Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 2 - Reading
Comprehending Instructions

Education & Learning

Real-World Task

Read and follow up to 4 instructions with visuals to prepare your child for a field trip to an Indigenous Learning Centre.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Some basic vocabulary related to school activities and field trips, as well as basic vocabulary related to Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Knowledge of the expectations for children going on field trips, including what might be provided and what parents are expected to provide, such as sunscreen, water bottle, and so on.

Context:

In Canada, field trips are considered an important part of a child’s learning. They offer hands-on learning experiences and they connect the classroom with the real world. Field trips are often very memorable for children and can be a highlight of the school year.
When considering preparing a child for a field trip it is important to know that most schools do not have the resources to provide additional supplies for this event. Children may be expected to bring additional items to school such as hats, sunscreen, water bottles, and so on.
A visit to an Indigenous Learning Centre can help your child to learn about Indigenous peoples in Canada and about their traditions and stories. Many Indigenous Learning Centres include land-based learning which can develop children’s knowledge about the environment.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Imperative verbs
Format of times and dates for events

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Beginning recognition of main ideas and text types

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Cultural references

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Have you ever been on a field trip with your English class? Where did you go? Did your teacher ask you to bring something for the trip? Have your children ever been on a field trip with their class? Did you go on field trips with school when you were a child? Why do you think teachers like to take children on field trips?
Label a picture of children going on a school field trip with vocabulary words copied from vocabulary list.
Incorporate phonics activities based on vocabulary words and other vocabulary related to the topic.
Listen to a short audio text describing in very simple terms what to bring to school for a field trip and what not to bring. On a handout or digital document, put a ✔ ️ next to the pictures of items to bring and a X next to the pictures of items not to bring.
In small groups look at images of children at various locations such as the local zoo, the community swimming pool, the library. Make one suggestion for each image of what the child needs to bring to that field trip.
Review the form and use of imperative verbs for giving instructions. In pairs, review 3-4 images which show instructions such as, Close the window or Put on your sunscreen. Using the words provided, write the imperative sentences next to each image.
Review time and date formats and practice writing time / dates next to clock and calendar images of different events.
Read a simple description of a school field trip and select the correct answer from a set of simple true / false statements about the description.
In pairs, plan what instructions a new LINC learner needs so they can understand the schedule for classes, including the start time and the end time of class, any break times and any days when class. (Examples might be: LINC classes start at 9:00. We take a break at 10:30. There is no class on Fridays.) Create a class poster of that information.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read four simple instructions, each with one word missing, about what items a LINC learner should bring to class on the first day. For each instruction, write the correct imperative verb into the sentence, copying from a list provided to make the sentence make sense.
Read four simple sentences about four school activities during the year such as, In spring we go on a nature walk. Match the correct image next to each sentence (such as an image of a class of children walking in the woods in spring time).

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read and follow up to 4 instructions with visuals to prepare your child for a field trip to an Indigenous Learning Centre. Respond to a simple set of true / false statements about the instructions to demonstrate understanding.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

In some countries, parents may not be involved in school trips, or schools may not send home detailed instructions. Learners might be unfamiliar with expectations like permission forms or sending specific clothes/lunch items.
Be aware of financial considerations for learners. Some learners may not have access to items like rain boots, backpacks, or lunch containers. Suggest community resources that can support this need.
Learners may not be familiar with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Provide an introduction that is respectful and explain why learning about Indigenous peoples in Canada is important.

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.
Read formatted texts online, such as forms
Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.

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:

Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada, including Indigenous peoples who have called Canada home for time immemorial.
Ensure that the images and cultural representations of Indigenous peoples are free from stereotypes and biases.
Raise learner awareness of the need for using appropriate language when discussing and addressing Indigenous peoples.
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:

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.
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.
Newcomers who come from Indigenous groups in their home countries may be triggered by considerations of the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Make sure that learners are always aware of the purpose of any activities that include forms and be ready to provide support if needed.
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 Indigenous Learning Centre.
Visit a local thrift store and identify five different items on an imaginary field trip list that can be purchased affordably.
Matching bingo game for different icons for field trips such as water bottle, snack, sunscreen, back pack and so on.

Realia:

Sample permission forms from schools
Images used in school communications
Real items used in the lesson, such as sun hats, rain coats, sunscreen, water bottles and so on.

Units and Modules:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Dressing for Winter: CLB FL/1L
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Dressing for Summer: CLB FL/1L
Tutela (CCLB): A Child’s Education: CLB 1L/2L

Lessons and Activities:

Multimedia:

Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Education