Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB FL-Listening
Interacting with Others

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Real-World Task

Listen to someone introduce themselves to you, to identify their pronouns.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Basic greetings: hello, hi, good morning

Context:

Many people introduce themselves with their pronouns.
This task reflects the intention to include all people in Canada in the themes. The language skills in this task could be applied to other contexts.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

man
woman
he
she
My name is… (learned as a complete phrase)

Sample Grammar:

Pronouns refer to a noun (taught as he or she means the related person).
The pronoun you use is related to your gender.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

An introduction with pronouns tells you how to refer to someone.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

People prefer you to use the pronouns they give you.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Teach learners the phrase: My name is…Sit in a circle. Go around the circle and have each learner introduce themselves by saying My name is…After each learner, repeat This is Mikael. He is a man. This is Farzana. She is a woman. Identify learners however they would like to be identified.
Have learners repeat the names of their classmates and identify he is a man or she is a woman. Emphasize the difference in sound between he and she.
Give each learner a picture of a man and a picture of a woman. Call out he or she and have them hold up the matching picture.
Read a very simple instructor-made story about 2 or 3 people that introduces them and uses he or she. Read the story to learners and then choral read and echo read the story. Point to the pictures and ask, “who is this?” for each character.
Practice curves in a sand tray or through air writing. Trace curves. Practice writing curved letters like m, n, h, o, e, and s.
Copy the words man, woman, he, and she.
Copy own name to complete a sentence My name is ___________.
Listen to introductions with pronouns, such as My name is Anna. I use she. Hold up a man or woman picture to indicate which pronoun you heard.
Form two lines of learners facing each other. Introduce yourself to the learner across from you. Say your name and your pronouns, e.g. My name is Andreas, I use he or My name is Sasha, she. One line moves down one person, and then learners introduce themselves to the next person.
Introduce 3 classmates to the instructor and say their pronouns, e.g. This is Timmu, he, this is Nyalok, she, this is Mei, she.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to someone introduce themselves and say their pronouns. Show comprehension by saying the pronoun or circling a picture of a man or woman to indicate which pronoun you heard. (Same as assessment task; use only one of the two tasks in the portfolio)

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to someone introduce themselves to you, to identify their pronouns. Show comprehension by saying which pronoun you heard.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may come from countries where it is illegal to be trans. They may not be familiar with what it means to be trans or that trans people exist. Some learners may not believe that it is okay to be trans. Gently create an inclusive learning environment for all.
This task uses traditional cis-gendered images of men and women to help learners understand the meaning of the words, along with the meaning of she and he.

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.
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.
Show learners that the size of an image on the screen can be adjusted.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Teach learners that all people in Canada have the same rights. With this level, you may need to teach this simply, with actions, and more than once. Use the word same and show your hands at the same level when discussing men and women, people of different countries, people of different religions, and so on.
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.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have been victims of gender-based violence, forced marriage, and child marriage may be triggered by this discussion. It may also be helpful and empowering to them to understand their rights in Canada. Be very sensitive to how learners are feeling and watch for anyone who needs support.
This topic can be highly triggering, and learners may disclose experiences of violence or sexual violence. When a learner discloses an experience, it is enough to acknowledge and respond, “I am so sorry that happened to you.” You may need to gently redirect the class during or following a disclosure, and be aware that one disclosure may trigger other learners who have also experienced trauma.
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:

Have learners create a “me book.” With their permission, take a photograph of them, and then have them copy or trace to complete very simple sentences, e.g. My name is _______. I use (he/she). I am from __________. I am a woman, and so on.
Create a class chart with the headings “he” and “she” and have learners write their names or put their pictures under the correct heading, if they want to.

Realia:

Photos of people

Units and Modules:

Tutela (CCLB): Greetings and Introductions: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (Archway): Personal Information: Alphabetic Focus: CLB 1L/2L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB FL
Tutela: Foundation L-CLB 2L Phonics Curriculum
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Adults Learn to Print
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Reading Skills Stories
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: