EAL Literacy:
Indigenization
This theme focuses on the communication skills needed to better understand and articulate Indigenous worldviews and ways of being, fostering reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Find out more about this theme here.
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 an Elder say their name and where they are from.
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.
Listen to 2-5 word instructions for making a very simple Indigenous craft.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions, commands and requests related to immediate personal needs.
Instructions/ commands are about 2 to 5 words.
- Identifies letters and numbers.
- Responds to requests and directions to provide personal information.
CLB 1L
Listen to an Elder say their name, where they are from and give one other detail about themselves like family information or their job.
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.
Listen to 2-5 word instructions for making a very simple Indigenous craft.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions, commands and requests related to immediate personal needs.
Instructions/ commands are about 2 to 5 words.
- Identifies letters and numbers.
- Responds to requests and directions to provide personal information.
CLB 2L
Listen to an Elder say a few sentences about items from their culture like a drum, pipe or herb.
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 simple 1 step instructions for making a very simple Indigenous craft.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple common instructions, commands, requests and directions related to immediate personal needs.
Instructions/ commands are simple imperative sentences.
- Identifies letters and numbers.
- Identifies words or phrases that indicate positive or negative commands or requests.
CLB 3L
Listen to an Elder tell a very short story about their culture.
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 few simple instructions for making a simple Indigenous food, like bannock.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand instructions and directions related to familiar, everyday situations of immediate personal relevance. Instructions are about 2 to 4 steps.
- Identifies words and phrases that indicate movement, location, measurement, weight, amount and size.
- Identifies basic connectors related to time (now, then, before, after) and place (this, that, here, there).
CLB 4L
Listen to an Elder tell a short Indigenous story.
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 instructions for making a moderately complicated Indigenous food, like rabbit stew.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand common, sequentially presented instructions and directions related to familiar, everyday situations of personal relevance. Instructions are about 4 to 5 steps.
- Identifies words and phrases that indicate movement, location, manner, frequency and duration.
- Recognizes and identifies correct sequence of steps.
Speaking
CLB Foundation L
Name the Indigenous territory that you live on.
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.
**Listen to correct terminology for Indigenous Peoples, languages and cultural practices. Emphasize the importance of avoiding stereotypes and appropriation.
Ask the instructor when is Truth and Reconciliation Day.
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.
CLB 1L
Name the Indigenous territory that you live on.
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.
**Listen to correct terminology for Indigenous Peoples, languages and cultural practices. Emphasize the importance of avoiding stereotypes and appropriation.
Ask the instructor when is Truth and Reconciliation Day.
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.
CLB 2L
Name the Indigenous Territory that you live on and name an Indigenous group from that nation.
Sharing Information
Give expanded basic personal information to a supportive listener.
- Answers simple questions about personal information.
- Uses alphabet to spell out words, such as own name.
Ask an instructor about plans for observing Truth and Reconciliation Day like the date and time.
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.
CLB 3L
Give a simplified Land Acknowledgement naming 1 to 2 Indigenous groups from that land.
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.
Ask for information from an instructor about plans for observing Truth and Reconciliation Day like the date, time and if there will be a guest speaker.
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.
CLB 4L
Give a simplified Land Acknowledgement naming 1 to 3 Indigenous groups from that land and explain your personal responsibility to these relationships and the land.
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.
Ask for information from an instructor about plans for observing Truth and Reconciliation Day and make suggestions for what the class can do.
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.
Reading
CLB Foundation L
Read highly familiar words from a thank- you message for attending a Truth and Reconciliation Day event like dear, thank you and name.
Read a highly familiar location from a sign for an Indigenous event like library or park.
CLB 1L
Read highly familiar words in a thank-you message for attending a Truth and Reconciliation Day event.
Interacting with Others
Understand short greetings and simple goodwill messages.
- Locates dates, times, addresses and phone numbers.
- Locates specific words and phrases.
Find the location and date on a poster for a local Indigenous event.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers and familiar words.
- Identifies an address.
CLB 2L
Read an invitation from a friend to attend a Truth and Reconciliation Day event together.
Interacting with Others
Understand short greetings and other goodwill messages.
- Finds a few simple details.
- Gets the gist.
Read a simple notice for an Indigenous cultural event.
Getting Things Done
- Gets basic information from short, simple business or service notices.
- Scans text to find specific details.
CLB 3L
Read an invitation to an Indigenous cultural event.
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).
Read a simple schedule for an Indigenous cultural event.
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 invitation to an Indigenous cultural festival with multiple events.
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 a simple program for an Indigenous cultural festival.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Identifies type and purpose.
Writing
CLB Foundation L
Copy 2 or 3 highly familiar words connected to Indigenous culture like First Nations, Indigenous, land and culture.
Complete own name and familiar recipient’s name in a guided message to a friend to say that today is Truth and Reconciliation Day.
CLB 1L
Copy a very simple list of words related to Indigenous cultural practice like smudge, sage, drum, sweet grass and red cloth.
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.
Complete a few words in a guided message to a friend to say that today is Truth and Reconciliation Day.
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 a simple Indigenous recipe.
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.
Copy a few sentences into a guided message to write an Elder or other Indigenous speaker to thank them for visiting the class.
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 up to a paragraph about an Indigenous cultural practice like smudging or fasting.
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 to a friend to share something you are interested in experiencing at an Indigenous Cultural event.
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 some feelings appropriate to the occasion.
CLB 4L
Copy ways of practicing Truth and Reconciliation like land acknowledgments and learning about the First Nations Peoples in the area, their history and their contributions.
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 to a friend to share something you are interested in learning about at an Indigenous Cultural event.
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.
Write a short essay, blog post, or social media post summarizing what you know about your local Indigenous group.
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.
