EAL Literacy:
Home and Neighbourhood
This theme focuses on the communications skills needed to find and manage housing, and help build communities.
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
Follow a single instruction to take out the garbage on the correct day.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions, commands and requests related to immediate needs.
- Identifies words or phrases that indicate positive or negative commands.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal requests.
Listen to a neighbour ask for help.
Getting Things Done
Understand expressions used to attract attention and to request assistance in situations of immediate personal need.
- Identifies a few common key words and formulaic expressions.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
CLB 1L
Follow a single instruction to take out the garbage on the correct day.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions, commands and requests related to immediate needs.
- Identifies words or phrases that indicate positive or negative commands.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal requests.
Listen to a neighbour ask for help.
Getting Things Done
Understand expressions used to attract attention and to request assistance in situations of immediate personal need.
- Identifies a few common key words and formulaic expressions.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
CLB 2L
Follow instructions to sort recycling.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple common instructions, commands, requests and directions related to immediate needs.
- Identifies words or phrases that indicate positive or negative commands.
- Responds verbally or with actions.
Listen to a neighbour give a warning about the weather.
Getting Things Done
Understand expressions used to make and respond to requests and warnings in situations of immediate personal need.
- Identifies expressions for basic requests and warnings.
- Responds appropriately with physical or verbal responses.
CLB 3L
Follow instructions to correctly sort items for compost.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand instructions and directions related to familiar, everyday situations of immediate personal relevance.
- Identifies basic connectors related to time (now, then, before, after) and place (this, that, here, there).
- Responds with correct actions to instructions.
Listen to a conversation, of about 5 turns, between neighbours preparing for a Pride march in the neighbourhood.
Getting Things Done
Understand expressions used in familiar everyday situations (such as request, permission and warnings).
- Identifies phrases and sentences related to simple persuasive functions.
CLB 4L
Follow instructions to sort garbage, compost and different kinds of recycling.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short descriptive or narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Identifies words and phrases that indicate movement, location, manner, frequency and duration.
- Recognizes and identifies correct sequence of steps.
Listen to a small neighbourhood group discuss strategies for making the neighbourhood more inclusive to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Getting Things Done
Understand short communication intended to influence or persuade others in familiar, everyday situations.
- Identifies purpose, main ideas, factual details and some implied meanings in simple announcements, commercials or infomercials.
Speaking
CLB Foundation L
Say your address.
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.
Ask your teacher for help with a task.
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
Say your address.
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 a neighbour and respond appropriately to greeting.
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
Say where you live, including your address, what kind of home it is, and which neighbourhood you live in.
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.
Greet a neighbour and initiate a very short conversation about the weather.
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 home and what you like about it.
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.
Greet a neighbour and ask about their recent weekend.
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 home, including the type of housing and details about the home.
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.
Greet a neighbour and make small talk, extending the conversation through questions.
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 your name and celebration word on a very simple card (Pride, Ramadan, birthday and so on).
Read 2-3 words in a very simple description of a rental home like bedrooms and kitchen.
CLB 1L
Read a very simple thank-you note from a friend for attending a Pride event together.
Interacting with Others
Understand short greetings and simple goodwill messages.
- Locates dates, times, addresses and phone numbers.
- Locates specific words and phrases.
Read a very simple rental listing to find the address.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers and familiar words.
CLB 2L
Read a message from a friend with a short update including information on attending a Pride event.
Interacting with Others
Understand short greetings and other goodwill messages.
- Finds a few simple details.
- Gets the gist.
Read a rental listing to find the neighbourhood and rent.
Getting Things Done
- Gets basic information from short, simple business or service notices.
- Scans text to find specific details.
CLB 3L
Read a short email from a friend with an invitation to a party to celebrate Pride Month.
Interacting with Others
Understand short, personal social messages within predictable contexts of daily experience.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies some specific details and information (such as sender, date and response required).
Get information from a rental listing like the address, contact information, rent and some details about the rental.
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 email from a friend with an invitation to attend a few events to celebrate Pride Month.
Interacting with Others
Understand simple personal social messages within predictable contexts of daily experience.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies specific important details (such as sender, date and response required).
Read and compare several different rental listings.
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 the name and phone number of your landlord.
Complete a very simple guided text about your home with 2 or 3 words using a word bank (for example living room, bathroom, yard).
CLB 1L
Copy the company name, contact name and phone number of a plumber.
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 a few words to complete a very simple guided text about where you live.
Sharing Information
Writes a few words to complete a short, guided text or answer simple questions to describe a personal situation.
- Writes a few personal and familiar details.
- Writes legibly.
CLB 2L
Copy the company name, contact name, contact information and email address of an electrician.
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 words from a word bank to complete a guided text about an item you like in your home.
Sharing Information
Write a few words to complete a short, guided text or answer simple questions to describe a personal situation.
- Follows some spelling and punctuation conventions.
- Writes legibly.
CLB 3L
Copy information about the Official Language Act, the year it was first published and the date the new Law came into effect.
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.
Describe in a few sentences what you can do at home to help the environment.
Sharing Information
Write a few sentences to describe a familiar person, object, place, situation or event.
- Uses a few connected sentences.
- Provides adequate descriptions, though a reader may have some difficulty following the message.
CLB 4L
Copy information about the Official Language Act and the right to primary and secondary education in French.
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.
Describe in a short paragraph what you can do at home and in your community to help the environment.
Sharing Information
Write a short paragraph to describe a familiar situation, event, personal experience or future plan.
- Uses basic paragraph structure.
- Conveys main ideas and supports them with some detail.
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.
