Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 3L - Listening
Comprehending Instructions

Employment:
At the Workplace

Real-World Task

Listen to a few simple instructions for how to close down the store at the end of a shift.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Names of common jobs
Common actions, e.g. touch your nose, open your book, pick up your pencil, sit down, stand up

Context:

It is common to have an opening and close-down procedure for a store at the beginning or end of a shift.
The language skills in this task can be applied to other types of jobs and other contexts.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Imperative voice for instructions
Introductory prepositional phrases, e.g. At the end of your shift…

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Instructions are given in order.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Employees often give polite instructions, but they still expect the instructions to be followed.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: do you have a job right now? If yes, what do you do? Have you had a job in Canada? What was it? Did you have a job before you came to Canada? What was it?
Discuss in small groups: what do people do when they work in a store? Brainstorm the responsibilities of working in a store. Share your list with the class.
Discuss the vocabulary for the task. Write words and simple meanings to complete a mini-dictionary of task vocabulary. Practice this vocabulary using a variety of activities such as crosswords, matching, fill in the blanks, writing sentences, and games.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Review the imperative voice for giving instructions. Ask learners what they say when they need to tell someone what to do or how to do it. Elicit examples from the class. Use TPR (Total Physical Response) to practice the imperative voice using common actions, e.g. pick up your pen, sit down, say hi to your neighbour, etc. After a few rounds, split learners into small groups and have one learner for each group call out the commands.
Read a simple instructor-made story about working in a store. Match vocabulary to the story. Sequence key events in the story and work with a partner to complete a jigsaw activity. Read and practice the story multiple times over the course of the lessons for pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.
Read a simple instructor-made set of instructions for closing down a store at the end of a shift. Read the story to learners, choral read the story, and echo read the story. Have learners read the story to a partner. Work with a partner to answer comprehension questions.
Work with a partner to sequence the steps, written on sentence strips, in closing down a store.
Write instructions to complete a simple task of your choice. Share your instructions with a partner.
Listen to instructions on how to serve a customer in the store. Answer simple comprehension questions.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to a few simple instructions for how to open the store at the end of a shift. Demonstrate understanding by answering simple comprehension questions. (Very similar to assessment task; only one of the two may be used in the portfolio.)

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to a few simple instructions for how  to close down the store at the end of a shift. Demonstrate understanding by answering simple comprehension questions.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Learners may be unfamiliar with polite or hidden requests in the workplace, such as when an employer asks, “Do you mind finishing this for me?” or “If you get the chance, could you do this?” Help learners understand that polite or hidden requests from an employer are still requests.

Digital Literacy Strategies:

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.

Learners may need to:

Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages, such as employment payroll programs.
Read information from a screen.

Instructors can:

Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners.
Make and/or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites and/or apps that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites or apps.
Introduce tools and apps that can aid learners in coping with communication barriers, such as translation, pronunciation, text to speech, speech to text tools and so on.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Use a variety of jobs in your examples including many jobs that literacy learners might have, such as cleaner, housekeeping, security guard, kitchen worker, etc.
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:

Learners who have experienced trauma may not feel comfortable being alone in a workplace, such as working a shift alone in a store or fast-food restaurant. Help learners understand which jobs may have them work alone, so they can make choices for themselves.
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
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:

Host a bake sale and sell baked goods to other learners on break. Have learners from the class run each aspect of the bake sale.
Role-play closing down a store at night using play money, a money tray, and miming locks. Have learners explain what they are doing.

Realia:

Play money

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (OCDSB): Using a Self Check-Out: CLB 3 (Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela (OCDSB): Describing Future Employment Wants: CLB 3 (Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest: Setting Employment Goals: CLB 3 (Not literacy but can be adapted)
LINC 3 Classroom Activities: Employment (p. 343-390) (Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 3L
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

YouTube: Learn English at the Grocery Store (language is high but with support can be useful)