For our first EQAO reading response we read about the life of Joseph-Armand Bombardier. We read the text as a whole group and then answered the multiple choice questions and short answer questions independently.
For the following lesson, we corrected the multiple choice and looked at exemplars of the short answer responses from past EQAO tests. We looked at a variety of levels and pointed out what was missing, as well as discussed what we would add to the written response to improve the quality of the answer (we bumped them up). We also created these expectations together:
Success Criteria and Steps for Reading Responses
1. read the text
2. read the question and then re-read the text with a highlighter and highlight "proof" for answering the question
3. Use that proof in your written response. Write in full sentences.
4. Answer the *"SO WHAT" question
5. Edit and double check your work
Students were then given another opportunity to apply what they know about to bump up their first short answer responses. These answers will be considered their "good copy" and will be marked and sent home in the assessment folder next week.
*the so what question ensures that the students are answering the question fully and with purpose. The ability to answer the "so what?" question will be an essential skill for them throughout high school and post-secondary education. It ensures they are using proof from the text as well as their own ideas to complete the written task.
For example, one of the short answer questions for this reading asked "How did Joseph-Armand Bombardier's creations (snowmobiles) improve people's lives?"
The difference between a lower level answer, and a higher level is answering the "so what" question. How I posed this to the students was by saying "What was so important about the invention of the snowmobile? What did it mean for people? Why should we care? So what?" (It might be because it's a bit sassy, but they LOVE answering the "so what" question - they were all so engaged and driven!!)
An example of a response (level 2): It matters because it changed people's lives. Living with snow was now easier because they could get around.
An example of a response adding the "so what" question (level 3/4): His creations improved people's lives because they could get around easier and faster even though there was snow. For example, people could get to the hospital when they were sick, so less people died because they could get help faster.
