Dedicated EAL Literacy Classes

EAL literacy learners have a unique learning challenge. They are developing EAL literacy skills for the first time in a language they are in the process of learning to speak. The best learning environment for EAL literacy learners to learn English is in a dedicated EAL literacy class. Teaching an EAL literacy class is different from teaching a non-literacy class in a LINC program, and the ways in which you approach instruction in all skills areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are different. 



EAL literacy learners are diverse. They can come from any country, culture or faith and be any gender or age. EAL literacy learners are often identified by a language assessment centre during their placement test.  They usually have between 0 and 9 years of formal education before coming to Canada, which is considered interrupted formal education. EAL literacy learners often have numeracy needs and are usually developing visual literacy, digital literacy and learning strategies. They have often experienced trauma and trauma-aware practice should always be used.



EAL Literacy itself is a continuum. In LINC, EAL literacy levels are defined from Foundation L to CLB 4L. Learners at Foundation L are developing initial EAL literacy skills, such as gripping a pencil, forming letters, learning sounds and letters and writing their own name. Learners at CLB 1L to CLB 4L are working on the same or similar tasks to non-literacy Stage I programs; however, they also receive dedicated instruction in EAL literacy skills and increased scaffolding and support. At the high end of the EAL literacy spectrum, learners at 4L have developed enough EAL literacy skills to be working on CLB 4 tasks in reading and writing with extra support. These EAL literacy levels are parallel to Stage I, and learners who complete CLB 4L can move into CLB 5. The development of EAL literacy skills is outlined in the Continuum of Literacy Skills in CLB: ESL for ALL. 



EAL literacy learners typically have interrupted formal education and fewer formal learning strategies. These include time management, planning, organizational and learning strategies such as taking notes. When you teach these learners, you need to slowly help them build these strategies. Explicitly build a routine with your learners that includes planning and organization, such as starting the class with writing the date and agenda on the board (or using images), and then returning to this list throughout the class to check off the activities you have completed. You can also work together to file papers in the correct place and facing the correct direction in their PBLA binders. Make your instruction transparent, tell learners why you are doing things and be prepared to consistently repeat the same strategies and skills multiple times. All learning should be scaffolded, with the gradual release of control over time, and language and skills should be recycled over and over, and spiralled over time (in which you return to the same skill at a slightly higher level). 



EAL literacy learners may not be used to sitting and focusing on written work for long periods of time. Break instruction into short activities 
and make sure you alternate focused reading / writing work with oral work and movement, as any kind of reading and writing is exhausting for learners who are first learning EAL literacy skills. You can use a variety of approaches to instruction, including incorporating music, realia, 
hands-on learning and movement. An EAL literacy classroom should be a dynamic, animated and active place.



While EAL literacy learners are working on the same speaking and listening tasks as non-literacy learners, and there is no “L” designation on these benchmarks, the approaches to teaching these skills are still different. An EAL literacy class is highly communicative. All new language in an EAL literacy class should be introduced and developed orally. EAL literacy learners cannot read or write language they are not yet familiar with. Grammar is best taught as a repeated oral pattern, rather than a chart with rules to be applied, and chants, songs and games can be very effective. You  must avoid teaching and assessing listening and speaking through reading and writing tasks, such as when a learner needs to 
read questions and write responses in order to demonstrate their listening comprehension. 



When you teach reading and writing, engage in task analysis to break down a task into composite skills, including EAL literacy skills. Also look for numeracy requirements and assumptions about “general knowledge” in tasks. EAL literacy learners typically spend a lot of class time working on skill-building activities, and skill-using and assessment tasks are usually shorter or are more highly adapted than in non-literacy classes. The Continuum of Literacy Skills outlines the development of EAL literacy skills in reading and writing. Explicitly teach these skills. Remember that you can teach them in many ways, not just using pen and paper, including using oral language and hands-on learning, such as magnetic letters or sand trays.



When you work on reading development, find reading texts that contain highly familiar language and are supported by clear visuals, such as clear photographs. Avoid using materials that are designed for children, as they are often intended to be read aloud by adults who are native speakers, have irrelevant topics and contain a range of high-level vocabulary. Look for textual features such as a large, clear font and lots of white space. Learners in Foundation L and CLB 1L have an easier time reading a font with an /a/ and a /g/ that looks hand-printed. Learners in Foundation L to CLB 2L have an easier time reading text that does not wrap around from one line to the next. In higher levels, learners can handle a smaller font and wrap-around text, although they still benefit from lots of white space. Be prepared to read the same text many times. You can begin with reading a text aloud to the learners and letting them follow along. Eventually, you can move to choral reading (when the instructor and learners read at the same time) and then learners can attempt to read on their own with a supportive listener.



There are many different effective approaches to teaching reading to EAL literacy learners. One excellent approach is whole-part-whole. This is 
an overall approach to any text in which you begin with the text as a whole. At this stage, you work with learners to look for overall meaning and practice reading strategies, such as making predictions. Once you have read the text as a whole several times and discussed the gist of the text, you move to working on a part of the text. At this stage, you focus on one or two EAL literacy and language elements in the text. This depends on what you are currently teaching. You could look for specific letter sounds or match word cards to words in the text. You could focus on a type of word ending, look at connecting words and so on. Next you move to the final “whole” stage and re-read the text for better and deeper understanding. 



Another very effective approach in the Language Experience Approach (LEA). LEA is an approach in which you have a group experience (such as 
a walk, a guest speaker, a game, a field trip or just an ordinary day), and then you ask the learners to tell the story of this experience. Write down what they say and use this text as a source for EAL literacy development activities. LEA works because it creates a text which uses the learners own known language structures and words, and is based on a recent personally relevant context.



There are not as many resources available for EAL literacy learning as for non-literacy learning, and many EAL literacy instructors develop some 
of their own materials. However, there are an increasing range of materials available. These include level-appropriate reading texts and lots of appropriate, relevant skill-building activities. The CCLB have multi-level EAL literacy modules at CLB 1L to 2L, and organizations such as AMSSA, The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES, Bow Valley College, NorQuest College, Toronto Catholic School District, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and ISANS have materials and modules. There are also online EAL literacy materials available on Avenue.