Main Idea: How trees are important
Detail #1: shelter
Detail #2: food
What Works:
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- Organization: The student understands that a paragraph includes a main idea with supporting details. There is a main idea sentence to begin the paragraph and a conclusion statement to end it.
- Textual Evidence: The student supplied details from both texts as required by the prompt.
- Sentence starters: The evidence is framed by sentence starters to indicate the name of the article and the paragraph where the text support came from: “One example is in paragraph 4 in A Grand Old Tree…” Another example is in paragraph 3 …” The last example is that in paragraph 9 in How the Forest Grew…”
Feedback with Prescriptive Lesson - Focus Skill
- This response would be enhanced through the use of the detail generating questions, What does it look like? Why is it important?, in order to further elaborate on the text evidence by supplying analytic thinking.
- Informational Skills: Section 2: Elaboration: Lessons 1-7
Author’s Group Revision Model
To teach revision, use a whole class model. Project the sample for revision and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the piece. Choose one skill that will address the weakness and with student participation, go through the revision process. This allows students to see revision in action and provides a structure for their own revision process. Using the suggested feedback from above, here is an example of a revised version of this piece. (NOTE: the typos mirror the student sample.)
The revision included the explanation of two pieces of evidence using “Why is it important?”.
What Next?
For more information on Constructed Response, consider joining our training team for a comprehensive professional course that will outline the steps for teaching constructed response, both short and extended. Click this link to register.