Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 - Reading
Getting Things Done

Banking & Numeracy

Real-World Task

Find the total amount due and due date on a utility bill.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some basic numeracy skills including an understanding of totals, subtotals, and so on, that are regularly found on bills.
Knowledge of date formats, monetary amounts formats and calendar formats.

Context:

In Canada, a paper or electronic bill tells you how much money you need to pay for services you use at home.
Common utilities include electricity, water, gas, and internet.
Most families / households get a bill every month or sometimes every two months.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

bill
utility
account
billing period
due date
total amount due
ways to pay
utilities / water / electricity / natural gas

Sample Grammar:

Conventions for monetary amounts, date formats, and so on.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Beginning recognition of common written formats, such as calendars, bills, and so on.

Strategic Competence:

Basic reading strategies such as scanning to locate specific information.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What is a bill? Have you ever paid bills? What bills did you pay? What bills do families have to pay each month in Canada? How do we find out the amount for each service? Do you receive bills by mail or by email? Use visuals to support your discussion.
On a simplified utility bill, circle each of the vocabulary words found on various parts of the bill. Discuss the meaning of each word and build a set of simplified definitions for the vocabulary word list.
Learners create a set of word cards with the vocabulary words on one side and definitions on the other. Practice activities using these cards can provide a review for each lesson focussed on different aspects like pronunciation or word meanings.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Listen to a short simplified (possibly instructor-made) audio describing the information that can be found on a natural gas bill. Using a simplified bill, with a partner circle all of the words mentioned in the audio.
Teach learners how to scan a bill for key words to find one small piece of information. Capital letters can show an address; symbols can show monetary amounts; numbers in date format can indicate a date, and longer strings of numbers can indicate a phone number to contact for help, and so on. Look at a cell phone bill and ask learners to scan for one piece of information from the page.
Using a simplified bill with key information missing, have learners write in the correct word/ symbol and so on, into the correct spaces. Use a word box to support the activity. Compare answers with a partner.
Read out a set of dates. Learners review a handout with a list of two possible answers for each date read aloud. Learners circle the date that they hear the instructor read aloud.
Read an instructor-made, simple description of the bills one family has each month. Answer a set of simple true / false statements about the reading. Practice reading for pronunciation, intonation and fluency,
In pairs, learners read a list of three due dates for a family’s bills in one month. On a calendar, learners copy the name and amount of the bills due into the correct space on the calendar.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Find the total amount due and the due date on a cell phone bill.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Find the total amount due and due date on a utility bill.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

In some cultures, learners who identify as women may not be used to having control of finances or paying bills. Explain that in Canada, anyone can have a bank account, and that it is good to know how to pay a bill even if you are not the one paying it.

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.
Read information from a screen.
Scan online resources to find information.

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.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Recognize that people who identify as women may not have had access to their own finances. Make sure these learners are aware of their rights in Canada and the resources that are available to them.
Some learners may experience changes to gender roles when they come to Canada. For some, this may be a welcome change, but for others it may be challenging. Address their concerns with sensitivity but teach that Canada is equitable and inclusive to people of all genders.
Recognize that issues related to economic disadvantage are often stigmatized. Instructors can: work to reduce the stigma.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma triggers:

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.
Learners who have experienced or are experiencing financial hardship may find discussions of finances triggering. Avoid making assumptions about what bills all people are able to pay each month. Some utilities, such as internet services or cell phones, may be considered luxuries by some people. Moreover, be aware that some of your learners may struggle to pay for heat, water, or electricity, each month and refer learners for further support if 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:

Compare simple bills from different utility / service providers. In groups learners rank bills in order of highest to lowest cost, order bills in which is due first and so on.
Invite a guest speaker from a settlement agency who can give household budgeting advice in very simple terms.

Realia:

Authentic utility bills
Bank brochures about how to pay bills online
Posters about ways to cut down your energy bills

Units and Modules:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Paying Utility Bills: CLB 2L/3L (Can be used in a non-literacy class)
Tutela: Banking CLB 1-2

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Parts of a Utility Bill CLB 2
Tutela (OCDSB): Everybody’s Food Budget: CLB 2/3
A search of NLCG ( nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia:

Tutela: Money and Banking: Links to external resources: CLB 1-4
Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Banking and Finance