Constructed response questions in mathematics typically require a short answer -- often a numerical value -- and an explanation of how the student arrived at the answer. The explanation must thoroughly explain the process, citing specific facts from the question. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recommends advising students to pretend that they didn't already answer the first part of the question when answering the second part. This prompts students to explain, in exact detail, what they need to do in order to reach the correct answer. At the third grade level, many constructed response questions deal with multiplication and division. Students must have a firm grasp of their multiplication tables to succeed at these questions.
Provide your students with practice problems before including constructed response questions on tests. Lead students through these problems as a class and demonstrate how thorough an answer must be. For example, the question might read, "Susie received 11 marbles each day this week. How many marbles did she have at the end of the week? Explain your work." In addition to writing, "77 marbles," a student's answer must also include something along the lines of, "I multiplied 11 marbles by 7 days in the week." Explain that simply saying "I multiplied" isn't a sufficient explanation.
Constructed response questions in reading typically require students to read a passage -- often a fictional story -- and respond to the text. At the third grade level, the chosen passages usually remain relatively short, only spanning a few paragraphs in length. Instead of reiterating information presented directly within the passage, students must answer questions that require using details from the passage to draw a conclusion not specifically mentioned in the text. Constructed response questions at this grade level may require single-sentence answers or may require several sentences.
Allow students to practice answering reading-based constructed response questions by reading through short passages of text and analyzing them in class. Ask "what if" questions. If, for example, the text presents the story of a boy who gets his brother in trouble by lying, ask your class to describe what might have happened if the boy told the truth. Also ask questions that allow students to apply the text to real life. With the previous example, ask your class to write about a time when they had a similar experience and to describe how they resolved the situation. Emphasize the importance of answering all parts of the question.