Constructed Response Writing: Building Essential Skills (Grades 3-5)

Does your child need help writing thorough answers to text-based questions? This engaging 5-week course teaches students the thinking process needed to write clear, well-supported responses using evidence from their reading.

This course is part of the COMPREHENSION AND REASONING SKILLS series, designed to help students develop critical reading skills through focused strategy instruction.

What Makes This Class Different:
Through carefully scaffolded lessons, students learn exactly HOW to think through their responses. Each week builds upon previous skills, giving students time to practice and master each step of the thinking process. Instead of jumping straight to writing, we break down the thinking needed to:

• Understand exactly what the question is asking
• Identify relevant evidence from the text
• Connect evidence meaningfully to their answer
• Explain their thinking clearly and thoroughly

Weekly Learning Journey:

Week of March 10: Breaking Down Questions
Learn specific strategies for analyzing questions to understand exactly what needs to be answered.

Week of March 17: Finding Evidence
Practice proven techniques for identifying and selecting the most relevant text evidence.

Week of March 24: Making Evidence Work
Master the thought process for connecting evidence effectively to answers.

Week of March 31: Explaining Your Thinking
Develop clear methods for explaining how the evidence supports your answer.

Week of March 31: Complete Response Writing
Combine all learned strategies to craft thorough, well-supported responses.

Perfect For Students Who:
• Want to write stronger text-based responses
• Need help organizing their thoughts before writing
• Struggle with explaining their reasoning
• Want to understand HOW to think through their answers
• Are ready to advance their writing skills

Required Materials:
• Notebook or journal
• Pencils
• Highlighters (2-3 colors)
• Sticky notes
• Folder for handouts

Small Group Learning:
Small class size to ensure individualized attention and step-by-step guidance.

Note to Parents:
This class teaches more than just writing - it develops the thinking skills your child needs to tackle any text-based question confidently. Through our scaffolded approach, students learn to break down the thinking process into manageable steps, building confidence and competence along the way. While this class works perfectly as a standalone course, it also complements other classes in our COMPREHENSION AND REASONING SKILLS series.

Join me to help your child become a more confident and capable writer!