How to answer extended response questions AEC strategy

3 parts of a top notch response: A - assertion E - evidence C - commentary

Assertion The assertion is where you state your answer to the question. Use the language (terms) from the question State what you think

Evidence Provide evidence from the text to support your assertion statement. Use the comma quote strategy - The text states, “…..” You can paraphrase (put the information from the text into your own words) if you are specific Using MULTIPLE pieces of evidence will result in a higher score

Commentary This is the most important part of your answer and should be the longest part of the answer. The purpose of the commentary is to prove (show) how the evidence supports your assertion. This proves that…. I know this because… This supports my answer because…

Examples The following slides will show a few example responses to questions from “All American Slurp” that were submitted in Mrs. Schumacher’s class last week. Think about the quality of the answers and what could be done to improve the response if necessary.

Read the question and response below – what is the assertion part of the answer? Q: How did the Lin family feel at the Gleason’s dinner party? Support your answer with textual evidence. A: The Lin family felt nervous and awkward. The passage says, “As our family of four sat stiffly in a row, my younger brother and I stole glances at our parents for a clue as to what to do next.” So they felt different and didn’t know what to do.

The assertion is highlighted The assertion is highlighted. Notice the answer uses the same wording as the original question. A: The Lin family felt nervous and awkward. The passage says, “As our family of four sat stiffly in a row, my younger brother and I stole glances at our parents for a clue as to what to do next.” So they felt different and didn’t know what to do.

Read the question and the response below Read the question and the response below. How is the answer supported with evidence? Q:Infer the age of the narrator. Support your answer with evidence from the text. A: I infer the narrator’s age to be between 10 and 14. In the text it says that the narrator’s parents met her homeroom teacher. This means she is probably in middle school because most elementary classes wouldn’t refer to their teacher that way. The text also says that she got “acquainted with a few other kids from school” and “the next day Meg and I got on the school bus together.” These clues helped me infer that Meg was between 10 and 14 because it makes sense that she would be meeting new kids at school and riding a school bus instead of being old enough to drive.

This response uses multiple pieces of evidence and combines direct quotes and paraphrasing to support the writer’s inference. A: I infer the narrator’s age to be between 10 and 14. In the text it says that the narrator’s parents met her homeroom teacher. This means she is probably in middle school because most elementary classes wouldn’t refer to their teacher that way. The text also says that she got “acquainted with a few other kids from school” and “the next day Meg and I got on the school bus together.” These clues helped me infer that Meg was between 10 and 14 because it makes sense that she would be meeting new kids at school and riding a school bus instead of being old enough to drive.

Can you identify the commentary used to support this answer? Q: What does the narrator come to realize about life at the end of the story? A: The narrator comes to find out that all cultures have similarities. The text says, “Do you always slurp when you eat a milkshake?” This tells me that the narrator is finally seeing that the Chinese and American cultures do share some things. For the Lin family, they slurped soup; for Meg’s family, they slurped milkshakes. It may not be the most important thing, but it helped her see that both cultures shared something.

Notice that the biggest part of this answer is the commentary Notice that the biggest part of this answer is the commentary. Without the commentary, this would be a weak response. The commentary shows that the writer does understand the text. The narrator comes to find out that all cultures have similarities. The text says, “Do you always slurp when you eat a milkshake?” This tells me that the narrator is finally seeing that the Chinese and American cultures do share some things. For the Lin family, they slurped soup; for Meg’s family, they slurped milkshakes. It may not be the most important thing, but it helped her see that both cultures shared something.

What could be done to improve this response? Q: Choose a key sentence that demonstrates the narrator’s perspective of her family. What strategy was used by the author to show the narrator’s perspective? A: “and in the silence our family’s consumption of soup suddenly seemed unnaturally loud.” This shows the narrator was embarrassed.

This response does not answer everything the question asked This response does not answer everything the question asked. What strategy did the author use do develop the narrator’s perspective? The commentary also does not really SHOW anything. A: This sentence shows that the narrator was embarrassed by her family. “and in the silence our family’s consumption of soup suddenly seemed unnaturally loud.” The writer is using the strategy of revealing the narrator’s thoughts to develop perspective. By saying that the way they were eating seemed loud, we understand that the narrator is embarrassed by the behavior of her family.

What could be done to improve this response? Q: What does the narrator come to realize about life at the end of the story? A: There really isn’t a difference between American and Chinese people. “As any respectable Chinese knows, the correct way to eat soup is to slurp.” “…All Americans slurp.”

Where is the commentary? Why did the writer include these quotes? At the end of the story the narrator realized that there really isn’t a difference between American and Chinese people. “As any respectable Chinese knows, the correct way to eat soup is to slurp.” “…All Americans slurp.” These quotes are where the writer made the connection that the narrator can see the similarities between her culture and her life in America. This is where the narrator finally realizes it is OK to be herself.

What could be done to improve this response? Q: Make an inference about the Lin family’s wealth. A. The Lin family is average. This is based on different parts of the story. But they will progress.

This is a WEAK answer. Where is the evidence from the story? A. The Lin family is average. This is based on many things. First, they always had enough to eat. This shows they were not poor. Second, the family could not afford to buy the narrator new clothes just because she wanted them. This proves the family did not have an abundance of money. Last, the mother learned to buy from yard sales. This shows that the family had to spend their money wisely. These examples support my inference that the family was neither poor nor wealthy, but somewhere in between.

Now it is your turn…answer the question on the handout using AEC strategy to ensure a high quality response.