Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 - Reading
Comprehending Instructions

Health and Wellness

Real-World Task

Read instructions on a simplified prescription label to determine how many pills to take and when.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Numbers 1-20
Forms of be in the present simple
Basic knowledge of times of day such as morning, evening, lunch and bedtime

Context:

Medications have dosages. It is important to follow the dosage on all medications.
Most medications have specific instructions such as to take in the morning or before bed and to take
with food or on an empty stomach.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Questions in the present simple:
How many? How much? When?
Imperatives for instructions: Take 3 pills in the morning”, Take one teaspoon with food.” “Don’t drive.” and so on.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

The label on prescription medicine gives important information about who the medicine is for and how much they should take. There is other information such as when to take it and if you should take it with food or not.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

You can ask a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist for help with medicine.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What do you do when you get sick? Do you go to a doctor? Have you ever been to a doctor in Canada? How do you feel better? Have you taken medicine before? What do you do when you take medicine? Try to elicit when to take the medicine , how much to take and whether you should take the medicine with anything else.
Pass around empty prescription medication bottles. Ask the learners: What are these? Where do you get them? What are they for? Who tells you to take them?
Use vocabulary cards with clear photographs and words to practice the vocabulary. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to have learners point to the word you call out.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Look at photographs of pharmacies in your area. Ask learners what this place is for.
Learn a simple dialogue between a patient and a pharmacist about medicine. Include how many/ how much to take and when. Practice the dialogue with a partner and then perform it for the class.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about getting sick and taking medicine. Answer comprehension and true/false questions practicing knowledge of when to take the medicine and any other specific information such as “Take with food.” “Don’t drive” and so on.
Complete a worksheet with large clear images that has learners count pills and circle the correct number. Then complete a worksheet that has learners count the pills and write the number. Note the prescription might be a liquid and the dose may be in teaspoons. Extend this activity by specifying the time of day that the medicine should be taken.
Match instructions with images of medications: Take 2 pills, Take 2 teaspoons, Don’t take with milk and so on. Copy the sentences under the images.
Point out the use of Imperative for instructions, “You” is taken away from the sentence but is understood. Using simple instructions for other simple actions, such as making a coup of tea, practice the imperative. Do other activities and worksheets to practice the imperative, including negative imperatives.
In a pair and using a worksheet with various does, have learners ask “How much?” Or “How many?” and “When”?

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Look at simplified prescription labels.
Circle the name. Circle the number of pills or the number of teaspoons and underline when to take the medicine.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read a simplified prescription label;
identify how many pills to take or how many teaspoons. Match to an image that corresponds with the correct amount. Underline when to take the medicine and circle the correct image that corresponds
to the time of day.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Different cultures have different approaches to medicine, health, and wellness. Additionally, many learners have experienced times when they did not have access to medical care. Help learners to understand the options in Canada, including western medicine, and that when you are prescribed medicine, taking the correct amount is very important for your health.

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.
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.
Show learners that the size of an image on the screen can be adjusted.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

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.
Prescription medications can be very expensive, and many learners do not have insurance. Make learners aware of provincial and territorial drug or pharmacare programs.
Make learners aware of over-the-counter medicines for common ailments.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Accessing healthcare can be triggering for learners who have had traumatic healthcare experiences or who have not had access to healthcare. Be aware of any learners who need support.
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 pharmacy.
Invite a public health nurse to speak to the class.
Talk about routine describing what time of day you usually do
some activities: I go to school in the morning., I watch TV at night.,
I brush my teeth before bed., and so on.

Realia:

Prescription pill bottles or bottles of liquid medicine.

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: OCDSB Assessment Task: Understanding about Services Provided by Telehealth Ontario (CLB 3)
Tutela: Getting help from various health professionals
LINC 1 Classroom Activities: At the Pharmacy (p. 213-236)
(Not the correct level but can be adapted)
LINC 1 Classroom Activities: Health and Safety (p. 383-404)
(Not the correct level but can be adapted)
Tutela (OCDSB): Assessment Task: Reading Familiar Medicine Boxes: CLB 1 (Not the correct level but can be adapted)
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks
that can be adapted.

Multimedia: