Real-World Task
Answer 2 to 3 questions about your journey to Canada such as what countries you have lived in and when you arrived.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- Basic vocabulary to answer simple questions about oneself such as first name, last name and so on.
Context:
- Canada is a diverse, multicultural country. The ability to answer simple questions and provide information about your journey to Canada is important for communication in both social and service settings.
- For newcomers, questions about where they are from or when they arrived is often one of the first topics people will ask about. Sharing information about one’s story is one way we connect with others.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- Months of the year
- Cardinal and ordinal numbers
- Names of countries that are personally relevant
Sample Grammar:
- Grammar structures and vocabulary related to personally relevant facts (country, time, dates).
- Adequate pronunciation to be understood by a supportive listener.
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Asking and answering questions (taking turns in a conversation).
- Beginning to develop strategies to indicate problems in understanding.
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Non-verbal communication strategies such as making eye contact (in-person).
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Display an image that represents diversity and multiculturalism such as a mosaic or a quilt. In simple terms, discuss how Canada is a diverse, multicultural country and how people have been immigrating to Canada for many years and many reasons.
- Display a large map of the world. Ask each learner to show and tell the country(ies) they lived in before they came to Canada by asking the same simple question to each learner (E.g.Where are you from?; Where did you live before?). Help learners find the country(ies) on the map if needed. Help them with pronunciation if needed. Have all learners repeat and practice saying the country names.
- Write the question, Where are you from? OR Where did you live before? on the board/ screen. Elicit a response from a learner. Copy their response on the board/screen. Continue to model and practice the question/ answer until everyone has listened and responded to the question.
- Share/ show a large calendar. Write the question, When did you come to Canada? on the board/ screen. Elicit and record the response.
- Demonstrate how to say the year by saying the whole number (two thousand twenty-four) or in chunks (twenty/twenty-four). Have learners practice telling a partner the year they came to Canada.
- Consider teaching how to say the date including the month and day in addition to the year.
- Review and practice 1 or 2 strategies to use when you don’t understand.
- Prepare a large class chart on a worksheet with the questions in large print at the top of the page. Have learners walk around the class or work in a breakout room asking and answering questions about where they lived and when they came to Canada as they fill in the answers to complete the class chart. Consider posting a list of commonly named countries in the classroom or on the worksheet for learners to copy. Consider having a list of years posted in the class or on the worksheet to assist learners who are having communication challenges.
- Create a short, simple instructor-made story on the topic, and have learners listen as the instructor reads, following with their finger. Have learners repeat after the instructor to match intonation and fluency. Finally, have learners read the story as a group, and then individually. These activities practice vocabulary in context, show relevancy of the language and improve fluency.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Provide learners with a set of 3 to 4 cards with questions about their journey to Canada printed on them. While learners take turns asking their partners questions, circulate around the room listening to learners’ answers and making note of their strengths and areas of improvement. Provide feedback to learners individually or as a class.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Ask each learner 2 to 3 questions about their journey to Canada. Use a rubric to assess the criteria for the tasks and provide action-oriented feedback.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- Asking and answering questions about oneself is important in a variety of social and service settings. In a unit about Canada, consider how the context will impact how the tasks are taught and set up.
- Help learners recognize that adapting to a new environment takes time and the pace of adjustment will vary from one individual to another.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Use videoconferencing technology for online meetings.
- Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.
Instructors can:
- Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:
Instructors can:
- Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Refugee learners may not have had choice in leaving their countries and coming to Canada; recognize that some learners may have mixed feelings about being in Canada. Allow learners to have their own opinions and feelings about Canada.
Strategies:
- Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions; learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
- Recognize and respect learners’ right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves and their routines.
- Give learners advanced warning of discussions of this topic.
- Allow learners the choice:
- to work on a different topic
- to share or not share their own experiences
- to work alone or to work with others
- to take care of themselves
- to step out of the learning environment
- Make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences.
- Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
Resources
Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:
- Invite a guest to talk about their immigration journey.
- Create a class “quilt” or “collage” representing all students’ cultures in the class.
- Visit a place of historic significance for immigration in Canada such as Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Toronto Ward Museum, Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site and other local sites.
Realia:
- a world map
- a calendar
Units and Modules:
Lessons and Activities:
Multimedia:
Instructor Resources and References:
Detailed Sample Task
This exemplar is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to guide and inform your lesson and module planning. Consult the Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults for detailed performance descriptors at this benchmark and skill.
The information in this document is not exhaustive and can be expanded on. As well, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson or module plan.
