Grade 5:

How to Bump Up a Response to a Constructed Response Question

Lesson Overview: In this lesson, students will learn what they can expect when asked to respond to a
constructed response question after reading two informative articles. Students begin by reading two
informational texts. Students are then asked to write a short response. Constructed response items require
more elaborate answers and explanations of reasoning than a multiple choice question requires. They allow
for a variety of possible correct answers. Before teaching this lesson, read aloud the articles Seeing in Three
Dimensions and Hearing in Three Dimensions with students.

Writing a Response to a Constructed Response Question: Paired Text

Materials Needed:
PowerPoint: How to Bump Up a Constructed Response Question
Handouts
o Student Practice (1 per student)
o Student Independent Practice (1 per student)

Explicit Instruction:

1. Tell students that today you are going to teach a kind of question they may be asked to respond to.
This type of question is called a constructed response question because it means they must answer it
in several sentences. This response will require them to show their ability to use details or evidence
from the texts they read to write a correct response. (If you’ve taught this type of question before,
simply do a quick review here.)

2. Remind them that this type of question is assessing how well they understood what they read.

3. Ask students to refer back to the articles Seeing in Three Dimensions and Hearing in Three Dimensions
in order to respond to the constructed response question.

Modeled Instruction:

1. Read the constructed response question to students. (Refer to the Teacher Model page.) Tell them
that before you respond to this question, you are going to be sure you understand what the question is
asking you to do.

2. In order to do this, tell students you are going to underline key words in the question. Refer to the
Teacher Model page for suggestions of words you might underline in the question.

3. Next, tell them you are going to quickly skim back through both articles looking for examples, facts,
and key details you may want to use to respond to the question.

4. As you skim through the articles, underline examples, facts, and key details you may want to include in
your answer. Refer to the Teacher Model page for suggestions of examples, facts, and key details you
might underline.

Note: The details students underline and decide to include from the texts should be the proof that their answer
is correct. It is important that students find several examples to include in their answers. If students include

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 only one detail, then they aren't responding to what the question has asked them to do which is to use “details”
meaning more than one. Students should be expected to include two or more examples or details.

5. After you finish reading and underlining, model thinking about how you might begin your response by
thinking about a topic sentence that repeats key words from the question and introduces your main
idea.

6. Begin writing your topic sentence, the middle, and a conclusion for your answer. Suggestions for what
you might say as you model are included. Keep referring back to the words and phrases you
underlined as you include them in your response. Make a point of connecting details from the two
separate texts.

Guided Instruction:
1. Ask the class to do what you just did. Put up another constructed response question for the same two
articles.

2. Ask students to follow the same steps you did to answer this question.

3. You might have students do this orally with a partner or they can read the question and discuss the key
words and then do the actual writing of their responses on their own.

4. As students work through the steps, listen in and provide support as needed.

5. When students have finished, share out effective responses you heard or read.

Independent Practice:

1. Give students the articles Seeing in Three Dimensions and Hearing in Three Dimensions.

2. Tell students to reread the articles completely. Then, tell them to read the constructed response
question and underline the key words.

3. Next, remind them to skim back through the articles underlining examples, facts, and key details they
may want to include in their answer.

4. Next, they should think of a topic sentence that repeats key words from the question and introduces
their main idea.

5. Finally, remind them to write their response on the lines provide. It should include their topic
sentence, the middle (with a minimum of two examples or details), and a conclusion. Most constructed
response answers are a few sentences or even a paragraph in length.

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