VOICES Menu

I made up this VOICES Menu a few months ago to use in my class.  The idea is that it is like the CAFE Menu for reading, but the VOICES Menu is for writing and is based on the six traits of writing (Voice, Organization, Ideas, Conventions, Expand Vocabulary and Sentence Structure). 

I conference with my students one-on-one, like with the CAFE, and we read through their writing and decide on 2-3 strategies that they need to focus on in their writing.  We highlight their strategies on their sheet, that stays in their writing folder, and they can pull it out when they are writing and check to make sure they are on track.  Once they're using the strategies consistently, we look at setting new goals.

VOICES – page 1
Voice   I show my personality in my writing	Organization   I arrange my writing so my readers can understand it	Ideas   My writing is clear, focused and interesting.
I can show my unique self in my writing.   I can match my voice to my audience.   I can use dialogue.   I can write from different perspectives.   I can use emotion and show passion.   I can write so my readers can identify with what I write.   I can write so my readers can understand my characters.   I can write so my readers will have strong feelings for my characters.	I can hook the reader with a bold beginning.   I can sequence details in time or in another order.   I can write a story with a beginning, middle and end.   I can organize my writing into paragraphs.   I can write transitions to connect events.   I can write an exciting climax that is resolved sensibly.   I can write an ending that ties up any loose ends.   I can make sure all the events, characters and details fit into the type of writing I am doing.	I can write about something I know.   I can plan my ideas on a planning sheet.   I can write so it makes sense to me and my readers.   I can think small and focus on a moment.   I can add quality details: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Emotions?   I can show, instead of telling what is happening and how my characters are feeling.   I can describe what the characters can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.   I can describe the kind of person my character is and what they look like.   I can describe the setting.

 

VOICES – page 2
Conventions   I show pride in my writing by editing my work.	Excellent Word Choice   I create images and evoke emotions with my word choices.	Sentence Fluency   I vary sentence length, structure and rhythm.
I can use finger spaces.   I can start each sentence, I, and proper noun with capital letters.   I can use a period at the end of a sentence.   I can spell common words correctly.   I can use a question mark at the end of a question.   I can use a comma to separate ideas.   I can use an exclamation mark to show strong feeling.   I can use apostrophes in contractions.   I can use quotation marks when my characters talk.   I can underline words that I think are spelled wrong.   I can edit my rough draft.	I can use colourful and interesting words to make my writing sparkle.   I can use strong verbs to make my writing come alive.   I can use colourful adjectives to write longer sentences.   I can use similes to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Ex: The boys in the pool looked like dolphins.   I can choose words carefully to grab my reader’s attention.   I can make sure I don’t repeat the same word.   I can use interesting words for said.   I can add adverbs to describe how an action is done.   I can use a thesaurus, the word wall or my word collector to find interesting words.	I can read my writing aloud and check that it flows from sentence to sentence.   I can use different sentence beginnings.   I can write long and short sentences.   I can make my writing flow and sound smooth.   I can use connectives to join two short sentences.   I can control my sentence structure.

Hopefully this is useful to you!  Click HERE to download.