Stick to the Point

Getting It Right With Constructed

Responses

What are constructed

responses?

***

Complex assessment items/tasks that can be

approached or solved in more than one way and

have more than one accurate response. Students

are asked to include reasons for their conclusions. *******************************************************

So why constructed responses?

Constructed responses focus on your understanding and your ability to reason about text in writing.

They want to know how smart you are!

When do we use constructed

responses?

Surveys- Which detergent do you like

best?

Daily conversation – “Beyonce sings better

than Ciera because …”

Persuasive speeches - “Mom, you should

buy me a car at 16 because…”

It’s about . . .

Looking good

&

Sounding smart

Secrets to Success

Students must address the question

Give the answer first

Include three details from the text to

support the answer

Your answers are scanned into the

computer

Scorers use rubrics for each score

Just Answer the Question

Turn and talk

What is important in answering

constructed response questions?

Chart responses

What do you do in the evening when you get home from school?

Let’s Begin

1

Introduction

2

Body of

Details

3

Conclusion

Develop an

Introduction (Restate

and Develop Gist)

Build a Body

of Details

Draw a Conclusion

The Better Answer

Sandwich

Adding a Gist to Our

Self-Based Anchor

Prompt: What do you do in the evening when you get home from

school?

In the evening when I get home from school, I do some work, but

also save time to play.

The Better Answer Protocol

1. Develop an introduction.

• Restate the question.

• Develop a gist answer.

2. Build a body of evidence.

3. Draw a conclusion.

The Better Answer

In the evening when I get home from school, I do some work, but also save time

to play.. First of all, if it’s a nice day, I always go for a walk with my dog, Jesse.

We have fun with our dog and people friends on the beach. Afterward, I get busy

making something interesting for supper, for example, pesto pasta or quinoa

salad. Sometimes, I invite friends to join me. Once the meal is over, the kitchen

is clean, and the dishes are done, I figure I deserve some downtime. So I check

my email and watch the news. I may do another chore, too, but eventually, I pick

up a book I’ve started and enjoy reading before I finally roll back the covers and

jump into bed.. That’s often what I do in the evening when I get home from

school. I bet you do some of those same things, too.

A Gist Answer . . .

…synthesizes your thinking into a big idea/inference.

. . . introduces the details that follow it.

. . . holds the main idea of the response.

. . . makes you want to ask: “What do you mean? Where’s

your evidence?”

Let’s Practice Together!

After reviewing or reading “Little Red Riding

Hood” answer the following prompt.

Prompt: How did Little Red Riding Hood

know the character in the bed was not her

grandmother?

Website for retelling of story:

http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_fairytales_redridinghood.html

A Text-Based Example

Prompt: (after reading “Little Red Riding Hood”)

How did Little Red Riding Hood know the character in the bed was

not her grandmother?

Little Red Riding Hood knew the character in the bed was not

her grandmother because . . .

Get Ready! Set! Go!

Attach a Gist Answer

Restatement + Gist = Main Idea of Response

WHERE ARE THE DETAILS?

Little Red Riding Hood knew the character in the bed was not her grandmother because that character did not look or sound like her grandmother.

Your Gist Prompts the Search for Details and Evidence

• What do you mean?

• How do you know that?

• What are the facts that support this?

• What makes you say that?

• How will you prove this?

The Better Answer Organizer Prompt: How did Little Red Riding Hood know

the character in the bed was not her grandmother?

Restatement

Gist Answer

Body of Details

Little Red Riding Hood knew the character

in the bed was not her grandmother

because that character did not look or

sound like her grandmother.

She noticed that his voice was gruff, not

like her grandmother’s. Also, that

character in the bed had very large eyes,

unlike her grandmother’s. But most

important was what she noticed about his

teeth. They were huge!

Almost Finished!

Add the conclusion

The Better Answer Organizer Prompt: How did Little Red Riding Hood know

the character in the bed was not her grandmother?

Restatement

Gist Answer

Body of Details

Conclusion

Reread

Little Red Riding Hood knew the character

in the bed was not her grandmother

because that character did not look or

sound like her grandmother.

She noticed that his voice was gruff, not

like her grandmother’s. Also, that

character in the bed had very large eyes,

unlike her grandmother’s. But most

important was what she noticed about his

teeth. They were huge!

That is how Little Red Riding Hood knew

that the character in the bed was not her

grandmother — and it’s a good thing she

noticed!

Let’s practice again!!

Review the story of Goldilocks and the

Three Bears. The three bears take a walk in the woods while their porridge cools. While

they are out, Goldilocks comes into the house. She eats up the little bear's

porridge, breaks the little bear's chair, and falls asleep in his little bed. When

the bears return from their walk, they discover what Goldilocks has done. In

fact, she is still sleeping in the little bear's bed. Goldilocks wakes up and

runs away. Read more on FamilyEducation: http://school.familyeducation.com/reading-instruction/parenting/30307.html#ixzz2vt1XuCdY

Why were the three bears upset when

they got home from their walk?

Record your answer on chart paper.

The Better Answer Organizer Prompt: Why were the three bears so upset when they got home from

their walk?

Restatement

Gist Answer

Body of Details

Conclusion

Reread

The three bears were upset when they got home

because

their house was not like they left it.

To begin with, the bears noticed that someone

had been eating their porridge. Next they

discovered that someone had broken Baby

Bear’s chair. Furthermore, their beds were

messed up. Most important, however, was that

there was a little girl IN one of the beds!

As a result of all that confusion the three bears

were very upset.

Do you always need a gist?

Some questions only ask you to give three

opinions/facts and do not require a

gist/conclusion.

It is about knowing what the prompt asks

and answering the prompt.

Non-Negotiables to Success

Be an eagle

A turkey sees a problem in every opportunity. They scratch in the dirt and never seek to go to higher heights.

An eagle sees an opportunity in every challenge. They are always looking to the sky.

Let’s reach higher heights!

Let’s do some scoring

Use what you know about writing good

responses and the rubrics to score the

student responses.

What are the determining factors for

responses that received 0, 1, 2,3 or 4

points?

Resources

Cole, Ardith Davis (2009). Better answers: Written performance that

looks good and sounds smart, Portland, ME: Steinhouse Publishers

The State Education Department. New York State Testing Program

Grade 4 Common Core English Language Arts Test, Albany, NY: The

University of the State of New York