Culham, Ruth (2005). 6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Primary Grades. New York: Scholastic.

I was first exposed to 6 Trait Writing during my first year of teaching. I was teaching Kindergarten and I remember being frustrated that 6 Trait Writing was geared for children in grade 3 and up. So I took it upon myself to design my own version of 6 Traits for my Kindergarteners. I believed, and still do, that young children can benefit from explicit teaching of good writing. Ruth Culham has designed a book to alleviate the frustrations of any primary teacher who has wanted to teach 6 Traits but simply didn’t have the tools to do so.

No Child Left Behind (2002) has ensured that testing is here to stay, and state governments are required to test children in grades 3-8 in both reading and math. Many of the reading components also have a writing component. Culham states that one of her personal philosophies is that schools should speak a common language when it comes to writing. It’s just flat-out confusing to students at any age when we use new terminology to describe something they have already learned (p. 16).

6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for the Primary Grades is the perfect companion to her prior book titled 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide (Grades 3 and Up). This new book will give schools the common language they need to help children learn to write and write well. It will support teachers in the primary grades in developing excellent writers who will be tested on their writing abilities once they enter the intermediate grades of elementary school.

Culham’s book is an excellent resource for primary teachers who want their children to become excellent writers. She begins her book by establishing a rationale for a strong foundation for good writing to begin early. She goes on to explain how the Traits can be interwoven with the writing process, which is so critical for young writers. Chapters 3-9 are the meat of the book, where she outlines a definition of the Trait, validates the challenges in teaching that particular trait, presents a step by step guide for assessing the trait, provides a scoring rubric for the trait, and gives numerous examples of student work that correspond with each level on the scoring rubric. Culham also suggests ideas for teaching the Trait as well as a list of picture books that correspond to each Trait. Finally, she ends each chapter with a student-friendly scoring guide that will empower students to take charge of their own learning.

Culham has written a teacher-friendly book that is a powerful tool for primary teachers to help them get started teaching 6 Trait Writing to their own students. As a former Kindergarten teacher, I highly recommend this book to every primary teacher who believes that young children can and should be writing high quality pieces of work. As a future elementary school administrator, I highly recommend this book to every elementary school administrator as a great resource to provide your primary teachers. It will help them get started teaching young children the power of high-quality writing.

Pages: 304     Price: $26.99 US; $36.99 CAN    ISBN: 0-439-57412-9

Reviewed by Brian Herndon, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Missouri, Columbia in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Brian is also a former Kindergarten and Third Grade teacher. He received his Ed.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri, Columbia, his M.A. in Elementary Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Missouri, Columbia.