Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 3 - Speaking
Interacting with Others

Community and Recreation

Real-World Task

Participate in a short, casual conversation with a participant at a community event or recreational activity like a Pride celebration event, spring clean-up, potluck or yoga class.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Appropriate topics for small talk at community / work events.
Body language we can use to convey our interest and engagement with others.
Different registers used for informal conversation settings.

Context:

At community and other social events  we often interact with our neighbours and/ or work colleagues. This means we will take part in small talk and follow certain practices for this including the types of topics and style of speaking with those people we know but are not members of our family or close friends.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Courtesy formulas for casual conversation

Sample Grammar:

Simple questions to maintain the conversation.
Verb tenses for past and present.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Convey intended purpose of an utterance through intonation, language, body language, vocalizations, and so on.
Use common expressions for specific purposes including greeting and  leave-taking.
Use typical set formats in sequencing information (such as openings, pre-closings, and closings).

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Culturally appropriate non-verbal communication strategies.
Culturally appropriate strategies to convey politeness and respect.
Socio-cultural conventions related  to specific topics.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss appropriate topics for small talk in social situations.
Group conversation topics into appropriate and inappropriate categories for social situations.
Compare small talk topics in different countries.
Elicit strategies and questions to maintain conversations.
Match body language visuals to one-word descriptions of the meaning that they convey.
Role play opening a conversation, asking a question and ending a conversation in small groups, rotating to a new classmate for each speech act.
Fill in missing words while listening to a social conversation.
Listen to individual statements and circle appropriate questions to maintain a conversation.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Practice short conversations in groups  in the classroom. Complete a self-assessment.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Participate in a short, casual conversation with an acquaintance at a community event or recreational activity (such as a Pride parade, spring clean-up, potluck or yoga class).

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Some topics are ideal for social situations with acquaintances and neighbours (including the weather, sports, work, food, travel, hobbies) while others can be considered too personal or intrusive (including religion, politics, death, age, salary or finances).
Compare good topics for small talk in Canada with topics from your learners’ countries.
Body language can impact how others respond to you. Share positive body language and consider visuals of inappropriate or off-putting body language and discuss what meaning each visual conveys.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization 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.
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.
Recognizing the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion is an important part of global citizenship. This task can focus on interactions taking place at community events that are inclusive of typically underrepresented groups.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Recognize that not everyone will feel comfortable with the idea of meeting strangers.

Strategies:

Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions; learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
Recognize and respect learners’ right to choose if, when and what they share about themselves and their routines.
Adapt tasks to meet “safer” people such as classmates or other teachers as needed.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Learners can organize an event at school with another class such as a simple class party / gathering to provide authentic opportunities to interact with others.
Instructors can find community events on the weekends and encourage learners to attend.

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Multimedia:

Right Start Newcomer Services: Meeting people