Customer Reviews

Creating Young Writers: Using the Six Traits to Enrich Writing Process in Primary Classrooms

5 star:		(6)
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3 star:		(1)
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As a primary grade teacher, this new book by Vicki Spandel (Write Traits) really appealed to me. Expectations for writing process in my elementary school have changed in the last few years. Our primary students are expected to write with more conventions and with ever-increasing assessments. This book is full of strategies and ideas to help the primary teacher meet their student's drive to write and draw their stories as well as satisfy the administration's need for more "accountability" with skills. I loved the examples from classrooms using new and familiar techniques and the frank discussions of what to expect from student writers. It is the kind of book one can pick up for an idea to use tomorrow as well as read cover to cover to learn more about writing in the primary classroom. It is easy to read, well researched and realistic for classroom use. I highly recommend this book.

As a consultant in over 15 schools, this book is a permanent fixture in my briefcase. I take it with me when visiting all primary teachers for good reason: it is integral to improving writing for young students. I've read mostly all of Vicki Spandel's work, and this one is yet another gem. It provides a cornucopia of essential information about the six traits of writing - student samples with valuable commentaries, concrete lessons to use immediately, teaching suggestions, assessments, and more. What is also noteworthy is that this book is versatile. It can be used for those not yet familiar with the six traits, those still experimenting with it, and those well-versed who want more tools. Bravo, Vicki, on another vital resource for teachers so they can elicit the best from their students.

This is an excellent book. As a 20+ year veteran teacher, with numerous workshops under my belt, I found this fun to read, welcoming,and full of very practical ideas. Really wonderful: I have already lent it to my grade level pal (2nd grade) and she is loving it.
The previous review was obviously meant for some movie somewhere else!

A big fan of Spandel's Creating Writers, I wasn't sure Creating Young Writers would speak to my third graders, after all, it was billed as K-3; maybe the target would be too young. Boy, was I wrong. I love the new book and use it frequently. One of my favorite parts is her simple suggestions for what to say to a writer during a conference, but I also love her minilesson suggestions (so far, "Voice as Metaphor" is my favorite), and her insightful look at the way writers write and how we can help them along their writing journey. I have learned a great deal from reading Spandel's analysis of student work. And, for those of you who have a workshop model but haven't tried the Six Traits, please know they work beautifully together. Creating Young Writers is an excellent professional book.

Once again,in her fourth and finest revision of Creating Writers, Vicki shows us how to create more effective,independent writers.Using volumes of practice papers, scores of focused, creative trait lessons, and visits into trait-and-process based classrooms, Creating Writers helps all teachers envision how to design our own instruction models to defeat test anxiety!
You'll find her wise, witty comments on papers invaluable, her linking of reading to writing insightful, and her compassion for struggling writers inspirational. You'll welcome her ideas for teaching traits to beginners and how to use comments, conferences and peer response to support writers. She practices what we know; the source of all best writing topics, the "well" from which we can draw our real writing is our own lives.
Sometimes we need reminders that writing -and teaching writing -can be joyful! Creating Writers,4th edition,and Vicki provide that vision, as they have for me for 20 years. Keep this book on your desk!

Do you ever wonder how to score writing samples from the students in your classroom? This is the book for you! Actual writing samples are presented and evaluated. Ideas for lessons are also included. This is a must-have resource for those teaching the 6-traits of writing !

Spandel has done her homework and has used the trait system extensively in her classroom, which gives her much credibility. However, a well-organized reference book puts all the information about one topic in one place. Unfortunately, information about each of the traits is scattered around the book, making it extremely annoying. I'm sure she could have done better, and we all hope a new edition will prove she can even use the trait of organization herself. Let's practice what we preach.