Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy
CLB 2L - Listening
Interacting with Others
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Real-World Task
Listen to someone who is 2SLGBTQIA+ introduce themselves and their partner.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she,
it, we, they - Basic greetings
Context:
- Many people are 2SLGBTQIA+.
- Many people identify themselves
with their preferred pronouns. - 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:
- introduce
- 2SLGBTQIA+
- gender
- sexuality
- partner
- possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, their
Sample Grammar:
- Possessive adjectives
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- It is common to introduce yourself
and your partner, especially in social situations.
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Canada is an inclusive country. It is common to be or to know people who
are openly 2SLGBTQIA+.
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Discuss as a class: What does gender mean? Post clear photographs of men and women and elicit the words man, woman, he, and she. Teach the word 2SLGBTQIA+. Teach it as a whole concept of inclusive genders and sexualities. Teach learners that sometimes a man and a woman have a relationship, sometimes two men have a relationship, and sometimes two women have a relationship. Learners may have different opinions about sexual orientations. Gently redirect the class to what is legal in Canada. Teach that Canada is an inclusive country where all people are equal.
- Review subject pronouns. Sit in a circle. Begin by reviewing subject pronouns he and she. Go around the circle and have each person introduce themselves and say where they are from. Have each learner then repeat where each person is from: e.g. He is from Somalia, she is from Eritrea, he is from Iraq.
- Teach possessive adjectives. Sit in a circle. Have each learner choose an item from their backpacks, such as a book, binder, coffee cup, and so on. Have the learner say their name and their item, e.g. My name is Fatou, and this is my book. The next learner introduces themselves and says their item, and also repeats everyone who came before them, e.g. My name is Alexei, and this is my phone. This is Fatou, and this is her book.
- Fill in the blanks with the correct subject pronoun and possessive adjective, e.g. Look at a picture of a woman holding a computer and fill in the blanks: This is Nyalok. ___ is from South Sudan. This is ____ computer.
- Use word and picture cards to practice the vocabulary.
- Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
- Read a very short, instructor-made, simple story that introduces people with their names, where they are from, and their partners. Read the story to learners and then choral read and echo read the story. Work with a partner to practice comprehension activities such as filling in the blanks, matching people to their pictures, and answering very simple
yes/no and comprehension questions. - Re-read the story and complete sentences about the people in the story illustrated with pictures from the story, e.g. This is Bryan. This is Bryan’s partner, Dave.
- Listen to examples of people introducing themselves and their partners. Use examples that have a variety of partnerships, including relationships between a woman and a man, two women, and so on. Circle what you hear.
- Role-play a situation with a classmate in which you practice introducing yourself and a partner/husband/wife/son/daughter/friend (learner’s choice).
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Listen to people introducing themselves
and their partners at a party. Circle what you hear.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Listen to someone who is 2SLGBTQIA+ introduce themselves and their partner. Demonstrate understanding by answering very simple yes/no comprehension questions.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- Read information from a screen.
- Adjust volume on device.
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.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:
- Learners may have different opinions about gender and gender expression. You can be sensitive to different views in the class,
but gently teach what is legal and expected in Canada. - 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.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Many learners may experience or have experienced discrimination. They may be triggered by discussions of rights and freedoms, but they may also feel empowered to know what their rights are in Canada. Make sure that all learners understand the right to no discrimination.
- Learners who are 2SLGBTQIA+ may or may not find this topic triggering; they may have experienced discrimination and may have not felt safe or continue to not feel safe to be open about their gender and sexuality. Never require learners to identify their gender or sexuality.
- 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:
- 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
- Allow learners choice:
- 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:
- Go for a community walk and look for Pride symbols, such as Pride flags, rainbow crosswalks, Pride stickers in business windows,
and so on. - Work with a small group to role-play a dialogue of people introducing each other at a party. Allow learners to choose the relationships they would like to role-play and don’t require anyone
to role-play a situation they don’t want to role-play.
Realia:
- Pride flags
- Clear photographs of people of different genders in relationships with each other
Units and Modules:
- Tutela (CCLB): Greetings and Introductions: CLB 1L/2L
- Tutela (ATESL): Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism: CLB 3/4 (Not literacy and not the right level, but some things can be heavily adapted)
Lessons and Activities:
- LINC 2 Classroom Activities Nice to Meet You (p. 3) (Not literacy but can be adapted)
- Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Alphabetic Focus: CLB 1L/2L
- Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 2L
- The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
- Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
- A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.
Multimedia:
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.
