Courtney Banks
Constructed Response
April 6, 2013
Constructed Response
Notes on Civil War Camp
Robertson, J. I. (2012, April 14). Notes on civil war camp.The New York Times. Retrieved from
SS 3AI05
Identify political, economical, and social causes and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
CA R1H05
Apply post-reading skills to demonstrate comprehension of text:
a. answer basic comprehension questions
b. identify and explain the relationship between the main idea and supporting details
c. make predictions
d. question to clarify
e. reflect
f. draw conclusions
g. analyze
h. paraphrase
i. summarize
Directions
Read the newspaper article and then respond to the questions below.
Question 1
Imagine that you have decided to write a story about a group of soldiers living in a civil war camp. List two questions about the topic that you would like to have answered in order to write a realistic story.
1)______
2)______
Question 2
Using examples from the article, list 3 things that civil war soldiers did while they lived in camps.
1)______
2)______
3)______
Question 3
In the article, the author says, "Camp talk ran the gamut from fact to fiction." What do you think "ran the gamut" means?
______
What clues in the article helped you figure out the meaning?
______
Question 4
In the article, many words are used to describe aspects of civil war camps. Fill in the chart below with synonyms of the descriptive words (in parentheses) the author used. An example is provided to help you.
(bloody) engagement
(endless) drill
(crude) log huts
(dangerous) adventure
Question 5
Now you will write a paper in response to the newspaper article. First read the prompt in the box below.
You will have 30 minutes to brainstorm, organize your thoughts, and write a rough draft. Use the "Prewriting" sheets of paper you have been provided.
You will have another 30 minutes to write your final paper. Use the "Final Paper" sheets.
Scoring Guide
Notes on Civil War Camp, Nonfiction
Constructed Response (CR) Item 1
2 points - Response includes two relevant questions.
Example: About how many soldiers were in a civil war camp? How long did soldiers stay in a civil war camp?
1 point - Response includes one relevant question
0 points - Other
Constructed Response (CR) Item 2
3 points - Response includes three things civil war soldiers did while in camp.
Example: Played baseball, wrote letters to family, told stories and jokes, sang songs
2 points - Response includes two things civil war soldiers did
1 point - Response includes one things civil war soldiers did
0 points - Other
Constructed Response (CR) Item 3
Part A:
1 point - Response explains what the phrase "ran the gamut" might mean.
Example: I think ran the gamut means that there was a wide range of things.
0 points - Other
Part B:
1 point - Response includes clue from the text that they used to determine meaning of "ran the gamut"
Example: The article said camp talk "ran the gamut" from fact to fiction, which probably means there was a wide range of what soldiers would talk about.
0 points - Other
Constructed Response (CR) Item 4
2 points - All 4 lines includes of the chart are complete with an appropriate synonym.
Example:
(bloody) engagement / gory
(endless) drill / constant
(crude) log huts / rough
(dangerous) adventure / hazardous
1 point - 3 or fewer lines in the chart are incomplete or incorrect
0 points - Other
Writing Prompt (WR) Item 5
Use state storing guide for grade 5.
When and why to use this in the classroom
I think the main reason a constructed response would be used in the classroom is to get the students engaged with the text. If students know they aren't going to have to do anything with a text, they are not going to pay much attention or be interested in it. However, if they know they will be required to respond to it, they will be more engaged. I like the C.R. because you can use it with literally any content area, any genre, and any form of literature, from magazines to books to even videos. Also, it doesn't take an extended amount of time to prepare. I am definitely going to use these in the classroom to enhance students' reading comprehension.