1. How to Answer Constructed Response Questions Writing Practice Modified by Dr. Williams, 10/7/14 https://teacherweb.com/LA/.../Constructed_Response_Practice.ppt

2. Constructed Response Questions: Ask you to apply your knowledge and understanding in a short written answer. On standardized tests, these short written answers are scored on a scale like 0,1,2,3, or 4 points. What is the purpose of this kind of question?—Entertain? Explain? Inform?

3. Acronym--RACES To understand and answer the constructed response essay question, the easiest way is to memorize the acronym "RACE" - this stands for reword, answer, cite, explain, and summarize. If you are able to restate a question, provide an answer using evidence cited from the prompt given, and then explain how that evidence does, in fact, support the answer, you will probably score well on the constructed response essay section of any exam you take.

4. Rewording the Question (the "R" in "RACES") Reword the question means that you are to restate the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer you provide. If you were to be asked "What color is the sky?", you would not simply answer "blue" - instead, the correct answer would be "The color of the sky is blue," or words to that effect.

5. How do you best reword the question? Your first sentence should restate the question, but not answer it. Example: Why do students get excited about vacation? How would you answer this question?

6. Weak Example Students get excited about vacation because they like free time and sleeping late. You’ve answered so much in your first sentence, that you have nowhere to go. It’s hard to add more ideas, when you’ve said so much in your first sentence

7. Strong Example Students get excited about vacation for several reasons. Now you’ve gotten started, and you also know how to keep going by adding more details in the rest of your sentences.

8. Answering the Question (the "A" in "RACES") In order to answer the question, you need to understand what you are being asked, and then make sure you provide the answer to that specific question. The answer, as in the example above, may come in the first sentence as you reword the question into a statement, but in an essay question you will then need to show how you arrived at your answer.

9. Citing Evidence (the "C" in "RACES") As the constructed response question is meant to show how well you comprehended and were able to draw inferences from the essay prompt, it is essential that you give examples from the prompt to show how they support your answer.

10. If the prompt is a story you read about a boy named Joe who loves to ski, and the question is "Does Joe like the winter?", you could answer "Joe likes the winter because the story tells us that he loves skiing and skiing is a winter sport." In your response, you could go on to provide specific details that tell you how much he enjoys skiing (and, by extension, winter), such as quoting a line that says, "Joe enjoyed the feel of the icy-cold air on his cheeks."

11. Explaining the Answer (the "E" in "RACES") In addition to the evidence you've cited from the prompt, you will need to supply your own reasoning for why you think your answer is correct.

12. Returning to the example above, the story about Joe who loved to ski, your examples from the text would be the details about how he enjoyed skiing and the cold air, but your own reasoning would be demonstrated by explaining that you know that skiing and cold air are things he is only likely to encounter during the winter, therefore his enjoyment of these things must mean that he also enjoys the winter season.

13. Explaining the Answer (the “S" in "RACES") To conclude your paragraph, you’ll need a summary sentence that summarizes the main idea of your paragraph. This should tie your thoughts together.

14. Let’s look at some examples: We will start out with simple examples. Question: What are two characteristics of mammals? Give two examples. Two characteristics of mammals are they are warm-blooded and give birth to live young. According to Document A, two examples of mammals are humans and bears because they both are warm-blooded and give birth to live young. Mammals have several characteristics that are unique to them.

15. Another example: Name two kinds of overhead serves in volleyball. Explain the benefits of using each one. Tip: Identify the four parts of the question. Answer: Two kinds of overhead serves are the top spin and the floater. The top spin would be used for speed projection and the floater for height (“Volleyball for All”). Review the paragraph. Are all parts of RACES present?

16. Writing Tips for Your Response: Prewriting: Read the entire prompt. Identify and underline key words in the question, such as: explain, elaborate, illustrate. Restate the prompt in your own words to be sure that you understand it.

17. Prewriting, continued. Make a list of the items you are supposed to identify in your answer. Make a list of reasons that will support your answer.

