Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 2L - Speaking
Giving Instructions

Employment - At the Workplace

Real-World Task

Explain to a coworker how to use a basic tool or machine.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Present simple
Basic jobs vocabulary: teacher, cleaner, kitchen helper, security guard, nurse,
and so on

Context:

Coworkers often have to help train or support new employees in the workplace.
This task can be used with any tool or machine; a few have been chosen here
as examples as learners will need to
learn specific vocabulary for each
tool / machine.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Imperative voice for instructions

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

When giving instructions, start with the action word / verb.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

You can soften an instruction by saying please or by adding a tag question,
such as okay?

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Who has a job? What do you do? Who has had a job in the past? What did you do? Brainstorm a list of common, familiar jobs on the board.
Discuss as a class: For those who have had a job, who taught you to do your job? Have you ever taught someone to do something, like a coworker, friend, or family member?
Review the imperative voice for instructions. Use TPR with common classroom actions (stand up, sit down, open your binder, wave to your classmate, and so on) to practice the imperative voice. After a few rounds, have learners work in small groups and take turns calling out the commands.
Discuss as a class: What are some things people need to do their jobs? Elicit vocabulary such as broom, vacuum, knife, deepfryer, stethoscope, hammer and so on. Use images to support your discussion.
Post a photograph of a vacuum cleaner
on the board. Ask learners to explain what
it is and how to use it. Write down key vocabulary words as you go on a list on the board.
Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to practice task vocabulary. Give each word an action, call out the word, and have learners respond with the correct action.
Incorporate phonics activities based on the vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about how to use different tools and machines in the workplace, e.g. This is a vacuum cleaner. Switch it on and clean the carpet. This is a hammer. Hit the nails with the hammer. This is a deep fryer. Turn it on, put food in the basket, and put the basket in the hot oil. Be careful! Read the story several times over several days and do comprehension activities such as matching pictures to words, answering simple comprehension questions, and copying words from the story underneath pictures.
Listen to a simple instructor-made dialogue between two coworkers about using tools, such as This is the vacuum cleaner. Okay, what do I do? Switch it on and clean the carpet. Okay, thanks! Practice the dialogue as a class and then practice again with a partner.
Read sentences from the dialogue and
draw a line between the sentence and an appropriate picture, such as connecting Clean the carpet to a picture of a carpet.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Explain to a coworker how to use a basic tool or machine. Use one of the tools or machines discussed in the skill-building activities, and use a different tool or machine from the assessment task.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Explain to a coworker how to use a basic tool or machine. Use one of the tools or machines discussed in the skill-building activities.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may have gendered ideas of work and jobs and assume that some jobs are for men and some jobs are for women
(or that women should not work outside the home). Help learners to understand that in Canada, anyone can do any job.

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 or apps that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites or apps.
Show learners how to change the speed on an online video.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Make sure you use a variety of jobs in your examples, including many entry-level or so-called “unskilled” jobs that are more accessible to learners at this level.
Use images of men and women doing a variety of types of jobs.
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.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced trauma may be triggered by overly authoritative approaches. Watch out for learners who are stressed or upset by this topic.
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:

Have learners cut out pictures and glue them to a page to make a collage for a certain job, e.g. cutting out food and kitchen items for a kitchen helper, cutting out tools and lumber for a carpenter, and so on.
Invite learners from other classes who are working to come to the class and present about the jobs they do and what they need to do their jobs.

Realia:

Examples of tools or machines

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

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 2L
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: