Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 1L-Listening
Comprehending Information

Education and Learning

Real-World Task

Listen to your teacher giving the right words to talk about different identities or disabilities.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

People words: woman, man, girl, boy, child, person
Basic introductions

Context:

There is preferred language to refer to people with disabilities.
Note that preferred language changes, and this is a complex topic, especially for CLB 1L. Focus on learning some basic words and the idea that people with disabilities in Canada have the same rights as anyone else.
There is sometimes variation in how groups refer to themselves. As best as possible, allow people with disabilities or who are neurodivergent to choose how they would like to be identified.
This task reflects the intention to include all people in Canada in the themes. The language skills in this task could be applied to other contexts.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

disabled
blind
deaf/Deaf (with a capital D refers to people who identify with the Deaf community)
wheelchair
see
hear
walk

Sample Grammar:

Modal verb: can, cannot/can’t
Personal pronouns: I, he, she, and so on.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Language can be used to describe people.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

You can ask the instructor to repeat something if you didn’t hear or understand.
There are preferred words for describing people.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to teach sense and movement words such as see, hear, and move. Call out a word and have learners respond by using an action with their bodies.
Teach the word can. Talk about what you can and can’t do. Use examples of what the learners in the class can and can’t do, e.g. Dara can speak Urdu. I can’t speak Urdu. Daniyal can stand on one leg. I can stand on one leg. (Ahmed tries and topples over): Ahmed can’t stand on one leg.
Ask questions to the class using cans. Use mime or pictures to support the questions, e.g. Can you speak Arabic? Can you swim? Can you ride a bike? Elicit from learners yes or no. Invite each learner to say one thing they can do.
Complete exercises using simple personal pronouns such as I, he, she. Point to yourself and say I. Go around the class…This is Julio, he, This is Martina, she, and so on.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about learners and what they can and can’t do. Complete simple yes/no questions orally with sentences such as Yes, she can/No, he can’t.
Copy the name of your first language and say to the instructor, I can speak _________.
Practice simple introductions. Learners ask and answer “What’s your name? Can you speak <same language as the learner asking the question>?” Have learners introduce their partners to the class: “She is Olga, She can’t speak Arabic.”
Show clear photographs of people on the board. Choose a person in a wheelchair, a person with sunglasses and a cane and/or a service dog, and a person who is using sign language and has a visible hearing aid. Teach the words: disabled, wheelchair, blind, and Deaf.
Point to each of the pictures and say what the person cannot do: She cannot walk. She is disabled. He cannot see. He is blind. She cannot hear. She is Deaf. Practice with choral speaking and echo speaking, and then elicit from learners the vocabulary.
Use vocabulary cards with words and clear pictures to practice the vocabulary. Do activities and games such as matching, copying, Bingo, and Memory.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Listen to a series of very short audios about someone saying their disability, e.g. My name is John. I can’t see. I am blind. Listen as many times as learners need to understand. Circle the correct picture of John.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to someone introduce themselves and say a disability. Demonstrate comprehension by circling the correct picture.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to your teacher giving the right words to talk about different identities or disabilities. Demonstrate comprehension by circling the correct picture.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may come from places where there is a stigma to a disability. Teach that Canada is an inclusive country and that disabled people and people who are neurodivergent have the right to no discrimination.

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.
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.
Show learners that the size of an image on the screen can be adjusted.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQ+, 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.
Use a variety of photographs of people with disabilities, using people of different genders, cultures, and ages. As best as possible for this level, teach that there is a lot of diversity in any community.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced persecution or discrimination for a disability may be triggered by this topic. They may also feel empowered by learning what their rights are.
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:

Teach learners that Canada is an inclusive, multicultural country, and that all people have equal rights in Canada.
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:

Invite a guest speaker from an advocacy organization for disabled people who understands the level to speak about disability in Canada.
If your school or organization has ASL (sign language) interpreters, invite an interpreter to talk to the class about their job.
Go on a walk around your school or organization and notice accommodations such as wheelchair ramps or Braille.

Realia:

Accommodations in the community, such as wheel chair ramps or signs in Braille

Units and Modules:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Visiting the Doctor: CLB FL/1L
Tutela (CCLB): Greetings and Introductions: CLB 1L/2L

Lessons and Activities:

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 1L
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

YouTube: Understanding Disability for Students (Language is high, but the visuals are good, and with lots of pauses and explanation, it can be used to illustrate different disabilities in this task)