18. Writing: Use the question to form your topic sentence. (Use the same terms in the question for the first sentence of your paragraph answer!) Make sure you include all FIVE parts RACES in your answer. Remember, you get a point for each part you answer correctly!

19. Another example: “The Sky is Low” THE sky is low, the clouds are mean, A travelling flake of snow Across a barn or through a rut Debates if it will go. A narrow wind complains all day How some one treated him; Nature, like us, is sometimes caught Without her diadem. – Emily Dickinson Question: How does the word "person" give you a clue as to the meaning of personification? Why do you think a writer would want to use personification in a poem? List two examples of personification found in the poem at left.

20. Answer: In the poem by Dickinson, the word “person” lets me know that personification means that some object in the poem has qualities or actions like a person. A poet might use personification to help us feel a relationship to the object. “The clouds are mean” and “narrow wind complains” are both examples of personification because they both give objects human characteristics which allows the reader to feel a connection to the objects.

21. As you see, these are “short answer questions” and are not meant to be answered as an essay. Make sure you include all 5 parts of RACES in your response. No answer at all gets 0 points!

22. Now you try one alone: Who is your favorite teacher and why?

23. Share your answer with a partner near you. Check your partner’s answer. – Does the answer begin with restating the question? – Has your partner used RACES? – Has your partner answered the question using RACES?

24. – Is the answer explained with specific details? – Give your partner feedback about their response. – Tell your partner how they could have scored more points or explained their answer better.

25. Another example: Explain the difference between physical and verbal bullying. Give examples of each in your explanation.

26. Share your answer with a partner near you. Check your partner’s answer. – Does the answer begin with restating the question? – Has your partner answered parts of the question?

27. – Is the answer explained with specific details? – Give your partner feedback about their response. – Tell your partner how they could have scored more points or explained their answer better.

28. Rubric Read over each row of the rubric to tell what kinds of responses will earn different point values. Use the rubric to score the following paragraphs. What scores did each one earn and why? Read the paragraphs on the next few slides. Apply the rubric to see what score the student would get.

29. What advice would you give a friend who is being bullied? If I had a friend who was being bullied, I would offer several pieces of advice. The first piece of advice I would give would be to avoid the bullies. According to Karen, an 8 th grader who was being bullied by other 8 th graders, it is sometimes necessary to avoid the bullies in the hall because the halls might be crowded, and teachers can’t see everything that is happening. Another piece of advice I would give my friend is to tell him/her that he/she is not alone. The article states that “16% of students in grades 6-12” have been bullied. By knowing that he/she is not alone, my friend might feel better about the situation and be confident enough to tell an adult. There are several different pieces of advice to give my friend who is being bullied including avoiding the bullies and feeling confident enough to tell an adult.

30. How did Mother Teresa demonstrate love? Mother Teresa demonstrated love in several ways. One example of her showing love was her opening a home for orphans and abandoned children. This was important to her community because the city of Calcutta was extremely poor and had many children who didn’t have families; therefor, the orphanage improved the lives of the needy children. Another example of her loving those in her community was her actions to educate non-schooled children. She recognized the importance of children having an education so that they would have a better life in the future. Mother Teresa’s love toward the poor and needy helped improve their lives.

31. Remember: Never leave the answer on the constructed response questions blank; this will get zero points! Always attempt to answer the question. KISS—Keep It Super Simple—These paragraph responses are designed to be clear, meaningful, and simple. Good luck!

32. Resources https://teacherweb.com/LA/.../Constructed_R esponse_Practice.ppt https://teacherweb.com/LA/.../Constructed_R esponse_Practice.ppt http://www.acadia.k12.la.us/RHS/6635- CRQ.html http://www.acadia.k12.la.us/RHS/6635- CRQ.html YouTube Video Explaining RACE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPnt9AF aTdc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPnt9AF aTdc www.hopees.u69.k12.me.us/HES/htmlfiles/re sources/.../Richappt.ppt www.hopees.u69.k12.me.us/HES/htmlfiles/re sources/.../Richappt.ppt