Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 4L - Writing
Reproducing Information

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Real-World Task

From a short article on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion good practices, choose approaches to equity, diversity and inclusion that you would like to see in your school or community and copy onto a graphic organizer.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Ability to read short paragraphs and note key details
Knowledge of school and community vocabulary
Ability to copy words and short sentences accurately

Context:

People of all races and ethnicities have equality in Canada. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms asserts the right to no discrimination.
There is still racial discrimination in Canada, but many people are working to change it. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour
Allies are people who support BIPOC people.
There can be discrimination against BIPOC people.
Learners experience diversity in their classrooms and communities so understanding EDI helps them feel included and respected and be able to express the environment they need to feel supported.
This task encourages the learner’s voice and choice.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

EDI / Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
BIPOC / Black / Indigenous / People of Colour
respect
fair
equal
safe
welcome
community
culture
Discrimination / racism
ally
Support / stand up for / speak up for / advocate

Sample Grammar:

Simple present tense
Phrases for expressing preference: I would like
Simple connectors: and, because

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Recognition of ways of expressing opinions
Ability to organize information

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

We use respectful language when addressing issues of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Recognition that people have different identities and experiences.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: what is racism? What is equality? What are the rights to equality in Canada? What does it mean to be an ally? Write some simple definitions on the board. Do you feel welcome in your school and community? What helps people feel welcome? Introduce ideas of fairness and respect.
Work with a partner to match pictures to word cards and simple definitions to practice vocabulary.
Write some simple sentences using the task vocabulary.
Read a short jigsaw text on inclusion and work with a partner to put the text in the right order.
Read some simple sentences about some good practices for making people feel welcome in their communities. The instructors will read, then the class will echo read and choral read the text. When learners are comfortable with the text, read in pairs, focusing on pronunciation, intonation and fluency. Some ideas include celebrating cultures, treating people fairly, treating everyone with respect, using simple language, offering translation and so on.
Using the text in the previous activity, underline the task vocabulary and highlight the EDI practices. Copy the practices into a notebook or digital document.
Discuss as a class: What are good practices? What are good practices for helping you, and others, feel welcome and safe in your community? Is it the same or different for our class?
Read sentences with phrasal verbs, such as stand up for or speak up for and underline all parts of the phrasal verb.
Read tips on being a good ally that use the imperative voice. Circle the verb in the imperative. Underline vocabulary words. Retell the instructions to a partner.
Work with a small group to make a poster of suggestions on how to be welcoming and inclusive in your classroom. Post it on the wall of the classroom.
As a class, talk about the suggestions and ask why they are important. Why did you choose to celebrate culture? Answer with simple sentences using because. Copy the sentences into a graphic organizer or a notebook.
Listen to sentences with phrasal verbs and fill in the correct preposition to complete the phrasal verb.
Listen to a text about inclusion in the school and complete a gap-fill activity with vocabulary words.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to a dialogue between two learners about feeling welcome in their class.
Make a list of the practices that they say
will help them.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

From a short article on Equity, Diversity
and Inclusion good practices, choose approaches to equity, diversity and inclusion that you would like to see in your school or community and copy onto a graphic organizer.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Many learners in the class may have experienced discrimination or racism in other countries or in Canada.
Learners may have different expectations of what equality means.

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.
Navigate camera and microphone
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.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
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 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. Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.
Teach learners that all people in Canada have the right to no discrimination.
Teach learners that many people still experience racism and discrimination in Canada, but that there are things that can be done if you have this experience.
Teach learners appropriate terms for people of different cultures, races, and ethnicities, including BIPOC, Black, and Indigenous.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners may have experienced discrimination, racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny or gender-based violence. Discussions of EDI may be triggering: be aware that there may be learners who need help, but it may also provide some comfort and support.
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:

Focus the discussion on the things that can be done to prevent, stop, or report discrimination. Focusing on what can be done about discrimination may help learners who have experienced trauma to not feel helpless.
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:

Invite a guest speaker from a cultural centre to speak about their culture.
Create a book about cultural inclusion with your learners. Have each learner write a few sentences about themselves, where they are from, and what language(s) they speak. Work together as a class to write an introduction about inclusion. With permission, include photographs of learners on their pages.
Invite an Elder to visit the class.
Host a multi-cultural mini festival in your classroom. Learners can showcase their cultures with pictures, food, clothing, stories and so on.

Realia:

Websites about cultural centres in your area
Cultural objects like decorations, clothing, or tools

Units and Modules:

Tutela: Norquest: Diversity and Inclusion Materials for the EAL Classroom CLB 3-5 (Not literacy but can be adapted)
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Going to a Powwow: CLB 3L/4L
Tutela: Kichi-Asotamatowin: Land and Treaties 3L/4L
Tutela (ATESL): Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism: a 3/4 Module (Not literacy but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 4L
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Ottawa Public Health: How to be an Ally