Real-World Task
Read highly familiar words and symbols for sunny and rainy on a highly simplified weather report.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- The weather changes each day.
Context:
- Weather reports tell us what to expect each day and can help you plan.
- You can find weather reports in the newspaper, on an app on your phone and on a website.
- Symbols and pictures can help us understand words.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- weather
- sunny
- rainy
- cloudy
- snowy
- hot
- cold
Sample Grammar:
- No specific grammar instruction.
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Sunny and rainy describe the weather (adjectives).
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- No specific sociolinguistic knowledge.
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Every class, go to the window, step outside or check online to see what the weather is like. Name the weather each day: sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, hot, cold. Write the word and hang up a picture of the correct symbol in the same place on the board each day. Always use the same symbols.
- Ask at the start of each class: What is the weather today?
- Give each learner a set of vocabulary cards with the symbols and the word for the weather vocabulary. Call out a weather word and have learners point to the corresponding card.
- Give the learners a paper with rainy and sunny written in a large literacy-friendly font. Give learners a card with an r and an s and have learners match the card to the first letter of each word.
- From a short, simple instructor-made story on the topic, have learners listen as the instructor reads, following with their finger. Have learners repeat after the instructor to match intonation and fluency. Finally, have learners read the story as a group, and then individually.
- Give learners a set of cards with the weather words and symbols. Give learners a set of cards with a corresponding object or piece of clothing (such as an umbrella or a pair of sunglasses). Working with only two weather cards and two clothing cards at a time, have learners match the correct weather to the corresponding clothing or object.
- Split the learners into two teams. Collect items from lost and found or from a used clothing store that are related to the weather, such as an umbrella and sun glasses. Call up one learner from each team. Call out the weather for today, and have them race to select the correct item. Allow their teammates to help. Alternatively, tape two sets of word/ picture cards to the board and have learners race to touch the correct card for the weather.
- Give learners a highly simplified bingo card with four boxes, each with a weather word/ symbol. Call out the words, one at a time, and have learners mark the correct space with a bingo chip. When all four spaces are marked and the cards are completed, cheer for everyone.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Look at a weather app together and have learners point to the corresponding weather word card for today. What is the weather? Sunny or rainy?
- Look at a highly simplified weather report. Match the weather word and symbol for today with the correct weather card.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Look at a highly simplified weather report. Match the weather word and symbol for today with the correct weather card and/ or say the weather for today.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- Canadians usually consider the weather a very good topic for small talk.
- Weather can be dangerous in Canada, even life-threatening, if you are not dressed properly.
- There are low-income programs for winter clothing in most communities in Canada.
- There are second-hand shops that sell winter clothing and can be a reasonable option for families.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.
Learners may need to:
- Look at a website.
- Look at an app on their phone.
Instructors can:
- Show learners a weather app on their phones.
- Show learners a weather website.
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.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- There are no predictable triggers in this task.
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:
- Sing songs about the weather, such as Raindrops are Falling on My Head, I’m Walking on Sunshine, Here Comes the Sun, and so on. Play the songs in the class, and then sing along for the chorus.
- Go for a walk in the community. Come back to class and use picture cards to describe the weather.
Realia:
- Weather apps
- Weather forecasts in the newspaper
Units and Modules:
- The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Understanding Winter Weather: CLB FL/1L
- The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Dressing for Summer: CLB FL/1L
Lessons and Activities:
Detailed Sample Task
This exemplar is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to guide and inform your lesson and module planning. Consult the Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults for detailed performance descriptors at this benchmark and skill.
The information in this document is not exhaustive and can be expanded on. As well, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson or module plan.
