Constructed Responses: GA Milestone How to excel and exceed expectations when asked to write on demand!

1. Read the Question First! By reading the question, you know which lense to read the piece! If the question asks you about arguments, evidence, or even effectiveness of the author’s style, you will know to look for those aspects while reading the piece!

2. Read the piece(s) After you read the question, read the piece, or pieces provided. Read for the aspects asked in the question!!

3. Read the question again - actively When you read the question after reading the piece(s), look for the verbs. The verbs in the question will tell you what you have to do in order to answer the question. Next underline any adjectives that describe what kind of qualities you are supposed to write about. We will see these in our examples.

4. Quickly Brainstorm You can write on the piece, you can write in your test booklet. Underline textual evidence that will answer the question. Use the margins to write yourself notes about what you underlined.

Ideas for brainstorming 1. Rewrite the question in your own words to make sure that you know exactly what is being asked. Then, turn that question into a topic sentence for your answer. 2. Go back to the passage and collect the needed information. Make sure you get the relevant details (if the question asks for 3 details, make sure you find 3 details).

5. Write your draft Use the space provided – make sure your answer effectively addresses all parts of the question, but doesn’t become longer than the box and lines provided. Stay away from dialogue and multiple paragraphs, they waste space with line indentions and switching lines for speakers. Watch your handwriting!! If they can’t read it, it’s wrong! If your handwriting is usually large, start practicing now to make smaller choices. Your entire answer must fit in the space provided. If your handwriting is unusually small, make sure to expand a little to make reading easier for the grader, and to make it look like you have used your space adequately