Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy
CLB 4L
Social Connections and Relationships
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Slow to normal rates of speech
- Face-to-face or digital interactions (that are usually one-on-one or in small groups)
- Topics related to personal relevance
- Non-demanding contexts
- Relatively short texts
- Vocabulary limited to common, factual, and concrete terms
Instructors may need to:
- Create simplified versions of stories, texts and audio clips/ recordings
- Adapt resources to simplify social interactions
- Modify instructions to limit to 4 to 5 steps
- Speak clearly at a slow to normal rate
- Provide texts which are clearly organized and easy to read with simple layout
- Provide scaffolding and support
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.
Interacting with Others
Understand short social exchanges containing introductions, casual small talk and leave-taking.
Communication is about 6 turns.
- Identities formal and casual style and register.
- Identities specific factual details and some implied meanings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 instruction.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Compares facts and information to make choices.
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; can include passages, directories, schedules, instructions, directions and may come from more than one source
- 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.
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
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 language 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
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen to instructions on how to sign your child up for community soccer. (Comprehending Instructions)
Introduce several friends to each other at a party. (Interacting with Others)
Read a story about making friends in a new country. (Comprehending Information)
Write about the weather on your first day in Canada. (Sharing Information)
Digital Literacy Strategies
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Look at a website.
- Read information from a screen.
- Send and receive text messages.
- Locate, navigate and use websites.
- Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Instructors can:
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
- Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
- Show learners how to send and receive text messages.
- Help learners develop keyboarding and typing skills.
- Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
Instructors Can:
- Use diverse representations of people in all learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent.
- Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada.
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Triggers:
- Meeting new people may be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma.
- Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Strategies:
- Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
- Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
- Learners have the right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves.
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.
