EAL Literacy:
Employment –
Finding a Job
This theme focuses on the communication skills needed to find, acquire, and maintain a job.
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 job title and the hourly wage.
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 2-3 words or a sentence about questions to expect in a job interview like where do you work now or when can you start?
Comprehending Information
Understand very simple information about highly familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, times and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
CLB 1L
Listen to a job title and the hourly wage.
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 a sentence about what questions to expect in a job interview like where do you work now or when can you start?
Comprehending Information
Understand very simple information about highly familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, times and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
CLB 2L
Listen to a description of job duties.
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 few short sentences about what questions to expect in a job interview like where do you work now, when can you start or can you work in the evenings?
Comprehending Information
Understand simple information about familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies specific factual details, such as numbers, letters, time, place, key words and expressions.
- Identifies words related to personal identification information.
CLB 3L
Listen to a description of a job, including the duties, education requirements and the wage/ salary.
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 short description of some topics that employers are not allowed to ask during a job like pregnancy, age and marital status.
Comprehending Information
Understand short, simple, descriptive communication about a person, object, situation, scene, personal experience or daily routine.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, key words and expressions as required.
CLB 4L
Listen to a description of a job, including the duties, education and experience requirements and wage/ salary.
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 brief description of laws for employers that do not allow for interview questions about race, sexual orientation and religion during a job interview.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive or narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist
- Identifies factual details,some implied meanings, key words and expressions.
Speaking
CLB Foundation L
Name a job skill you have.
Sharing Information
Give basic personal information in response to direct questions from a supportive listener.
- Answers simple questions about personal information.
- Uses alphabet to spell out words, such as own name.
Greet an interviewer appropriately at a job interview and introduce yourself.
Interacting with Others
Use and respond to basic courtesy formulas and greetings.
- Responds appropriately to common greetings, introductions, and leave-takings.
- Uses acceptable gestures and body language when making requests.
CLB 1L
Name a job skill you have.
Sharing Information
Give basic personal information in response to direct questions from a supportive listener.
- Answers simple questions about personal information.
- Uses alphabet to spell out words, such as own name.
Greet an interviewer appropriately at a job interview and introduce yourself.
Interacting with Others
Use and respond to basic courtesy formulas and greetings.
- Responds appropriately to common greetings, introductions, and leave-takings.
- Uses acceptable gestures and body language when making requests.
CLB 2L
Name 3-4 job skills you have.
Sharing Information
Give basic descriptions of concrete, familiar objects in a few short words or phrases.
- Describes concrete objects, likes and dislikes.
- Describes sizes, colours and numbers.
Introduce yourself to an interviewer at a job interview and ask them to speak slowly so that you can understand.
Interacting with Others
Use and respond to courtesy formulas and greetings.
- Opens a short conversation.
- Indicates communication problems verbally, if needed.
CLB 3L
Describe your work history in 4-5 sentences.
Sharing Information
Give simple descriptions of concrete objects, people or experiences in a few short sentences.
- Sustains about 4 or 5 sentences, which may not be adequately connected as discourse.
Introduce yourself politely to an interviewer at a job interview and engage in initial small talk.
Interacting with Others
Use a range of courtesy formulas and greetings in very short, casual, face-to-face interactions.
- Responds appropriately in short routine exchanges.
- Initiates and responds appropriately in short routine exchanges about self and another person.
CLB 4L
Describe your relevant work experience and skills for a specific job in 5-7 sentences.
Sharing Information
Give brief descriptions of personal experiences, situations or simple processes, such as getting goods or services.
- Sustains about 5 to 7 sentences, which are adequately connected as discourse.
- Gives descriptions in coherent narratives.
Call a workplace to follow up on an application and job interview.
Interacting with Others
Participate in short, very simple phone calls.
- Asks and responds to routine questions.
- Uses a range of small talk phrases and expressions.
Reading
CLB Foundation L
Read a very simple instruction accompanied by a visual for appropriate body language in a Canadian job interview (such as make eye contact or shake hands).
