Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 4 - Writing
Sharing Information

Global Citizenship

Real-World Task

Write a message to a family member suggesting they cycle or walk to school. Explain the benefits and some tips about bike paths, bike storage and safety.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some basic knowledge about sustainability and environmentally friendly practices
Vocabulary related to walking and biking
Many schools and workplaces have bike racks or storage areas.
Many cities have bike paths or safe spaces for bikes.
Helmets keep you safe.
Walking and biking reduce traffic and help the environment.

Context:

In many communities families bike or walk to work and school. Walking and biking are healthy, save money and help the environment.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Making suggestions with “Why don’t we…”, You should…” , Let’s…”
Simple present for “benefits’ such as “Walking is healthy. Biking saves money.” and so on.
Giving tips using “Use the bike path. Remember your helmet.”

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Connective words and phrases to show addition such as and, also.
Basic format and paragraph structure

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Beginning to recognize formal recommendations and requirements when reading.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What forms of transportation do you have in your countries of origin? Write a list on the board. Is this the same as in Canada? What is different? How do people get to school and work in your country of origin? Do they walk? Do they use bicycles? Why or why not? How do you get to school? Can you ride a bicycle? Would you bike to school or work? Why or why not?
Discuss as a class: What can we do to help protect the environment? What activities do you do at home? Elicit ideas around recycling, composting and turning off lights at home.
Introduce images of transportation and the exhaust gases that are harming the environment. Include cars, trains and airplanes. Ask: How can we reduce these gases? Elicit / Introduce ideas around travelling together in cars, electric cars and walking or biking when possible.
Introduce vocabulary items. Practice vocabulary through various activities such as pronunciation, matching images to definitions and matching words to images.
Discuss as a group: What are the advantages to walking or cycling when you can? Elicit ideas around health, saving money, saving time ( not in traffic), getting exercise and being good for the environment. Ask: What are the disadvantages? Elicit ideas around not having a bicycle, distance, takes longer, doing chores like grocery shopping on the way home and poor weather.
Listen to a short, simple audio about suggested sustainability practices that support the environment. Answer comprehension questions. Discuss the suggestions as a class.
Read a message from a family member to another about walking and riding a bicycle to get around the community. For example:
- Hi Michel,
- I think you should walk or ride your bike to school.
- It is healthy and saves money on bus fare.
- Please use the bike path and wear your helmet.
- You can lock your bike at the school bike rack.
- It is safe and good for the environment
- Love, Andree

Identify the vocabulary words. Instructor reads the passage to the class and the class choral reads matching pronouncing, intonation and speed.

Underline the sentences. Highlight the connective words. These words connect two different sentences, “It is healthy. It saves money “→ “It is healthy and saves money”
Practice the simple present and the use of connective words with various activities.
Note the opening and closing of the message. What are some other ways to open and close a message? Why does the family member use “love”? Is it acceptable to use “love” when you send a message to your boss or your teacher?
Read the text again. What tips does the writer give the family member. Write the tips on the board, Note how tips are like instructions and use the imperative. The subject of the sentence “you” is understood. Brainstorm a list of tips for learning English. Write the tips in a notebook or digital document.
Talk about making suggestions. How is this different from tips? (A suggestion is sharing an idea or plan whereas a tip is a small piece of practical advice usually based on fact.) Introduce “should” “Let’s …” or “Why don’t we…” for making a suggestion, such as “You should walk everyday for good health. Let’s practice English everyday to learn faster. Why don’t we put a small amount of money in a jar every week to save money.” Give learners a worksheet of various problems and in pairs, have them offer suggestions. Present their lists to the class.
Learners write sentences of suggestions for various images presented on a PowerPoint such as seeing an image of a sale on butter and writing “I should buy 2 or 3 butter.
It is a good price.”

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Write a message to a family member suggesting they walk every evening after school.. Explain the benefits and some tips about walking around your home.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Write a message to a family member suggesting they cycle or walk to school. Explain the benefits and some tips about bike paths, bike storage and safety.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

There are many different ways that waste is disposed of, including landfill, recycling, and compost
There are a variety of benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling; regional / municipal differences in what and how items are recycled; curbside pick‐up of landfill, recycling, and compost in many communities in Canada.
Environmental issues are sometimes politicized and could be considered a sensitive topic in some settings. There may also be specific regional issues to consider depending on where you are located.

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
Send and receive text messages and messages on other texting apps.
Send and receive email messages
Complete formatted texts online, such as forms
Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.
Use a search engine to find information

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.
Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills

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.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

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:

Take a field trip to the local recycling centre.
Invite a guest speaker from the local municipality to provide an overview of recycling / safe disposal options and other sustainability practices we can do in our homes.
Conduct a survey into the recycling habits of classmates or another LINC class
Create a “Tips for Learning English” poster for the classroom.
Take a field trip to a non-profit organization that promotes actions to protect the environment.
Take learners to a local green space to enjoy the outdoors and reflect on their experience.

Realia:

Maps of local bike paths and walking trails
Images of various transportation options
Recycling brochures and promotional materials
Alternatives to single use plastics such as grocery tote bags, metal straws, mesh bags for produce, dryer balls, and so on

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Assessment Task, Reading about Recycling CLB 4
Ellii Flashcards: The Environment
Ellii Collection: Environment
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: