Real-World Task Guidelines:
EAL Literacy

CLB 4L

Employment:
Finding a Job

Possible Topics

This theme may include these topic areas:

Job interviews

And so on

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)
  • Personally-relevant topics
  • Non-demanding contexts
  • Relatively short texts
  • Vocabulary limited to common, factual and concrete terms

Instructors may need to:

  • Create simplified versions of stories, 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

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 an interviewer introduce themselves at a job interview and make small talk. (Interacting with Others)

Explain to a friend how to apply for a job. (Giving Instructions)

Read a story about the service industry in Canada. (Comprehending Information)

Write a paragraph to describe
your work experience and skills.
(Sharing 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.

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.
  • Support learners in navigating online forms.
  • Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
  • Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.

Equity, Diversity 
and Inclusion 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 learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in education; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights and the rights of their children.

Trauma-Informed Strategies

Triggers:

  • Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority.
  • Filling in forms can be a trigger for learners who have experienced trauma.
  • Give learners advance warning of this topic 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.
  • Learners have the right to choose if, when and what they share 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.