Short
Answers/OERs
(Open-Ended
Responses)
I. What Is a Short Answer?
 Short
Answer: a written
response of a few sentences
(NOT a few words)
– demonstrates not only your
knowledge of a subject, but the
use of your knowledge on that
subject.
– Require that you make a point
and prove it.
 Also
known as O.E.R.’s!
II. Three Types of OER Questions
 Expository
OER –
relates to an
“expository” (nonfiction) passage
 Literary OER –
relates to a “literary”
(fiction) passage
 Crossover OER –
asks for comparisons/
contrasts between
literary and expository
passages
III. Three Parts of the Short
Answer (OER)
1. Answer – Your analysis
2. Textual Evidence (quote
or specific details)
– Snippets of quotes are
more effective than
large chunks of
paragraphs.
3. Meaningful connection
between the answer and
the evidence
IV. Strategies for Successful
Responses
 Read the questions
BEFORE you read
the selection.
 Take notes as
you read and read
closely.
– Mark anything that
you think may help
you to answer the
questions.
IV. Strategies for Successful
Responses
 Plan
your responses before you
write them.
– Make small prewriting notes to yourself
just as you would when writing an
essay.

Answer the question completely!
OER Scoring
I. How are OERs scored?
 OERs
use a rubric from score 0 to
3. To pass, a student must
earn at least a “2.”
–0 = insufficient
–1 = partially sufficient
–2 = sufficient
–3 = exceeds expectations
III. AIM
REMEMBER THE ACRONYM
“AIM”!
A=Answer all the questions
I= Integrate important
evidence
M = Make meaningful
connections
The Chocolate
Lesson
**You do not need to write this down!***
Score Point 0: Insufficient
Imagine that it is 3:00, you have not
eaten since lunch, and you will not be
able to have dinner until 7:00. If I
told you that you were not allowed to
have a snack, it would be an
INSUFFICIENT answer to your
hunger.
Score Point 0: Insufficient
Likewise, an INSUFFICIENT OER
answer does nothing to address the
question being asked. The response
is either totally incorrect, too vague,
or is simply a plot summary.
Score Point 1: Partially
Sufficient
Now imagine that I tell you, “All right, you
may have a chocolate Hershey’s kiss
(which we’ll call analysis) and an almond
(which we’ll call evidence).” This would be
a PARTIALLY SUFFICIENT answer to
your hunger in that it would trick your
taste buds, but you would still be hungry.
Score Point 1: Partially
Sufficient
Likewise, a PARTIALLY SUFFICIENT OER
response provides ONLY analysis
(chocolate), ONLY evidence (almond), or
an unclear connection between the
analysis and the evidence (the almond
and the chocolate are separate).
Score Point 2: Sufficient
Now imagine that I say, “All right. You may
have a Hershey’s bar with almonds.” You
get both the salty and the sweet, and it is
a full-sized and SUFFICIENT snack.
Score Point 2: Sufficient
Likewise, a SUFFICIENT OER response
contains BOTH analysis (chocolate) and
evidence (almonds) and the connection
between them is clear (as in the chocolate
bar, where they are two parts of a whole).
Score Point 3: Exemplary
Now let’s say that I give you a Toblerone
bar. The chocolate and the almonds are
both still there, but they are whipped up
in a fancy manner and combined with
sweet honey. This is an EXEMPLARY
snack to satisfy your hunger.
Score Point 3: Exemplary
Likewise, an EXEMPLARY OER response
involves the same “ingredients” as a
sufficient one, but it takes it to a higher
plane of thought. It is fun to read, and it
is beautifully written.
OER Samples
**You do not need to write ANY
of these down!!**
Let’s look at some student
samples…
Here
is the OER question:
–Explain how the narrator’s
actions reveal her feelings for
her father in “In Search of Eels.”
Support your answer with
evidence from the selection.
What score should this
receive?
The
narrator cares about him
in a way that no one at the
nursing home or anywhere
else could. “The nurses are
supposed to cook for him daily,
but they are always too busy.”
Did you say…a ZERO?
 Never
answers the question.
 The quote is irrelevant.
–Just because you provide a quote
does not mean you’ll receive credit
for it! The quote must be able to
SUPPORT your answer. Do not
just randomly choose a quote.
What about this one…
 The
narrator’s love shows through
the persistence she exerts during
the passage, signifying a level of
commitment to her father and
their love.
Did you say…a ONE?
Provides
an answer to the
question, but no textual
support.
And this one…?

In “In Search of Eels,” the narrator’s
actions reveal her love for her father. She
encourages her father to walk just like he
did when she was 5 and didn’t want to
walk anymore. “Now—Forward March!”
Also, she brought him smoked eel, which
is the food she tried at 5 and ate it all
without saving any for her father. Her
actions show that she loves her father.
Did you say…a TWO?
Provides
analysis/answer and
evidence.
–Did you notice the last
sentence is just a
restatement of the first?
That doesn’t count!
And finally…
 The narrator does not reveal her feelings towards
her father verbally, but through kind gestures and
actions. The narrator takes her father out of the
home because the lunch room is crowded, the TV
too loud, and the food tasteless. Once out of the
“home” she backtracks to help her father
remember the good times like the climb up the
Washington monument…She attempts to refuel
his vitality by encouraging him to march: “Now—
Forward March!” By going out of her way to find
his favorite food, smoked eels, and providing a
“beautiful picnic,” she shows her love.
Yes, it’s a three.
Analysis/answer
the question,
provided evidence, and further
analyzed the previous two
parts.