ENGLISH 1 & 2 STAAR | Extended Contructed Response (ECR) or Expository Essay

This unit focuses on the UPDATED STAAR extended constructed response or ECR. This was formally the expository and persuasive essay. To ensure student STAAR success, this unit comes with simplified steps and interactive notes and activities that step struggling students through the writing process. To save you time, each lesson comes with detailed instructions, speaker notes with TEA information, answer keys that show possible responses, notes on how to adjust with time contraints, and ready to print examples for notebooks. NEW: EB lessons added to give you another layer of support! With 10 years of STAAR experience, I am confident this unit will deliver what you need.

Discover more details below.

There is a table of contents at the beginning of the unit to quickly jump to the lesson needed. There is also a lesson calendar with TEKS. While more detailed instructions are provided before each lesson, here is the general break down.

Lesson 1: STAAR ECR notes on the ECR. TEA's new rubric for scoring, and examples from TEA with scores.

Lesson 2: Gallery Walk of TEA with 6 released ECRs. Class shares out ideas with sentence stem support, and the real score is revealed by the teacher and explained further if needed.

Lesson 3: Teacher introduces reading text to the class, The Namesake. Read with class and be sure they understand as this text will be used as a model throughout the remainder of the unit.

Lesson 4- Day 1: Students take notes on steps #1-3 which includes creating their claim and writing their thesis statement for The Namesake. Then, the class reads a short reading text, "The Problem with Self Portraits," and completes steps #1-3 either together as a class with the teacher guiding, or with a partner.

Lesson 4- Day 2: Students read another short reading excerpt, "Walk the Plank" and complete steps #1-3 on their own. This shouldn't take the whole class period, but it is a good time to conference with each student and check that their thesis statements are accurate.

Lesson 5: Students will take notes on step #4, writing introductions. I offer 3 hooks for students to use for this ECR (quick summary, rhetorical question, and figurative langauge), as well as sentence stems for each hook. Each hook also has an example introduction using The Namesake as reference. Examples of introductions included in small, printable size for composition notebooks.

Lesson 6: This is a jigsaw activity that I enjoy doing with introduction writing. Students are put in small groups. Using "The Problem with Self Portraits," students in groups first practice the quick summary hook, then the rhetorical question hook, and finally the figurative language hook. After writing each hook, groups share out. Teacher offers feedback and encourages class to do the same. Then, students write their own introduction for the text, "Walk the Plank."

Lesson 7- Day 1: Students will take notes on step #5, prewriting and finding text evidence. The teacher models finding the text evidence for The Namesake. Students are put with partners and then find text evidence for one paragraph of "The Problem with Self Portraits." Example of a prewrite included in small, printable size for composition notebooks.

Lesson 7- Day 2: Students complete their prewrite for the text, "Walk the Plank." Teacher should conference with each student and guide them in finding correct text evidence.

Lesson 8: Students will take notes on step #6, writing the body paragraphs. The teacher will model how to turn the prewrite into a body paragraph. Sentence stems for the supporting, text evidence are given. As a class or with a partner, complete turning the prewrite for "The Problem with Self Portraits," into a body paragraph. Then, allow students time to turn their prewrite from the day before into 1 or 2 body paragraphs. Foldable note with prewrite & example included for notebooks.

Lesson 9: Students will take notes on step #7, writing the conclusion. The students will go over 3 simple steps to writing a conclusion. Sentence stems are provided, and the teacher will use The Namesake as an example for different types of appropriate conclusions. These examples of conclusions are included in small, printable size for composition notebooks. As a class or as small groups that can share out, write a conclusion for "The Problem with Self Portraits." Students then will complete their conclusion for "Walk the Plank."

Lesson 10: Students will take notes on step #8, editing for conventions. The students will go over the convention rubric again, and the teacher will model some editing in The Namesake. Students will then edit their own papers with the checklist -or- the teacher can do peer editing if that seems appropriate.

Lesson 11: Students take their final assessment. The reading text is called "Grandpa," and the teacher chooses 1 of 2 prompts to present to the class. Students go through the steps on their own and produce their ECR. I would give students two days to complete this, depending on their level.

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