Read and Write Gold Flash - EQAO example - Critical analytical thinking activity grade 6

This week's Read and Write Gold flash is a critical analytical thinking activity which makes use of the Study Skills Toolbar and Highlighters. Materials for this activity (reading passages as well as short answer questions that require students to include supporting details from the text) are all available on the EQAO website.


This lesson was developed during a TDSB Assistive Technology Team Referral at Pleasant Public School. Thank you so much to their Grade 6 EQAO Team -- Ms. Castiglione, Mr Mammon, Ms Cowan and Ms Ravizza -- for their contributions to the development of this lesson!

In this grade 6 example, students read a passage from a previous year's Assessment as well as the short answer questions using the text-to speech tools in Read and Write Gold. 

Using the Read and Write Gold study skills highlighter tools, students highlight the question as well as supporting details in the text and then use the "collect highlights" function to send the highlighted text to a Word Document.

In the word document that is generated by Read and Write Gold, students can refer to the collected highlights while typing an answer to the question. Students who need additional support for writing, can use Read and Write Gold word prediction to complete this step.

To download this activity please click: Support Answer with Details from the text.


More about the Assistive Technology Team Referral at Pleasant Public School
The Read and Write Gold Flash reading lesson above was the first of three lessons that were co-planned and co-taught as part of this grade 6 referral. The second lesson had a writing focus and the third a math focus. The uniting theme of all three lessons was the use of assistive technology to differentiate lessons so as to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Read and Write Gold, an interactive whiteboard and the document camera were used for all three lessons. Each lesson used material from the EQAO website. A video clip from Learn 360 and an interactive EQAO Review game from the Ontario Education Resource Bank were also used to enhance the lessons.

"As a result of our team teaching experience with the Assistive Technology Itinerant Resource Teacher, we... gained invaluable insights on how Notebook Tools and Gallery Items (e.g. timer, word generator) and Read and Write (e.g. highlighting and collecting highlights) can be used effectively to engage and support students," Ms. Castiglione shared her reflection about the AT referral.


"Students appreciated having their turn facilitated by the Fairness Frog (word generator from the Gallery), and enjoyed frequent interactions with the Smartboard. Students learned to highlight key vocabulary, respond according to good models and structures, as well as determining solutions to math problems facilitated by a Notebook created EQAO based game. The ladybug document camera was used to show, share and reflect on completed work. The students gained strategies, confidence and excitement for learning."