widely known, you had better come to your interview dressed appropriately with your hair done nicely. Though I use Google heavily in my classroom, their hiring practices may not reflect real life expectations for the every day job.
After all the hard work of the planning, drafting, revising, and editing portions of the writing process (you know, the dirty work of writing), students need to know how to type or write a clean copy to publish at the end of it all: Presentation!
Effort
At the heart of each piece of the writing process and each trait of good writing is one of my favorite things to discuss with students: effort. As with most other things in life, the more effort you put in the stronger the final result. If effort is consistent throughout the development of a project or during a sports practice or the writing of a paper, then the last piece should be easier.
I have noticed that the students who understand this and put effort into our writing process sequence have an easier time with the 6+1 Traits of good writing all around. The Presentation looks good, and that's the first impression I want to see when I begin assessing a student's writing.
Dress for Success
If you follow my instructions of centering the title, capitalizing correctly, double spacing, indenting where necessary, and following whatever instructions I've given you regarding the presentation of your paper, then you've created a paper that is "dressed for success."
If you've dressed your paper for success following the guidelines the teacher has set forth, then your content will be easier to read and regarded more seriously.
Do looks matter? Why don't you work on your Presentation and check out how your teacher responds?
And while you're at it, take a look at my website JustWriteWithT to see if you would like to strengthen your writing using my professional feedback.
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