EAL Literacy:
Community and Recreation
This theme focuses on the communication skills required to connect with local communities and engage in recreational activities such as sports, volunteering and local events.
Choose a CLB level by clicking below to access information about Real-World Tasks and Detailed Sample Tasks for this theme.
Helpful Hint
You would benefit from familiarity with Literacy Learner Considerations for each level as you navigate the Sample Real-World Tasks below.
Listening
CLB Foundation L
Listen to a short description of a single parent accessing the food bank to find out the opening hours.
Comprehending Information
Understand very simple information about highly familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, time and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
Listen to two people who attended a Pride event greet each other and find out the location.
Interacting with Others
Understand individual greetings, introductions and goodwill expressions.
- Communication is very brief, 1 or 2 short turns.
- Identifies individual, familiar words and short phrases used in common courtesy formulas.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
Listen to a classmate describe the recreation centre where they meet with people from other cultures to identify the location.
Interacting with Others
Understand individual greetings, introductions and goodwill expressions.
Communication is very brief, 1 or 2 short turns.
- Identifies individual, familiar words and short phrases used in common courtesy formulas.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
CLB 1L
Listen to a short description of a single parent accessing the food bank to find out the opening hours.
Comprehending Information
Understand very simple information about highly familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, time and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
Listen to two people who attended a Pride event greet each other and find out the location.
Interacting with Others
Understand individual greetings, introductions and goodwill expressions.
Communication is very brief, 1 or 2 short turns.
- Identifies individual, familiar words and short phrases used in common courtesy formulas.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
CLB 2L
Listen to a short description of a French service available in the community including the address.
Comprehending Information
Understand simple information about familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies simple factual details, such as numbers, letters, time, place, key words and expressions.
- Identifies words related to personal identification information.
Listen to a short conversation between two classmates talking about where they can find their cultural food in their community.
Interacting with Others
Understand greetings, introductions, requests, goodwill expressions and an expanding range of basic courtesy formulas.
Communication is very brief, 2 or 3 turns.
- Identifies common courtesy phrases and an expanding range of expressions.
- Identifies participant roles and relationships based on courtesy formulas and introductions.
CLB 3L
Listen to a person with a disability talking about accessing accommodations in the community to find out the reason for the accommodation.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, key words and expressions as required.
Listen to a conversation about an Indigenous Art Exhibit to find out the date, time and location.
Interacting with Others
Understand simple social exchanges, including styles of greetings, introductions and leave-taking.
Communication is brief, about 5 turns.
- Identifies a range of common courtesy expressions in discourse.
- Identifies participant roles and relationships based on courtesy formulas and introductions.
Listen to a short description of a French service available to find out the name and the provider.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, key words and expressions as required.
Listen to two people talk about the fun things they think would help people in their cultural communities live healthier lives.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, key words and expressions as required.
CLB 4L
Listen to a story about people from different cultures accessing the local food bank to find out the food available.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, some implied meanings, key words and expressions.
Listen to a conversation between two people discussing cultural organizations in their community to find out their locations.
Interacting with Others
Understand short social exchanges containing introductions, casual small talk and leave-taking.
Communication is about 6 turns.
- Identifies formal and casual style and register.
- Identifies specific factual details and some implied meanings.
Speaking
CLB Foundation L
Ask where the washroom is at a local swimming pool.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to simple requests related to immediate personal needs.
- Uses appropriate single words, phrases, memorized expressions and courtesy formulas.
- Uses simple expressions of time.
At an Indigenous learning event, ask a classmate to sit down and close their binder.
Giving Instructions
Give brief, simple, common, routine instructions to a familiar person.
- Instructions are a few words or a short phrase.
- Uses imperative forms and memorized stock expressions.
- Uses appropriate courtesy words (such as please, thank you).
CLB 1L
Ask where the washroom is at a local swimming pool.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to simple requests related to immediate personal needs.
- Uses appropriate single words, phrases, memorized expressions and courtesy formulas.
- Uses simple expressions of time.
At an Indigenous learning event, ask a classmate to sit down and close your binder.
