Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 1L - Speaking
Getting Things Done

Community and Recreation

Real-World Task

Ask where the washroom is at a local swimming pool.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Basic greetings: Hello, hi, how are you?
Basic polite phrases: Excuse me?

Context:

There are often public washrooms at local swimming pools and other public places such as grocery stores, libraries and so on.
There are often also all gender washrooms and family washrooms at swimming pools and other public places.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

excuse me
can you help me
where
washroom
Pool and other public locations for extension activities
change room
lobby

Sample Grammar:

Question in the simple present:
Where is the…? (learned as a phrase)
Question in the simple present:
Can you help me? (learned as a phrase)

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

You can ask for directions.
You can ask someone to repeat themselves by saying repeat or again.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Staff (and other members of the public)
at public pools can help you.
Polite phrases help show respect.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: have you been to a swimming pool in Canada? Have you been to a swimming pool in another country? Show pictures of typical areas in a public pool, such as the lobby, change room, and pool. Talk about what happens in each of these places.
Show the class a typical sign for a public washroom. Show the sign for a men’s washroom and a women’s washroom.
Ask learners what this means. Show the sign for an all-gender washroom and ask what this means.
Use vocabulary cards with clear words and pictures to practice the areas of a swimming pool: pool, change room, lobby, and washroom.
Read a simple, instructor-made story about visiting a public swimming pool. Read the story, and then choral read and echo read the story.
Match vocabulary cards to words in the story.
Use photographs to sequence the events in the story. Retell the story together with a partner.
Introduce polite phrases: Excuse me? and Can you tell me? Have learners practice walking up to the instructor and using each phrase.
As a class, look at the website for a local pool. Look at details such as the opening hours and services available.
Review where is… Ask the class “Where is (learner’s name)?” Have them respond by indicating where the learner is sitting. Repeat with several other learners’ names, and then invite a learner to ask the question.
Look at the vocabulary cards with a partner. Take turns asking where each of the areas is.
Listen to an instructor-made dialogue in which one person asks the other where the washroom is, incorporating the polite phrases. Write the dialogue on the board and tape clear photographs for vocabulary. Practice the dialogue together with the whole class playing one part. Ask a learner to take one part in the dialogue and practice it together. Have learners work together in pairs to practice the dialogue. Perform the dialogue for the class.
Show pictures of other public places that the learners would be familiar with such as a grocery store and library. Discuss how to ask where the washroom is at these locations if needed. Incorporate the same vocabulary and polite phrases for extension activities.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

In pairs, look at pictures of the areas of a swimming pool: lobby, change room, washroom, and pool. Politely ask where the change room is.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

In a role play, ask where the washroom is at a local swimming pool.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may not feel comfortable in a public swimming pool. Some learners who are women may not come from cultures where they swim together with men. Some learners who are 2SLGBTQIA+ may not feel comfortable in single-gender change rooms. Discuss with learners what an all-gender washroom and what a family washroom or change room is. Most family change rooms have individual stalls for people to change in and are for people of all genders. Some pools also have hours for women-only swims.

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.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages.
Type information to appear on screen.

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.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.
Some learners may not feel safe or comfortable in a public change room or swimming pool. Discuss strategies for feeling safer, such as visiting with a friend or using all-gender or family change rooms. You can also modify the task to ask where the washroom is in a public library, grocery and so on.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced or are experiencing discrimination may feel triggered by this discussion.
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:

If you are going to go on a field trip, for example to a local community pool, give learners advanced warning and explain where you are going, how you will get there, and what you are going to do there.
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:

Visit a public swimming pool. If possible, get a tour of the facilities.
Visit other public places in the community and explore which locations have public washrooms.

Realia:

Website for a local swimming pool

Units and Modules:

Tutela: Recreation Centre Module: CLB 1/2
(Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela (CCLB): Greetings and Introductions: CLB 1L/2L

Lessons and Activities:

LINC 1 Classroom Activities: Community and Government Services (p. 227-256) (Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 1L
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Community