Unlocking the Patterns

in Open Response MCAS

Harmon & Daris ELA

How do you select quotes for your TDQs and Open Response? The shortest quotes? At random? Let’s discuss a process and how you can justify how you choose your evidence in your writing responses.

Describe how Lakshmi’s emotions shift throughout the excerpt. Support your answer with relevant and specific details from the excerpt.

Describe how the speech and the eulogy emphasize the humanity of men who were considered to be great and powerful. Support your answer with relevant and specific details from both the speech and the eulogy.

Based on the chapter, describe the challenges and dangers of working in a mine. Support your answer with relevant and specific information from the chapter.

1.

2.

3.

Find the pattern in each Open Response prompt below. Circle every time you see the word “describe.”

Underline every time you see the words “relevant and specific.”

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In your own words, describe the pattern you see in the above Open Response questions from MCAS:

Skills for Selecting Quotes in TDQs 1

Know why this is so important:

The #1 mistake students make in answering Open Response and TDQs is not actually answering the question being asked. Students tend to skim the question, when in fact, spending time on really annotating the question will save time and increase your chances of getting it right.

Skill: understand the question being asked in 4 steps

1. Read the question 3 times.2. Circle verbs in the question.

3. Underline everything after the verb.

4. Re-write the verb and circled part next to the question in a list.

How to apply this skill: Answer all parts of the questionfrom 2015 Open Response MCAS

Based on the excerpt, describe Jobs’s character traits. Support your answer with relevant and specific details from the excerpt.

1. Describe Job’s character traits

2. Support with relevant and

specific details

1

2

3

4

Examples from 2015 Open Response MCAS

Describe how Lakshmi’s emotions shift throughout the excerpt. Support your answer with relevant and specific details from the excerpt.

Describe how the speech and the eulogy emphasize the humanity of men who were considered to be great and powerful. Support your answer with relevant and specific details from both the speech and the eulogy.

Based on the chapter, describe the challenges and dangers of working in a mine. Support your answer with relevant and specific information from the chapter.

1 Practice the Skill: Understand the question being asked in 4 steps

Re-write the circled and underline part of each

Open Response writing prompt below.

1.

2.

3.

2Know why this is so important:

You are asked to choose “relevant and specific” quotes or evidence in almost all writing prompts, yet we often gloss over their true meaning. Which definition below describes “relevant”? Which definition describes “specific?”

Skill: What does “relevant and specific” really mean in picking quotes?

Skills for Selecting Quotes in TDQs

How to apply this skill: Put the quotes you choose through The Relevant and Specific Test. Here’s how it looks:

1. Describe Job’s character traits

2. Support with relevant and

specific details

RELEVANT OR SPECIFIC? RELEVANT OR SPECIFIC?

The Relevant and Specific Test

Does it describe your #1? YES OR NOIf yes, it’s relevant.Does what it describe connect to the point being made?If yes, it’s specific.

“Steve Jobs walked with a limp.”

“Steve Jobs always said things weren’t

good enough.”

“Steve Jobs yelled at people.”

Does it describe

#1?

Does it describe

#1?

Does it describe

#1?

YES

YES

YES

Choose your first quote

Choose your second quoteChoose your third quote

Does it describe the point

being made?

NO

YES

YES

His limp doesn’t

describe his character.

Steve Jobs had a character

trait of hard work.

Steve Jobs had a lot

of passion, which is a character trait.

Does it describe the point

being made?

Does it describe the point

being made?

Graphic Organizer for Quote or Evidence Selection

Re-write the prompt here:

Choose quote 1 and write it below:

Choose quote 2 and write it below:

Choose quote 3 and write it below:

Does the quote

describe #1?

Does it describe

#1?

Does it describe

#1?

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

Choose a new quote or evidence from the reading.

IS IT RELEVANT? IS IT SPECIFIC?What about #1 does it describe?

What about #1 does it describe?

What about #1 does it describe?

Your Name_____________________ Date__________ Class_______________________

Choose a new quote or evidence from the reading.

Choose a new quote or evidence from the reading.

#1

#2

Introduce the quote Give the quote

Explain the quote “This shows that…”

When you can justify or explain how the quotes

connect to the topic or point being made, this becomes

your “This shows that…”sentences

Introduce the quote Give the quote

Explain the quote “This shows that…”

Introduce the quote Give the quote

Explain the quote “This shows that…”

INTRO/TOPIC SENTENCE

CONCLUSION

Putting it all together.