Giving Instructions
Give brief, simple, common, routine instructions to a familiar person.
- Instructions are a few words or a short phrase.
- Uses imperative forms and memorized stock expressions.
- Uses appropriate courtesy words (such as please, thank you).
CLB 2L
Ask for help finding the lockers at a local swimming pool.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to simple requests related to common everyday activities.
- Uses appropriate memorized expressions, simple sentences, and courtesy formulas for requests.
Tell a friend how to register for a local speaking event with an Elder.
Giving Instructions
Give short, simple, common, routine instructions to a familiar person.
- Instructions are short phrases or imperative sentences.
- Uses imperative forms, memorized stock expressions, and appropriate courtesy words (such as please).
- Gives both positive and negative commands.
CLB 3L
Ask for help registering yourself for swimming lessons at a local swimming pool.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to an expanding range of simple requests related to everyday activities.
- Uses appropriate polite expressions.
- Uses simple sentences and question formations.
Tell a friend how to register to attend an Indigenous cultural event in your community.
Giving Instructions
Give simple, common, routine instructions and directions to a familiar person.
Instructions are about 2 to 3 steps.
- Uses appropriate courtesy forms and structures.
- Expresses movement and location.
CLB 4L
Ask for help registering a child for swimming lessons at a local recreation centre.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to a range of requests and offers.
- Asks questions and makes requests and suggestions politely and appropriately.
- Uses modals with some accuracy.
Explain to a friend how to sign up to volunteer at an Indigenous event in your community.
Giving Instructions
Give a set of simple, common, routine instructions and directions to a familiar person.
Instructions are about 4 to 5 steps.
- Uses appropriate courtesy forms and structures.
- Expresses movement and location.
Reading
CLB Foundation L
Read 2 or 3 highly familiar words about a local Acadian French cultural cooking class like the day and time.
Read highly familiar words and symbols for sunny and rainy on a highly simplified weather report.
CLB 1L
Read 2-3 highly familiar words in a very short story about a new local French school like the name, address and when it opened.
Comprehending Information
Recognize names, numbers and some basic details in very simple, short texts related to everyday situations and immediate needs.
- Identifies numbers, letters, a few key words and short expressions.
Read highly familiar words and symbols on a highly simplified weather report that says whether it is sunny, cloudy, rainy, or snowy.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers and familiar words.
CLB 2L
Read a short story about a local Francophone festival.
Comprehending Information
Understand the purpose and some basic details in very simple, short texts related to everyday familiar and personally relevant situations and topics.
- Identifies purpose.
- Identifies numbers, a few key words and short, common expressions.
Read a simplified weather report that includes temperature and whether it is sunny, cloudy, rainy or snowy.
Getting Things Done
Get basic information from short, simple business or service notices.
- Scans text to find specific details.
CLB 3L
Read an article about a local Francophone demonstration to ask for more French services to learn the location, date, and reason for the demonstration.
Comprehending Information
Understand the purpose, main idea, key information and some details in simple, short texts related to everyday familiar and personally relevant situations and topics.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies key information and main idea.
Read a weather report that includes temperature, wind speed and forecast.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Scans formatted text to find specific information.
CLB 4L
Read an article about a lack of bilingual French health professionals in the province.
Comprehending Information
Understand the purpose, main idea, key information and specific details in simple, short texts related to everyday familiar and personally relevant situations and topics.
- Gets the overall meaning.
- Identifies meanings of connective words between sentences in a narrative sequence.
Read a weather report that includes temperature, wind speed, forecast, windchill or humidity and decide what to wear.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Compares facts and information to make choices.
Writing
CLB Foundation L
Copy 4 or 5 different sports that are available locally (for example, soccer, hockey, swimming and so on).
Write 2-3 highly familiar words to complete a very simple, short guided message to a friend about what you can do at the park like walk, tennis or picnic.
CLB 1L
Copy the name and address of a local community centre.
Reproducing Information
Copy numbers, letters, words, short phrases or sentences from simple lists or very short passages, for personal use or to complete short tasks.
Texts to copy are up to 2 sentences in length, have a clear layout and basic everyday information.
