I was moving our kids from a RADD+C form of response (restate, answer, give details, and conclude) to a RACER format (restate, answer, cite evidence, explain, and review). I call it a "tweak" of what they'd done because everything was familiar except the Explain part.
The first day, we worked on one together as I modeled a response to a test question they were familiar with. The second day, I gave them another familiar test question and they had to create a graphic organizer and their responses on poster paper. I was SO impressed with their conversations, how they handled different opinions, and how they came to consensus.
And on Monday, they will write out a response to something they read earlier in the week, and I'll get to for whom this format works, and who still needs a little help with it.
I'm really thrilled about what I saw. And, as my colleague reminded me by his rant, just using poster paper and some colored markers can still be a fun experience for kids at this age!
Have a wonderful weekend! We have snow in the forecast for Sunday night (again - but it's never amounted to much.) Still, the thrill of snow is still exciting right now!
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