Writing is fundamental to learning in all subject areas and at all grade levels. We communicate with ourselves in writing to gain insight, to reflect, to question, to remember, to make connections. We write to show what we know about the subject matter and our ability to apply that knowledge to new situations. We communicate with others to use what we know to accomplish a specific purpose.

Writing as a form of assessment must be an integral part of each student’s educational experience, even in early primary.

In this video, teacher Jenny Schuler (Kenton Elementary, Kenton Co., Ky.) introduces her first-graders to the open response question, or ORQ. She guides students through understanding what the questions is requiring them to do, writing developmentally-appropriate responses, and using a rubric to assess themselves.

This video was originally part of the multimedia professional development resource Literacy Strategies in Action produced by KET in 2006 in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education.

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