Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 2L - Listening
Interacting with Others

Getting Around and Transportation

Real-World Task

Listen to a short conversation between two learners who are talking about a cultural event like an Indigenous or Francophone festival to find out how they got there, the date, and time.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Forms of transportation: bus, train, subway, ferry, taxi, walk, drive
Times: whole hours
Days of the week

Context:

There are many cultural events and festivals in Canada.
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:

cultural
event
Indigenous
Francophone
months: January, February, etc.

Sample Grammar:

Format of dates
Formats of times

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

When people are making plans, they often give details about time and date.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

There are many cultural events and festivals in Canada; they are usually inclusive and open to all people, and they are a good way to learn about different cultures and meet people.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Review forms of transportation with learners. Show them clear photographs of different forms of transportation and elicit the words they already know.
Give learners each a set of cards with words and clear photographs for forms of transportation. Ask questions to the class and have learners respond by holding up the correct card for them. Ask things like: How do you get to school? How did you get to Canada? How do you go shopping? How do you go to the park?
Complete a matching exercise to practice forms of transportation vocabulary.
Have learners write words to complete sentences about how they get to school or different places in the community.
Discuss as a class: what is a cultural event? Discuss what might happen at a cultural event, like food, clothing, music, and dancing from that culture.
Discuss as a class: what does it mean to be Indigenous? Who are Indigenous peoples in Canada? Teach that Indigenous cultures are an important part of Canadian culture. Watch What Does Indigenous Mean? The language is a little high, but there is good information. Stop the video as often as needed to discuss and explain and watch more than once.
Discuss as a class: what does it mean to be Francophone? Teach that Francophone culture is an important part of Canadian culture.
Read a simple instructor-made story about cultural events in Canada. Answer comprehension questions about the details. Circle pictures to show understanding.
Sing the 12 Months of the Year Song. Practice the months of the year using games and activities such as Bingo, Memory, and copying.
Write important dates in your life like your birthday, anniversary, the birthdays of your loved ones, the day you came to Canada, or any other important date.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Listen to voicemail messages about cultural events and circle the correct date, time, and transportation.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to a voicemail message from a friend inviting you to a cultural event and
leaving details including the date and time. Demonstrate understanding by circling the correct answers.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to a short conversation between two learners who are talking about a cultural event like an Indigenous or Francophone festival to find out how they got there, the date, and time. Demonstrate understanding through answering very simple comprehension questions.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may not have ever lived in a place where it was
safe for them to walk around their neighbourhood or take public transportation and may still not feel safe doing so in Canada.
Some learners who are women may never have been able to
walk around outside their home on their own.

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.
Read information from a screen.
Adjust volume on device.

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.
Discuss how to get a subsidized public transit pass in your community, if that is possible.
Discuss strategies for staying safer on public transportation.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Many learners who have experienced trauma, or learners who may be vulnerable such as learners who are women, learners who are 2SLGBTQIA+, or learners with disabilities, may not feel safe walking around in their neighbourhoods or in using public transportation. Discuss strategies for staying safer on public transportation.
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:

If possible, visit a cultural event as a class.
Listen to French music, learn a few words in French, or try a French treat.
Invite an Elder to speak to the class about their culture.
Take a trip on public transportation as a class. Use planning apps to plan the trip together beforehand. After the trip, elicit an LEA (Language Experience Approach) story from the learners.

Realia:

Maps
Public transportation apps or schedules
Calendars and clocks

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (OCDSB): Assessment Task: Understanding Road Signs: CLB 2
(Not literacy but can be adapted)
LINC 2 Classroom Activities: Travel and Transportation (p. 425-467)
(Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 2L
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: