Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy
CLB FL - Speaking Getting Things Done
Community and Recreation
Real-World Task
Ask where the washroom is at a local swimming pool.
Planning Context
Helpful Knowledge:
- No previous knowledge needed.
Context:
- There are public washrooms in most public places.
- These washrooms are for everyone to use.
- You can ask for directions if you don’t know where a washroom is.
Vocabulary and Grammar
Sample Vocabulary:
- where is
- washroom/ bathroom
- toilet
- sink
- please
- excuse me
Sample Grammar:
- No specific grammar instruction.
Knowledge and Strategies
Textual and Functional Knowledge:
- Where is a question word.
Sociolinguistic Knowledge:
- Please and excuse me are polite expressions.
Activities and Tasks
Sample Skill-Building Activities:
- Lay out vocabulary cards with photographs of toilet, sink, washroom, and hand dryer. Call out one of the vocabulary words and learners point to the corresponding card.
- Practice using where to ask about locations of items in the classroom: instructor calls out “Where is the desk?” and learners point to the desk.
- 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.
- Show images of the actual local recreation centre: lobby, locker room, washroom and pool. Ask learners what happens at each place.
- Practice getting people’s attention in the classroom with excuse me. Later add a where question.
- Watch a video of a very simple dialogue of someone asking another person where the washroom is. Watch several times and then have learners act the parts.
- Look at 2 to 3 of the vocabulary words. Circle the first letter and practice saying the sound of that letter.
Sample Skill-Using Tasks:
- Ask the instructor where the washroom is in the school/organization.
- Ask a classmate where the washroom is in the school/ organization.
Sample Assessment Tasks:
- Ask the instructor where the washroom is. Use the question word, appropriate vocabulary and a polite expression (please or excuse me) and speak clearly.
Teaching Considerations
Cultural Considerations:
- In public recreation centres or pools, it is important to teach your children not to foul the pool.
- Public washrooms can be gendered: male, female, all genders.
- Toilets in Canada are for sitting (not squatting) and sinks in public washrooms are only for washing hands.
Digital Literacy Strategies:
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.
Learners may need to:
- Look at a website.
Instructors can:
- Show digital images on the screen or projector.
- Show a website for the local recreation centre.
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.
- Recognize that people from different cultures have different expectations for toileting (such as squatting, sitting and standing up).
- Recognize that people of all genders have the right to use public washrooms and that learners who are trans, non-binary or otherwise not cis-gender may not feel comfortable or safe using public washrooms.
Trauma-informed Strategies:
Possible Trauma Triggers:
- Learners who have experienced trauma may feel unsafe in public spaces.
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:
- Visit a recreation centre or local swimming pool.
- Visit a local public building and take turns finding people to ask where the washroom is.
Realia:
- Brochure for a local recreation centre
Units and Modules:
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.
