IRACES
This writing strategy will be used for open ended response questions.
I - introduction. Introduce your main idea. Do not restate or answer.
R - restate. Restate the question.
A - answer. Answer the question. (This is combined with restate, and is direct, to the point.
C - cite. Cite evidence from the text. Be specific. Use more than one example of
evidence when you can.
E - explain. Make reasonable inferences that are supported by the text.
S - Sum it Up - conclude your writing
This writing strategy will be used for open ended response questions.
I - introduction. Introduce your main idea. Do not restate or answer.
R - restate. Restate the question.
A - answer. Answer the question. (This is combined with restate, and is direct, to the point.
C - cite. Cite evidence from the text. Be specific. Use more than one example of
evidence when you can.
E - explain. Make reasonable inferences that are supported by the text.
S - Sum it Up - conclude your writing
This is an example that Mrs. Heckert wrote in IRACES format:
Mrs. Heckert’s
RACE Example for Red Kayak
Thank you for sharing Mrs. Heckert.
“How would Red Kayak have changed had it been set in the summer and in the past?”
Use text-based evidence to support your answer, and explain.
Introduction
Authors use time and setting to help tell their story. OR In Red Kayak, the setting is a key element of the selection.
Students should not include the restatement of the question in the introduction. It should be a sentence or two that pulls the reader in to the answer, or begins to set the main idea of the answer.
Restate
The setting of Red Kayak would have been drastically different had it been set in the summer because
*Students should avoid using pronouns, and be as specific in the restatement as possible. If proper nouns are in the question, they are required in this component.
Answer
these two changes would have impacted how the story ended.
*Please note that the answer is the MAIN IDEA, and does not include specifics from the text. The students have been taught to think of character traits, adjectives, and the WHOLE story in order to help find the main idea. In the near future, we will learn about the three different types of conflicts, and these are great answers when comparing characters or texts. Thinking about the specific details, and then coming up with a main idea is often helpful. Students should not use the word, "because" in their answer, as they often will then add details that need to be in the citation part.
Citation(s)
According to the text on page 36, Brady begins to do CPR on Ben. “Five compressions, than another breath. Breathe, Ben, breathe!” If the season had been summer, Brady would have found Ben much faster. On page 28, it states that it was a “cold spring morning,” and on page 29, we know that Brady had to face an “icy spray” hitting him, which impacted his vision to see where he was steering.
*Citations need to begin with "evidence based terms." These let the reader know they are going directly back into the text to find evidence to support their answer. Examples are below.
Explanation(s)
*This is when the students infer, or draw conclusions about what happen based on their citations. They are not to simply write, "This proves (the answer.) They need to show an understanding of why the citations support their answer, and then critically think about these details. Their explanation(s) must be specific and completely explain their thinking. Also, notice how the explanations are respective to the citations.
If this had been in the past, such as the 1800’s, CPR most likely wouldn’t have been taught to everyone, and Brady wouldn’t have been able to help Ben survive before the ambulance got to him. Had it been warm, as in the summer, there would have not been any ice on the creek, and he would have had no issues having his boat quickly traveling down the creek and finding little Ben. Therefore, the ambulance would have been able to transport him to the hospital sooner so the doctors could help him.
SumItUp
This reminds me of a time in which I wanted to go on a pumpkin picking hayride, but it started to rain. Due to the mud, the wheels did not go very fast, and it took a very long time for us to reach the pumpkin patch...which left us drenched as well.
As you can see, the setting had a big impact on how Brady was able to rescue Ben. If the setting had been different, and the weather had been nicer, Ben would have been rescued sooner.
*Students should make a connection to the answer. They are not to say that they experienced the same thing as the character, but ask themselves, “what does this remind me of in my life?” For example, an extension of "I remember a time I went kayaking in the spring" would be incorrect. This is what we call a “text to self connection.”
*Then, we sum it all up by reconnecting everything to the restate and answer.
Mrs. Heckert’s
RACE Example for Red Kayak
Thank you for sharing Mrs. Heckert.
“How would Red Kayak have changed had it been set in the summer and in the past?”
Use text-based evidence to support your answer, and explain.
Introduction
Authors use time and setting to help tell their story. OR In Red Kayak, the setting is a key element of the selection.
Students should not include the restatement of the question in the introduction. It should be a sentence or two that pulls the reader in to the answer, or begins to set the main idea of the answer.
Restate
The setting of Red Kayak would have been drastically different had it been set in the summer because
*Students should avoid using pronouns, and be as specific in the restatement as possible. If proper nouns are in the question, they are required in this component.
Answer
these two changes would have impacted how the story ended.
*Please note that the answer is the MAIN IDEA, and does not include specifics from the text. The students have been taught to think of character traits, adjectives, and the WHOLE story in order to help find the main idea. In the near future, we will learn about the three different types of conflicts, and these are great answers when comparing characters or texts. Thinking about the specific details, and then coming up with a main idea is often helpful. Students should not use the word, "because" in their answer, as they often will then add details that need to be in the citation part.
Citation(s)
According to the text on page 36, Brady begins to do CPR on Ben. “Five compressions, than another breath. Breathe, Ben, breathe!” If the season had been summer, Brady would have found Ben much faster. On page 28, it states that it was a “cold spring morning,” and on page 29, we know that Brady had to face an “icy spray” hitting him, which impacted his vision to see where he was steering.
*Citations need to begin with "evidence based terms." These let the reader know they are going directly back into the text to find evidence to support their answer. Examples are below.
Explanation(s)
*This is when the students infer, or draw conclusions about what happen based on their citations. They are not to simply write, "This proves (the answer.) They need to show an understanding of why the citations support their answer, and then critically think about these details. Their explanation(s) must be specific and completely explain their thinking. Also, notice how the explanations are respective to the citations.
If this had been in the past, such as the 1800’s, CPR most likely wouldn’t have been taught to everyone, and Brady wouldn’t have been able to help Ben survive before the ambulance got to him. Had it been warm, as in the summer, there would have not been any ice on the creek, and he would have had no issues having his boat quickly traveling down the creek and finding little Ben. Therefore, the ambulance would have been able to transport him to the hospital sooner so the doctors could help him.
SumItUp
This reminds me of a time in which I wanted to go on a pumpkin picking hayride, but it started to rain. Due to the mud, the wheels did not go very fast, and it took a very long time for us to reach the pumpkin patch...which left us drenched as well.
As you can see, the setting had a big impact on how Brady was able to rescue Ben. If the setting had been different, and the weather had been nicer, Ben would have been rescued sooner.
*Students should make a connection to the answer. They are not to say that they experienced the same thing as the character, but ask themselves, “what does this remind me of in my life?” For example, an extension of "I remember a time I went kayaking in the spring" would be incorrect. This is what we call a “text to self connection.”
*Then, we sum it all up by reconnecting everything to the restate and answer.
Rubric for scoring IRACEE writing: