Hello everyone! Welcome to a special episode of Teach Me, Teacher focused completely on the new Texas STAAR short constructed response item type.

Here at Teach Me, Teacher, we know testing isn't the be all end all, but it is a reality, and one we must prepare students for. To tackle this task and hopefully support you, I have collaborated with Pam Ochoa, my co-host of Craft & Draft.

In this episode, Pam Ochoa shares how she is addressing the new short constructed responses on the STAAR test, required from the redesigned. She discusses the two different types of short constructed responses, one for reading and one for revision and editing.

She explains how she is teaching the students how to answer the STAAR short constructed responses, while maintaining a workshop environment. This episode can be heard in FULL on the Patreon, along with hours of bonus episodes never heard before, and bonus training videos not found anywhere else.

Whether you are or not in Texas, some of the principles Jacob and Pam address will work beyond the test prompt and are applicable for other types of writing as well.

Join Jacob and Pam as they answer a Craft & Draft listener's question about the short constructed response. May it help you address these types of questions in your workshop!

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán.

With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice. Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible. The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom.

Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.