Week 19 — Timed Practice: Section 3 Informational Performance Task

MCAP ELA 10 practice · Timed Section 3 informational performance task · Download .docx

Objectives

Compare how two authors present the same topic, including their claims, purposes, and what each one emphasizes.
Determine central ideas and evaluate whether an author's reasoning and evidence are relevant and sufficient.
Plan and write a timed argumentative essay that states a claim, cites evidence from both sources, and answers a counterclaim.

Key terms

Informational performance task: Two topic-linked informational passages, items, and one constructed response in 70 minutes.
Claim: The position an author or a student writer argues.
Author's purpose: What the author is trying to accomplish with the text.
Relevant and sufficient: Evidence that directly proves a point and is enough to be convincing.
Counterclaim: An opposing position that a strong argument addresses.
Rebuttal: The explanation of why a counterclaim does not outweigh your claim.
Attribution: Naming the source of a fact or quotation inside your sentence.

The concept

What Section 3 Asks You to Do

Section 3 is the informational performance task. You read two informational passages on the same topic, answer about 6 to 9 items, and write one constructed response. Like Section 2, it lasts 70 minutes, and the items are your chance to gather evidence for the essay.

Read for Angle, Not Just Topic

Both passages share a topic, so the real question is how each author treats it. After each passage, jot two labels: the author's claim and the author's purpose. For example: Passage 1, turf is practical, purpose to inform school leaders; Passage 2, turf has hidden costs, purpose to warn. Those notes answer most comparison items before you see them.

Support, Add, or Challenge

When an item asks how the passages relate, decide which of three relationships fits. Passage 2 may support Passage 1 with more evidence, add a new angle Passage 1 ignored, or challenge Passage 1 with a competing claim. Naming the relationship keeps you from choosing an answer that only mentions the shared topic.

Judge the Evidence

Informational items often ask whether evidence is relevant. Relevant evidence proves the exact point it is attached to. A shocking statistic about a different issue, or an expert quotation that is only loosely connected, is not strong support even if it sounds impressive.

Writing the Argument

If the prompt asks for an argument, start with a clear claim that answers the question directly. Plan two body paragraphs of reasons, each with evidence from the sources, and one paragraph that states a counterclaim fairly and then rebuts it. Introduce evidence with attribution: 'According to Source 2,' or 'The author of Source 1 notes that.' Quote short phrases or paraphrase accurately.

How It Is Scored

Written Expression, 0 to 4, looks at the strength of your claim, the relevance and accuracy of your evidence from both sources, how well you answer the counterclaim, your organization, and your formal style. Written Conventions, 0 to 3, looks at grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Scores reflect what your response does, so a focused essay with well-explained evidence beats a long essay that only lists facts.

Keep the Checkpoint

At about minute 35, stop working on items, flag what is left, and write. You can return to flagged items in the final minutes if your essay is done.

Worked examples

Example 1: Passage 1: "Later school start times give teenagers more sleep, and districts that have shifted start times report fewer tardies." Passage 2: "Later start times can push after-school practices and jobs into the evening, which is a real burden for working families." Question: How does Passage 2 relate to Passage 1? Step 1: Label Passage 1's claim: later starts help students. Step 2: Label Passage 2's claim: later starts create scheduling costs. Step 3: Decide the relationship: Passage 2 does not deny the sleep benefit; it raises a concern Passage 1 does not address. Model answer: Passage 2 adds a practical drawback that Passage 1 leaves out, so it complicates Passage 1's claim rather than disproving it.

Example 2: Student claim: "The district should keep its grass fields." Weak support: "Turf is bad for the environment and everyone knows it." Step 1: Replace the general statement with sourced evidence: According to Source 2, turf "must be replaced every eight to ten years, and the old material is difficult to recycle." Step 2: Explain the evidence: this means the district would pay again and create waste every decade. Step 3: Address a counterclaim: Source 1 notes that turf can host practice the day after rain. Rebuttal: that convenience does not outweigh repeated replacement costs and summer surface heat that Source 2 describes. The revised paragraph now cites both sources and answers the other side.

Common mistakes

Treating the two passages as if they agree because they share a topic. Fix: label each author's claim before answering comparison items, and check whether Passage 2 supports, adds to, or challenges Passage 1.
Writing an argument with evidence from only one source. Fix: plan at least one piece of evidence from each source before drafting, and cite each by name.
Mentioning a counterclaim and then dropping it. Fix: follow every counterclaim with a rebuttal sentence that uses evidence to explain why your claim is stronger.

Self-check

Try each one before you look. A miss here costs nothing and tells you exactly what to reread.

1. How are the two passages in the Section 3 informational performance task connected?

2. Passage 2 presents a drawback that Passage 1 never mentions but does not deny Passage 1's facts. How does Passage 2 relate to Passage 1?

3. Which evidence is most relevant to the claim that turf fields save water?

4. What should come right after a counterclaim in an argumentative essay?

5. Which sentence shows correct source attribution?

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