Answering Constructed
Response Questions:
Preparing your students for Georgia’s
new assessment
Constructed Response Questions
(CRQ)
Constructed response questions are assessment items that
ask students to apply knowledge, skills, and critical thinking
abilities to real-world, standards-driven performance tasks.
Constructed response questions are so named because
there is often more than one way to correctly answer the
question, and they require students to “construct” or
develop their own answers without the benefit of any
suggestions or choices.
(Tests That Teach by Karen Tankersley)
Academic Vocabulary
• Traits (most students below grade 7 struggle with this
word)
• Qualities
• Evidence
• Sequence
• Stanza
• Line
• Infer
• Point of View
• Support
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Figurative language
Strategies for Answering CRQ
• RACE
• ACE (math)
RACE steps for answering CRQ
• Reword/restate the question
•
Provide a “Gist” Answer
1
• Cite using evidence from text
•
To begin with,…
•
Then,…
•
Next,…
•
For example,…
•
Furthermore,…
•
For instance…
•
However,…
•
Finally,…
2
3
• Explain how the evidence supports your answer – Concluding Statement
•
That is how,…
Therefore,…
•
That is why…
In conclusion,…
•
As a result,…
•
For this reason,…
Reword the question/Restate
Why were the three bears so upset
when they got home from their walk?
How would a student answer?
Answer: Their porridge was eaten,
and their bed was slept in.
What does it mean to restate a question?
Return to the
prompt and mark
the words used.
•
•
•
Mark all restated words (underline the
words)
Use as many words in the question as
possible
Use specific nouns, proper nouns (avoid
pronouns)
Prompt:
Why were the three bears so upset when they got home from their
walk?
Why were the three bears so upset when they got home
from their walk?
Restatement:
The three bears were upset when they got home from their walk
because…
Construct a Gist Answer
• Provide us only with a gist (general) of the
whole answer. Answers why?
•General answers do not contain
important details
• Makes you want to ask “What do you mean?”
or “Where’s your evidence?” or Why were they upset?”
The three bears were upset when they got home
because
someone had been in their house
the house was a mess
their house was not like they left it
Use Details/Cite evidence from
text to support your answerUnfolds
naturally out of step 1
The “Gist answer” leads you into the details
The three bears were upset when they got
home from their walk because their house was
not like they left it.
Decide the order of presentation
Chronological order: the way in which things happen
Order of importance: either from most important to least
important.
1.
2.
The three bears were upset when they got
home from their walk because their house was
not like they left it.
Details for evidence:
To begin with, the bears noticed that someone had been
eating their porridge. Next, they discovered that someone
had broken baby bear’s chair. Lastly, their beds were
messed up. However, all this happened because a little
girl was in their house.
•
Notice the transition
words
• Minimum of three
examples
• Use specific evidence
from the text/ not prior
knowledge
Explain how the evidence supports
your answerConcluding Statement
• Refer to the question again for a concluding
statement.
• Don’t construct a whole new ending/stick to
the facts
• Restate with a touch of voice for your
conclusion
The three bears were upset when they got home from
their walk 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. Lastly, their beds were
messed up. However, all this happened because a little
girl was in their house.
Concluding statement:
As a result, the three bears were furious about
the little girl messing up their home!
Proper Conventions
•
Appearance of the piece is important (what the eyes see)
•
What will the reader perceive - even before he actually reads the
piece
➢ Handwriting and neatness (neat papers will receive better
grades)
➢ Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling
RACE Checklist
Name__________________________
Date__________
Minimally
Partially
1
Completely
2
3
Restates question
_____
_____
Develops a broad
Answer
_____
_____
_____
Cites using details
_____
_____
_____
Draws conclusion
_____
_____
_____
_____
Stays on topic
_____
_____
_____
Writes neatly
_____
_____
_____
Uses proper
Conventions
_____
_____
_____
What about MATH?
Answer the question
Compute your work (show work)
Explain in writing how you got your answer
There are 29 NBL teams. Each team is allowed to have
12 active players
and 3 on injured reserve.
How many players are in the NBL at any one time?
•
•
A…(Answer) 435 players
There are _____
players in the NBL at any one time.
435
•
•
•
•
C… (Compute) or show your work
X = (12+3) 29
X = (15) 29
X = 435
1
2
E… (Explain) in writing. 435
First, each team is allowed to have 12 active and 3 reserve players
which equals 15 total players on each team. I then multiplied the
total number of players (15) by the number of NBL teams (29) to
find that 435 players are in the NBL at any one time.
•
3
Encourage students to EXPLAIN their
work - not DESCRIBE it
Description:
“I multiplied $1.25 and 13 and got
$16.25”
Explanation
“I multiplied the price of gas per
gallon ($1.25) and the number of
gallons (13) to get the price for the
gas used ($16.25).”