On-Demand and Open
Response…
What’s the
Difference???
What is On Demand writing?

Students are asked to produce a particular
form of writing (letter or article)

The writing exhibits a specific purpose:
-To entertain
-To inform
-To persuade
Each prompt includes…
Situation
The
form (letter or article)
The purpose for writing
The intended audience
Sample On-demand prompt:

Situation: The fourth grade has decided to
recycle the plastic bottles and the aluminium
cans from their homes in order to raise
money for a classroom project. All
classmates are encouraged to participate in
this activity. The money earned from this
recycling activity will go toward additional
reading books for the classroom.
Writing task…

Write a letter to your parents or guardians
persuading them to support you and your
class in collecting plastic bottles and
aluminium cans in order for you to do your
part in this class project.
Situation, purpose, audience, and
mode (type of writing), … SPAM
Situation – class is having a recycling
drive
 Purpose – to persuade
 Audience – parent or guardian
 Mode / Task - letter

How is on-demand writing
assessed?

An analytical scoring guide is used to score the
student’s work:
–
–
–
●
●
Content (purpose, audience awareness, idea development)
Structure (organization, transitional elements, sentence
structure)
Conventions (grammar, word choice, corrections – spelling,
punctuation, capitalization)
Students are expected to take their idea through
the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising,
editing, publishing)
Students are given one hour to complete the work
with extended time of one hour available.
Goals of the On-demand writing…

Serves as documentation of a student’s
ability to apply writing strategies and skills
while working independently

Promotes a student’s ability to communicate
to a variety of audiences for a variety of
purposes
On-demand writing and portfolio
writing…how are they different?


Portfolio Writing
(4th grade)
–
The writing is conferenced
by peers and teachers
–
The portfolio is developed
over a one-year period
–
Student have the
opportunity to develop and
use writing skills taught
during the year
On-demand Writing
 (5th grade)
-Students work independently
-The writing is developed
during a one-hour time limit
(with one hour of additional
time available)
-Students must self-assess and
demonstrate writing
strategies learned thus far
To sum it up…

The writing portfolio process in fourth
grade aids in developing the skills
required to complete a proficient ondemand writing exercise in fifth grade.
The writing assessment in fifth grade
will require the students to apply the
writing tools acquired in the previous
years of school.
What is an open response question?


Students are taught core content concepts
throughout the year in content areas such as
science, math, social studies, reading, and
arts/humanities.
An open response item assesses a student’s
ability to apply concepts and or processes in
the context of a new situation based on the
content learned.
Open Response questions…

Contain a lead-in followed by one or
more content-related tasks /questions
which use high level power verbs
(describe, explain, evaluate, compare,
contrast, predict, or summarize, etc.)
An open response question…
Does NOT assess the student’s use of
grammar or mechanics nor the ability to
write paragraphs
 Can be successfully be completed in 10
to 15 minutes using only one page
 Often has sever parts to be addressed
(Question A, B, and C)

Example ORQ…


You are going on a trip for a week and have
put your clothes in your suitcase. There is so
much in the suitcase, it will not close.
However, when your dad sits on it, you are
able to sip it shut.
A. Using what you know about the properties
(characteristics) of air, explain why you are
able to close the suitcase now.
SC -04-1.1.1

Materials can exist in different states
– solid, liquid, and gas...Resulting
cause and effect relationships
should be explored, described, and
predicted. DOK 3
Core Content that would help you to
answer the question:

Core Content in science: Students were
taught that the properties of air include the
following characteristics: AIR – surrounds
Earth, is a gas, has weight, and takes up
space
What’s the answer???
 Students
can infer that since air
takes up space, if a person
pushes the air from inside the
suitcase to the outside of the
suitcase, it will zip shut. Without
the extra air inside the suitcase
taking up space, it will close.
ORQ…APPLICATION OF CONTENT…
 As
you can see, in the open
response question, the student
was asked to use a concept taught
in a science class and apply that
knowledge to a new situation.
Let’s compare on demand and open
response questioning…

ON DEMAND:

OPEN RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

Develops good habits of thinking
Focused on a purpose for writing
Assessment for the development of
writing through the writing process
No limit on pages written

Develops good habit of thinking
Focused on a topic / concept
Assessment of the application of
content / concepts taught








60 minutes given with an additional
60 minutes available
Scored as novice, proficient,
apprentice, or distinguished after
being assigned a score of 0 – 4 in
each subdomain (content, structure,
conventions)


One page limit to each ORQ
answer
Generally completed in 15 – 20
minutes
Scored as a 1 – 4 with one being
the lowest score and four being the
best