R.A.C.E.R. Response = Better Answers How to Sound Smart Answering Constructed Response Questions

Restate, Answer, Cite evidence, Explain, Recap 4-part strategy that TRAINS YOUR BRAIN to think about the most important steps in answering a question!

Restate Answer Cite evidence Explain Recap

Think Aloud Think about the story of the Three Little Pigs. Respond to this question using RACER: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs says that everyone is wrong about him. Do you agree that everyone has the wrong perception of him? Use evidence to support your response.

Before Beginning: Read the entire question. Identify and underline key words in the question, such as: explain, name, provide examples. Define any key terms needed for understanding

Restate Restate the question as a statement in your own words. Use words from the prompt; use the correct transition words (because, by, to, when). Typical Answer: No I don’t believe him. Better Answer: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs believes that he is a nice wolf and everyone has the wrong perception about him.

Beginning your RACER response: Don’t start your answer off with “Yes,” “No,” “I believe,” or “I think.” Don’t use the words They, He, She, It, or We in your first sentence. The response should make sense even WITHOUT the prompt. The smartest-sounding responses can stand alone!

Answer Answer the question (main idea but no details yet, just like a topic sentence of a paragraph) Typical Answer: No, I don’t believe him. He’s a hot mess. Better Answer: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs believes that he is a nice wolf and everyone has the wrong perception about him. In fact, he is best described as aggressive and mean.

Cite Evidence from the Text Provide evidence to support your answer with details from the text. Typical Answer: No, I don’t believe him. He’s a hot mess. The way he had those pigs so scared. Better Answer: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs believes that he is a nice wolf and everyone has the wrong perception about him. In fact, he is best described as aggressive and mean because he kept trying to eat the three innocent pigs. For example, he chased them from house to house and made them run for their lives. He also destroyed two of the pigs’ homes in the process.

Explain Evidence and how it relates to text Explain how your evidence from the text supports your answer Typical Answer: Students usually leave this part out!  Better Answer: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs believes that he is a nice wolf and everyone has the wrong perception about him. In fact, he is best described as aggressive and mean because he kept trying to eat the three innocent pigs. For example, he chased them from house to house and made them run for their lives. He also destroyed two of the pigs’ homes in the process. While the wolf might think his behavior is nice, most people would agree that based on his actions, he is not a nice wolf.

Recap Example on next slide… Using a concluding statement (therefore, thus, so, for that reason, that being said…) and include a restating of the question and answer. Recap Example on next slide…

Recap Typical Answer: Students usually leave this part out also.  Better Answer: The wolf in The Three Little Pigs believes that he is a nice wolf and everyone has the wrong perception about him. In fact, he is best described as aggressive and mean because he kept trying to eat the three innocent pigs. For example, he chased them from house to house and made them run for their lives. He also destroyed two of the pigs’ homes in the process. While the wolf might think his behavior is nice, most people would agree that based on his actions, he is not a nice wolf. Therefore, while the wolf thinks he is misunderstood, that is not so given his rude and cruel actions toward the three little pigs.

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Let’s Try It Out

All finished? Compare your R.A.C.E answer to your neighbor’s. How did RACE help you write a better response? Congratulations!