- Copies letters, numbers, words and short sentences, including capitalization and punctuation.
- Copies text legibly; reader may still have difficulties decoding some letters and numbers.
Write words to complete a very simple, short guided message to a friend about what you can do at the park.
Interacting with Others
Convey greetings or other goodwill messages by completing cards or other very short, simple standard texts.
Messages are a few words in length, addressed to a familiar person and related to personally relevant situations.
- Completes a message with simple and minimal information.
- Addresses message for sending.
CLB 2L
Copy information about a local soccer team for children.
Reproducing Information
Copy a range of information, from simple lists or very short passages, for personal use or to complete short tasks.
Texts to copy are 3 to 5 sentences, have clear layout, and basic everyday information; lists have about 10 items.
- Copies letters, numbers, words and sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.
- Copies text legibly; reader may still have difficulties decoding some letters and numbers.
Write a short guided message to a friend to say what you do for fun on the weekend.
Interacting with Others
Convey an expanding range of goodwill messages by means of standard cards or guided notes.
Messages are a few words or short phrases, addressed to a familiar person and related to personally relevant situations.
- Completes a message with familiar information.
- Uses adequate spelling and punctuation.
CLB 3L
Copy information about a drop-in basketball game at the local recreation centre.
Reproducing Information
Copy or record a range of information from short texts or personal use.
Texts to copy are up to about 1 paragraph and have a clear layout.
- Follows standard Canadian conventions for capitalization, punctuation and other requirements of the genre.
- Copies text legibly, causing only slight uncertainty in decoding for the reader.
Write a short letter or email with several sentences to a friend to describe your favourite hobby.
Interacting with Others
Convey short, personal, informal social messages on topics related to familiar everyday situations.
Messages are a few short sentences addressed to a familiar person and related to personally relevant situations.
- Conveys the message; reader may have to guess or make inferences to follow completely.
- Describes time and location.
CLB 4L
Copy information about several different conversation classes at the local library including days, times and levels (beginner, intermediate or advanced).
Reproducing Information
Copy or record an expanded range of information from short texts for personal use.
Texts to copy are up to about 2 paragraphs and have a clear layout.
- Follows standard conventions for capitalization and punctuation; accurately copies other elements of formatting.
- Copies text legibly, causing only slight uncertainty in decoding for the reader.
Write a letter or email to a friend to describe what you are doing in your free time.
Interacting with Others
Convey short, personal, informal social messages on topics related to familiar everyday situations.
Message is a few sentences or a short paragraph addressed to a familiar person and related to a personally relevant situation.
- Conveys the message so that a reader can follow it.
- Conveys main ideas and supports them with some detail in a basic paragraph structure.
Literacy Learner Considerations
CLB FL Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
For listening and speaking, Foundation L learners vary in their abilities. It is important for them to build oral language related to the task or theme. This will help them understand the structure of the language, cultural-specific ways of communication, and to recognize the same language in print.
Reading
To prepare for CLB 1L reading tasks, Foundation L learners can work towards foundation reading skills, in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task or text
- recognizing letters of the alphabet
- connecting letters and corresponding sounds
- attending to first sound when learning new oral vocabulary
- attending to the first letter and corresponding sound when locating a familiar word
- recognizing numbers 1-10
- recognizing date and date of birth formats
- recognizing their own name in print
- recognizing a few common sight words related to the task
Writing
To prepare for CLB 1L writing tasks, Foundation L learners can work towards foundational writing skills, in the context of real world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task or text
- gripping a pen or pencil effectively
- forming the letters of own name legibly, and orally spelling own name
- using letter counting to check accuracy while copying
- forming capital and lowercase letters from a model
- creating a reference card with personal identification information
- forming numbers 1-10
- tracing and copying words
- labeling a picture or diagram
- filling in missing first letter of a dictated familiar word related to the task
- attending to the first sound when attempting to write words
CLB 1L Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
1L learners are meeting the requirements of CLB 1 in listening and speaking. It is important for 1L learners to develop all new languages orally first so that it is familiar to them when they learn to recognize it in print. Listening and speaking should be taught and assessed orally and not through the skills of reading and writing. There is a focus on learning basic and immediately relevant vocabulary and beginning to learn the sounds of the language, including the ability to break words into sounds and to blend sounds into words.
