PARCC WRITING
OPEN ENDED RESPONSES
Please answer the following questions in one well
developed paragraph. Use examples from the literature
to support your response.
1. How does Anne Bradstreet in “Upon the Burning
of Our House” show her belief that faith in God
and God’s love are more important than earthly
possessions?
2. Identify 2 characteristics of Puritan writing.
Explain how one of the poems we read is a good
example of Puritan writing based on these
characteristics.
Score Point 0
• The student response demonstrates no
comprehension of ideas by providing inaccurate
or no analysis and little to no textual evidence.
• EX: Puritans write in the old english way, so
instead of saying while I was sleeping, they say
“In silent night when rest I took.” Puritans also
don’t write about posessions, God is more
important
Score Point 1
• The student response demonstrates limited
comprehension of ideas stated explicitly and/or
inferentially by providing a minimally accurate
analysis and supporting the analysis with limited
textual evidence
• Ex: Two characteristics in Puritan writing is God
and trying to feel his grace by allowing them into
heaven. “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is a
good example because the woman prays for her
husband to be able to get into heaven.
Score Point 2
• The student response demonstrates basic
comprehension of ideas stated explicitly and/or
inferentially by providing a generally accurate analysis
and supporting the analysis with basic textual evidence.
• EX: Two examples of Puritan writing would be that the Bible
provided a model and that diaries and histories were the
most common forms of expression. It shows that the bible
provided a model because as you can see from the story,
Anne tells you why and how you should believe that god is
more important than items, and also they are less
important than your soul and spirituality. Finally, it was a
true document and past event that happened to Anne
Bradstreet, which therefore shows it has elements of being
Puritan Writing.
Score Point 3
• The student response demonstrates comprehension of
ideas stated explicitly and/or inferentially by providing
a mostly accurate analysis, and supporting the analysis
with adequate textual evidence.
• Ex: There are many ways she shows her belief in God.
Stated in the story, “It was his own, it was not mine, far
be it that I should repine.” This says that even though
she lost everything, it wasn’t hers to begin with, it was
God’s. A way she shows her belief is by saying that God
has prepared heaven for her and eventually everything
dies.
Score Point 4
• The student response demonstrates full comprehension of
ideas stated explicitly and inferentially by providing an
accurate analysis and supporting the analysis with effective
and convincing textual evidence
• EX: Anne Bradstreet shows that God’s love is more
important than her earthly things because in the poem in
the beginning lines 7-8 she prays to God. In lines 17-18 she
is beginning to become upset that she is losing her home
and things inside but it was God’s to begin with and not
hers so she can’t complain. In line 36, she says, “Adieu,
Adieu, all’s vanity.” This means that all on earth is
temporary and meaningless. In the last 4 stanzas, she
mostly talks about how her stuff again was not hers to
begin with, it was God’s and she shouldn’t fix her mind on
losing her stuff. She needs to think more about God and
how Heaven is permanent and her things were not. God
gave her these things and he can take them.
FORMAT for WRITING
• R- Restate the question/prompt
• A- Answer the question/prompt
• C- Cite specific information from the text
• E- EXPLAIN your citation.
– Reword it in your own words
– Show (through detailed explanation) how the
citation supports your answer