Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy
CLB 4L
Canada
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Slow to normal rates of speech
- Face-to-face or digital interactions (that are usually one-on-one or in small groups)
- Topics related to personal relevance
- Non-demanding contexts
- Relatively short texts
- Vocabulary limited to common, factual and concrete terms
Instructors may need to:
- Create simplified versions of texts and audio clips/ recordings
- Adapt resources to simplify social interactions
- Modify instructions to limit to 4 to 5 steps
- Speak clearly at a slow to normal rate
- Provide texts which are clearly organized and easy to read with simple layout.
- Provide scaffolding and support
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short descriptive or narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Identifies words and phrases that indicate movement, location, manner, frequency and duration.
- Recognizes and identifies correct sequence of steps.
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, some implied meanings, key words and expressions.
Interacting with Others
Participate in short, very simple phone calls.
- Asks and responds to routine questions.
- Uses a range of small talk phrases and expressions.
Giving Instructions
Give a set of simple, common, routine instructions and directions to a familiar person. Instructions are about 4 to 5 steps.
- Uses appropriate courtesy forms and structures.
- Expresses movement and location.
Interacting with Others
Understand simple personal social messages within predictable contexts of daily experience.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies specific important details (such as sender, date and response required).
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple, formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Compares facts and information to make choices.
Sharing Information
Write a short paragraph to describe a familiar situation, event, personal experience or future plan.
- Uses basic paragraph structure.
- Conveys main ideas and supports them with some detail.
Getting Things Done
Complete simple forms that require basic, personal identification or familiar information. Forms contain 15 to 20 items and have clear labels and areas in which to write.
- Includes the required basic information with no major omissions.
- Follows appropriate conventions for capitalization and punctuation.
Getting Things Done
Complete simple forms that require basic personal or familiar information and some responses to simple questions.
- Follows appropriate conventions for addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
- Follows most spelling conventions.
Literacy Learner Considerations
Listening and Speaking
4L learners are meeting the requirements of CLB 4 in listening and speaking. It is important for 4L learners to develop all new language orally first so that it is familiar to them when they read it and use 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 an increasingly broad vocabulary for basic communication and a wider range of grammatical structures that are familiar through rhythm and repeated patterns.
Reading
To be successful in 4L reading tasks, 4L 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
- applying onset-rime knowledge to decode unfamiliar words in context
- attempting to break unfamiliar multisyllabic words into syllables while reading in context
- beginning to recognize common but irregular spelling patterns (height, although)
- identifying contractions and their connection to long forms
Writing
To be successful in 4L writing tasks, 4L 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 letters and numbers with automaticity
- varying writing size and line spacing depending on context
- using root words to attempt to write new words independently (happy, happiness)
- applying spelling rules for inflectional endings with accuracy
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen to two Canadians introduce themselves to each other and discuss which parts of Canada they are from. (Interacting with Others)
Describe your favourite season in Canada and compare it to your least favourite season. (Sharing Information)
Read 1-6 instructions for building a campfire and setting up camp. (Comprehending Instructions)
Copy details about two places in Canada to decide where you would like to visit. (Reproducing Information)
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.
- Fill in a form online
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 and Inclusion Strategies
Instructors Can:
- Use diverse representations of people in all your 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
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 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.
- Allow learners to choose how and whether they would like to participate in sharing about themselves.
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.
