Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 1 - Reading Comprehending Information

Employment - Finding a Job

Real-World Task

Read simple captions on visual depictions of working in Canada.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some names for common occupations.

Context:

Making choices about jobs and work requires familiarity with different types of occupations and the duties and responsibilities associated with them.
Reading job profiles is one way to become more familiar with different types of jobs.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

job
work
duty (action words)

Basic words to describe job duties and responsibilities (may need to be tailored  to learners needs)

Sample Grammar:

Basic words to describe job duties and responsibilities.
Simple present tense to depict job duties and responsibilities.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

How captions can describe a picture/ give information about a picture.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Jobs and occupations may be specific to a region or location.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Elicit information from learners about jobs they do now or have done in the past.
Match 8 to 10 common job titles with pictures. Read simple sentences (e.g. I am a construction worker.) and identify the job titles.
Review a simplified job profile featuring pictures of job duties with captions under the pictures. Explain how captions describe and provide information about pictures. Point out the “action words” or “duties” in the captions.
Elicit responses from learners about job duties they have or have had.
Match 8 to 10 vocabulary words describing a duty with pictures. Then, match them to the correct occupation(s).
Read captions under pictures and fill in the blanks with correct action words using a word list.
Read short simple sentences and identify the job duties / verbs (I fix cars. He helps people.).
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:

Read a simple caption for a picture of a job duty and identify the occupation.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read 5-7 simple captions and match them with pictures of job duties and responsibilities.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Making work-related choices can involve assessing one’s skills and interests, exploring occupational options and researching pathways for attaining credentials. Although there are resources and services available to assist in making career and work-related choices, it is largely an individual responsibility to seek out assistance and explore one’s options.
Job profiles can be a helpful resource for learning about different occupations.They provide a detailed description of an occupation and include information about the job’s duties and responsibilities, expected earning, common workplace settings, hours of work and the type of education and training required.

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.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Instructors can:

Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent.
Use images that show real people and workplaces for learners.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may have experienced discrimination in the workplace need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in  the workplace.

Strategies:

Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their  rights in the workplace.
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.
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.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Have learners who are in the workforce take photos of people performing their duties and responsibilities at work. Print photos and write captions for each photo (It is important to remind learners to get consent before taking photos).

Realia:

Authentic easy reading job profiles
Photographs or other authentic images of people in the workplace

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Multimedia:

Bow Valley College: ESL Literacy Readers (included titles related to work such as Inge Cuts Hair, A Part Time Job, Pooja Finds a Job and so on.)