Open Response Strategies in Content Area Classrooms:
New Bedford High School
Professional Development Session
Thursday, October 24, 2013
An overview of the NBHS Literacy Initiative 2010-2013.
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative
2) The ABC Method of Open Response
3) Using Open Response to Teach Your
Subject Content
4) Annotation (a comprehension strategy)
5) Preparing Your Literacy Submissions
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative2) The ABC Method of Open Response
3) Using Open Response to Teach Your Subject Content
4) Annotation (a comprehension strategy)
5) Preparing Your Literacy Submissions
Literacy Initiative Objectives
Primary Objective: Implement content-specific reading comprehension
and writing activities to develop deeper student understanding and the ability to communicate within each separate content-area.
Ancillary Objectives Develop a common language and common practice in
school-wide literacy instruction. Increase teachers’ use of writing in day-to-day class
activities. Increase students’ depth of understanding of content
matter.
Literacy Initiative Focus Skill
Open Response
(not just MCAS Open Response)
Implementation
Twice each year (concurrent with their department), each teacher will employ a prescribed “Open Response” lessons using content relevant to their curriculum.
• Students will experience this procedure 6-8 times in various classes. Repeated practice is crucial to skill development.
During this lesson teachers will take time to teach/reinforce the process of Open response writing in addition to teaching their own subject content.
Materials Provided to Teachers
School-wide common rubric • unified assessment strategies
10-step Open Response Process• unified instruction/process for students
Step-by-step lesson guides• powerpoints and handouts available if
needed
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative
2) The ABC Method of Open Response3) Using Open Response to Teach Your Subject Content
4) Annotation (a comprehension strategy)
5) Preparing Your Literacy Submissions
Review of ABC Method
Please continue to reinforce this with students.
Responses are better when students follow the process, but many still won’t follow through without being reminded.
Unified Process
Open Response is a process.
Active Reading - Thinking - Writing
Process required by all teachers Student habit
Increased achievement in class and on standardized testing
Unified Process
A nalyze the question.
Build a plan.
Create the response.
A, B, C's of Open Response:
A nalyze the Question
1. Read the question carefully.
2. Circle or underline key words.• Circle key direction verbs
i.e. explain, compare, or show• Underline important information.
3. Restate the question as a thesis leaving blanks for information that must be found in the text.
A nalyze the Question
1. Read the question carefully. - Read every word. Make sure you know exactly what the question is asking.
EXAMPLE QUESTION:(See packet for primary documents.) Analyze the attitudes and reactions of Protestants and Catholics toward the Scientific Revolution.
A nalyze the Question
EXAMPLE QUESTION:(See packet for primary documents.) Analyze the attitudes and reactions of Protestants and Catholics toward the Scientific Revolution.
2. Circle or underline key words.Circle key direction verbs (explain, compare, show)
See list of examples in handout. Underline important information.
A nalyze the Question3. Restate the question as a thesis.
Leave blanks for information that must be found in the text.
After the student reads the excerpt these blanks will be filled in.
EXAMPLE:
The Scientific Revolution posited that truth about nature’s laws
was based on ______________ and ______________.
Protestants believed _____________, _____________, and
____________, while Catholics countered those beliefs with
______________, and _________________.
Build the Plan
4. Read the passage carefully.
5. Take notes that respond to the question. Brainstorm and map out the answer.
6. Complete your thesis.
Build the Plan
4. Read the passage carefully.
• Read every word of the passage slowly.
• Use context clues to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words.
• Look for the key information you underlined in the question or that you need to fill in your thesis.
Build the Plan
5. Take notes that respond to the question. Brainstorm and map out the answer.
Use note taking strategies and graphic organizers as appropriate to the question being answered.
Note-taking organizers:
Build the Plan5. Take notes that respond to the question. Brainstorm
and map out the answer. Use note taking strategies and graphic organizers as
appropriate to the question being answered.
Mapping organizer:
Build the Plan
6. Complete your thesis.
EXAMPLE:
The Scientific Revolution posited that truth about nature’s laws was based on
_reason and observation_, and _natural laws_. Protestants believed _that the
Bible is the source of faith that everyone must read__, _that the Pope has no
authority over the Church_, and _that man is justified by faith alone_, while
Catholics countered those beliefs with _salvation by faith and good works_, and
_sacraments as a means toward “grace”.
Create the Response
7. Write the response carefully, using your map as a guide.
8. Strategically repeat key words from your thesis
in your body and in your end sentence.
