C.S.E.T. The way to make your writing in class much betterer.

LEQ: How can I use C.S.E.T.s to increase the quality of students’ text based writing?

Ever had an unhelpful friend? ○ You: I just found out that the director of The Dark Knight has another film called Inception. Should I see it? ○ Your friend: Yep. ○ You: Well, why? What is it about? ○ Your friend: Dreams. ○ You:…that’s it. That wasn’t very helpful. You are a terrible friend.

A better response… ○ Provides the information you’re looking for: ○ The recommendation ○ An brief set-up of the evidence that sheds light on the recommendation ○ A specific example of a good or bad part (depending on your recommendation) to back up the recommendation ○ An explanation of how the example helps prove the recommendation/summary statement.

I don’t know much about Inception. What is it about? Should I see it? Inception is a movie you need to see right now. The film bends the audience’s view of reality. There is a crazy scene where they enter one dream that is collapsing and the hallway is spinning during a fight scene. During this scene I couldn’t tell which way was up, which was really exciting and unique and why you should see in as soon as possible.

This new and better answer is brought to you by… C.S.E.T.

Why C.S.E.T? ○ Text based writing is a skill that requires constant practice and attention to detail ○ It is a major focus of the CCSS. ○ Currently, we have identified through DDI and our own classes that the students seldom provide textual support or explain the support they do provide. ○ Easy to immediately implement ○ Many students and faculty members currently use the strategy regularly.

C.S.E.T. Claim Set-Up Evidence Tie-In

Claim-to say something as true ○ This is the opening sentence of your answer. ○ It is the simple answer to the question. ○ Must be a complete sentence. ○Should avoid pronouns. ○ It usually provides a rephrasing of the question. ○ Question: Who is the best running back of all time? ○ Claim: Barry Sanders is the best running back of all time.

Set up: explain why your claim is true! ○ This is the part that explains the thinking behind your answer. ○ It must be a logical reason behind your claim. ○ Question: Who is the best running back of all time? ○ Claim: Barry Sanders is the best running back of all time. ○ Set-Up: Although he doesn’t hold the records for yards, or any super bowl rings, a close look at the numbers show his superiority.

Evidence: specific information that backs-up your support. ○ The more specific this information is, the harder it is to “refute your claim.” ○ Evidence: According to the NFL, Barry was the first running back to ever have over 1,000 yards per year in ten straight seasons. Emmitt Smith has 3086 more rushing yards, but Emmitt Smith played an additional five years and for much better teams.

Evidence: this is specific information that backs-up your support. ○ It looks different in different subjects: ○ English: usually quotes from the readings ○ Math: the work you do when solving a problem ○ Science: measurements from a lab experiment ○ Social studies: quotes from documents, or data from tables or surveys

Tie Up: Connect your quote back to your main claim ○ Explain how your quote helps make your point. This is where the analysis happens ○Tie up: Just looking at total yards isn’t enough. Emmitt Smith may have more yards, but, when noting the number of yards per year and the fact that the superior offensive line gave him more opportunities to run, it becomes clear that Barry Sanders is the only choice.

Put it all together. ○ Barry Sanders is the best running back of all time. Although he doesn’t hold the records for yards, or any super bowl rings, a close look at the numbers show his superiority. Barry was the first running back to ever have over 1,000 yards in ten straight seasons. Emmitt Smith has 3086 more rushing yards, but Emmitt Smith played an additional five years and for teams who had a superior offensive line. Just looking at total yards isn’t enough. Emmitt Smith may have more yards, but, when noting the number of yards per year and the fact that the superior offensive line gave him more opportunities to run, it becomes clear that Barry Sanders is the only choice.

Some examples from last year ○ Many students in William Penn have already been using CSET.

Ideal Answer (cleaned up grammatically) ○ Claim: States should require all students to take civics ○ Set-up: because the United states is a democracy which requires citizens to participate in the operation of the government.

