Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 - Reading
Getting Things Done

Canada

Real-World Task

Read 5 to 7 short simple sentences accompanying a colour coded map of Canada’s regions to find the names of each region, the provinces and territories that are part of each region and a few directional words such as east and west.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some basic knowledge of Canada, including the 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Context:

In Canada, there are ten provinces and three territories. Each province has its own government, geography, and unique travel attractions. The government of each province / territory is located in the capital city of the province or territory. Canada is a large country and most provinces are considered to be in a specific geographical region such as the east, west and so on.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Basic word order of statements
Basic grammar structures of the simple present tense
Capital letters for names of provinces, territories and capital cities

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Beginning recognition of common maps

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Cultural references

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What province / territory do we live in? Have you been to any other provinces or territories in Canada? What is the capital city of our province / territories? What are the capital cities of other provinces / territories in Canada? Are we in the east or the west? Are we north or south?
On a simplified map of your province / territory, attach labels with vocabulary words to various locations.
Listen to a short simplified (possibly instructor-made) audio describing your province / territory in relation to other provinces / territories in Canada, “Alberta is in the west. Nova Scotia is in the east. British Columbia is west of Manitoba, Nunavut is north of Saskatchewan” and so on. Using the simplified map, with a partner circle all of the places mentioned in the audio.
Match flash cards with vocabulary words to cards depicting corresponding images. Copy the words into a vocabulary notebook or an online vocabulary journal to use in later activities.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Practice the names of the provinces and territories of Canada with various activities such as matching names to a map, labelling a map, matching capital cities to provinces and territories and spelling exercises with missing letters. Draw attention to the need to capitalize the names of provinces, territories and capital cities. Practice capitalization.
Orally practice “ Where do you live? I live in the Yukon” and so on. Practice in pairs.
Using a map and / or compass, introduce / review the four directions east, west, north and east. Practice locations in Canada and the world, identifying areas that are east, west, north and south. Ask where their country of origin is.
Discuss as a class: What provinces and territories are in the east? west? north and south? Create a chart on the board to distinguish each region of Canada,
Create maps that learners colour to correspond with the four regions.
In pairs, learners practice “Nova Scotia is in the east. Newfoundland is in the east” and so on.
Read an instructor-made simple description of the capital cities of the provinces and territories, and their geographical region of Canada. Answer a set of simple true / false statements about the reading.
Using the coloured maps, in pairs, have one learner call out
provinces / territories and have the other learner point to the province and name the region it is located in “Alberta is in the west”
Copy sentences describing the regions such as “New Brunswick is in the east.”
Practice the present tense explaining that the present tense is for actions happening now such as “It is sunny today” but also for things that don’t change such as “My name is ….” and “Prince Edward Island is in the east.” Practice “Is” and “are” and other activities using the present tense.
Read a simple description of the provinces and territories and what regions they are in and circle the present tense verbs.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Look at a simplified map of a region of Canada, such as the east coast provinces. Circle the names of the provinces and their capital cities. Copy simple sentences of “Nova Scotia is in the east.” and so on.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read 5 to 7 short simple sentences accompanying a colour coded map of Canada’s regions to find the names of each region, the provinces and territories that are part of each region and a few directional words such as east and west. Show comprehension by filling in a chart.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some learners may know little or nothing about Canada’s geography. Others may be more familiar but still struggle with place names, pronunciation, or the idea of provinces / territories. Support teaching with visuals such as labeled maps, real brochures and avoid assuming prior knowledge.

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

Instructors can:

Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

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.
Refugee learners may not have had a choice in leaving their countries and coming to Canada; recognize that some learners may have mixed feelings about being in Canada. Allow learners to have their own opinions and feelings about Canada.

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.
For Newcomers, talking about places in Canada can help build a sense of place and identity, but it may be triggering as a reminder that they are still new to the place and are still adjusting. Some may feel overwhelmed or disconnected.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Promote belonging and engagement by encouraging cultural sharing of lived experience. This can be as simple as including the option to share about another country in the world rather than just focussing on Canada.
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:

Take a field trip to a local visitor centre to look at maps and collect brochures on Canada.
Create very simple posters / infographics naming the province / territory, the capital city and one must-visit tourist attraction in the local area.
Create a Canada wall poster. Each learner prints one label for a province / territory, city or attractions to add to the poster.

Realia:

Maps of Canada
Travel brochures from various local tourist attractions

Units and Modules:

Tutela: Canada: Its Provinces and Territories. Listen and Read. Find.
Tutela: Low Literacy – My Canada Book (May need to be adapted for your level).

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela: Assessment Task CLB 2 Canada’s Provinces
Tutela: Assessment Task CLB 1-2 Canada-City and Province
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: