Using Benchmark Papers to Teach Writing With the Traits

Using Benchmark Papers to Teach Writing With the Traits: Grades 3-5
by Ruth Culham
with Mike Freborg and Pat McCarty


This book is awesome and has a lot of potential uses.  It can be used to help teachers become better scorers of writing and students (and teachers) to become better writers by scoring, discussing, and revising each piece.  


The best part of this book are the thirty-six benchmark papers.  There are six papers for each of the six traits, ranging in score from 1-6.  Each paper is typed and under one page long.  


The pieces are scored for all 6 traits.  The piece that received a 6 for Voice, received a 5 for ideas and a 2 for conventions.  The score for the paper's focus trait is then explained in detail.  Finally,  comments you could share with the writer are provided. 


The book also contains a 6 point teacher rubric for scoring each trait. The rubric is broken up into three parts: High, Middle, and Low.  You can then have a high High, a 6, or a low High, a 5.  It is one of the better rubrics I've seen. 


Furthermore, the High, Middle, and Low scores have the same 4 titles. For example, ideas has: "Finding a Topic", "Focusing the Topic", "Developing the Topic", and "Using Details."  High, Middle, and Low then have their own descriptors for each title to help differentiate between them. 


3 sample lessons are also included.  Each lesson involves discussing/scoring the piece and then revising the piece. The revision of the piece is an awesome idea. Students can say what is wrong and then actually make the story better. 


The book also contains a CD.  Each of the benchmark papers is available on the CD.  Extra resources that are mentioned in the book but not shown in the book are also included on the CD.


While this book is great, I wish it had 3 examples for each score, so buildings could divide the papers up among the three grades.  It would also be nice if all of the resources contained on the CD were also printed in the book.  For example, student friendly rubrics are only available on the CD. 


Using Benchmark Papers to Teach Writing With the Traits is a valuable resource that will make teaching writing easier for you and learning to write easier for your students.


A lower elementary version and middle school version are also available. 


Published: 2009

Locations: School library and Amazon