Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB FL-Reading

Employment: Finding a Job

Real-World Task

Look at a very simple job ad accompanied by a picture and highly familiar words like bus driver, teacher or cleaner and identify the job.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Letters and sounds
Direction and orientation

Context:

Many people find work by looking at job ads. This task is a scaffolded very early version of a job ad.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Spaces between letters and words

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

A job ad tells you that there is a vacant position.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

We can ask for help if we don’t understand.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What is a job? Do any of the learners have jobs? Did any of the learners have jobs before they came to Canada?
Discuss as a class: What are some jobs they can name? Use images to help learners identify a few common jobs. Include jobs that might be familiar to them, such as farmer, cleaner, security guard, teacher, doctor.
Use vocabulary cards with clear photographs and words to practice jobs vocabulary. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to practice receptive vocabulary. Play vocabulary games and do activities such as matching and Bingo.
Sing the alphabet song: Phonics Alphabet Song or Alphabet Song.
Look at vocabulary cards with a partner and name the job on each card.
Practice making straight lines and curves using air writing, sand trays, or pencils.
Practice tracing letters.
Practice writing letters independently.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Copy a job word and say the word.
Read a very simple story about jobs such as People at Work. Read to the learners, choral read, and echo read the story.
Listen to the instructor call out a job and point to the correct vocabulary card (out of three).

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Look at a very simple job ad accompanied by a familiar picture and highly familiar words like bus driver, teacher or cleaner and identify the job. (Use a different job from the assessment task.)

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Look at a very simple job ad accompanied by a familiar picture and highly familiar words like bus driver, teacher or cleaner and identify the job.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Learners may not be used to the idea that they need to look at a job ad to get a job. They may come from cultures where they get jobs through someone they know. If they have enough English to understand, explain that many Canadians get jobs by answering job ads, but some also get jobs from someone they know.

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.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages.
Type information to appear on screen.
Complete formatted texts online, such as simple forms.

Instructors can:

Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners.
Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites or apps that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites or apps.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Learners may have worked or may work in any number of different industries. Avoid any judgemental or value language when discussing different jobs. Do not present jobs as “good jobs” or “bad jobs.”
When discussing jobs, include many jobs that are common for learners at this level to have, as well as jobs of people they may come into contact with, like cleaners, babysitters, gardeners, labourers, security guards, store clerks, teachers, doctors, or nurses.
Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority; make sure learners understand their rights in the workplace and give strategies for making polite requests.
When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma. We can’t know what the triggers might be and what seems commonplace to us may have a triggering component for learners. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine. Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions.
Learners will benefit from positive relationships established in the classroom with the instructor and peers.
Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
- Allow learners choice:
  - the choice to work on a different topic
  - the choice to share or not share their own experiences
  - the choice to work alone or to work with others
  - the choice to take care of themselves
  - the choice to step out of the learning environment
When learners have shared personal distressing or traumatic experiences, make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences. Follow the activities which may make learners feel vulnerable with routine, predictable and comforting activities.
Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Visit a nearby employment centre.
Visit a job fair.
Look at pictures of people doing different jobs. Have learners identify jobs they have done and would like to do.
Bring in items associated with different jobs, like a doctor’s coat, a hammer, a spatula, and so on. Have learners role play different jobs.

Realia:

Items associated with different jobs: doctor’s coat, hammer, spatula, etc.
Highly simplified instructor-made job ads

Units and Modules:

Tutela (CCLB): Safety at Work: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
Tutela (CCLB): Greetings and Introductions: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Numeric Focus: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Alphabetic Focus: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
LINC 1 Classroom Activities: Job Application Forms (p. 295) (Not literacy or the right level but can be adapted)
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB FL
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: