Short Answer Response (SAR)

• 2 Questions to answer– Analysis of Informational and Literary texts

• One single selection• One connecting two selections

• Space– 10 lines for each question

• Entire response must be in the box provided• May NOT add extra lines

When responding to a questions about the text, students must…

• Answer

• Cite

• Explain

ACE the Big 3• A: ANSWER

– Answer the question explicitly

– Answer the question in the first sentence

• C: CITE– Cite evidence to support

your answer– Cite evidence in an

effective way• Use only quotes that tie

directly to the answer• Use only the part(s)

necessary

• E: EXPLAIN– Explain explicitly how the

evidence proves your answer

Answer the question• Answer the question directly using good word

choice and by restating words from the question.

How does the narrator’s attitude change over the course of the summer?

The narrator’s attitude changes toward his grandfather over

the course of the summer from being ungrateful to

appreciative of his family.

• This sentence provides the “A” part of A.C.E. It restates the question using the same words and directly gives an answer to the question.

Cite evidence (textual support) from the selection to support your answer.He says, “I hate having to take care of

Grandpa” at the beginning. When summer is over he writes in his journal, “Grandpa used to be a basketball star! That’s so cool that he can teach me!”

Textual Support/Evidence

• DIRECT QUOTE

– Embed the quote (Introduce the quote)

– Do NOT just tell the page # or the line # -- write out the quote

• Summary/Paraphrase

– DON’T DO IT!!!

Explain or expand on your answer:

• You can begin your “E” with phrases such as: “This emphasizes…”, “This demonstrates…”, “This signifies that…”

This demonstrates the narrator’s attitude change as he learns

new aspects of his grandfather’s life. By the end of the

summer, the narrator realizes that his grandfather is not just

a burden; he actually has the ability to affect the narrator’s

life in a positive way.

• This sentence explains how the quote supports the answer to better prove the answer.

SCORING

• 0 = insufficient

• 1 = partially sufficient

• 2 = sufficient

• 3 = exemplary

• 0 & 1 = not passing• 2 & 3 = passing

Score 0INSUFFICIENT

- Too general or vague to determine whether it is reasonable or not.

– Incorrect interpretation based on the text.

– Mere plot summary.

*Leaving it blank, illegible writing, or writing your answer in a foreign language also receives a zero!

BAD response… score of 0

What kind of help?

Who? Who?

Score 1 Partially Sufficient

Answer provided BUT missing one of remaining parts– Have evidence but no explanation– Have explanation but no evidence

OR

• All three parts exist BUT…– Unclear or vague connection between

evidence and the explanation

Better response… (still only a score 1)

Where is the evidence FROM THE TEXT?

Score 2SUFFICIENT

All three parts found WITH…– Relevant evidence– Explanation of evidence is clear and specific

Show me a 2…

Answer

Evidence – Matches up!

Score 3EXEMPLARY

• all the characteristics of a 2 WITH…– Particularly thoughtful or insightful analysis and/or

evidence– Explanation of evidence shows depth of

understanding

ORIGINALWELL-THOUGHT OUT

WELL-WRITTEN

Show me a 3…

REVIEW

• ACE:– Answer the question.– Cite relevant evidence.– Explain how the evidence proves your answer.

• SCORING:– 0 = insufficient– 1 = partially sufficient– 2 = sufficient– 3 = exemplary

Planning and Neatness Counts!

• Your answer must be printed neatly on the answer document inside the box provided

• You must, must, must plan, write, and edit in the booklet before you neatly print your final answer on the answer document.

PLAN - Prewrite• Use the white space anywhere in your

testing booklet to PLAN your response.

• Write out• A• C• E

So that you are sure to include all 3 parts, but do NOT put the A-C-E on your final response.

A GOOD THING!!!

• The graders do not grade you on grammar and sentence structure,

BUT…

• These things can effect how well they can understand your answer.

Final Answer…

• Neatly print your well-planned response into the box provided on the answer sheet.

• Do NOT write the letters A-C-E. This was for your planning purposes only.

• Remember, you only have 10 lines.