Grade 3 LAT Writing, Lesson 3: Understanding the PCR Prompt and Writing an Opening Topic Statement

NJSLA’s prose constructed response (PCR) prompt represents a significant change from the essay prompts on previous standardized tests. On the Literary Analysis Task, these prompts require students to read closely and draw evidence exclusively from the texts to write their responses. For students to write proficient responses, they need to start with a strong grasp of the prompt’s requirements and must be able to develop a strong opening topic statement that fully addresses the prompt.