Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy

CLB 1L

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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:

  • 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

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 a short simple sentence
about a person with a disability.
(Comprehending Information)

Share your name and the culture 
you are from with your classmates.
(Sharing Information)

Read 2-3 words about celebrating Pride month.
(Comprehending Information)

Copy a few words on a very simple
thank-you note for a 2SLGBTQIA+ guest speaker. (Getting Things Done)

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).
  • Show learners how to send and receive text messages.

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.
  • Teach that race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics and disability are all protected grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
  • Recognize that some learners may experience changes to gender roles when they come to Canada. For some, this may be a welcome change, but for others it may be challenging. Address their concerns with sensitivity but teach that Canada is equitable and inclusive to people of all genders.
  • Recognize that some learners may have experienced gender-based violence.
  • Ensure learners know they can ask for help in any healthcare environment if they are experiencing violence in their homes.
  • Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in the workplace.

Trauma-Informed Strategies

Triggers:

  • Discussions of gender, sexuality, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia may be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma.
  • Learners may have experienced gender-based violence.
  • Learners may have experienced racism, and discussions of racism may be triggering.
  • Give learners advance warning of these topics 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.

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.