Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 2L-Reading
Getting Things Done

Indigenization

Real-World Task

Read a simple notice for an Indigenous cultural event.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Capital and lowercase letters
Some phonics knowledge
Basic awareness of Indigenous Peoples

Context:

Indigenous Peoples were the first peoples in Canada and live everywhere in Canada.
There are three groups of Indigenous Peoples in Canada: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
There are many different Indigenous Peoples and cultures in Canada.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Indigenous
culture
event
dancing
drumming
singing
days of the week
months of the year
specific local Indigenous Peoples in your area

Sample Grammar:

Prepositions at for times and on for days and dates

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Event posters include information about time, date, and location.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Indigenous cultural events are often inclusive and open to everyone.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Who are Indigenous Peoples? Where do they live?
As a class, explore the website: Whose Land. Look up whose territory you are in.
Practice saying the name(s) of the Indigenous Peoples whose traditional land you are on. Focus on one Nation at first.
Discuss as a class: do you have traditional clothes and music in your culture? Help learners to find examples online of traditional clothes and/or music from their cultures.
Watch examples of Indigenous cultural activities, such as singing, dancing, or drumming. If possible, find examples from Indigenous Peoples from your area.
Use vocabulary cards with words and clear pictures to practice the vocabulary. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to practice the vocabulary. Call out a word and have learners respond by holding up the correct card. After a few rounds, have a learner take turns calling out the words.
Use games such as Bingo, Memory, and Go Fish to practice the vocabulary.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Review the days of the week and the months of the year.
Copy days and dates.
As a class, look at an online poster or website for an Indigenous cultural event. Have learners identify the word Indigenous and the time and date of the event.
Read a very simple story about Indigenous cultures. Read the story to the learners and then choral read and echo read the story. Read the story multiple times over the course of several lessons to practice pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read a short message from a friend about an Indigenous cultural event. Circle the time and date.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read a simple notice for an Indigenous cultural event. Demonstrate understanding by answering very simple comprehension questions saying what the event is and the time and date of the event.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Indigenous Peoples have traditional territory in different parts of Canada.
Indigenous cultures are an important part of Canadian culture.

Digital Literacy Strategies:

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.

Learners may need to:

Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Read information from a screen.
Navigate camera and microphone
Adjust volume on device

Instructors can:

Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners
Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
Show learners how to zoom in and zoom out on a digital map.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Ensure that the images and cultural representations of Indigenous peoples are diverse and free from stereotypes and biases.
Raise learner awareness of the need for using appropriate language when discussing and addressing Indigenous peoples.
Use authentic Indigenous content, sources and materials whenever possible to support discussion and learning.
Celebrate Indigenous cultures.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have been forced to flee from their own land may be triggered by discussions of traditional territory and home, and learners who come from Indigenous groups in their home countries may be triggered by considerations of the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Acknowledge that you are learning too, and avoid speaking for Indigenous peoples.
Use resources and voices from Indigenous communities when possible (e.g., guest speakers, videos, or approved materials).
When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma. We can’t know what the triggers might be and what seems commonplace to us may have a triggering component for learners. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine. Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions.
Learners will benefit from positive relationships established in the classroom with the instructor and peers.
Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
- Allow learners choice:
  - the choice to work on a different topic
  - the choice to share or not share their own experiences
  - the choice to work alone or to work with others
  - the choice to take care of themselves
  - the choice to step out of the learning environment
When learners have shared personal distressing or traumatic experiences, make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences. Follow the activities which may make learners feel vulnerable with routine, predictable and comforting activities.
Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Watch a video of Indigenous singers, dancers, or drummers.
Attend a local Indigenous event if possible.
Invite an Elder to visit the class.
Learn a few words of a local Indigenous language.
Read various event posters from the school or community that may be found at the local library or supermarket bulletin board.

Realia:

Images of Indigenous Peoples and cultural objects
Examples of Indigenous singing or dancing
Posters for various events
Calendars

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 2L
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

- Native Land
- Whose Land
- YouTube (CBC): What Does Indigenous Mean?
- YouTube: Days of the Week Song
- YouTube: Days of the Week Song (Addams Family Tune).
- YouTube: 12 Months of the Year Song