Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy
CLB 1L
Education and Learning
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Visual clues
- Topics are related to immediate personal needs
- Face-to-face or one-one-one digital interactions
- Text that is clear, sparse and very easy to read
- Slower rates of speech
- Non-demanding contexts
Instructors may need to:
- Teach all concepts and vocabulary orally first
- Limit vocabulary to highly familiar words and phrases
- Speak slowly
- Use increased white-space, large font size, a literacy-friendly font and clear images
- Modify instructions to limit to 2 to 5 words
- Provide extensive scaffolding and support
Comprehending Information
Understand very simple information about highly familiar, concrete topics.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, time and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
Interacting with Others
Understand individual greetings, introductions and goodwill expressions. Communication is very brief, 1 or 2 short turns.
- Identifies individual, familiar words and short phrases used in common courtesy formulas.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
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
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.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions for common, familiar everyday situations. Instructions have only 1 step and may be accompanied by illustrations.
- Recognizes individual words (imperative verbs and common nouns) in a set of instructions.
- Identifies numbers, a few key words and short expressions in instructions.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers and familiar words.
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.
Getting Things Done
Complete very short, simple or simplified forms that require only basic personal identification information. Forms contain up to about 5 personal identification items and have clear labels and areas in which to write.
- Includes the required basic information.
- Write basic information in appropriate sections.
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 language 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 others sounds in a familiar word
- copying words
- writing own name and personal information
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen to 2-3 word common classroom instructions like sit down, open your book, turn to a page and so on. (Comprehending Instructions)
Greet a classmate and say where you are from. (Interacting with Others)
Read a few very simple words or phrases about school supplies. (Comprehending Information)
Copy a few words into a guided text about your English class. (Sharing Information)
Additional Resources
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.
Instructors can:
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
Instructors Can:
- 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.
- Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in education; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights and the rights of their children.
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Triggers:
- Many activities in a school environment, such as assessments, answering questions from an instructor or someone in authority, public speaking and interacting with strangers, can be triggers for trauma.
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.
