Table of Contents
Part A
Introduction: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve—
The Smart Way to Answer Open-Ended Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Unit I Answering Questions That Ask You for Information
Lesson 1
Focus: Summarizing the Main Idea and Supporting Details . . . . . . . . . 7
Social Studies: Conserving Water
Skill: Writing Complete Sentences
Lesson 2
Focus: More About Summarizing the Main Idea
and Supporting Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Biography: Sacagawea
Skill: Revising Run-on Sentences
Lesson 3
Focus: Describing a Personal Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Autobiography: My Dream Come True
Skill: Using Transitions: Time-Order Words
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Unit II Answering Questions That Ask You to Explain
Lesson 4
Focus: Comparing and Contrasting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Science: Is It an Orange or a Tangerine?
Skills: Organizing Information by Using a Chart
Using Transitions: Compare and Contrast Words
Lesson 5
Focus: Explaining Cause and Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Science: What Makes a Plant Grow?
Skill: Choosing Important Details
Lesson 6
Focus: Explaining Steps in a Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
How-to: How to Register for Youth League
Skill: Using Transitions: Time-Order Words
3
Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
Unit III Answering Questions That Ask for an Opinion
Lesson 7
Focus: Using Facts to Support Your Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Biography: A Young Soccer Star
Skill: Combining Sentences
Lesson 8
Focus: Persuading the Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Social Studies: Should You Get a Pet?
Skill: Using Specific Words
Part B
Testing Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Biography
The World of Walt Disney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Self-Test 1. Writing About Main Idea and Supporting Details
Self-Test 2. Writing About Steps in a Process
Self-Test 3. Explaining Cause and Effect
Story
“I’ll Help!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Self-Test 4. Comparing and Contrasting Information
Self-Test 5. Describing a Personal Experience
Self-Test 6. Using Facts to Support Your Opinion
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4
Answering Questions
That Ask You to
Explain
II
Lesson 4
Comparing and Contrasting Information
On a test you might be asked to compare and contrast two people, things,
or ideas. When you compare you show how things are alike. When you
contrast you show how things are different.
A compare and contrast answer should have
III
• at least two details that show how the things are similar.
• at least two details that show how the things are different.
Using a special chart will help you organize your details. This kind of chart
is called a graphic organizer.
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There are certain words that can help you make comparisons clear to your
reader. This lesson will give you practice in using some of these words.
In this Lesson,
you will learn
how to…
• answer a question that asks you to compare and
contrast two things.
• use a graphic organizer to set up your answer.
• use transition words to make your answer clear.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
IS IT AN ORANGE OR A TANGERINE?
What fruit is orange in color, juicy, and rich in vitamin C? Did you
answer “an orange”? You are correct! But did you know there is another
correct answer? It is the tangerine. Just like the orange, the tangerine has
an orange-colored skin. Also, both fruits are sweet and juicy. They are
both rich in vitamin C. To tell them apart, you must look for how they are
different.
First, look at the shape of each fruit. An orange is round like a ball.
However, a tangerine is not as round. It is just a little flat on the top and
the bottom.
Second, look at their size. Not all oranges are the same size. But in
general, oranges are larger than tangerines. Oranges may be about the
size of a baseball or a tennis ball. Tangerines are smaller than that, but
not as small as a golf ball.
Third, peel the fruit. When you peel an orange, you have to work at it.
The skin holds tightly to the fruit. Peeling a tangerine is easier. The skin is
loose and comes off without much trouble.
Besides looking at the fruit to see how oranges and tangerines are
different, you can look at the leaves. Of course, the best place for looking
at leaves is an orchard! But you can look for leaves on stems in markets,
too. If you find oranges or tangerines with leaves still on, look closely. The
leaves of an orange tree are broad or wide. The tangerine tree’s leaves
are narrow.
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Whether you select an orange or a tangerine, you will have a juicy
treat. Enjoy your fruit!
4: Comparing and Contrasting Information
R EA D the question thoughtfully.
Read the question carefully.
Compare and contrast an orange and a tangerine in
three ways. Use information from the article for your
answer.
1. What are you supposed to do?
Underline the parts of the question that tell you what to do.
These are your key words.
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2. Write those key words here.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
3. Check that you understand what the question asks you to do.
Restate the question in your own words. Start your answer with the words
I am supposed to
THINK
THINK about what the reading says.
The reading has many facts about how oranges and tangerines are alike
and different. How do you start to work with all this information?
Skill: Organizing Information by Using a Chart
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One way to sort the information is to use a graphic organizer.
The following chart is divided into three columns. The first
column lists categories. These are the things you will compare
about oranges and tangerines. The second column is labeled
“oranges” and the third column is labeled “tangerines”.
4: Comparing and Contrasting Information
1. Complete the chart by writing details from the article in the correct
columns. The first one is done for you.
How Oranges and Tangerines Are Different
Category
Oranges
Tangerines
Shape
Size
Peeling the Fruit
Leaves
Color
Vitamin
Juicy or Dry
HINT: Don’t just list words. Describe each
detail. It will be easier to write your answer
if you have descriptions in your chart.
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THINK about what the question asks you to do.
2. Now think about the details you used to fill in your chart. Have you
included all the details you can find in the article?
Add more if you need to.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
WRITE
1. Restate what you are supposed to write about.
2. Your topic sentence should state the main idea that your answer will
be about.
Write a topic sentence for your answer.
3. Choose details from your chart.
Write the details in the order you want to use them in your answer.
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4: Comparing and Contrasting Information
4. Now, put all these ideas together. Write your answer.
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When you are done, exchange what you have written with one of your
classmates. Use the rubric on the next page to evaluate this answer. Then
take a few minutes to think about how your answer is different.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
A S S E S S what you have written.
Use this rubric to evaluate your classmate’s answer.
4 = I state the main idea clearly.
I include three differences and three similarities. The
differences are followed by descriptions. I do not just
list them.
I use transition words that make my answer read
more smoothly.
I use complete and correct sentences.
3 = I state the main idea.
I include three differences and three similarities.
The differences are stated accurately and are followed by
some description.
I use only a few transitions.
I use complete and correct sentences.
2 = I state the main idea but not clearly.
I do not include three differences and three similarities, or—
I just list the details with little or no description.
I do not use transition words to make my comparisons clear.
I do not use complete and correct sentences.
To fix something, it helps to look at what went wrong. Let’s look at Kris’
“2” paper and see how you can fix it.
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1 = I do not state the main idea clearly.
I have forgotten to include three differences and three
similarities.
I list the differences in phrases.
The writing does not read smoothly.
I do not use complete and correct sentences.
4: Comparing and Contrasting Information
Oranges and tangerines are fruits but they are different.
They have a different shape. Leaves different size. I like them
both. Because they are juicy.
What would an evaluator say about Kris’ answer?
She did not read the question carefully. Her answer does not have
three ways that oranges and tangerines are different and similar.
Her topic sentence is not clear.
She includes very little information from the article.
She does not use transition words, so her answer is choppy.
She writes incomplete sentences.
1. Kris uses only some of the key words from the question in her topic
sentence.
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Write the topic sentence from her answer.
2. How can this topic sentence be changed to include more key words?
Write a new topic sentence for Kris’s answer.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
HINT: Using key words in your topic sentence helps you
remember what you are supposed to write about.
Skill: Using Transitions—Compare and Contrast Words
Kris’ answer is choppy. It does not read smoothly. One reason is that
she does not use transition words that show comparison.
Transition words are words that connect ideas. They are like
bridges. Some transition words help to show how things are alike,
others show how they are different.
Similarities
Differences
alike
same as
unlike
yet
as
similar
different
however
like
but
Circle the comparison words in these sentences.
3a. Apples are red, but bananas are yellow.
3b. The skin of apples is smooth like the skin of pears.
3d. Monday was the same as Wednesday.
Find a sentence where Kris might add more detail and use a
transition word.
3e. Write the new sentence here.
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3c. Tuesday was cold, yet Wednesday was warm.
4: Comparing and Contrasting Information
4. Another reason Kris’ answer does not score higher is that she has
written two incomplete sentences.
Write one of Kris’s incomplete sentences.
Now rewrite it correctly.
Return your classmate’s paper. Now let’s look at your answer and see how
it compares to Kris’.
5. Did you think to repeat part of the question when you created your
topic sentence? If yes, that’s great.
If not, rewrite your topic sentence here.
6. Did you use three main details each to compare and contrast? If not,
read your chart again.
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Write details to add to your answer.
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Open-Ended Questions Coach, Level C: Read, Think, Write, Assess, Improve
Did you just list how the oranges and tangerines are different? Or did you
describe the differences?
7. If you just listed the differences, what descriptions could you add?
Go back to the chart to find more information.
Write those descriptions here.
8. Did you use any comparison words in your answer? Reread your
answer. Would adding some comparison words make it clearer?
If you want to add comparison words, circle where you would add them.
9. Are all your sentences complete sentences?
Rewrite here any that are not complete sentences.
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