Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 2L - Reading
Comprehending Information

Employment - At the Workplace

Real-World Task

Read 2 or 3 simple sentences about parental leave in the workplace.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Letter formation: capitals and lowercase letters
Some phonics knowledge: single sounds and some blends
Present simple

Context:

In Canada, parents who are working jobs and who are eligible, are entitled to parental leave at the birth or adoption of a baby through the federal government. Some parental leave must be taken by a birth mother; the rest of the parental leave can be divided between parents.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Modal verb: can

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Information from the government often tells you what your options are.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

The Government of Canada supports new parents and provides leave, some financial support, and a guarantee of their position on their return.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Have you had a baby in Canada, or do you know anyone who has had a baby in Canada? Did you / they have a job at the time? What did you / they do?
Use vocabulary cards with words and clear pictures to practice the task vocabulary. Play games such as Bingo, Go Fish, and Memory.
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.
Teach learners about parental leave in Canada. Discuss: What is parental leave? What do you get on parental leave? Explain that if you are eligible, you get time off work, money from the government, and the right to return to your job. Discuss: Why do new parents need time off work?
Listen to a very simple, instructor-made dialogue between two people discussing parental leave. Practice the dialogue as a class and then practice with a partner.
Copy vocabulary words to complete sentences illustrated with clear pictures.
Review the modal verb can. Practice using can to talk about abilities. Have each learner give an example of something they can do, e.g. I can speak Pashto. I can fix a car.
Read simple sentences with can. Match each sentence to the correct picture.
Read a simple, instructor-made story about parental leave. Read the story to the class and then choral read and echo read the story. Match vocabulary cards to words in the story.
Read the story together with a partner. Work together to answer simple comprehension questions.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read a very simple story of 2 to 3 simple sentences about having a new baby. Demonstrate understanding by answering simple yes / no comprehension questions.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read 2 or 3 simple sentences about parental leave in the workplace. Demonstrate understanding by answering simple yes / no comprehension questions.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Learners may not come from cultures with paid parental leave. Help learners understand their rights in Canada.
Learners may come from cultures where it is expected that men do not take care of babies. Help learners understand that in Canada men and women can both take care of babies.
Learners may come from cultures where it is expected that extended family, such as grandparents, care for babies in the family. Teach learners that some families in Canada work that way, but that many families in Canada do not have as much support from extended families.

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 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.
In your examples and stories, show images of both men and women holding babies.
Include examples of adopting babies as well as giving birth to babies.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have lost pregnancies, lost children, or who have been unable to have children may be triggered 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:

Avoid asking learners questions about their own experiences as parents. Give learners the choice to volunteer information if they wish or stay silent if they wish.
Use examples of fictional families and discuss the families in the story rather than using learners’ own experiences for topics that can be highly triggering.
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 fill in a sample simplified form for applying for leave based on fictional information.
Have learners explain to a partner what parental leave is.

Realia:

Simplified information about parental leave

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (Archway): Email and Passwords: CLB 1L/2L
Tutela (Archway): Saying No to a Work Shift: CLB 1L/2L
Tutela (Archway): Work Calendars and Schedules
LINC 2 Classroom Activities: Employment (p. 315-358) (Not literacy 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 2L
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Unite for Literacy: People at Work
Tutela: ESL Image Bank: People in Different Jobs