Written Response Expectations and Practice

Summative assessments in English 4 are usually made up of multiple choice questions and then some sort of written portion. We call the written portion the written response. The written response is a chance for you to demonstrate your comprehension of the text.

The written response is NOT a short answer in that it is usually longer, more elaborate, and requires more than just an answer and a quote. In fact, a written response may have an answer that involves multiple claims and, thus, involves more than one quote.

Ultimately, there is not really a length restriction or requirement, but your average written response is going to be 1-2 paragraphs. These paragraphs may not be the stereotypical 3 sentences in length.

Below are the notes we completed over written responses using the powerpoint below that.





Notice that, ultimately, a written response is your opportunity to tell me how YOU interpreted the text. The only wrong answer is one that you can't defend with the text itself. You also do not have to agree with the premise of the question. You are more than welcome to prove to me by Beowulf is NOT a hero (it may be incredibly difficult, but it's possible).

Also, grammar and spelling DO matter. Colleges will make assumptions of you based on your grammar and spelling. Start practicing taking it seriously now.



The rubric below explains ultimately how your responses will be graded.



This rubric is for single selections only. If a prompt asks you to compare and contrast or apply an idea to more than one text, the only addition is that you must give evidence and commentary from BOTH pieces.

This is a rubric you've probably been seeing since 9th grade, so let me summarize up the main points.

• 0 - We are going to assume that no one will be scoring a 0, which you can only get by writing nothing or writing something that has absolutely nothing to do with the question or not even making an attempt. 
• 1 - You wrote something that sounds familiar; it might even be something we discussed in class. However, I can't actually tell if you read with us or not. Or, maybe you had some text evidence, but it doesn't fit with the point you are trying to prove. You don't even make an attempt to explain how your answer can be seen in the story. 
• 2 - You've got a solid response here. Your answer may even be something we discussed in class and it has relevant text evidence or indirect paraphrase evidence to support it. You explain how your evidence relates to your thesis with commentary and analysis.  Your writing is near-college level. 
• 3- Your response is superbly written or contains a unique and perceptive idea that might even go against traditional thinking. Your writing is sophisticated enough for college level.

Some classes (not all) then moved on to annotating and examining some sample written responses for thesis, evidence, and commentary. You can find that activity and the samples below. These examples should be kept for reference in your class binder.