Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 1L - Reading
Comprehending Information

Community and Recreation

Real-World Task

Read 2-3 highly familiar words in a very short story about a new local French school like the name, address and when it opened.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Present simple: forms of be

Context:

Many communities in Canada have both French and English schools. There are often guidelines about who can attend the French schools, such as one or both parents coming from a French background.
This task reflects the intention to include all people in Canada in the themes.
The language skills in this task could be applied to other contexts.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

school
French
address
new
open
student
months of the year: January, February, and so on

Sample Grammar:

capital letters for proper nouns (e.g. French, English, months of the year)

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Basic format of addresses

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Children can be educated in either French or English in many communities in Canada.
Parents usually choose to have their children educated in the language of their culture, either French or English.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: what language(s) are spoken in Canada? Discuss how there are many languages spoken in Canada, including all the languages spoken by the learners in the class. Ask learners what are the two official languages of Canada, and elicit from them French and English.
Write French and English on the board. Choral read the words as a class. Invite individual learners to read the words. Circle the F and E. Ask learners whether they are capital or lowercase. Ask them why we use capital letters for these words.
Use vocabulary cards with words and clear pictures to practice the vocabulary. Play games like Bingo, Matching, and Memory.
Fill in the blanks in 3-4 very simple sentences with the correct vocabulary word; for example I speak French / English, I go to school. I study English, My address is …..
Ask learners for the names of other languages and write them on the board. Pause at the beginning of each language name and ask whether to use a capital or lowercase letter. Copy French and English and the names of several other languages spoken in the class on a worksheet, where the space to copy is directly beneath the word. Double-check whether they used a capital letter for each language name.
Discuss as a class: what languages do children speak in school in Canada? What languages do they learn? Ask learners who have children in school what language is spoken in their children’s classes. Ask if any learners have children in English schools. Ask if any learners have children in French schools. Ask if any learners have children in a school that uses a different language.
As a class, look at the website for a few local English and French schools, if possible. Have learners point to the address of the school on the website.
Copy your own address. Check your work for correct capital letters.
Sing the 12 Months of the Year Song.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about a new French school including the month it opened.
Example:
- Maya goes to a new school.
- It is a French school.
- It is on Main Street.
- The address is 50 Main Street.
- The school opens in August.
Match vocabulary cards to the words in the story. Answer very simple yes / no questions orally.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read 2-3 highly familiar words in a very short story about a new local French restaurant, like the name, address and when it opened.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read 2-3 highly familiar words in a very short story about a new local French school like the name, address and when it opened. Show comprehension by pointing to the target word and saying it out loud or by answering a question orally.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

French and English are the official languages of Canada,
and French- and English-speaking parents have the right to have their children educated in their own language. There may also be other schools in the local community that are bilingual and provide education in either French or English and a third language.

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.

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:

Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, 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.
Teach learners that Canada is a multicultural country and that many languages are spoken in Canada.
Teach learners that both French and English are the official languages of Canada.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced discrimination may find discussions of minority language rights triggering.
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:

Invite a teacher, staff member, or administrator from a local French school to speak to the class about French education in your community.
Invite a learner from another class, whose children attend a French school, to talk to the class about the school and their experience.

Realia:

School websites

Units and Modules:

Tutela (CCLB): A Child’s Education: CLB 1L/2L

Lessons and Activities:

LINC 1 Classroom Activities: Community and Government Services (p. 227-256)(Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 1L
Tutela (Archway): Items in the Classroom: CLB 1L/2L
Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Numeric Focus: CLB 1L/2L
Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Alphabetic Focus: CLB 1L/2L
Tutela (Archway): Dates and Days: CLB 1L/2L
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

YouTube: 12 Months of the Year Song
Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Education