RACES with an Emphasis on E - Explain

It's amazing to witness the effective results of how teachers are applying the RACES strategies discussed in professional development with Deb Ramm and myself!

Danielle Pensalfini (Nicole Grilli's Sub) had her fifth grade students brainstorm the characteristics for several character traits discussed in the Character Analysis Unit, as seen below. She posted them in her room for students to refer to.

Students worked in small groups as they determined what it means to be a leader, compassionate, inquisitive, etc.

Notice the pictures some students either hand 
drew or downloaded from the internet.

Students are exposed to both negative and positive traits to gain a solid perspective of different personalities.





Here is the results of effectively implementing RACES with an emphasis on brainstorming characteristics of each trait. These students were asked to identify a character trait for Malala in Malala's Magic Pencil and support their claim with evidence from the text. They not only chose relevant evidence, but  were able to explain each piece of evidence. Daniel and Lisa Gulino (special educator) worked hard to support the needs of each student. 

Notice the sentence stems that helped to explain their response. "This proves that Malala was brave BECAUSE she still went to school even though the Taliban doesn't want girls to go." This is what cements a student's ability to meet the standard!

Hats off to the these teachers and their students. Please share your response to text success stories.