Open-Ended Responses (OER)

OER  STAAR English I EOC consists of 2-3 OERs  Single Passage OER  Crossover OER (comparing 2 reading passages)

Just APE it  A means ANSWER  P means PROVE it  E means EXPLAIN the connection between your ANSWER and your PROOF

EXAMPLE  In, “The Necklace,” what inference can you make about the Loisels based on their efforts to replace the necklace?

STEP ONE  Box the Literary Terms  In, “The Necklace,” what inference can you make about the Loisels based on their efforts to replace the necklace?

STEP TWO  Circle the Verbs in the Question.  In, “The Necklace,” what inference can you make about the Loisels based on their efforts to replace the necklace?

STEP THREE  Read the question again, thinking about the words you marked. What is being asked? How are the words related to each other?  In, “The Necklace,” what inference can you make about the Loisels based on their efforts to replace the necklace?

STEP FOUR  Decide what the question is really asking.  Now, get ready to APE it!!

A is for ANSWER  Answer clearly by using words from the question (author’s name, title, literary terms, etc.).  In “The Necklace,” one can infer that both Mr. and Mrs. Loisel take responsibility for their mistake.

P is for PROVE  Prove your answer with two pieces of evidence (direct quotes, paraphrases, or specific synopses) from the text.  “She dismissed her maid… She learned to do the heavy housework, to perform the hateful duties of cooking.”  “Her husband labored evenings to balance a tradesman’s accounts, and at night, often, he copied documents at five sous a page.”

E is for EXPLAIN  Explain how the two pieces of text evidence prove your answer sentence. (These quotes show that…because…)  These quotes show that Mr. and Mrs. Loisel both work hard to pay off the debt because she has to do the housework herself instead of paying a maid, and he works a second job for extra income.

APE it: Here’s the full answer  Question: In, “The Necklace,” what inference can you make about the Loisels based on their efforts to replace the necklace?  Answer: In “The Necklace,” one can infer that both Mr. and Mrs. Loisel take responsibility for their mistake. “She dismissed her maid… She learned to do the heavy housework, to perform the hateful duties of cooking.” “Her husband labored evenings to balance a tradesman’s accounts, and at night, often, he copied documents at five sous a page.” These quotes show that Mr. and Mrs. Loisel both work hard to pay off the debt because she has to do the housework instead of paying a maid, and he works a second job for extra income.

Now You try it  With your group, use the following diagram to help you answer the OER from “The Most Dangerous Game.”