Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB FL-Listening
Interacting with Others

Community and Recreation

Real-World Task

Listen to a classmate describe the recreation centre where they meet with people from other cultures to identify the location.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Personal pronouns: I, you
Basic community location words: park, school, store, bank

Context:

There are lots of different programming and groups available at recreation and community centres.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

recreation centre
different activities that may happen at a community centre such as English class, painting, or badminton.
friends
culture
where
street name: use the real street in your community where a recreation centre is

Sample Grammar:

Present simple: I go, I see
WH questions words such as what and where

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Verbs say what the action is

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Recreation centres are good places to spend time with friends or family or to meet new people. There is lots of programming at a recreation centre.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Put large, easy-to-understand pictures of a recreation centre on the board. Use a photograph of an actual recreation centre in your community if possible. Ask learners: What is this? Who has been there? What do you do there?
Using clear photographs and actions, elicit vocabulary from learners: go, see.
Use TPR with actions to practice vocabulary words.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about going to a recreation centre.
If possible, go to a recreation centre and look at the facilities there. Elicit an LEA (Language Experience Approach) story from the learners. Do various reading activities with this story, such as choral reading, echo reading, and answering simple questions orally.
If possible, go on a community walk in the neighbourhood around your school or organization. Take photographs of recognizable businesses, schools, parks, and other locations. Return to class and look at the photographs on the screen. Elicit from learners what is in the photograph. Practice the phrases: This is the _________ on _________ street. Use the actual street names from your community.
Work with a partner. Look at familiar pictures from the community walk. Identify what is in the picture and the street. As an instructor, walk around and ask the question Where is it? Have learners repeat the street name.
Listen to a dialogue between two friends that talks about a place and street name. Identify the location.
Copy own address. Circle the street.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to the instructor name a place in the community and the street name. Repeat back the street name to show comprehension.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to a classmate describe the recreation centre where they meet with people from other cultures to identify the location.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Teach learners that community locations such as recreation centres are inclusive and open to all people.

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.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages.
Type information to appear on screen

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.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

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.
Teach learners that there are usually subsidies for recreation activities for low-income families.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced trauma may not feel safe in public spaces. Make sure learners know they are welcome in recreation centres but also recognize that they might not feel safe. Discuss strategies for feeling safer, such as going with a friend.
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:

Visit a recreation centre.
Look at a Recreation Centre Guide and identify some activities.
Go on a community walk.

Realia:

Photographs of locations in the local community
Photographs of street signs in the local community

Units and Modules:

Tutela (OCDSB): Physical Activity: CLB 1L-3L (Not the right level but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB FL
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Unite for Literacy: The City Park
Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Community