Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

FL - Speaking
Sharing Information

Indigenization

Real-World Task

Name the Indigenous territory that you live on.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Name of own community and province/territory in Canada
There are Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Context:

Indigenous Peoples were the first peoples in Canada.
Indigenous Peoples live everywhere in Canada. Indigenous Peoples in Canada have many different cultures and languages.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Indigenous
land
culture
Canada
territory
name of 1-2 specific Indigenous Peoples from your local area

Sample Grammar:

Present simple: I live…

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Proper nouns (name words) have capital letters.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Using the correct name for someone’s culture is a sign of respect.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Who are Indigenous Peoples? Where do they live? Teach learners that all of Canada is on Indigenous land. If discussions are not possible, use images to showcase Indigenous Peoples and where they live in Canada and in your province.
As a class, look at videos of Indigenous Peoples from your local area speaking, singing, dancing, or drumming.
Use vocabulary cards with clear photographs to practice vocabulary words. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) and have learners point to pictures.
Make 2 copies of the vocabulary cards and give each learner one card. Have them talk to each other to try and find their match. Once they have found their matching partner, have them name their vocabulary card.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Read a story about Indigenous Peoples such as one from Canadian Indigenous Content. Read the story several times over several days. Point to pictures in the story and elicit words from learners. Match vocabulary cards to words in the story.
As a class, look at a map of your province or territory. Elicit from learners the name of your province or territory. Find your community and elicit the name of your community. Teach learners the name of one Indigenous People in your local area and practice saying the name of your community and the Indigenous territory where you live, e.g. Calgary is in Tsuut’ina territory.
Read a simple instructor-made story illustrated with clear photographs that talks about the local Indigenous Peoples, using your own community, province/territory, and Indigenous Peoples, e.g. Mark lives in Halifax. Halifax is in Nova Scotia. Halifax is in Mi’kmaq territory. Mark lives in Mi’kmaq territory. This is Mark’s friend, Amy. Amy is Indigenous. Amy is Mi’kmaq. Read the story several times over several days to become familiar with the vocabulary and to develop fluency.
Go around the class and have learners say where they live, e.g. I live in Kingston. At the end of the class, ask each learner where they live as they walk out of the classroom and have them answer before they leave.
Trace the name of the Indigenous territory you live on, e.g. Tsuu’tina or Mi’kmaq. Say the name to a partner: I live in Tsuu’tina territory.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Name the community/town/city and province/territory you live in.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Name the Indigenous territory that you live on.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Indigenous Peoples have traditional territory in different parts of Canada.
Indigenous cultures are an important part of Canadian culture.

Digital Literacy Strategies:

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.

Learners may need to:

Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Type information to appear on screen.

Instructors can:

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

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

It is optimal to ask an Indigenous person to share their Indigenous stories and knowledge; however, at CLB FL this may present some challenges for learners. The communication for CLB FL is expected to be spoken at a slow rate and short. The communication should use short phrases and simple sentences.
Ensure that the images and cultural representations of Indigenous peoples are diverse and free from stereotypes and biases.
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:

Newcomers who come from Indigenous groups in their home countries may be triggered by considerations of the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Learners who have lost their own homes may be triggered by discussions of territory and land.
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:

Watch a video of or visit an Indigenous cultural event, like a powwow.
Make a page for each learner with their photo (with their permission) and words to trace including their name, where they are from, where they live now, and what Indigenous territory they live in, e.g. Ahmed, Syria, Vancouver, Squamish.

Realia:

Images of Indigenous Peoples and cultural objects
When treated with respect and brought by an Indigenous guest speaker, Indigenous cultural objects

Units and Modules:

Tutela: Gawiin Bimikawesiwin: Assimilative Policies CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
Tutela: Kichi-Asotamatowin: Land and Treaties CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
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