Real-World Task Guidelines:
Stage I
CLB 1
Employment - At the Workplace
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Very clearly formatted texts with clear font or printing
- Use of common and familiar visuals in reading texts
- Visual clues such as accompanying video for listening texts
- Very slow, clear speech in listening texts
Instructors may need to:
- Limit answers that require writing; use tasks that require circling, matching, etc.
- Ensure texts include very familiar, high-frequency words
- Ensure topics are very familiar and concrete
- Repeat listening texts
- Give a lot of support to learners in dialogues
Comprehending Information.
Understand short, simple, common instructions, commands, requests and directions related to immediate personal needs.
Instructions/commands are simple imperative sentences.
- Identifies a few obvious factual details, such as numbers, letters, times and dates.
- Identifies a few key words and short expressions related to immediate needs.
Getting Things Done
Understand expressions used to attract attention and to request assistance in situations of immediate personal need.
- Identifies a few common key words and formulaic expressions (Help! Watch out!).
- Indicates comprehension with appropriate verbal or non-verbal responses.
Giving Instructions
Give brief, simple, common, routine instructions to a familiar person.
- Uses imperative forms and memorized stock expressions.
- Uses appropriate courtesy words (such as please, thank you).
Interacting with Others
Use and respond to basic courtesy formulas and greetings. [Interlocutors are familiar and supportive.]
- Responds appropriately to common greetings, introductions, and leave-takings.
- Uses appropriate basic courtesy formulas.
Comprehending Instructions.
Understand very short, simple instructions for common, familiar everyday situations.
- Recognizes individual words (simple imperative verbs and common nouns).
- Follows instruction by responding with action.
Getting Things Done
Get information from very short, simple, common formatted texts.
- Identifies numbers (amounts, dates) and familiar words (names, addresses, city names).
- Finds total amount and dates.
Comprehending Information
Recognize names, numbers and some basic details in very simple, short texts related to everyday situations and immediate needs.
- Identifies numbers, letters, a few key words and short expressions.
Interacting With Others
Convey greetings or other goodwill messages by completing cards or other very short, simple standard texts.
- Completes a standard greeting card or message with simple and minimum information.
- Completes a message with an appropriate salutation (such as hi, hello, dear, to) and closing (such as from, regards, love).
Getting Things Done
Complete very short, simple or simplified forms that require only basic personal identification information.
- Writes basic personal information in appropriate sections.
- Follows some conventions for addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen and respond to a basic, everyday greeting from a coworker. (Interacting With Others)
Using a few phrases or a simple sentence to ask a coworker for help. (Getting Things Done)
Use a labelled picture of an office to understand a few common items in a workplace. (Comprehending Information)
Complete up to 5 items of the personal information section of a request for an accommodation workplace form. (Getting Things Done)
Additional Resources
Digital Literacy Strategies
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Have keyboarding and typing skills.
- Fill in forms online.
Instructors can:
- Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
Instructors Can:
- 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.
- Teach that race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics and disability are all protected grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
- Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in the workplace.
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Triggers:
- Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority; make sure learners understand their rights in the workplace and give strategies for making polite requests.
- Filling in forms and dealing with authority can be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma, especially for learners who have been in unsafe situations or have been in a political regime. Make sure that learners are always aware of the purpose of the form and be ready to provide support if needed.
- Questioning can be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma; be careful with the tone of questions in any kind of mock job interview situation and make sure learners understand the purpose of the activities.
- Discussions of income, payment and money may be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma, especially those who have lost their homes, possessions, and/ or money. Make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences.
Strategies:
- Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
- Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choice.
- Give learners advance warning of discussions of this topic.
- Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
Sample Real World Tasks
This information is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to help guide you in the planning process. You can use these sample real-world tasks to guide and inform your selection or creation of skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks.
These sample real-world tasks include the following: skill, real-world task, competency area, one competency statement and two sample indicators of ability. This is not an exhaustive list: there are more indicators of ability and information about this CLB level in Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults. Consult this resource for more information and to select your own competencies or indicators of ability. Remember, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson plan, module plan or curriculum.
