Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 1L - Speaking
Sharing Information

Canada

Real-World Task

Say where you buy your favourite foods.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she
Names of local stores
Basic food vocabulary

Context:

Learners may find foods they are familiar with or are found in their countries of origin, at speciality stores.
Learners may shop at a variety of stores depending on their culture, neighbourhood, access to transportation, and budget.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

shop
food
favourite
like
names of stores in community
food words: rice, chicken, milk, eggs, noodles, meat, etc. plus specific words for each learner depending on their favourites

Sample Grammar:

Simple present: I shop at…
Word order: subject, verb, object

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

You can share information with your classmates to learn more about your community.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Discussing shopping and food can be a good way to get to know your classmates or neighbours, and become more familiar with your community.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What do you like to eat? Elicit food words from learners. Can you buy that food in Canada? Can you make it?
Learn new food vocabulary using vocabulary cards with clear photographs and words. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to learn the vocabulary. After a few rounds, have a learner take over calling out the food words.
Use vocabulary cards with clear photographs and words to practice food vocabulary. Play games such as matching, Bingo, and Memory.
Interview learners: What is your favourite food? Make a vocabulary card for each learner with a photograph of their favourite food and the word.
Practice a simple dialogue between two friends: What is your favourite food? My favourite food is chicken.
Have learners interview classmates: What is your favourite food?
Look at photographs (or use Google Maps streetview if possible) of grocery stores in your community. Elicit from learners the names of these stores. Ask learners where they shop. Ask learners: Do they have <your favourite food> at _______? Practice present simple. Have learners sit in a circle with their favourite food card. Have each learner say I like _____. I eat _____. The class can repeat: He / she likes _____. He / she eats _____. When learners are comfortable, add one more line: I buy _____ at _____.
Read a short, simple instructor-made story about shopping for food in Canada. Read the story to learners and then choral read and echo read.
Have learners match vocabulary words to words in the story.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Say your favourite food.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Say where you buy your favourite foods.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

There are a lot of cultural differences around food, and food is one of the important ways we celebrate and express our culture. Encourage learners to be respectful of each other’s cultures and the things they eat.

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.
Include foods from many different cultures in your examples and discussions.
Be aware that there may be learners in the class who are living in poverty or in food-scarce situations. Post information about food banks or other food programs and make sure learners are aware of resources in the community. Discuss ways to save money on food, such as buying in bulk and storing / freezing / sharing with a friend, finding discount supermarkets, growing some vegetables, and bringing food / tea / coffee from home.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who are living or have lived in poverty or have been in a food-scare environment may be triggered by discussions of food. Always treat food with respect and be aware that not everyone has enough to eat.
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:

Teach learners that Canada is an inclusive, multicultural country, and that all people have equal rights in Canada.
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 grocery store together and elicit an LEA (Language Experience Approach) about the experience.
Visit a local farmer’s market if possible.
Bring a food / dessert from your own culture to share with the learners. Allow learners to share food from their culture if possible, being aware of learners who may not have the financial means to do so.
Take a photograph of each learner with a photo of their favourite food and make a short book.

Realia:

Grocery store flyers
Google Maps

Units and Modules:

Tutela (CCLB): Grocery Shopping: CLB 1L/2L
LINC 1 Classroom Activities: Food activities (p. 367-382) (Not literacy but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Going Grocery Shopping: CLB 1L (Not at 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 1L
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Food
Unite for Literacy: Our Good Food
Unite for Literacy: Let’s Eat Fruits and Veggies
Unite for Literacy: Fresh from the Farm