Short Constructive Response – STAAR English EOC

I have updated my ACE Short Constructive Response graphic organizer to meet the new STAAR English EOC Short Constructive Response part of the test.

Writing a short constructive response is tricky because the STAAR character limit is 475. My example is 469 characters. I had a difficult time cutting it down to fit that character limit, meaning students will find it difficult too. After using the graphic organizer to draft their response, I suggest having them type it in a Google Doc and check their character count. Then have them revise and edit it until it is 475 or less characters. You could have students compose a response in groups first and have them collaborate together in the same Google Doc to try to edit their response. Collaborating in a group allows them to bounce ideas off one another, receive feedback, and learn from each other. Groups with students of mixed abilities help make this successful. If the group has all weak writers, they will struggle to complete this and won’t learn from each other. Afterwards, print and paste the responses around the room and do a gallery walk (replace the names with group numbers so students are not embarrassed). This allows students to see other responses and to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. This strengthens their revising and editing skills when composing their own responses.

Afterwards, I would have them individually complete responses and see how they do on their own. You could repeat the gallery walk or you could select a few to project and evaluate together as a class (remove the names so students are not embarrassed). Or you could have students partner up and peer review each other’s short response before they revise and edit it.

Before they start writing their response, you could have them go through the text and highlight possible pieces of textual evidence they could use in their responses. Then have them rate that evidence with 1 being the strongest. Discuss how it’s important to pick the strongest piece of textual evidence to support their answer.

You could take it a step further by either putting them in groups to discuss their individual rankings or discuss their chosen evidence and rankings as a class. Discussing it allows them to confirm or correct their own choices and learn from their peers. I have included a copy of the Most Dangerous Game that students can use for this activity (it’s in the public domain), or you can use your own text and prompt.

I usually have them handwrite the rough draft on the Google organizer and I don’t let it leave my classroom so I can ensure they didn’t copy it from online or get someone else to write it for them. I usually have them type the final draft so they can practice typing it as they would on the online STAAR test. They can also use the character count tool for the final draft. See the state STAAR website for character limits as they sometimes change it. I did not include a rubric, as TEA has their rubric posted publicly online.

There is a digital copy of the graphic organizer and gallery walk page (it’s a Google Slide).

Attach the Google Slide to your Google Classroom assignment and select “make a copy for each student.” If you only want one of those graphic organizers, make a copy of the Google Slide and then delete the page you do not want. Rename the copy and use that in your Google Classroom assignment.

The digital gallery walk is great for putting all the responses a single Google Doc for them to view and rank. Be sure to replace names with numbers so nobody is embarrassed. On Google Classroom, attach the Google Doc with the student responses and select “make a copy for each student” if you want them to leave comments on each response about strengths and weaknesses. Or you can just attach the Google Doc responses for students to view and have them fill out the Gallery Walk paper (or digital copy).

Check out the state’s free resources and guidelines:

https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/assessment-initiatives/hb-3906/staar-redesign

https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/testing/staar/staar-released-test-questions

English I and II STAAR EOC Test Prep- Writing

Lessons, My TPT Products

I have taught both English I and English II in Texas. Both grades have an English STAAR EOC test that includes a writing portion. On the English I test students have to write an expository essay. On the English II test they have to write a persuasive essay. I’ve put together the strategies and models I’ve used in my classroom into these materials that you can use. They can purchased in my TPT store. You can either buy a bundle for both ENG I and ENG II or purchase the one you need.

I am in Texas and originally created this for my English II students to help prepare them for the persuasive or expository essay they would have to write on the STAAR English II or I EOC test. The advice and common mistakes are aimed towards the goal of passing that writing test. However, I have a PhD in Composition and have tried to create this unit to fit best practices for persuasive essay writing in any situation (whether for a standardized test or a dual credit class or in general).

I did not include a rubric because what you are evaluating can change greatly between standardized test, dual credit courses, or general classroom writing goals. If you are using this to prepare students to write a persuasive essay on a standardized test go to your state testing website and look for a rubric. Texas STAAR has a rubric and lined writing paper for the English I expository EOC essay or English II EOC persuasive essay. You can find released Texas STAAR tests here on the state website. You can find the rubrics for the writing portion of the STAAR English I and II EOC here along with other state writing resources.

Here is a preview of what it is in the persuasive bundle:
This writing kit is good for any persuasive essay needs, not just the Texas STAAR test! It has been updated and is now 27 pages long.

It includes:
– 5 pages of writing instructions handouts with detailed examples. It goes paragraph by paragraph.
– It has two versions on the example. One version has notes about the organizational structure.
– Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid
– A list of transition/linking words
– A persuasive essay outline map for students who need a short structure guide
– Outline with the organization structure labeled
– Blank outline (some states allow blank organizers to be used on standardized tests)
– A list of types of evidence with definitions
– A list of 12 persuasive writing prompts
– 12 Persuasive Essay Writing Prompt Cards
– Notes for the teacher on how to use this kit

Here is a preview of what it is in the expository bundle:
This expository essay writing kit is 25 pages.

It includes:
– 4 pages of instructions on how to write the essay. It breaks the essay down paragraph by paragraph with examples. Includes the introduction with an attention getting device and thesis statement, body paragraph structure, transitions, conclusion, etc.
– An example essay with and without a dissection of its parts
– An outline graphic organizer with the components labeled
– A blank copy of the graphic organizer (some states allow this on state tests)
– A list of common mistakes and advice
– A handy outline map to briefly remind students of the structure (handy for students with IEPs for additional handouts)
– A list of transition (linking) words for student reference
– A list of 12 expository prompts
– A set of 12 expository prompt cards that can be printed and laminated for student use
– Notes for the teacher with tips on how to use this kit.

+More about the writing prompt cards+
The prompt cards allow for practice with various prompts. You can print each prompt on a different color paper (the duplicate of that prompt should be the same color as the original). You can laminate them then have students choose a topic at random to write about. The second time around they merely pick a different color to ensure they get a different topic. Included is a blank set of cards for your own prompts.

Dystopia: Teaching Rebellion

Lessons, My TPT Products, Projects

Last year for my English II courses I have done a year long theme of dystopia in order to be able to make connections about themes across genres by authors from different countries (TEK E2.2A). We focused on the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the play Antigone by Sophocles, and the memoir I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. We also tied these texts into the purposeful persuasion units.

We started off this handout by Read Write Think that lays out the definition and characteristics of a dystopia. We specifically focused on how dystopian texts have totalitarian government which Merriam-Webster defines as “of or relating to a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures (such as censorship and terrorism)”.

Our fiction unit starts with Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games. She is an American author and it was published in 2008. Students began reading The Hunger Games novel on their own while taking notes about anything that meet the definition or characteristics of dystopia or totalitarian government. As they work through the book they take their notes on post-its looking for textual evidence that meets the characteristics of a totalitarian government from the handout I gave them. They write down the quote, chapter number, page number, and their name on a post-it note. When the reading is due they discuss their post-it notes in groups then add them to our textual evidence wall. It’s a long piece of poster paper on display in the room and each post-it added to it becomes a “brick” of evidence on the wall of textual evidence that we are building together. The top of our poster has the question listed: How is the world in the novel a dystopia with a totalitarian government? They having a reading schedule for deadlines for each part of the book. They discuss their analysis in small groups, we compare parts of the book to clips from the film, and we do various activities with the book in order to analyze it and make inferences. We read some articles about The Hunger Games to model the type of analysis they should be doing. One such article is Social Control & The Hunger Games by Sarah Ford. She even has great questions at the end that you can have students answer.

Throughout this process I have them choose some of what they see as their best post-it notes and place them on a graphic organizer where they write to the side how it is an example of a dystopia with a totalitarian government. They have to explain how that quote or the summary of that event meets a characteristic of a totalitarian government. This helps them practice analyzing textual evidence before we start the essay. As we finish up the novel unit they write an essay over them theme of the novel, specifically explaining how Katniss challenges these totalitarian characteristics as she fights to have agency over her own life and retain her individuality despite the state’s attempt to squash it and make her conform or die. They should use the textual evidence they collected on post-it notes and the graphic organizer. It all leads into the essay and serves as planning their evidence and analysis.

The post-it note handouts and essay prompt/rubric can be found on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Our drama unit features Antigone by Sophocles. It is an ancient Greek tragedy written around 441 BC. We start with an overview of the structure of Greek tragedies. The Kennedy Center Arts Edge has a great website for this which gives students everything they need to know about Greek theatre before we dive into the play. Like The Hunger Games, Antigone features a female protagonist of the same name who also challenges her government.

We read the play aloud as a class with students volunteering to read certain characters. We stop to summarize and analyze certain scenes along the way. When we are done reading the play I introduce them to archetypes. We start off with this YouTube video from TED-ED called “What Makes a Hero?” by Matthew Winkler. It explains the hero archetype and the hero’s journey. It even uses Katniss from The Hunger Games as an example. This is a great handout that explains the term archetype, the different types of heroes and journeys, along with the situational, character, and symbolic archetypes. We use the handout to define a tragic hero (AKA transcendent hero) as “the hero of tragedy whose fatal flaw brings about his downfall, but not without achieving some kind of transforming realization or wisdom.”

Students are split into groups and each group is either assigned the character Creon or Antigone. Each group creates a poster with the characters name in the center and around it quotes that prove that he or she is a tragic hero. They write the quotes with the line and page numbers. Each group will present their textual evidence with the class creating a student lead discussion about how Antigone and Creon are both transcendent heroes. Later we compare Antigone to Katniss. Both are young women who go on an archetypal hero’s journey to challenge their totalitarian government as they fight to exercise their own agency. Both stories end differently- one lives and one dies thus making one a tragedy. Even though these texts are written in different time periods in different countries they share the common theme and a similar female protagonist.

During our powerful persuasion unit we focus on rhetoric and propaganda. Our textbook’s persuasive unit includes a selection of political ads: Daisy and America’s Back. It includes an explanation of visual and persuasive techniques used in advertising. The work in our textbook analyzing those ads covers TEKS 10B,12A-B, 12D, and 15D. We also learned other propaganda techniques such as logical fallacies. Students extended the project by working in small groups on an ad agency project. Each group was an ad agency responsible for a political campaign for a character either from The Hunger Games or Antigone. They had to come up with a commercial (like the ones we examined together) and a printed billboard poster using the persuasive techniques we learned. This allowed students to make connections between nonfiction and fiction across genres. Each group presented their ads to the class. We discussed how the government in The Hunger Games and Antigone utilizes powerful persuasion in an attempt to get characters such as Katniss and Antigone to do what they want. When that didn’t work those some government entities tried to use those persuasion techniques to turn the people against their female protagonist to no avail because ultimately Katniss and Antigone were more persuasive then President Snow or Creon.

I Am Malala #ad shifts the focus to real life. We discuss what a memoir is and who Malala Yousafzai is. As a young girl her and her family actively spoke out against the Taliban in their home town in Pakistan. She actively blogged about her experiences and her thoughts on the local terrorism. As the terrorist community grew they made it more difficult for girls to go to school before outright banning it. She defied this and spoke out against it, leading them to attempt to kill her. They shot her in the head and she survived. She continues to fight for girls education and is the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate. Her memoir details those life experiences. There is a young student edition of the memoir as well that has more photos and things aimed towards students.

Students read the memoir on their own and in class we discussed the totalitarian characteristics of where she lived in Pakistan that lead her to free as well as propaganda used by the Taliban. We extend the study to a research project where students research the persuasion and propaganda that terrorist use to target people and expand their communities. We study how Malala herself uses persuasive techniques to continue her activism. We compare her to the fictional heroes Katniss and Antigone, seeing how these themes and archetypes apply to real life. We compare and contrast the moral dilemma’s that all three heroines face and discuss the overall themes of standing up for your beliefs / rebellion.

A few of the many TEKS covered throughout these units:

E2.2A Compare and contrast differences in similar themes expressed in different time periods.

E2.2B Analyze archetypes (e.g., journey of a hero, tragic flaw) in mythic, traditional and classical literature.

E2.2C: Relate the figurative language of a literary work to its historical and cultural setting.

E2.5B Analyze differences in characters’ moral dilemmas in works of fiction across different countries or cultures.

Using Google Docs with the Google Classroom

Digital Learning

I love using Google Docs with the Google Classroom. It’s easy to create a template in Google Docs and then create a copy for every student in the Google Classroom. The advantage to this versus having them create their own Google Doc is it allows you to pop into their Google Doc and see their progress in real time.

Advantages of using Google Docs:

You can view your students edit history on the document. You can see anything they typed or added then deleted. It also allows you to see if anyone else has contributed to the document.
Click on the share button to see if they have invited anyone else to edit their Google Doc.
I have students do peer workshops on their essays or creative stories by inviting their workshop members to suggest on their Google Doc. Their workshop members can then leave their feedback as comments. I provide them with a list of things to look for and comment on during the workshop.
I can also leave the students feedback in the form of comments.
When I have students revise it and turn in a final draft I have them highlight everything they changed so I can easily track the changes. Of course you can also go the edit history to see changes.

Here is how to set up the Google Doc in the Google Classroom.

1.) Setup the Google Doc the way you want it. It can be simple with just the prompt or you can have the prompt on one page then the MLA format template on the next page. Here is an example of a simple prompt setup:

Setting up the Google Doc assignment template.

2.) Create the assignment in the Google Classroom. Click on the “Attach Google Drive Item” button.

Adding Google Doc to the Google Classroom

3) Find the Google Doc in your Google Drive and add it.

Find your Google Doc in your Google Drive and add it.

4) Change the setting to “Make a copy for each student.”

Change Setting to “Make a copy for each student.”

5) Then Click “Assign” and you are done!

They sky is the limit as to how you setup the Google Doc. Add images, add the full instructions, list of topics, etc. It’s an easy way to keep track of students progress before they turn it in to make sure they are actually working on it in class or at home. Google Docs is a staple in my English classroom.

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