This market-leading and accessible text is a most comprehensive exploration of Spandel's effective 6-trait approach to writing. Written by the pioneer of 6-trait writing, this Fourth Edition brings everything up to date, offering a comprehensive overview of the best education strategies and philosophies from the worlds of writing assessment and instruction. It provides clear guidelines on helping students draft, assess, and revise their writing, as well as explicit criteria to show students precisely what they must do to succeed as writers in virtually any situation. Widely used at the state level, school districts are incorporating the 6 traits into their state standards or state assessments making this the only book on the market that effectively helps teachers of writing prepare their students for success on state tests.