Detailed Sample Task: Stage II
CLB 6 - Writing
Interacting with Others
Problem Solving
Real-World Task
Message colleagues to ask to reschedule a team meeting, apologize and provide a reason, and suggest alternate times.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- Some knowledge of workplace conventions and appropriate ways to communicate.
- Some knowledge of the concept of problem-solving as the ability to identify and analyze problems and propose solutions.
Context:
- Employers often expect employees to take the initiative to try to resolve issues themselves, keeping the employer in the loop as to what the problem is and how they have resolved or would like to resolve it.
- Clear communication is very important in Canadian workplaces. Co-workers are expected to inform each other if they can’t make a meeting and give options to resolve the problem, like offering alternative times to meet.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- cancel
- conflict
- schedule
- give notice
- reschedule
- swap/ change
- take a rain check
- suggest
- propose
- put forward
- inconvenience
- availability
- flexibility
Sample Grammar:
- Modal verbs and courtesy expressions for making a workplace-appropriate request.
- Indirect questions to make polite suggestions, for example, “Do you think we could meet on Friday? Please let me know if Friday works for you.”
- Compound and complex sentences with clauses giving reason and explanations.
- Stock phrases for issues or problems, for example, “Sorry for the inconvenience.” or “Thanks for your patience/ understanding.”
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Knowledge of writing conventions for workplace emails or messaging apps.
Conventional formats for workplace appropriate messages. - Digital tools to type, format and correct writing (for example Autocomplete, spell checker or voice typing).
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Appropriate language for a workplace request.
Knowledge of appropriate reasons to request a change to a meeting. - Knowledge of workplace norms regarding changing/ cancelling a meeting, for example, who to copy on a message for cancelling/ rescheduling a meeting.
- Knowledge of registers of formality.
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Brainstorm suitable reasons to request a change to or cancellation of a workplace meeting, and use the internet to check if ideas were appropriate.
- Discuss experience with using email and other ways to communicate messages in the workplace.
- Brainstorm the format of an email, such as a subject line, “To” field (including sending to multiple recipients), and so on. Look at a labelled version of an email and read about the different parts of an email format.
- Provide learners with sample workplace email messages and have learners identify their parts.
- Have learners write email subject lines for different scenarios.
- Read email examples describing a problem with a scheduled meeting and identify the writing conventions used.
- Review sample emails generated by ChatGPT, generated in different degrees of formality. Have learners analyze the style and the language.
- Read or listen to information about the importance of soft skills in Canadian workplaces, such as initiative or problem solving. Work in small groups to predict or brainstorm examples of those skills in the workplace.
- Read examples of messages for different purposes and different recipients and identify the courtesy expressions and stock phrases used.
- Read about the importance of professionalism in workplace writing and read about proofreading strategies.
- Work in pairs to proofread each other’s drafted email.
- Proofread an example of an email or message describing a problem with a scheduled shift and make corrections to wording, grammar and mechanics.
- Read an article or watch a video about conveying tone in workplace writing and identify key tips.
- Edit a drafted email message to revise the tone, based on a scenario.
- Write, read and respond to messages to request a meeting change.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Write an email or message to co-workers requesting a change to a scheduled meeting; apologize and suggest an alternative time.
- Read and respond to messages to request a meeting change.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Message colleagues to ask to reschedule a team meeting, apologize and provide a reason, and suggest alternate times.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- Understanding of common workplace norms and expectations around problem solving and taking the initiative. Have learners compare and contrast their experience in workplaces in their first countries, or expectations around rescheduling meetings.
- Rescheduling meetings should only be done when necessary and may not be acceptable in some situations or in some workplaces, for example, often only those who call the meeting can cancel or reschedule it.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Have an email address and be able to navigate email proficiently.
- Understand and use email and meeting etiquette.
- Use workplace messaging platforms such as Slack or Teams.
Instructors can:
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- 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.
- Raise learner awareness of the practice and reasons for including preferred pronouns in an email signature.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Learners who have been bullied in the workplace or have worked in conditions that made them fearful of reprisal may be afraid to make requests in the workplace.
Strategies:
- Model polite and workplace-appropriate requests.
- Teaching how to access information about writing for the workplace and models of various workplace messages. Sharing the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
- Recognize and respect learners’ right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves.
Resources
Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:
- Invite a business person or HR representative to talk about email etiquette and or problem solving in the workplace.
- Have a follow-up conversation with a manager to inform them about a change to a meeting.
- Practice resolving conflicts if a co-worker is not satisfied with a change to a meeting.
Realia:
- Use digital devices and email or messaging apps to practice writing emails or messages in an authentic context.
- Videos of setting up or changing meetings.
Units and Modules:
- Avenue Course Builder: Select the theme Employment
(adapt for the CLB level you teach)
- Participating in Meetings, CLB 5+
- Making Requests at Work, CLB 5+
- Workplace Culture, CLB 5+
- Pathways to Employment: Workplace
- Communication and Teamwork, CLB 5+
- Understand Workplace Skills, CLB 7
Lessons and Activities:
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.
