1. Short Answer and Open Ended Response
ACE Strategy- A way of organizing your writing and “showing” what you know

2. GOAL
Answer opened ended and short answer questions by citing several sources and using effective textual evidence to clearly and convincingly support your response.

3. What is the ACE Strategy?
Answer the question
Answer with restating the question in your response
Cite your evidence
Cite the evidence that BEST supports your answer
Explain and extend your response
Explain how/why your evidence supports your claim

4. Textual Evidence What is it? Why do I need it? When will I use it?
Support for your response, opinion, or idea
Why do I need it?
To prove that you are not just making up your answer, opinion or idea
When will I use it?
In every writing response! It’s your proof that you know what you’re talking about!
How about outside of school?
In real life, people who can back up an opinion with specific information are taken more seriously than people who can only give a reason of “just because” or “because I said so.”

5. ACE your response Answer the prompt while restating the question.
Start your response with a topic sentence.
This should be a declarative sentence.
Answer the prompt while restating the question.
Stay on topic and respond to the task fully
Make sure you have support for your claim
Make it easy to follow the progression of your ideas

6. Citing Explicit Evidence
ACE your response
Citing Explicit Evidence
Introduce your direct evidence with a “text talk” prompt
From the reading I know that…
The illustration/graphic shows that…
Based on what I read…
An example on page ___ is…
I know because…
According to the text…
The author wrote…
Make sure your starter matches your evidence type (reading, video, graphic, etc.)

7. Citing Inferential Evidence
Prove it!
ACE your response
Citing Inferential Evidence
Introduce your indirect evidence with an
evidence based prompt/term
Prompts
I can infer from…
I know because…
I think because…
Terms
Because
For instance
For example
Make sure your starter matches your evidence type (reading, video, graphic, etc.)

8. Explain and extend your response
ACE your response
Explain and extend your response
Don’t leave your evidence hanging! Explain it!
This shows…
This is because…
This means…
This reveals…
This illustrates …
This highlights…
After your evidence is explained, finish your response with a concluding sentence.

9. Sample ACE response How can geography shape a civilization?
Prompt
How can geography shape a civilization?
Geography can greatly impact a civilization and the way in which people live. The ancient city-state of Athens was influenced to be a trading settlement based on its location of being 4 miles from the Aegean Sea. According to the article, “Maritime Traders of the Ancient Greek World” the ancient Athenians became one of the wealthiest civilizations because of their ability to trade with neighboring regions. They exported goods such as olive oil, wine, grapes in exchange for gold, timber and wheat.(p. 2). This shows that if they weren’t located along the Aegean Sea and close to a body of water, the Athenians might not have been one of the wealthiest cities of the Ancient World. In fact, Athens rival Sparta was not located near a body of water and as a result they established themselves as a farming city-state instead of a wealthy trading power. Even today geography plays a major role in shaping our economy and industry based on where nation’s are located and the valuable resources within.
Topic sentence
Answer
Cite direct textual evidence (source & page #)
Explain & extend
Concluding sentence

10. Sample ACE response
Prompt
How can a single action change the course of history?
Topic sentence
A single moment in time may seem insignificant and yet it is in that moment that history has changed. The history of ancient Greece is filled with many noteworthy moments, but it is the moment when Greece fell into the Darks Ages that changed the course of history. According to the article, “The Rise of Hellenic Civilization,” the ancient Greeks recovered from the Dark Ages by the middle of the eighth century and “a new civilization emerged” (p. 5). This shows that if it weren’t for the lowest of lows, the Greeks wouldn’t have reached the height of its civilization. Greece went on to create city-states, start colonies and even developed democracy. These are ideas that emerged after the Dark Ages and have continued to impact the course of history. Emerging from the Dark Ages is just one action that changed history, but it has played a significant role in the development of Greece and the development of our country, the United States, today.
Answer
Cite direct textual evidence (source & page #)
Explain & extend
Concluding sentence

11. Let’s try an Open Ended Response using the ACE strategy
Do you think the Peloponnesian Wars were inevitable?
Academic Vocabulary (inevitable) meaning
unavoidable, predictable, bound to happen

12. Causes of the Peloponnesian Wars
Once allies in the Persian Wars, Athens and Sparta began to grow resentful of one another
Growth of Athens worried many city-states
Sparta became nervous about the size of the Athenian Navy
Forming of the Delian League and Peloponnesian League
Each member of the Peloponnesian League swore to defending each other and to have the same enemies
Athens imposed a trade embargo (Megarian Decrees) Other city-states couldn’t freely trade
Power struggle over control of the region
Thebes attacked Plataea
Sparta burned farms and the area around Athens