Detailed Sample Task: Stage II
CLB 6 - Writing Interacting with Others
Community Connections
Real-World Task
Invite a friend to a Francophone festival, such as a Franco-Ontarian cultural festival in the community, and give a couple of details about how the event is significant to Francophone Canadians.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- Some knowledge of Canadian history.
- Some knowledge of Francophone culture and history in Canada.
Context:
- In Canada, many communities across the country are home to different Francophone communities. These communities often host festivals or events celebrating the unique aspects of Francophone culture. Everyone is welcome to join these events and there are opportunities to experience Francophone music, food, language and other aspects of Francophone culture.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- bilingual
- first / second / third language
- majority/ minority
- Francophone/ Anglophone
- Acadian
- Quebecois/ Quebecers
- festival / carnival / carnaval
- rendez-vous
- sugar shack/ cabane à sucre
- voyageur
- la Fête Nationale
- common Franco-Canadian
- foods: poutine, tourtière, tarte au sucre, tire d’érable and so on
Sample Grammar:
- Compound and complex sentences to describe event activities.
- Modals for making suggestions (invitations).
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Text messaging and/ or email genre and format.
- How to describe an event or activity.
- How to invite someone to an event or activity.
- Proofreading to ensure accuracy.
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Awareness of polite expressions to open and close an email or text exchange.
- Awareness of different types of invitations (formal or informal) and when to use each type.
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Elicit knowledge of French language and culture in Canada.
- Read information in the “Francophone Communities across Canada” section in the learner’s Language Companion or in the Binder on Avenue.
- Identify information in charts and graphs from Statistics Canada about Francophone communities in Canada.
- Watch videos about Francophone festivals, events or carnivals in Canada.
- Identify different aspects of culture featured in the videos about Francophone festivals, events or carnivals.
- Identify ways to extend an invitation and different types of phrasing one can use (direct questions versus making a suggestion).
- Review parts of an informal email or text message.
- Read sample email and text message invitations to identify key details.
- Read detailed information about a Francophone festival, event or carnival and isolate details to share in an invitation.
- Draft an informal email or text message extending an invitation to an event and support the invitation with details about the event.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Send a text message to invite a friend to a Francophone festival in the community and explain how the event is significant to Francophone Canadians.
- Email a friend to invite them to a festival in the community and give a couple of details about why the event is important/ significant to the host community.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Invite a friend to a Francophone festival, such as a Franco-Ontarian cultural festival in the community, and give a couple of details about how the event is significant to Francophone Canadians.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- Francophone cultures are a very important part of Canadian culture and there are different Francophone communities across Canada (Quebecois, Acadian and so on). Learners may want to know more about Francophone cultures and what distinguishes them from Anglophone cultures.
- Canada is a bilingual country with two official languages: English and French. Everyone has the right to access federal government services in French.
- French language media (TV, radio, news, music, newspapers and so on) is available across most of Canada.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.
Learners may need to:
- Have keyboarding and typing skills.
- Have an email address and be able to navigate email proficiently.
- Send and receive text messages.
- Locate, navigate and use websites.
Use familiar apps and web pages. - Scan online resources to find information.
Instructors can:
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
- Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
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.
- 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.
- Recognize that some learners may have different views. You can be sensitive to their differing opinions, but all learners benefit from EDI, and all learners have the right to an inclusive and equitable learning environment.
- Teach that race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics and disability are all protected grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Learners may have experienced discrimination, racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny or gender-based violence. Discussions of EDI may be triggering: be aware that there may be learners who need help, but it may also provide some comfort and support.
Strategies:
- Learners have the right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves.
- 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:
- Attend a local Francophone festival or event.
- Invite a guest speaker from a local Francophone community to the class to talk about aspects of Francophone culture.
- Research and give a presentation on the history of a local Francophone community or an aspect of Francophone culture.
- Read an article about Francophone and French Immersion education choice in Canadian schools, colleges and universities.
Realia:
- Flyers or online information about local Francophone events
- Local Francophone community organization websites
- Some facts on the Canadian Francophonie – Canada.ca
- Festival du Voyageur and similar websites showcasing Francophone events
Units and Modules:
- Avenue Course Builder: Select the theme Citizenship Test Preparation, and CLB 5, 6 and 7 for units related to Francophone communities
and resources (adapt for the CLB level you teach).
- CLB 5 Who We Are
Lessons and Activities:
(adapt for the CLB level you teach)
- Avenue Binder: Francophone Communities in Canada section
- Ellii.com Festivals Project
- Ellii.com Accepting and Declining Invitations
- Ellii.com Making Plans
- Ellii.com How to Write an Email
- Moresettlement.org: LINC 5-7 Classroom Activities – Volume 1, Chapter 3
- Tutela.ca Make Requests and Suggestions in Daily Life CLB 5/6/7
- Tutela.ca REACH Unit: Socializing: Keep Friendships – Section 5: Make Invitations
- Tutela.ca OCDSB: Assessment: Writing a Letter to a Friend about a Community Event (CLB 4)
Multimedia:
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.
