Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 3 -Reading
Getting Things Done

Community and Recreation

Real-World Task

Read a community marketplace advertisement for a second-hand household item to decide whether to buy it.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Names of common household goods
Conventions for prices

Context:

Many people use online or printed community marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, community boards and so on to find affordable furniture, appliances or household items.
Learners need to be aware of marketplace scams and also to ensure knowledge of how to determine fair prices, that items are good quality and good working condition and how to be safe when meeting for pick up.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

for sale
secondhand / used
good condition
like new
price
free
pick up / delivery
location
contact
available
negotiable / firm
household items such as sofa / couch, table. chairs, lamp, bed, appliances such as stove, fridge, washer / dryer and so on.

Sample Grammar:

Adjectives to describe items such as new, used, good, small, big, and so on
Simple sentences with “be” and “cost”:
- The chair is $20.
- It is in good condition.
Yes / No questions for decision making:
Is it cheap? Is it near my home?

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Textual and contextual cues to interpret the purposes of a text – identify information in a short ad
Common written formats – such as common vocabulary in marketplace ads including abbreviations

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

In Canada, buying secondhand is common and socially acceptable
Ads are usually short, direct and may include abbreviations such as cond – condition, OBO – or best offer and so on.
It is important to be polite when contacting sellers- Use greetings and simple polite sentences- Hello, Is this sofa still available?
It is normal to ask about the condition and negotiate price, within reason.
Items are most often pick-up only. Buyers must arrange transportation.
Extra care must be taken with items that are soft or have fabric due to the increase of bedbug populations in many cities.
There are many scams out there. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Where do you shop? Do you think it is expensive or cheap? Where do you find the cheapest place to buy what you need for your home (not groceries)? Have you ever bought anything secondhand? Where did you find your items? Is there second hand shopping in your country of origin?
Match picture flashcards showing vocabulary items with images. Then add an additional set of flashcards with simple definitions for each term and match these to the images and vocabulary terms.
Listen to a short audio text describing an item for sale and answer a set of yes / no questions about the item. Read the story several times together, matching the instructor for tone, speed and pronunciation. In a pair, read the story to a partner to practice fluency.
In pairs, complete a set of sentences that describe everyday items that we may find for sale in a marketplace. Use the vocabulary words to create an ad of 2 or 3 sentences.
Share with another group and have them ask clarifying questions or negotiate the price. “Will you take $10?”
Review the grammar rules for how to use comparative adjectives and practice writing simple sentences that compare familiar items depicted on flashcards.
Take jumbled sentences which include comparative adjectives and their prices and put the words in the correct order. Copy the sentences into an electronic document or notebook.
Have a show and tell for learners to describe one specific item they want to sell on the marketplace. It may be the actual item or a picture of an item.
Read several descriptions of items, answer some basic questions on how it meets your needs and make a decision to buy or not to buy. Discuss as a class.
Review questions for making decisions when purchasing: Is it a good price? Is it in good condition? Is it near my home? Is there delivery? Is the price negotiable?
In pairs, with each learner having a description of a different item for sale, ask each other questions to help their partner make a decision about buying the item.
Write several sentences to support your decisions following up on the questions practiced. I will buy it because…. It is cheap / in good condition/ near my home / it is big enough for my family / the price is negotiable and so on.
In pairs, read two item descriptions on a marketplace app or community marketplace board. As a pair, prepare a presentation on the two choices and the one they would buy, and why.
Compare two products and send an
email / message to a partner asking if the item is available, if the price is negotiable and an offer for a lower price. Partners should answer the message about their item.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read several ads for the same item in different marketplace apps. Choose the best one to buy and mark a checklist for the reasons you chose the item you did.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read a community marketplace advertisement for a second-hand household item to decide whether to buy it. Write two or three short sentences to support your decision using words from a word box.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Not all cultures may have a throw away culture in the same way as Canadians do. Recognize that many countries around the world consume far less resources in everyday living and as such may be new to secondhand shopping.

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.
Read information from a screen.
Scan online resources to find information.
Read formatted texts online, such as forms

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.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills

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.
Affordability may be a priority for many learners experiencing economic hardship. Be careful not to shame learners for shopping predominantly at discount or secondhand shops — acknowledge that cost, availability, and necessity influence choices. Discuss as a class some simple, affordable ways to save money.
Learners may be prioritizing family needs, bulk purchasing, or food security. Moreover, cultural or religious restrictions (e.g., halal, vegan, ways of dressing) are a priority for some families. Instructors should create space for personal and cultural decision-making, not a “right or wrong” model.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

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 local second hand store or department store and compare prices.
Plan a small class yard sale. Learners can bring in small items if they have them and set up small stations to advertise their items for sale. Learners can practice their vocabulary words and how to communicate when selling and buying goods. If learners don’t have things of their own, they can partner with another learner or the instructor can provide some extra items for the purpose of practicing the language.

Realia:

Pictures of household items
Maps showing where the secondhand shops in the community are located.

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

LINC 3 Classroom Activities
Tutela: Shopping- Reading- Info, Skill Using CLB 2
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Traditional Clothing