Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy
CLB 1L
Employment:
At the Workplace
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
Following instructions for procedures
Safety
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Visual clues
- Topics are related to immediate personal needs
- Face-to-face or one-on-one digital interactions
- Text that is clear, sparse and very easy to read
- Slower rates of speech
- Non-demanding contexts
Instructors may need to:
- 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.
Comprehending Information
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, times and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions, commands and requests related to immediate needs.
- Identifies words or phrases that indicate positive or negative commands.
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal requests.
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 Information
Recognize names, numbers and some basic details in very simple, short texts related to everyday situations and immediate needs.
- Identifies numbers, letters, a few key words and short expressions.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand very short, simple instructions for common, familiar everyday situations.
- Recognizes individual words (simple imperative verbs and common nouns).
- Follows instruction by responding with action
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.
Interacting with Others
Convey greetings or other goodwill messages by completing cards or other very short, simple standard texts.
Messages are a few words in length, addressed to a familiar person and related to personally relevant situations.
- Completes a message with simple and minimal information.
- Addresses message for sending.
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 greetings from a new coworker.
(Interacting with Others)
Give a simple instruction to a coworker.
(Giving Instructions)
Read very simple rules for the kitchen at work in 2-3 phrases or a single sentence. (Getting Things Done)
Copy 2-3 words in a short, simple guided text to write about your job. (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.
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:
- Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority.
- Filling in forms can be a trigger 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.
