Real-World Task
In 2 to 3 short phrases, explain how to make a very straightforward, simple dish that you like to eat in Canada.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- How to make a favourite simple dish.
Context:
- Food is an important aspect of culture. Sharing food is a good way to connect with other people and to a new culture.
- Canada is a multicultural country, and any food that is eaten in Canada is a part of that culture. Learners can choose whichever food they like for this task.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- pot
- pan
- stove
- cook
- add
- mix
- stir
- specific familiar food words for the dish, such as specific vegetables, meat, grains
Sample Grammar:
- Imperative voice to give instructions.
- Regular plural endings.
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Instructions are given in order and broken down into steps.
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Body language and tone can soften instructions and make them sound polite
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Elicit favourite foods from learners and bring up images for each food. Make a list on the board.
- Copy food words from word cards to the correct place underneath pictures.
- Sort food cards by initial letter.
- Sort food cards into categories such as meat/ vegetables.
- From a short, simple instructor-made story on the topic, have learners listen as the instructor reads, following with their finger. Have learners repeat after the instructor to match intonation and fluency. Finally, have learners read the story as a group, and then individually.
- Read a very simple recipe as a class.
- Identify tools used in a kitchen.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- In 2 or 3 short phrases, explain how to make a simple dish you eat everyday.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- In 2 to 3 short phrases, explain how to make a very straightforward, simple dish that you like to eat in Canada.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- Food is very important to culture. Canada is a multicultural country, and there are foods from all cultures eaten in Canada.
- There may not be English words for all dishes and all ingredients; it is acceptable in these cases to use a word from a different language.
- Some learners may expect that women are responsible for cooking. Gently teach learners that in Canada people of all genders can cook, and help all learners to find a dish they are comfortable describing (including coffee or tea) or an alternate process to describe.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital 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.
- Support learners in building typing and keyboarding skills.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization 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.
- Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada.
- Recognize that some learners may have different views. You can be sensitive to their differing opinions, but all learners benefit from EDI, and all learners have the right to an inclusive and equitable learning environment.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Learners may have experienced misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and/or racism in the community.
- Discussions of gender, sexuality, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia may be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma.
- Learners who have experienced trauma may not want to talk about why they came to Canada.
- Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Strategies:
- Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions; learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
- Recognize and respect learners’ right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves and their routines.
Resources
Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:
- Host a class potluck.
- Visit a farmer’s market and discuss the foods grown locally.
- Visit the supermarket and look at unit price.
- Poll class about their favourite food and make a chart together.
- Watch a short cooking video.
Realia:
- Supermarket fliers
- Food items
- Cookbooks
Modules:
- Fruit Module
- Making Fruit Salad
- Canada’s Food Guide (CLB 1L but can be adapted)
- Let’s Go Shopping for Food (CLB 1L but can be adapted)
Lessons and Activities:
Detailed Sample Task
This exemplar is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to guide and inform your lesson and module planning. Consult the Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults for detailed performance descriptors at this benchmark and skill.
The information in this document is not exhaustive and can be expanded on. As well, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson or module plan.
