Writing Short Constructed Responses | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G3:M1:U1:L6

Writing Short Constructed Responses

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
  • RL.3.2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
  • RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
  • W.3.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
  • L.3.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.3.4c: Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can write short constructed responses to answer questions about my research reading text. (RL.3.1, W.3.1)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Research Reading review form

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Launching Independent Reading Journals (10 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Target (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mini Lesson: Writing Short Constructed Responses to Answer Questions: Rain School (15 minutes)

B. Independent Writing: Writing Short Constructed Responses to Answer Questions: Research Reading Text (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Working to Become Ethical People (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete Affixes Practice II in your Unit 1 homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Opening A, students receive their independent reading journals. This journal provides a space where students will begin responding to prompts concerning their independent reading book.  Students will use these journals both throughout the module and the school year.
  • In Opening B, students receive an affix list to refer to throughout the rest of the year when determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary (L.5.4b, L.5.4c). Consider laminating this resource for students, as it will be referred to frequently.
  • In Work Time A, students review the components of a sentence and participate in a mini lesson about writing short constructed responses. During this mini lesson, they write a short constructed response to answer a question about Rain School based on their close read in the previous lesson. This helps to prepare students for the End of Unit 1 assessment, in which they will answer short constructed response questions about a new text. After the mini lesson, students write short constructed responses to questions about their research reading text to serve as notes for their discussion for the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment in the next lesson (RI.3.1, W.3.1).
  • Lessons 3-5 featured built-out instruction for Goal 1 Conversation Cues. Moving forward, this will appear only as reminders after select questions. Continue using Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation. Refer to the Lesson 3 Teaching Notes and see the Tools page for additional information on Conversation Cues.
  • Students who finish quickly or require an extension can consider additional things they like and find challenging about their research reading texts.
  • In this unit, the habit of character focus is working to become an ethical person. Students continue to "collect" characteristics of ethical people on a Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart. The characteristic they collect in this lesson is integrity, based on the accountable independent reading homework they will complete each night.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to overcoming challenges in access to education, books, and reading near and far. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In this lesson, students refer to their Reading for Gist and Recounting the Story: Rain School from Lesson 4 and their Close Read note-catcher from Lesson 5 to answer a short constructed response question about the lesson in Rain School and how it is conveyed in the text.

Areas where students may need additional support:

  • Some students may need additional support writing short constructed responses. Consider using technology to support them. See Technology and Multimedia.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' short constructed responses to determine how much more guidance they need on writing them.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a small group discussion about their research reading text. They will use the short constructed responses written in this lesson to guide those discussions.
  • Writing instruction has been carefully designed across the module. In this unit, the focus is on writing short constructed responses--a few sentences in response to a question. In unit two, the focus shifts to writing a full paragraph--including a topic sentence, sentences elaborating on the topic with facts and details, and a conclusion sentence. Then, in unit three, the focus shifts again to writing a full essay--an introduction paragraph, two proof paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. These basic structures are introduced to students in this module and built upon throughout the school year.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Independent reading journals.
    • A copy of the independent reading pages of the 3M1 Unit 1 Homework Resources (for families) to display. The pages required are those that show the layout of an entry into the vocabulary log and the page of independent reading prompts.
    • Writing Constructed Responses anchor chart (see supporting materials)
  • Review the Think-Pair-Share protocol. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Post: Learning targets, Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart, and Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Students use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dictation.io to write their short constructed responses.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 3.I.B.6, 3.I.B.7, 3.I.C.10, 3.I.C.11

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to celebrate cultural and educational diversity, access a reading journal as a way to solidify reading comprehension and application, discuss what it means to write a short constructed response, explicitly identify the two most basic parts of a sentence in English, practice responding to questions that will appear on the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, and establish a safe environment for sharing diverse perspectives.
  • ELLs may find the subject-predicate concept challenging, as it may differ from their home language. The subject-predicate feature of English is key: Once students are able to grasp this concept, they will have a leg up on communicating clearly and accurately in English. See levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column for specific supports.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Before explaining the parts of the sentences students write in Work Time A, invite them to analyze the good example of a student response and identify the parts (i.e., a subject and a predicate).
  • Encourage students to deepen their thinking. (Example: "What other details could the author have provided to convey Thomas's challenge? Which details do you feel are more effective at conveying the challenge: your details or the author's? Why? I'll give you a minute to think and write or sketch. Can you say more about that? I'll give you a minute to think and write or sketch.")

