Responding to a comprehension question is a surprisingly complex task. It draws on multiple skills: students must be able to read and analyze a text passage; consider what aspect of the text the question addresses; and then quickly and concisely write about their ideas, citing evidence to support them. Hence the prominence of constructed-response questions in standardized testing.

In this refreshingly clear and upbeat guide, literacy consultant Nancy Boyles gives a step-by-step demonstration of how to help students achieve success with this task-and in the process of unpacking the steps involved, demonstrates how the instruction can inspire teachers' creativity as well as deepen students' literacy skills.

Filled with ready-to-use scaffolds for every stage of instruction-sets of sample questions, anchor charts, cue cards, answer frames-this is a one-stop resource for teaching students how to organize their thoughts about what they've read, and then set them down in writing.