Constucted ResponseBy Christina Gulke

What is constructed response?

•Constructed response in the most basic form is a question that requires a response other than a multiple choice selection.

•It can be as simple as one or a few words, or as complex as a detailed retelling of an event.

Do the students really know the material?•All the work you do to teach your students

to read independently and comprehend proficiently is ultimately assessed in the form of a constructed response.

http://www.smekenseducation.com/teach-constructed-response-writing-explicitly.html#sthash.lK04Cgkz.dpuf

Isn’t this just like answering an essay prompt?

•Constructed response is an excellent springboard for lengthier essays, such as informative writing pieces with imbedded research.

•It doesn’t need to be an essay!•You can use the same response method

when teaching writing.

Why use constructed response and not multiple choice?•Students who cannot remember the correct

procedure for conducting a science laboratory experiment may recognize the correct next step, or the correct sequence of steps, when they see it (as a multiple choice selection).

•Students who cannot explain the logical flaw in a persuasive message may find it easy to identify the flaw when it is presented as one of four or five possibilities.▫http://www.ets.org/research

Example of Constructed Response vs. Multiple Choice

•1. Which of the following statements is true based on the text Grizzly Bear Family Book?▫A) Grizzly mothers prefer to hunt for their

own food and not their cubs’ food.▫B) Grizzly mothers are the most aggressive

mothers in the animal kingdom.▫C) Grizzly mothers are not unlike human

mothers when caring for their cubs.

What levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are employed with multiple choice vs. constructed response?

R.A.P.P.

•The R.A.P.P. method, or R.A.P.P.-style response, is an organized way of teaching students how to be effective and purposeful in their constructed response.

•It is a check-list to ensure responses are complete and on-level.

What is R.A.P.P.?(Thank

you, Berenda.)

Related standards

Related standards

What makes a top-notch, R.A.P.P-style answer?•A quality answer to a constructed response

question will have these key ingredients:▫Proper phrasing- According to the text, the

text says, the author states, etc.▫A complete answer (with the question

restated, if applicable).▫Evidence – A quote, a page number, a

paragraph number, reference to a video, etc. Example of how I grade a response– 1 point for

R.A.P.P. style, 1 or more points for accurate response.

Example continued...

•1. How does the author describe the behavior and relationship of a mother grizzly with her own cubs?▫According to the text on page 641, a

mother grizzly bear nurses her cubs, cuddles them, and protects them, not unlike a human mother.

Top-notch answer.• What was Robert Ballard’s response when he

discovered people had taken artifacts from the Titanic wreckage?

According to the text on page ____, Robert Ballard was sad when he discovered people had taken things from the Titanic.

Robert Ballard was sad when he discovered people had taken things from the Titanic. “To him, the Titanic is like a museum. It should be left in peace.” p. _____, par. _____.

So what does it really look like in practice? Where do I begin?•Select a series of short passages or

articles, ideally a level or two below where your students are currently reading.

•The questions should require factual responses, not inferences or opinions (yet).

•Restrict and require the phrasing you want from every question. Start with one or two choices.

I start with these phrases:

•According to the text, _____________p.___.

•The author states, “___________________.”

Paraphrasing and quoting the text accurately is a process that requires a lot of modeling and practice. Once students are fluent with this, you can “level-up” the phrasing.

Warning- trouble ahead.

•Students have a difficult time with formulating a complete, restated R.A.P.P.-style response at first. They think, “It’s a complete sentence, so it’s correct.”

Example for troubleshooting.

•Example from Finding the Titanic▫What was Robert Ballard’s response when

he discovered people had taken artifacts from the Titanic wreckage?

Common student response: “According to the text, he was sad.”

What is wrong with this answer?What would be a top-notch answer?

Demo Lesson

“Kick it up a notch.”• How might you design a

constructed response, R.A.P.P.-style question to cover multiple levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy?▫ Third Grade: Nights of the

Pufflings▫ Fourth Grade: Finding the

Titanic▫ Fifth: The Golden Lion

Tamarin Comes Home▫ Sixth: “Want to be a Vet

Tech?”

What about higher levels of complexity?•Inferences

▫Based on the author’s statement regarding trophy killings of grizzlies, what do you predict the author’s position on denying grizzlies Endangered Species Act protection will be? Based on the author’s statement regarding

trophy killings of grizzlies, I can predict the author will not agree with removing grizzlies from Endangered Species Act protection. The author says, “_____.”

Higher levels of complexity continued...•Defend a position

▫Do you agree or disagree with removing grizzlies from Endangered Species Act protection? I do not agree grizzlies should be taken off

the Endangered Species Act for two main reasons. First, the article “Bears are Back” says grizzlies are only safe in protected p laces like Yellowstone National Park. Second, the National Geographic Video “Grizzlies of Denali” show people are still trying to hunt grizzlies even though it is illegal.