In the last few weeks we talked about the 6+1 traits of writing, and we did Robotics. The writing traits are Voice, Organization, Ideas, Conventions, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency. I think you should use these traits in your writing, blog posts, or stories. First, I’m going to start with the traits. Writing with voice means the writing sounds like YOU, and it’s like talking to your readers. It also usually uses dialogue, and includes what you’re thinking and expresses your feelings.

Writing with organization means starting with a good beginning to hook your reader and has a clear purpose, and it includes a beginning, middle, and end using transition words.

Writing with ideas helps you to keep your writing on a single topic and helps to explain your thoughts. It also helps you to show your readers what your writing is about (in their head) and not just telling them.

Writing with conventions makes your writing understandable. You need to include correct capitalization and punctuation throughout sentences, and correct spelling and complete sentences. In my opinion, Conventions are my favorite trait.

Writing with word choice means replacing words with cooler, similar meaning words that still make sense

Sentence fluency makes your sentences flow better and helps change up your writing and changes the way you start sentences.

When we did Robotics, we had to code some things on our computers that connected to a robotic rover, which was hard but also fun. For example, we had to code “up arrow = forward, back arrow = backwards, left arrow = left, right arrow = right”. Our group also accidentally broke 2 rovers, which sucks 🙁 . There were challenges we had to do, like the Maze Challenge, or the Autonomous Challenge. For the autonomous challenge we had to code the rover to move automatically through a maze in 1 keystroke. It was hard, and we didn’t finish it. But for the maze challenge, it wasn’t very hard unless the wires were changed which then it was a problem.

Robotics were fun, it helped me learn and grow because it taught me a bit of coding and I worked with a group, we argued a lot but we all learned. And if you want to have really good writing you have to master the 6 traits of writing. I haven’t, but it also helps me learn and grow because it improves my writing.