Look at a very simple job ad accompanied by a picture and highly familiar words like bus driver, teacher or cleaner and identify the job.
CLB 1L
Read a very simple instruction accompanied by a visual for appropriate body language in a Canadian job interview (such as make eye contact or shake hands).
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions for common, familiar everyday situations. Instructions have only 1 step and may be accompanied by illustrations.
- Recognizes individual words (imperative verbs and common nouns) in a set of instructions.
- Identifies numbers, a few key words and short expressions in instructions.
Look at a very simple job ad accompanied by a picture and highly familiar words like bus driver, teacher or cleaner and identify the job.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers and familiar words.
CLB 2L
Read 2-4 step clear, simple instructions for what to do in a job interview.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple, clearly sequenced instructions for common, familiar everyday situations. Instructions are up to 4 steps, in point or bullet form, and may be accompanied by illustrations.
- Recognizes individual words, phrases and symbols used in simple instructions.
- Follows instructions in the proper sequence.
Read a simple job ad with a very simple inclusion statement and determine job and job duties.
Getting Things Done
Get basic information from short, simple business or service notices.
- Scans text to find specific details.
CLB 3L
Read a short set of advice, up to 5 steps, on what to do in a job interview.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple, clearly sequenced instructions for familiar everyday situations. Instructions are up to about 5 steps, in point form or prose, and are often accompanied by illustrations.
- Identifies sequence signals (such as first, second, next).
- Recognizes words, phrases and symbols commonly used in instructions.
Read a job ad that includes an inclusion statement and determine job, job duties, required experience and starting wage.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Scans formatted text to find specific information.
CLB 4L
Read a paragraph giving advice on do’s and don’ts for a job interview, up to 6 steps.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple, clearly sequenced instructions and instructional texts for familiar everyday situations. Instructions are up to about 6 steps, in point form or as a short, continuous text that may include a visual.
- Identifies sequence signals (such as first, next, before).
- Recognizes common sentence patterns, phrases and symbols commonly used in instructions.
Read a job ad that includes an inclusion statement and determine job, job duties, required education, required experience and starting wage.
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
Complete a very simple job application form with 2-3 highly familiar basic personal information details, with the aid of a personal information card.
Copy 2-3 highly familiar words to complete a very simple message to a friend to say thank you for help with a job application like thank you, help, or the friend’s name.
CLB 1L
Complete a very simple job application form with 4-5 highly familiar basic personal information details, with the aid of a personal information card.
Getting Things Done
Complete very short, simple or simplified forms that require only basic personal identification information. Forms contain up to about 5 personal identification items and have clear labels and areas in which to write.
- Includes the required basic information.
- Write basic information in appropriate sections.
Write a simple guided message to a friend to say thank you for help with a job application.
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
Complete a simple job application form that includes up to 10 personal information details.
Getting Things Done
Complete short, simple or simplified forms, up to 10 items, that require only basic personal identification or familiar information. Forms contain up to about 10 personal identification or familiar information.
- Includes the required basic information.
- Follows standard conventions for capitalization and punctuation.
Write a guided note of a few sentences to say thank you after a job interview.
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
Complete a job application form, up to 15 items, that includes personal information and some skills.
Getting Things Done
Complete short, simple forms that require basic, personal identification or familiar information. Forms contain about 12 to 15 items and have clear labels and areas in which to write.
- Includes the required basic information with no major omissions.
- Follows standard conventions for capitalization and punctuation.
Write a few short sentences to follow up after a job interview.
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
Complete a job application form, up to 20 items, that includes personal information, skills and work experience.
Getting Things Done
Complete simple forms that require basic, personal identification or familiar information. Forms contain 15 to 20 items and have clear labels and areas in which to write.
- Includes the required basic information with no major omissions.
- Follows appropriate conventions for capitalization and punctuation.
Write a short paragraph to follow up after a job interview.
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 others 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.
