Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 -Speaking
Interacting with Others

Canada

Real-World Task

Introduce yourself to a neighbour and talk to them about the weather.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some basic vocabulary related to the weather and small talk openers.
Knowledge of appropriate topics and questions for casual conversations with strangers in a Canadian community setting.

Context:

In Canada, neighbours / people often greet each other politely, shake hands or smile, and share simple personal information. Introductions usually follow a predictable order with the greeting, sharing of one’s name, an additional detail, and a polite greeting such as nice to meet you. People usually smile when introducing themselves to others and make eye contact. It is also important to listen to the introduction of the other person.
Talking about the weather is a socially safe topic because it is not political, personal, or controversial. Topics like the weather allow people to start a conversation without risk of offending anyone. Talking about the weather is appropriate for any setting: work, school, bus stops, waiting rooms, and so on.
The weather affects everyone, so everyone can comment on it. Culturally, Canadians talk a lot about the weather. The weather makes an instant connection between people who may not know each other well. The weather is a very easy way to start a conversation.
In Canada, the weather changes often and sometimes dramatically, which makes it a constant topic of interest.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

weather words (such as, sunny, rainy, snowy, windy, cold. hot, cool, warm and so on.)
Simple phrases about the weather
(such as, “It’s sunny today.” “It’s cold this morning.” “Nice weather today!” and so on.)
phrases related to conversation openers and closers
(such as, Hello, Have a great day!)
phrases to show interest in small talk (such as, Me, too! That’s nice! Yes, it is.)

Sample Grammar:

Present tense for weather statements
Basic word order of statements.
Adequate pronunciation to convey basic messages

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Convey intended purpose of an utterance through intonation and body language.
Use common expressions for specific purposes.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Culturally appropriate non-verbal communication strategies.
Culturally appropriate strategies to convey politeness and respect.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What is a neighbour? Did you have neighbours near your home when you lived in another country? Did you talk to them? How do you introduce yourself to a new classmate or neighbour? Do you find introductions difficult? What parts do you find hard? What are some phrases we can use every time we meet a new person? How can we respond to a person who introduces themselves to us?
Elicit what topics are good when chatting with a stranger and what topics you should avoid in small talk. Compare this with experiences in other countries around the world. Ask what topics do strangers chat about in your previous country? Create a chart for the classroom.
Create a mini word bank for small talk phrases, including opening and closing the conversation. Add a specific section for vocabulary words related to the weather. Use this word bank for other activities later on.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Read a simple conversation between neighbours which has some key vocabulary words missing. Using the word bank created previously, complete the dialogue and compare the completed text with a partner. Practice reading the dialogue aloud with your partner.
Listen to a short instructor-created audio with two neighbours meeting for the first time and discussing the weather. Answer three simple
true / false questions about the audio. Discuss as a class appropriate body language during introductions such as smiling, nodding and making eye contact. Practice using friendly body language in a simple role play with a classmate.
Using a transcript of the dialogue, practice as a class, modelling the instructor for pronunciation, intonation and fluency. Practice in pairs and perform role plays for the class using different words from the word box.
Review the word order of statements about the weather such as “It is cold today.” and fill in the missing verbs in simple sentences on a handout or digital document.
Practice making complete sentences about the weather in your area by organizing word cards into simple sentences, and read the completed sentences aloud with a friend. Copy these sentences into a notebook or digital document.
Practice the present tense with various activities and worksheets.
Listen to a weather report or a weather forecast. Answer comprehension questions about the listening. Practice talking about the weather with a classmate.
Listen to a short, simple conversation between two friends about the weather. In pairs, answer three simple questions about their conversation.
Create a set of three cards each with one statement you would make to start up a casual conversation with a neighbour about the weather or other appropriate small talk topic. Practice reading and saying the introduction and then introduce yourself to three people in the class. Each time you do your introduction try to speak a little faster and use your cards a little less each time.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Role play introducing yourself to a LINC classmate and talk about an appropriate small-talk topic such as your class, the weather, sports, or a local event.
Have a class discussion about the recent weather.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Role play introducing yourself to a neighbour and talk to them about the weather.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

In some cultures, first names are used only with friends / family;
In Canada it is common to introduce yourself by first name, even to neighbours. In Canada, introductions usually stay short and casual (name, where you live, maybe country of origin).
In Canadian culture, a handshake or wave may be used, but it is not required. Some learners may come from cultures where physical contact between men and women is not appropriate, so alternatives (smile, nod) should be respected.
Silence or avoiding eye contact may be seen as unfriendly in Canada, though in other cultures it shows respect. Learners may need reassurance that smiling and brief responses are valued in Canada. Talking about the weather is one way Canadians use to avoid a silence which can be seen as uncomfortable.

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.
Navigate camera and microphone
Adjust volume on device.

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.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

In some cultures, men and women may not typically make casual conversation with each other, especially with strangers. Learners may be unsure how to greet or speak casually with someone of a different gender. Provide safe, respectful examples of gender-neutral greetings and behavior in Canada. Allow learners to choose role-play partners they’re comfortable with.
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. Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.

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.
Recognize that not everyone will feel comfortable with the idea of meeting strangers.
Questioning can be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma.

Strategies:

Adapt tasks to meet or do introductions with “safer” people such as classmates or other teachers as needed.
Be careful with the tone of questions in any kind of public setting and make sure learners understand the purpose of the activities.
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:

Visit another LINC class close to the same level, introduce yourselves and make small talk with other students.
Create posters / infographics with as many phrases useful for introductions as possible and share the posters with another class.
Create a calendar where learners record the weather for the previous day using simple phrases and icons.

Realia:

Conversation cue cards for small talk and introductions
Weather icons / calendars

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Listening Assessment: A New Classmate CLB 2
Tutela: CLB 2 Listening Assessment: Weather Report
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: