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MARCH 2023Loading...
DIGITAL LEARNING UPDATELoading...
This month in our Digital Learning update we will be sharing on a compilation of Read&Write case studies across Leigh Academies Trust. We have been using Read&Write for a couple of years in a few of our academies, but in September we rolled it out to all 31 academies as we sought to support our students in their learning.
It still feels like we are just embarking on our journey using Read&Write, but it is encouraging to see the wonderful impact it is already having.
If you aren't aware, Read&Write is a literacy support tool that offers help for everyday tasks, with tools to meet the needs of different learners, right across the curriculum. These include reading text out loud, understanding unfamiliar words and proofing written work.
All members of Leigh Academies Trust have access to the tool, both in school and at home. It can be used in Google Docs, Slides, PDFs and websites. If you still need to install the Chrome extension, you can do so here.
We hope you enjoy the case studies and that they inspire you in how you may use Read&Write in your classroom.
For more support using Read&Write you and click on the buttons to the right.
It still feels like we are just embarking on our journey using Read&Write, but it is encouraging to see the wonderful impact it is already having.
If you aren't aware, Read&Write is a literacy support tool that offers help for everyday tasks, with tools to meet the needs of different learners, right across the curriculum. These include reading text out loud, understanding unfamiliar words and proofing written work.
All members of Leigh Academies Trust have access to the tool, both in school and at home. It can be used in Google Docs, Slides, PDFs and websites. If you still need to install the Chrome extension, you can do so here.
We hope you enjoy the case studies and that they inspire you in how you may use Read&Write in your classroom.
For more support using Read&Write you and click on the buttons to the right.
Internal use only
CONTENTS
Special
Secondary
Primary
Research support in Year 4
Vocabulary in Years 3-6
Overcoming Barriers to Writing
Building confidence with Read&Write
Supporting EAL Learners
Progress for a dyslexic learner
Impacting Reading and Improving Focus
Supporting independence with learning
Supporting SEND in KS2
Improving Focus and Support in Year 6
Vocabulary in Years 3-6
Overcoming Barriers to Writing
Building confidence with Read&Write
Supporting EAL Learners
Progress for a dyslexic learner
Impacting Reading and Improving Focus
Supporting independence with learning
Supporting SEND in KS2
Improving Focus and Support in Year 6
Learning Support Assistant for Year 7 student
Improving access to the curriculum for targeted students
Transforming a student's written engagement
Read&Write implementation for SLCN students
A phased approach to a successful roll out
A secondary roll out strategy
Improving writing fluency and reading focus
Improving access to the curriculum for targeted students
Transforming a student's written engagement
Read&Write implementation for SLCN students
A phased approach to a successful roll out
A secondary roll out strategy
Improving writing fluency and reading focus
Other information
Supporting an ASD student
Faye Mendez, Milestone Academy
Context
The young man that is used for this case study has a diagnosis of ASD, learning difficulties, cognitive impairment, sensory needs and delayed speech and language. He struggles with reading, including blending sounds, and also finds writing difficult. Despite his delayed speech and language skills he has a lot that he wants to share and can become frustrated during writing activities as he struggles with putting the ideas on paper.
We have tried to use the Chromebook to allow him to type his thoughts as this will take away the initial layer around letter formation difficulties but the young man still found it difficult to transfer his ideas.
The young man that is used for this case study has a diagnosis of ASD, learning difficulties, cognitive impairment, sensory needs and delayed speech and language. He struggles with reading, including blending sounds, and also finds writing difficult. Despite his delayed speech and language skills he has a lot that he wants to share and can become frustrated during writing activities as he struggles with putting the ideas on paper.
We have tried to use the Chromebook to allow him to type his thoughts as this will take away the initial layer around letter formation difficulties but the young man still found it difficult to transfer his ideas.
Intervention
As the young man was still having difficulties with recording his ideas on paper, I introduced Read&Write to him on the Chromebook. The class had just been on a school trip and they were asked to complete a recount about their visit. I showed him how to use the Read&Write toolbar on the Chromebook and he then began saying his thoughts. He continued talking through his recount and was able to stop the recording as he went through, using the toolbar more independently. He then used the ‘read’ option to read his work back to him.
Impact
The young man has been able to share his thoughts onto paper using the Read&Write toolbar which has benefited him both academically and personally. He is incredibly proud of his work and enjoys showing staff what he has written, improving his self-esteem.
As the young man was still having difficulties with recording his ideas on paper, I introduced Read&Write to him on the Chromebook. The class had just been on a school trip and they were asked to complete a recount about their visit. I showed him how to use the Read&Write toolbar on the Chromebook and he then began saying his thoughts. He continued talking through his recount and was able to stop the recording as he went through, using the toolbar more independently. He then used the ‘read’ option to read his work back to him.
Impact
The young man has been able to share his thoughts onto paper using the Read&Write toolbar which has benefited him both academically and personally. He is incredibly proud of his work and enjoys showing staff what he has written, improving his self-esteem.
Bringing text to life
Jack Nolan, Snowfields Academy
Read&Write can allow students with low reading ages to access a text more independently. It can also add more in depth of understanding to what students are reading.
In one English lesson pupils were reading an extract from ‘The Hunger Games’ and there is a reference to a type of bird. Read&Write allowed the students to use the dictionary to figure out the word was a bird, then the visual dictionary allowed them to see what it looked like. Then, using the search button for Google, they allowed them to hear the sound the bird made. This instantly allowed all students of all reading abilities to fully understand what the author was describing. It essentially brought the text alive in that moment. It was so great to see.
The highlight tool this week has allowed students to gather quotes to describe a character and then sort them into verbs, adverbs, nouns etc. In another year group this week students who suffer with writing fatigue were able to extend their written work by using the talk-to-text feature. This has allowed other students who struggle with their handwriting and fine motor skills to really show their level of understanding as it is removing this barrier to learning.
In one English lesson pupils were reading an extract from ‘The Hunger Games’ and there is a reference to a type of bird. Read&Write allowed the students to use the dictionary to figure out the word was a bird, then the visual dictionary allowed them to see what it looked like. Then, using the search button for Google, they allowed them to hear the sound the bird made. This instantly allowed all students of all reading abilities to fully understand what the author was describing. It essentially brought the text alive in that moment. It was so great to see.
The highlight tool this week has allowed students to gather quotes to describe a character and then sort them into verbs, adverbs, nouns etc. In another year group this week students who suffer with writing fatigue were able to extend their written work by using the talk-to-text feature. This has allowed other students who struggle with their handwriting and fine motor skills to really show their level of understanding as it is removing this barrier to learning.
Research support in Year 4
Josh Evans, Bearsted Primary Academy
In Year 4, we have used Read&Write in many ways, especially during research tasks. One child who struggles to process lengthy text uses the platform to have the text read aloud to them. It has helped the student feel more included and has allowed them to have greater participation and engagement in research tasks.
The read aloud feature is very easy to use and the child will use the feature for lengthy passages or to read singular, unknown words. Other children also use the function to read unknown words and then they also use the ‘search web’ function to define new words.
Another feature that has helped this child is the ‘simplify page’ feature which removes distractions from the page and allows for easier reading. Most children in the class now use this feature when researching as it presents the page in a more accessible format and the children can change the colour of the background, which has helped some children who struggle with reading from a white background.
What we have found in Year 4 is that all learners can use Read&Write as there are many features that help research, not just the accessibility features, and we have started to teach the features during some of our computing sessions or when a particular feature might help in a research task. Presenting it in such a way means all children are using and benefitting from the features and no child feels they are doing something different to anyone else.
The read aloud feature is very easy to use and the child will use the feature for lengthy passages or to read singular, unknown words. Other children also use the function to read unknown words and then they also use the ‘search web’ function to define new words.
Another feature that has helped this child is the ‘simplify page’ feature which removes distractions from the page and allows for easier reading. Most children in the class now use this feature when researching as it presents the page in a more accessible format and the children can change the colour of the background, which has helped some children who struggle with reading from a white background.
What we have found in Year 4 is that all learners can use Read&Write as there are many features that help research, not just the accessibility features, and we have started to teach the features during some of our computing sessions or when a particular feature might help in a research task. Presenting it in such a way means all children are using and benefitting from the features and no child feels they are doing something different to anyone else.
Simplify page before and after
