Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 - Speaking
Getting Things Done

Social Connections and Relationships

Real-World Task

Ask a family member to do a chore. Include the name of the chore and when it needs to be done.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Vocabulary for basic family relationships such as mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, etc.

Context:

Communicating with family members  about household responsibilities is a common and familiar task in most homes. Managing household responsibilities can sometimes be a source of conflict.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Common Household Chores:

Time Expressions:

today
tomorrow
this morning, afternoon, evening
soon

Sample Grammar:

Courtesy expressions for making a request (Can you…; Please…).
Simple phrasal verbs related to household chores (pick up, take out, clean up).
Sentence structure of a request.
Simple present tense.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Strategies for learning and remembering vocabulary.
Using tone to convey (lack of) urgency or to persuade.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Informal language used with close relationships (close friends, family members).
Appropriate body-language.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Elicit different household chores from the class. Identify specific rooms of the house as applicable.
Identify and share chores that are done regularly and that are preferred the most and least.
Identify chores that are often viewed as gender specific in different cultures and encourage recognition of cultural differences. Reflect on biases.
Use Total Physical Response (TPR) to review vocabulary for chores.
Identify which nouns and noun phrases collocate with the verbs “to do” and “to make” by matching the nouns and verbs. For example, do laundry, make the bed, and so on.
Listen to recordings of people asking their family members to complete a chore to identify the different parts of the request.
Go around the class and have each student request and respond to a request. (For example: Student A: Mohammad, can you do the dishes this evening? Student B: Sure. Then Student B asks Student C and so on.)
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:

Walk around the class asking classmates to do particular chores and answering their requests. Complete a self-assessment.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Role-play a conversation with a family member asking them to do a household chore. Name the chore and when it needs to be done.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Have learners reflect and discuss differences and similarities in values and beliefs about parenting, daily routines, time and gender roles between Canadian culture and their own to develop intercultural awareness.
Help learners become aware of some common cultural practices related to household chores and responsibilities. For example:
- Some families employ individuals to carry out household tasks such as cleaning and childcare.
- Parents may use chores to calculate children’s allowances or incentivize children to complete daily household tasks.

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.
Help learners become aware of common digital tools that some people use to share and track household responsibilities such as apps for to-do lists, family calendars and so on.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Instructors can:

Recognize that even in households where couples split the physical tasks, women are often still responsible for most of the mental labour, the invisible, less tangible labour of managing a household.
Raise learner awareness about different types of families (single-parent, same-sex couples, multi-generational. etc.)
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.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners may come with existing biases around family, gender norms and types of families. Recognize that some learners may experience changes to gender roles when they come to Canada. For some, this may be a welcome change, but for others it may be challenging.

Strategies:

Welcome diverse viewpoints and provide learners with opportunities to share their own experiences. Gently call out disrespectful comments and encourage respectful interactions with and between all learners.
Address their concerns with sensitivity but teach that Canada is equitable and inclusive to people of all genders.
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:

Conduct a class survey to find out what chores are the most and least popular.
Create a class “Chore Board” and ask learners to sign up for a new task each week.
Practice solving problems: household chores can sometimes be a source of friction or conflict for families. Have learners work in small groups  or pairs to identify problems and choose or suggest solutions. As an example of a problem-solving activity, see Step Forward Canada  Book 1, Unit 4, pg. 51.

Realia:

Household items used for doing chores such as a dishcloth, a broom, and a duster
A sample family calendar or chore chart

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Multimedia:

ISSofBC: Janis’s ESL Housework and Chores