Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 3L - Writing Sharing Information

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Real-World Task

Describe in a few sentences what you need in class to help you hear, see and understand the lesson.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Different people have different needs.
It is okay in Canada to ask for what you need to be able to learn.
Be aware that learners may not share information about their disabilities  (e.g., visual or hearing) or express their individual needs for accommodation.
Create a safe environment for learners to share their needs.

Context:

Different people have different needs. Some people are disabled or neurodivergent and have different needs that need to be met in order to be able to learn in the class.
Everyone has the right to accommodations to have their needs met in the class.
When we make accommodations for one person, we often end up benefiting many people.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Sentences using the infinitive with I need…
Adjectives.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Connecting ideas with and, or, but, so.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

It is okay to request accommodations without apology.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

As a class, discuss what people need to be able to learn. Elicit from learners that you need to see, hear and understand the lesson, and elicit that some people have different needs. Elicit from learners that many people, as a very common example, need glasses to be able to see the board.
Watch a video of someone who is neurodivergent or disabled explaining how they participate in their learning.
Read a short story about someone who is neurodivergent or disabled and what they need to be able to learn. Discuss the different needs of the person in the story.
Work with a partner to match vocabulary cards to their meanings.
Read scenarios about different people with different needs in class. Work with a partner to write down what they need to be able to learn effectively.
As a class, brainstorm different needs and matching accommodations and make a chart on the board.
In small groups, discuss why it is important to make accommodations for all learners.
Read a short story about a famous Canadian with a disability or who is neurodivergent.
Listen to a dialogue between two learners discussing their learning needs.
As a class brainstorm ways to make a calm, quiet space in the class.
Work together in a small group to write a list of ways you can make the class more inclusive to people of all needs.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Write sentences describing how you learn best.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Describe in a few sentences what you need in class to help you see, hear and understand the lesson.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Neurodivergent and disabled people still routinely face discrimination (ableism) in their lives in Canada. The cultural shift towards creating inclusive educational spaces means the inclusion of all people, including people who are neurodivergent and disabled.
All people have the right to access education in Canada.

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).
Show learners how to send and receive text messages.
Show learners how to find a website.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.

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 that neurodivergent and disabled people often face discrimination (ableism) in Canada and teach that all people have  the right to inclusion in Canada.
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 learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the school or workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in the school or workplace.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners may have experienced discrimination, and discussions  of discrimination may be triggering.
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:

Invite a guest speaker who is disabled or is neurodivergent to share their experiences in learning.
Go for a walk around your school/ organization and identify accommodations that make the space more physically inclusive, for example, ramps, elevators, Braille on signs, quiet spaces and so on.

Realia:

Eyeglasses, ramps, elevators and so on in the school environment

Units and Modules:

Classroom Instructions (not literacy but can be adapted)

Multimedia:

ESL Image Bank: Education