A PSSA Open-Ended Response Strategy R.A.C.E. A PSSA Open-Ended Response Strategy

For what is it used? RACE is a strategy that helps students to answer open-ended responses when taking the PSSA. Each letter stands for a step involved in the response process. Students’ responses to these types of questions have greatly improved since the implementation of RACE.

What does it stand for? R… RESTATE the question A… ANSWER all parts of the question C… CITE evidence directly from the text that supports your answer E… EXPLAIN or EXTEND so that your response is easy for the reader to understand

How will they use it? Students should write the letters R-A-C-E vertically near the area where they will be writing their response. As they respond to the open ended question, students should cross off a letter in RACE each time they address that step.

“Turtle Bay,” by Saviour Pirotta An excerpt: “Turtle Bay,” by Saviour Pirotta “Do you want to come and wait for Jiro-San’s old friends?” Taro asked Yuko after supper the next day. Yuko wasn’t doing anything so she followed Taro to the big rocks, kicking the sand as she walked. “Ssshh,” said Jiro-San. “I think they’re here at last.” Yuko and Taro saw a dark shape moving toward the shore. It was huge and bobbed up and down on the water like an enormous cork. At last, the children could see what it was – a turtle! The writer wanted to tell what a swimming turtle looks like. What did the author compare a turtle to?

Student samples: Model Responses: Incomplete Responses: The author compared a turtle to a cork. In the story the author said, “It was huge and bobbed up and down in the water like an enormous cork.” This is what corks do. The author compared a turtle to a cork bobbing up and down in the water. The turtle looked this way in the water. Incomplete Responses: The turtle was like a cork bobbing up and down in the water. The author compared the turtle to something floating in the water. Turtles float sometimes.

Let’s try it! R A C E Open-ended response practice: “Scientists Breed See-Through Frogs” QUESTION: Scientists are creating see-through frogs. Find two examples from the story explaining how they are able to study these frogs without dissecting them. R A C E Scientists are able to study these frogs without dissecting them because they can see the organs right through their skin. In the text, it said that they can see a frog’s heart beating right through its skin and can see the eggs inside of the females. This means they don’t have to be cut open just to see what’s going on inside.