Ideal Answer Part 2 ○ Evidence: As stated in the book, one of the qualities of a good citizen is to be “well informed on important issues and [be willing] to take a stand on these issues when conscience demands it.” ○ Tie-In: If a person is not informed on the issues and workings of government they will not be able to take care of their responsibilities as a citizen; therefore, it is important that states make it necessary to teach Civics.

Science CSET ○ Claim: The solid golf ball had more energy. ○ Set-Up: We could tell that the solid golf ball had more energy because it had a greater impact crater. ○ Evidence: The solid golf ball created a 5cm crater when dropped from 25cm. The hollow only created a crater of 4.5 when dropped from 100cm. ○ Tie-In: The solid ball, when dropped from the smallest height made a larger impact crater than the hollow ball at four times the height. Therefore, the solid golf ball created the most change and had the most energy.

“That looks like a lot of writing to grade...” ○ It is a bit more than you are used to seeing, but it will help you in several ways: ○ Their answers will be clearer and stronger, which means better assessment scores. ○It becomes easier to see the gaps in the students’ understandings. ○ Eventually, you will see how CSET can be modified for different types of writing.

We are going to try it… ○ Please answer a CSET for the following poem: ○ We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks

THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.

Now the CSET… ○ Take a moment to answer the following question using a CSET. ○ What message is Gwendolyn Brooks giving us about men like the ones in the poem?

A model answer… ○ Claim: Brooks is criticizing the type of men she depicts in the poem. ○ Set-up: She uses deliberately incorrect grammar and a poor outcome for the men to show that they are not as cool as they think they are. ○ Evidence: For example, in the first line, the men declare “We real cool”, but in the final line they state “we die soon”. ○ Tie-In: It is hard to argue that dying soon is a good—or cool—outcome, so it is clear that she believes that men who leave school to pursue partying are foolish.

Another Answer… ○Claim: Brooks admires the type of man that she writes about. ○Set-up: In her poem she careful word selection and repetition in order to catch the reader’s attention and provide a certain style to the poem. ○Evidence: She uses the words, “Sing sin” and repeats the word “we.” ○Tie-In: The men seem to be aware of their failings and the word “sing” seems to imply that they enjoy it. the repetition of the word “we” to establish them as the speakers of the poem who are aware of their consequences and choose to do what they do anyway. These facts can imply that they find the men admirable.

Scoring Rubric ○ Because we have broken the answer down to four parts the scoring rubric reflects this ○ It will help us zero in on what part of the writing the students are actually having problems with. ○ Remember: You are not grading the same question four times; you are grading the four parts of the question once ○ It will take a few to get the hang of it, but it really doesn’t take much longer.

Rubric 2-Claim correctly and insightfully answers the question 1-Claim and only partially answers the question 0-Claim is missing and/or incorrect 2-Set-up provided clearly helps reader understand thinking behind the author’s claim 1-Set-up’s logic is present, but not fully explained or clear. 0- Set-up is insufficient, completely inaccurate/irrelevant, or missing 2-Evidence is relevant and specific and reinforces all aspects of the claim 1-Evidence may be related to the claim and support, but may not fully reinforce them 0- Evidence is missing or completely irrelevant to the claim 2- Tie In correctly and clearly explains how the evidence reinforces the claim. 1- Tie In is included, but does not fully explain the evidence provided. 0- Tie In is missing or unrelated to the rest of the answer

Let’s try it (if we have time) ○ Switch answers with a partner. ○ Use a CSET rubric to grade the response.

Try it again on your own… ○ Use, “I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud” by William Wordsworth. ○ After reading the poem answer the following question: ○ The word wealth can mean many things. What does the word wealth mean to the speaker? Use CSET to answer this question.

Why C.S.E.T? ○ Text based writing is a skill that requires constant practice and attention to detail ○ It is a major focus of the CCSS. ○ Currently, we have identified through DDI and our own classes that the students seldom provide textual support or explain the support they do provide. ○ Easy to immediately implement ○ Many students and faculty members currently use the strategy regularly.