9. Paragraph your response.
10. Reread and edit your response.
Create the Response
7. Write the response carefully, using your map as a guide.
Create the Response
8. Strategically repeat key words from your thesis in your body and in your end sentence.
EXAMPLE:
The Scientific Revolution posited that truth about nature’s laws was based on
_reason and observation_, and _natural laws_. Protestants believed _that the
Bible is the source of faith that everyone must read__, _that the Pope has no
authority over the Church_, and _that man is justified by faith alone_, while
Catholics countered those beliefs with _salvation by faith and good works_, and
_sacraments as a means toward “grace”.
Create the Response
9. Paragraph your response.
Create the Response
10. Reread and edit your response.
**See Collins Writing Program “Revision and Editing Symbols” document.
Scoring Reponses
The NBHS Open Response Rubric uses four standards:
Content Form Legibility Length
Content and Form have three indicators each.
NBHS Open Response Rubric
Content:1. Does the response have a thesis statement
that actually answers the question?
2. How good is the evidence the student provides to support their thesis (answer)?
3. Is the evidence explained in such a way as to demonstrate mastery of the concepts addressed in the prompt?
NBHS Open Response Rubric
Form:1. Does the response use good transitions to
get from one idea to the next?
2. Is the response organized and well structured using paragraphs and flow to effectively present its ideas?
3. Are their major errors in grammar or sentence structure that interfere with the effectiveness of the essay?
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative
2) The ABC Method of Open Response
3) Using Open Response to Teach
Your Subject Content4) Annotation (a comprehension strategy)
5) Preparing Your Literacy Submissions
Response Forms Not all Open Response Questions need to be answered
with a full essay. Short Essay (1-2 paragraphs)
• Ex: Name the various types of brushstrokes employed in this painting and tell which elements were painted using each technique.
Long Essay (3 or more paragraphs)• Ex: Analyze the expressive effects that can be created by
using different bush techniques. Cite specific examples from paintings mentioned in the article to support your analysis.
Response Forms
Shorter response forms (short essay) are easier to implement on a day-to-day basis.
• RAWAC: Reading And Writing Across the Curriculum
• Ideally 30 minutes per class per week.
Longer response forms better for independent student learning or summative assessment.
Day-to-day Implementation Prompts should reference authentic
examples (paintings, recordings, printed music, scripts, videos, etc.) and/or text.
Responses can be short or long, but should:
• demonstrate understanding of the material already in the curriculum
• use appropriate language skills (i.e. grammar, sentence structure, organization of ideas, etc.) to communicate students’ thinking.
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative
2) The ABC Method of Open Response
3) Using Open Response to Teach Your Subject Content
4) Annotation (a comprehension
strategy)5) Preparing Your Literacy Submissions
Annotation Strategies
Onion Article -- What not to do! Annotation should show an engagement with
the text. Students should be asking themselves
questions and finding answers. We do this all the time when analyzing text.
Consider your own process, then model it to students.
• They don’t know what questions to ask themselves until they hear you ask yourself.
Grading Annotation Simplest Idea (my personal recommendation --
not the Literacy Committee’s) Grade out of 20 points:
• 4 points for annotating (see rubric in handout)• 2 points for mapping out the response before
writing it out.• 14 points for the scripted response (using NBHS
Open Response Rubric)
Do we want to adopt one rubric for department-wide use?
Session Agenda
1) About the Open Response Initiative
2) The ABC Method of Open Response
3) Using Open Response to Teach Your Subject Content
4) Annotation (a comprehension strategy)
5) Preparing Your Literacy
Submissions
Literacy Submissions
Activities for submissions to the Literacy Committee:
• can be part of already planned activities. (Encouraged!)• should be directly connected to your curriculum.• should have some text from which students need to
draw information.• can be combined with authentic examples.
• should require students to articulate in words the concepts, skills, and understanding they are already developing through your other teaching/learning techniques.
Submission Guidelines(Submissions go to Paula Brown in Green House.)
As per Mr. Kulak, the Literacy Committee will collect 3 students samples AND a completed data collection page from each teacher’s respective classes.
Submissions should include:
•Teacher Name•Date•Course Name and Level•Period/Block•A copy of the question(s)/prompt(s) with active reading strategies•Text with Tovani Reading Strategies applied•Student open response writing sample•Evaluated Open Response Rubric
Session Complete
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our students.
This powerpoint and more materials will be available to teachers at
http://www.ericdrew.net/NBHSPD102413
Also check out the NBHS Literacy Initiative page
http://www.newbedfordschools.org/high.htm
(and click on “Literacy Initiative” in the left-hand column)
