Not all questions have one fixed answer. R.A.C.E. is a strategy used at Kittredge as a guideline to help with an open-ended written response. R.A.C.E. uses evidence from the text to support an answer to any open-ended question. This strategy is required across all Kittredge curriculum and is used at all grade levels.
Example of a close-ended question: Who was the ruler of Britain during the American Revolution? (We know there is one specific answer to this. No evidence is needed to support an answer. The full R.A.C.E. strategy is not needed for this response. )
Example of an open-ended question: The American colonists often used the phrase “no taxation without representation” to express their criticism of how the British governed the colonists. Explain what the American colonists meant by “no taxation without representation.” (This is a question that requires a student to apply what is known and synthesize that knowledge into a response to the question. R.A.C.E. is expected and required for this response.)
What does R.A.C.E. stand for?
For any close-ended question, Kittredge teachers will still require a complete sentence response! For those questions, “mini-R.A.C.E.” is expected. Students must still RESTATE and then ANSWER the question. Only one full and complete sentence is usually necessary for this response.
Mini-R.A.C.E. example:
Question - Who was the ruler of Britain during the American Revolution?
Answer - The British ruler during the American Revolution was King George III.
A further explanation of the R.A.C.E. strategy can be found here in the Prezi created by 8th grade educator Jaclyn Tannazzo.
In the beginning of the school year, teachers will model this strategy during class. All students will have the opportunity to practice and understand which questions require a full R.A.C.E. response and what is expected to show KMS Quality.