For heavier support:

  • Copy sentences from Waiting for the Biblioburro and Rain School. Cut them into strips, separating the subjects from the predicates. Shuffle the strips and invite students to organize them according to subjects and predicates. Then, students can match the subjects to the corresponding predicate to create meaningful sentences.
  • Students' home language systems will have similarities and differences to the English subject-predicate system. Invite students to compare their home language with English. If students don't know their home language system, encourage them to investigate with family. Examples:

"Do you have to use a subject in English?" (Yes, most of the time.)

"Do you have to use a subject in your home language?" (Answers will vary.)

  • Clarify the difference between a noun and a verb. Invite students to point to people, places, and things around the room that are nouns. Act out various verbs with them. On a T-chart, write the nouns and the verbs. Ask about abstract nouns and stative verbs. (Example: "Where do we put response on the T-chart? Where do we put am?") Encourage students to combine the nouns with the verbs into meaningful sentences.
  • In preparation for the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, encourage students to politely stop you or their peers when they don't understand what is being said. (Example: "Sorry, but I don't understand you. Could you say that again? What do you mean by that? Can you give an example?")
  • Also encourage them to initiate and extend conversations. Example: "I'd like to share something. I think that _____."
  • As students prepare for the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, build enthusiasm and reduce anxiety by providing a quick model of the discussion with two confident students. Take 2 or 3 minutes to sit in a circle with the two students, sharing what you like about your books and a challenge you faced. As you model, display any helpful phrases you or the students use.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation: As students prepare to construct a written response, some may need additional support breaking down the question. Consider varied methods of representing the different parts of the question that students will be expected to respond to (e.g., create an anchor chart with columns for each part of the question or use different colors to color-code them).
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Depending on the strategy that you employ (e.g., columns, color-coding) when teaching how to write a constructed response, make sure to match the options for student expression. (Examples: If you represented the information in an anchor chart with columns, provide a graphic organizer that is organized in the same way. If you used color-coding, allow students to used colored pencils when constructing their response.) This will help students generalize strategies across multiple questions.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement: Students will be asked to engage in an independent writing task in this lesson. Some may need additional support with building their independent writing stamina. Consider offering predetermined breaks in which students can choose from a list of appropriate activities, such as getting a drink of water or stretching. Over time, students will build stamina and the breaks can become less frequent. 

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • constructed, integrity, predicate, response, subject (L)

Materials

  • Research reading texts (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Independent reading journals (one per student)
  • 3M1 Unit 1 Homework Resources (for families; independent reading pages; one to display)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (from in Lesson 3)
  • Affix List (one per student)
  • Equity sticks (class set; one per student)
  • Close Read Note-catcher: Rain School (from Lesson 5; one per student)
  • Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time A)
  • Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Research Reading review form (one per student and one to display)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Closing and Assessment A)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Launching Independent Reading Journals (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their research reading texts and to read independently for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, distribute independent reading journals.
  • Tell students they will use this journal to record information regarding their independent reading each day.
  • Display the independent reading pages of the 3M1 Unit 1 Homework Resources (for families) and focus students on the information they need to record using the example on the same page.
  • Model how to record independent reading information, without the prompt. Tell students they will record their research reading in the front of the book and choice reading in the back. Ensure that they understand the difference between independent research reading (texts related to the module topic) and choice reading (any texts they want to read).
  • Tell students that they will spend time in this lesson learning how to write a short constructed response to a question. Once they know how to do this, they will start writing short constructed responses to prompts about their independent reading books in their independent reading journals.
  • Invite students to record the date, title and author, and pages of the text they read at the beginning of this lesson as the first record in the front of their journal.
  • Show students where to find the prompts in the 3M1 Unit 1 Homework Resources (for families).
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading: Help students practice and generalize a strategy for reading unfamiliar texts. (MMR) Examples:

- Chunk the text into manageable amounts, e.g., sentences or paragraphs.

- Underline important people, places, and things.

- Read aloud.

- Read repeatedly.

- Silently paraphrase the chunks.

- Summarize what you read for someone else, perhaps first in your home language.

B. Reviewing Learning Target (10 minutes)

  • Pair students strategically for the work in the rest of the lesson and invite them to label themselves partner A and partner B.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning target and select a volunteer to read it aloud:

 "I can write short constructed responses to answer questions about my research reading text."

  • Underline the words constructed response in the learning target.
  • Focus students on the word response.
  • Ask students to turn and talk, and cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"When I ask a question, I'm looking for you to respond, to give a response. What is a response?" (an answer)

  • Next focus students on the word constructed.
  • Invite them to determine how many syllables are in the word by clapping them as a whole group. (three)
  • Direct students' attention to the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and read aloud the strategies for determining the meaning of unknown words.
  • Ask students to turn and talk, and cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"What strategy can you use to figure out the meaning of this new word?" (affixes, roots, or reference)

  • Remind students of the chart they used to break the word into affixes in the previous lesson and of the meaning of each of the headings:

Chart Here

  • Consider inviting translations to foster equity and practice the reference strategy. Ask:

"What is the translation of constructed in our home languages?" (gousiin Mandarin)

  • Invite students to use their translation dictionary if necessary. Call on student volunteers to share. Ask other students to choose one translation to silently repeat. Invite students to say their chosen translation out loud when you give the signal. Chorally repeat the translations and the word in English. Invite self- and peer correction of the pronunciation of the translations and the English.
  • Invite students to get into pairs and to label themselves A and B.
  • Distribute the Affix List and invite students to work with their partner to find any of the parts of the word they identified in the syllables of constructed and their meaning. (con-, struct, and -ed)
  • Ask students to turn and talk, and cold call students to share their responses with the whole group. Paraphrase and invite students to clarify their responses using,

"So, do you mean_____":

"So we know what con-, struct, and -ed mean. So what do you think it all means together? What does constructed mean?" (to build by putting parts together)

"What do you think a short constructed response is?" (a short answer that is written by putting the parts together)

  • Tell students that unlike a multiple choice question, which requires them to select an answer from a provided list, a short constructed response means they have to construct a short answer to a question.
  • Ask students to turn and talk, and cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"Are these academic words or topic words? How do you know?" (academic, because they could be found in texts on any topic)

  • Add constructed and response to the Academic Word Wall.
  • Invite students to also add the words to their vocabulary logs.

  • For ELLs: While clapping out the syllables for constructed, emphasize the stress on the second syllable, struct, by saying it louder and longer. This will help support students whose home language has a different syllable stress system.
  • Underline or box in the word construct within constructed to highlight the simpler word embedded in a more complex word. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with new vocabulary. Ask:

"Who can explain why we want to learn to write good constructed responses?" (to briefly respond to questions about the research reading text; to show what we know about our text) (MMR)

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Display a selected response question and a constructed response prompt. Invite students to discuss the differences. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Invite students to add translations of the words on the Word Wall in their home languages, using a different color and placing them next to the target vocabulary.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Mini Lesson: Writing Short Constructed Responses to Answer Questions: Rain School (15 minutes)

  • Write the following question on the board:

"In Rain School, what was the lesson and how was it conveyed through details in the text?"

  • Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

"Where might we find the answer to this question?" (on the Close Read note-catcher from Lesson 5)

  • Invite students to retrieve their Close Read Note-catcher: Rain School.
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share, leaving adequate time for each partner to think, ask the question to their partner, and partner share:

"Looking at your note-catcher and the anchor chart, how might you answer this question in no more than two sentences?" (The lesson in Rain School is that while overcoming a challenge, we can learn new things. This is conveyed with the details that while building the school, Thomas learns how to make bricks from mud, how to build walls and desks from mud, and how to make a roof from grass and saplings.)

  • Paraphrase and invite students to clarify their responses:

"So, do you mean_____?" (Responses will vary.)

  • As students share out, capture strong responses on the board under the question.
  • Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

"What are the components of a complete sentence?"

  • As students share out, capture their responses on the Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart. Refer to the Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).
  • Review what the terms subject and predicate mean (or teach them if students are unfamiliar).
  • Remind students that a subject is the noun or noun phrase or pronoun or pronoun phrase that performs the action or that the sentence is about. (Example: Thomas, the character from Rain School)
  • Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

"What are the subjects in the sentences written on the board?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Remind students that a predicate is a verb or verb phrase that tells what action the subject is performing or tells more about the subject. (Example: Thomas [subject] learned to make mud bricks [predicate].)
  • Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

"What are the predicates in the sentences written on the board?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Remind students that most complete, correct sentences in English must have a subject and a predicate.
  • Add subject and predicate to the Academic Word Wall.
  • Focus students on the question again and invite them to identify all of the components that will be expected in their answer.

- Underline each requirement in the question: In Rain School, what was the lesson or message and how was it conveyed through details in the text?

- Ensure students understand that each part of the question will be required in their answer.

- Point to the S at the end of details and explain that this tells them they should find more than one detail from the text.

- Record this as criteria on the Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart. Refer to the Writing Short Constructed Responses anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as needed.

  • Invite students to help you identify each of those four components in one of the student responses written on the board.

- Underline each one.

- If there is a missing component, invite students to identify which is missing and how they could improve the response.

- Finalize the response to this question as an example constructed response. (Example: The challenge in Rain School was that there was no school for Thomas and the other children when they showed up. The teacher and children overcame the challenge by building a school and desks from mud and building a roof with grass and saplings.)

  • For ELLs: Invite students to say examples of the simplest complete sentence possible. Remind them that it must have a subject and a predicate. (Examples: Thomas runs. Ana reads. I laugh.) As students become comfortable, help them broaden their ability. (Examples: "How might you expand these sentences? What if I want to describe how fast Thomas runs? What if I want to say what Ana reads? I'll give you a minute to think and write or sketch." (Every morning, Thomas runs as fast as he can to school. Ana, who lives in Colombia, reads books from the biblioburro.)
  • Provide differentiated mentors by purposefully pre-selecting student partnerships. Consider meeting with the mentors in advance to encourage them to share their thought processes with their partner. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Display a chart with three columns labeled with the parts of the question and response--lesson or message/how the lesson was conveyed/details that conveyed the lesson. As students discuss possible responses, complete the chart, ensuring that each column is filled for each possible response. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Invite students to code each part of the question and their response in corresponding colors: green underline for the lesson or message; orange underline for how the lesson was conveyed; and yellow underline for the details that conveyed the lesson. (MMR)

B. Independent Writing: Writing Short Constructed Responses to Answer Questions: Research Reading Text (20 minutes)

  • Explain that in the next lesson, students will take part in a small group discussion about their research reading texts, so they are going to spend the rest of this lesson writing short constructed responses to refer to during this discussion.
  • Distribute and display the Research Reading review form.
  • Focus students on the title and author at the top of the form and invite them to copy the title and author from their research reading text in this space.
  • Focus students on Question 1 and read it aloud:

"What are some things you like about your research reading text? Why?"

  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share, leaving enough time for each partner to think, ask the question to their partner, and partner share:

"What will you need to include in your answer to this question?" (at least two things I like, and a reason for each)

  • Underline parts of the question and invite students to do the same:

"What are some things you like about your research reading text? Why?"

  • Tell students they are going to turn and talk with their partner to share two things they like about their research reading text and the reasons they like them. Provide an example: "I like the photographs because they help me to understand what it might be like in that country. I also like the country fact files because I have learned a lot of interesting facts, like the population of each country."
  • Invite students to turn and talk to their partner:

"What are at least two things you like about your research reading text? What reason do you have for liking each of those things?"

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Focus students on their Research Reading review form.
  • Invite students to record their answers in full sentences with subjects and predicates in a short constructed response on this form.
  • Circulate to support students and remind them that the question requires more than one thing, with a reason for each. If students require additional support in managing this, encourage them to limit their response to the two things they like best.
  • Refocus whole group. Repeat this process with the second question. Consider providing an example as necessary: "I found the level of the book too difficult to read it all."
  • Direct students' attention to the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart.
  • Ask students to turn and talk, and cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"What strategies did you use today to help you read closely to answer the questions?" (Responses will vary, but could include going back to the text to find answers to the questions and talking with their partner about answers they find.)

"How did these strategies help us to better understand the text?"

  • As students share out, connect their responses to the strategies on Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning target. Read it aloud and ask them to give a thumbs-up, thumbs-down, or thumbs-sideways to indicate how close they are to meeting that target now. Make note of those who may need additional support with this moving forward. 
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Display sentence frames and provide them on the Research Reading review form for heavier support. Examples:

- "I like the _____ because _____."

- "I also like the _____ because _____." (MMR)

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Invite students to color-code their subjects and predicates with two colors and the parts of their responses in different colors.
  • If you used the anchor chart with the columns corresponding to the different question components in Work Time A, consider providing a graphic organizer with three columns for students to fill in. This will help them generalize the strategy among multiple questions. (MMR, MMAE)
  • Minimize distractions during independent writing by providing tools such as sound-canceling headphones or individual dividers. (MME)
  • For students who may need additional support in building writing stamina: Consider offering built-in breaks, in which students can choose an activity such as getting water or stretching. Reduce the number of these breaks over time as students increase their stamina. (MME)
  • For ELLs: Be aware that in some cultures the thumbs-up gesture may have a different meaning. Consider choosing a different way for students to show their learning against the targets or use it as a teaching point to explain what it means in the United States.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Working to Become Ethical People (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Post the following on the board:

- Reading research reading book for 20 minutes

- Recording unfamiliar vocabulary in vocabulary log

- Selecting and responding to a prompt in independent reading journal

  • Remind students that they will complete these three steps for homework starting tonight. Inform them that when you check their independent reading journals, you will look for an entry each day, as research reading will help them to build their vocabulary and background knowledge on the topic.
  • Tell students that even though you won't be checking every day, you want them to practice integrity, which means doing the right thing even when it's difficult because it is the right thing to do. In the context of homework, this means trying to do it each day, even when it is tough to do so, and if it isn't possible, being honest in recording the dates and pages read in their journals.
  • Refocus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Write the following in the second row:

"I behave with integrity. This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it's difficult, because it is the right thing to do."

  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share, leaving adequate time for each partner to think, ask the question to their partner, and partner share:

"What does integrity look like? If you saw someone behaving with integrity, what would you see?" (Responses will vary.)

"What does integrity sound like? If you heard someone behaving with integrity, what would you hear?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Cold call students to share whole group.
  • As students share out, capture their responses in the appropriate column of the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart. Refer to the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Add integrity to the Academic Word Wall and invite students to record it in their vocabulary logs.
  • Invite students to give a thumbs-up, thumbs-down, or thumbs-sideways to indicate how well they showed integrity in this lesson.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with new vocabulary: Tell students:

"The words with and integrity are often used together as a phrase and can be learned as a phrase." (Example: "I behave with integrity.")

  •  Ask:

"What else do you do with integrity?"

  • Provide sentence frames for heavier support:

"I _____ (play games/talk to friends/do my independent reading) with integrity." (MMR)

  • For ELLs: Invite students to add translations of the words on the Word Wall in their home languages, using a different color and placing them next to the target vocabulary.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Complete Affixes Practice II in your Unit 1 homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Discuss and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, family member, or student from grades 2 or 4, or record a response. Read the prompts aloud and brainstorm possible responses with your teacher. If you have trouble writing sentences, write words in your responses or make sketches, or your teacher can give you sentence starters. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Support students by helping them select a prompt to respond to, rephrasing the prompt, and thinking aloud possible responses. (MMR)

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