Reading
To be successful in 1L reading tasks, 1L learners can work towards the development of reading skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- recognizing that letters have distinct sounds
- connecting letters to sounds
- reading own name and recognizing own address and personal information
- developing first sight words
Writing
To be successful in 1L writing tasks, 1L learners can work towards the development of writing skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- forming lowercase and uppercase letters
- identifying the first sound and some other sounds in a familiar word
- copying words
- writing own name and personal information
CLB 2L Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
2L learners are meeting the requirements of CLB 2 in listening and speaking. It is important for 2L learners to develop all new languages orally first so that it is familiar to them when they learn to recognize it in print. Listening and speaking should be taught and assessed orally and not through the skills of reading and writing. There is a focus on increasing basic, immediately relevant vocabulary and learning the sounds of the language, along with the ability to break words into sounds and to blend sounds into words.
Reading
To be successful in 2L reading tasks, 2L learners can work towards the development of reading skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- using short vowel sounds to differentiate between a few short, highly familiar words
- beginning to blend sounds to read very simple words
- recognizing familiar repeated sentence stems
- developing some very basic sight words
Writing
To be successful in 2L writing tasks, 2L learners can work towards the development of writing skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- using a mature grip on a pencil or pen
- forming all letters and numbers with increasingly consistent size
- filling in missing initial and final sounds of dictated familiar words
- spelling own name and a small set of short, familiar function words from memory
CLB 3L Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
3L learners are meeting the requirements of CLB 3 in listening and speaking. It is important for 3L learners to develop all new languages orally first so that it is familiar to them when they encounter it in print. Listening and speaking should be taught and assessed orally and not through the skills of reading and writing. There is a focus on widening basic vocabulary and learning grammatical structures through rhythm and repeated patterns.
Reading
To be successful in 3L reading tasks, 3L learners can work towards the development of reading skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- categorizing familiar single-syllable words by rime (make, take, lake)
- recognizing diagraphs as a single sound while reading familiar words (fish, church, think)
- attending to initial, medial and final sounds when reading familiar words
- recognizing inflectional endings (-ing, -ed, -s)
Writing
To be successful in 3L writing tasks, 3L learners can work towards the development of writing skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- forming letters and numbers in consistent, adult-like size
- writing with consistent spacing
- developing a larger rote spelling repertoire including multisyllabic words
- using long vowel conventions in spelling
CLB 4L Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
4L learners are meeting the requirements
of CLB 4 in listening and speaking. It is important for 4L learners to develop all new languages orally first so that it is familiar to them when they read it and use it in print. Listening and speaking should be taught and assessed orally and not through the skills of reading and writing. There is a focus on an increasingly broad vocabulary for basic communication and a wider range of grammatical structures that are familiar through rhythm and repeated patterns.
Reading
To be successful in 4L reading tasks, 4L learners can work towards the development of reading skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- applying onset-rime knowledge to decode unfamiliar words in context
- attempting to break unfamiliar multisyllabic words into syllables while reading in context
- beginning to recognize common but irregular spelling patterns (height, although)
- identifying contractions and their connection to long forms
Writing
To be successful in 4L writing tasks, 4L learners can work towards the development of writing skills in the context of real-world tasks, such as:
- developing oral vocabulary related to the task
- forming letters and numbers with automaticity
- varying writing size and line spacing depending on context
- using root words to attempt to write new words independently (happy, happiness)
- applying spelling rules for inflectional endings with accuracy
Sample Real World Tasks
This information is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to help guide you in the planning process. You can use these sample real-world tasks to guide and inform your selection or creation of skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks
These sample real-world tasks include the following: skill, real-world task, competency area, one competency statement and two sample indicators of ability. This is not an exhaustive list: there are more indicators of ability and information about this CLB level in Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults. Consult this resource for more information and to select your own competencies or indicators of ability. Remember, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson plan, module plan or curriculum.
