Here in Ontario there is pressure for our students to do well on standardized tests such as EQAO (Grade 3 and Grade 6) as well as standardized assessment tools such as DRA and CASI. In my school, we have used the APEC framework to assist students in improving the quality of their written responses. Using APEC throughout the grades helps students learn that there are parts of a response which are essential for demonstrating learning.
The A stands for ANSWER the question. Make sure you stick to answering only the question asked and rephrase the question in your own words as the beginning part of the response.
The P stands for PROVE it. Use information from the text/math problem, underline or highlight parts of the text. Include direct quotations from the text or use paraphrasing.
The E stands for Explain and Extend your answer. Using your own words be sure to explain how you know that the answer you have given is correct. If it is a math problem be sure to explain HOW you solved the problem. Add more information that will help, from your own experience or from other information you may have learned about the topic.
I started asking students to use the C stands for Connect last year after I realized that if my students were able to make connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world OR math-to-math, math-to-self, math-to-world) their written responses were richer and more developed. Not all questions necessarily lead to all students making connections all the time…but this has turned out to be a good addition to the standard APE framework.
