Category: Teachers/Educators

The 6+1 Traits of Writing is a popular framework used in schools (especially in the U.S. and Canada) to teach and assess good writing. It breaks writing down into seven key qualities.

The 6+1 Traits:

1. Ideas – The content and main message. Are the ideas clear, focused, and interesting? Is there enough detail?
2. Organization – The structure. Does the writing have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Are ideas presented in a logical order?
3. Voice – The writer’s personality and tone. Does it sound like a real person? Is it engaging and appropriate for the audience?
4. Word Choice – The vocabulary. Are the words precise, vivid, and interesting rather than dull or repetitive?
5. Sentence Fluency – How the sentences flow. Are they varied in length and structure? Does it read smoothly when spoken aloud?
6. Conventions – Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Are the mechanics correct?
7. Presentation (+1) – The final look. Is the writing neat, easy to read, and properly formatted (handwriting, fonts, spacing, titles, etc.)?

---

Grade 4 Example Writing Prompt: Write about your favorite season and why you like it.

Strong Grade 4 Example (using the 6+1 traits well):

My Favorite Season

My favorite season is summer. Summer is special because I get to do so many fun things outside. The warm sun shines brightly, and the sky is usually a bright blue with fluffy white clouds.

In summer, I go swimming at the lake almost every weekend. The cool water feels refreshing on hot days. I also ride my bike with my friends and we have races down the big hill. At night, we catch fireflies in jars and tell spooky stories around a campfire. The best part is eating juicy watermelon and sweet strawberries that my mom buys at the farmer’s market.

Summer makes me feel happy and free. I don’t have to wear heavy jackets or boots, and I can stay outside until it gets dark. Even though I miss my school friends, summer break is the best time of the year!

Why this example shows the traits well (Grade 4 level):

• Ideas: Clear main idea with specific details and examples.
• Organization: Strong beginning (introduces topic), middle (details and examples), and ending (wraps up feelings).
• Voice: Sounds like a real 4th grader — enthusiastic and personal.
• Word Choice: Uses good words like refreshing, juicy, fluffy, spooky instead of just “nice” or “fun.”
• Sentence Fluency: Mix of short and longer sentences; reads smoothly.
• Conventions: Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Presentation: Would be neatly written or typed with a title and paragraphs.

This piece would likely score high (4 or 5 out of 5) on a 6+1 traits rubric for fourth grade.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework used by teachers to classify different levels of learning objectives and thinking skills. It helps educators design lessons, activities, and assessments that move students from basic knowledge to higher-order thinking. The most commonly used version today is the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001):

1. Remembering – Recalling facts and basic concepts (e.g., define, list, memorize).
2. Understanding – Explaining ideas or concepts (e.g., describe, explain, summarize).
3. Applying – Using information in new situations (e.g., demonstrate, solve, use).
4. Analyzing – Breaking information into parts and seeing relationships (e.g., compare, differentiate, examine).
5. Evaluating – Making judgments based on criteria (e.g., judge, critique, defend).
6. Creating – Producing new or original work (e.g., design, construct, invent).

Fourth-Grade Example: Topic – “The Water Cycle”

Imagine a 4th-grade science unit on the water cycle. Here’s how a teacher might use Bloom’s Taxonomy to create activities at each level:

• Remembering: List the four main stages of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection).
• Understanding: Explain in your own words what happens during condensation and why clouds form.
• Applying: Draw and label a diagram showing how the water cycle works in your own neighborhood (e.g., a local lake or backyard).
• Analyzing: Compare and contrast evaporation and transpiration. How are they similar and different?
• Evaluating: Which stage of the water cycle do you think is most important for plants and animals? Defend your choice with reasons.
• Creating: Design and build a simple terrarium (in a plastic bottle) that demonstrates the water cycle in action. Write instructions for how to maintain it.

This progression helps students start with basic facts and gradually build toward deeper thinking and creativity. Teachers often aim to include activities from several levels rather than staying only at “remembering.”

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats is a simple method created by Edward de Bono to help people think more clearly and solve problems better. Instead of everyone arguing or thinking in a jumbled way, the group “puts on” a different colored hat one at a time. Each hat stands for a different kind of thinking. This keeps the discussion organized and makes sure all sides of a problem are considered.The Six Hats and What They Mean

• Blue Hat: The “organizer” hat. You wear this to plan how you’ll think, set the agenda, and decide what to do next. It’s like being the teacher or referee who runs the meeting.
• White Hat: The “facts” hat. You look for information, data, and true facts. No opinions—just what you know or need to find out. Like a detective collecting clues.
• Red Hat: The “feelings” hat. You share emotions, gut feelings, and instincts without needing to explain why. “I feel excited!” or “This scares me.”
• Black Hat: The “caution” hat. You point out risks, problems, and why something might not work. This is careful, critical thinking (but not mean).
• Yellow Hat: The “optimism” hat. You look for benefits, good points, and reasons why it could work. Positive thinking.
• Green Hat: The “creativity” hat. You brainstorm new ideas, possibilities, and wild suggestions. No idea is too silly here.

You usually start and end with the Blue Hat to keep things organized.

Fourth-Grade Example:

Deciding on a Class Field Trip

Imagine a 4th-grade class trying to decide where to go on a field trip. The teacher says, “Let’s use our Thinking Hats!”Blue Hat (Start): “Okay everyone, we’re going to use the six hats to make a good decision. First, we’ll gather facts, then feelings, and so on.”White Hat (Facts):
Students say:

• The zoo costs $12 per person.
• The science museum is 45 minutes away by bus.
• We have 2 hours available.
• Last year the aquarium had long lines.

Red Hat (Feelings):

• “I feel happy about the zoo because I love animals!”
• “The planetarium makes me feel excited and a little scared in the dark.”
• “I’m nervous about the bus ride—it might make me carsick.”

Black Hat (Caution):

• “What if it rains at the zoo? The animals might hide.”
• “The science museum might be too crowded and noisy.”
• “We don’t have enough money for everyone to buy snacks.”

Yellow Hat (Benefits):

• “The zoo would be really fun and we could learn about habitats!”
• “The museum has a cool robot exhibit that could help us with our science project.”
• “Any trip gets us out of the classroom and we all get fresh air.”

Green Hat (New Ideas):

• “What if we do a half-day at the zoo and half at a park for a picnic?”
• “We could invite a zookeeper to visit our class instead of going there.”
• “Let’s make a voting app on the classroom iPad!”

Blue Hat (Wrap-up):
“Let’s summarize what we learned and vote on the best choice.”This method helps kids listen to each other, stay calm, and come up with better decisions because they explore the topic from every angle instead of just shouting out their first idea. Teachers often use it for group projects, behavior problems, or story discussions too—it’s fun and makes thinking feel like a game!

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is a fun brainstorming tool that helps you come up with new ideas by changing an existing object, toy, or idea in different ways.It stands for:

• Substitute
• Combine
• Adapt
• Modify (or Magnify/Minify)
• Put to another use
• Eliminate
• Reverse (or Rearrange)

You pick something ordinary and ask questions from each letter to invent something new and creative.

4th Grade Example: Improving a Pencil

Start with a regular pencil. Now let’s use SCAMPER to make it better or turn it into something new:

• Substitute: What if we substitute the wooden body with a squishy foam grip?
• Combine: What if we combine the pencil with an eraser and a ruler on the side?
• Adapt: What if we adapt it like a space pen so it can write upside down or underwater?
• Modify/Magnify: What if we make the pencil giant (magnify) so it’s also a back scratcher? Or tiny (minify) so it fits on a keychain?
• Put to another use: What if we use the pencil as a plant stake in the garden?
• Eliminate: What if we eliminate the need to sharpen it by making it a mechanical pencil with click lead?
• Reverse/Rearrange: What if we reverse it and make the eraser at the bottom and the point at the top (silly but fun)? Or rearrange the parts so the eraser is in the middle like a spinning top?

One full new invention from SCAMPER:

A “Glow Pencil” that lights up when you write (Combine with a tiny LED light + Adapt from glow sticks + Modify by adding a button). It would be perfect for writing in the car at night or for kids who like cool gadgets!

SCAMPER makes creativity easy because you don’t have to start from nothing — you just tweak what already exists. Try it with a toy, a snack, or a game next time!

Jesus Fish Symbol This is the Jesus fish! Christians use it as a special sign for their faith in Jesus.

Darwin Fish Symbol. This is the Darwin fish! It is a silly twist on the Jesus fish that people use to show they like science ideas about evolution.

What are symbols?Hey there, 4th grader! A symbol is a special picture or sign that stands for a big idea. It’s like a shortcut! You don’t have to write a whole sentence — the picture does the talking for you. Examples you already know:

• A red heart means “love.”
• A thumbs-up means “great job!”
• A smiley face means “I’m happy.”

Symbols can be about religion, science, sports, or anything people care about. They help us share ideas quickly and easily.

Comparing the two fish symbolsBoth symbols look a lot alike because they are both shaped like a fish!

• They have the same basic fish outline (oval body + fins + tail).
• People draw them to share what they believe in.

But they are also very different!

• The Jesus fish stands for Christian faith. It reminds people of stories in the Bible about Jesus. It is about believing God made the world and loves us.
• The Darwin fish stands for science and evolution. It has legs because it shows the idea that fish changed over millions of years into animals that walk on land. Life was not created all at once as the bible thinks but “evolved” over long periods of time. It is named after scientist Charles Darwin and is about how living things slowly change and adapt.

One is about faith and God, and the other is about science and nature changing. They are like two friends who look similar but have totally different ideas — that’s why people sometimes joke about them or put them on their cars to show what they believe! Cool, right? Symbols are everywhere once you start looking!

Brainstorm ideas why or why not the 10 Commandments should be in schools

An Activist tries to improve things in society or prevent them from getting worse. Look at this secularism activist lobbying against churches that want to change the rules:

What can you do to make a better world?

Do you know what kinds of things make teaching hard? It’s not just getting students to understand. How do we explain to kids not to fight when they see it all the time in sports like hockey and UFC? What about trying to teach politics when kids want to know about political scandals? What does a teacher do when the class doesn’t want to listen or everyone finishes their work at different times? How do we deal with a child misbehaving if we know they have a really difficult home life?

Brainstorm ideas that could make teaching tough and how to deal with those challenges.

KPop Demon hunters is one of the most popular movies among elementary school kids. Watch their video Golden and say what you think the lesson or message is:

Students at Alpha School have NO academic teachers. Instead, they have guides who act like athletic coaches, challenging students and providing motivational and emotional support to help them find their ‘why.’ The primary role of a guide is to know each student personally, facilitate life skills, and engage them in collaborative, hands-on projects. So, how do students learn their academics without teachers? They follow a program called 2 Hour Accelerated Learning, completing core subjects in just two hours daily through AI tutors and apps. These tools diagnose where a child might be struggling or excelling, allowing for mastery and accelerated growth. As a result, students grasp material 2.5 times faster. With four additional hours freed up each day, students can dive deep into workshops, exploring real-world skills and their passions. Check out this short video on Alpha School and then make a list about what a school and classrooms you designed would be like!

BONUS: Design your own classroom!