Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 4 - Writing
Getting Things Done

Banking & Numeracy

Real-World Task

Complete up to 20 items on a simple form to apply for a micro-loan for Newcomer women.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Basic personal information
Numbers to 1000

Context:

A micro-loan is a small loan, often a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
These loans are often used for starting a small business, buying equipment, education or training, and so on.
A micro loan usually has a repayment schedule, and interest or service fee.
Micro-loans can be a helpful and supportive way for Newcomers to start their own business. However, it is very important to distinguish between types of loans available in Canada. Some loans can support important goals, such as education or starting a small business. Other loans, like payday loans, can be predatory and very difficult to repay.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

budget
micro-loan
bank
borrow
charge
due
interest rate
penalty
purpose
extended personal information: email address, postal code, income, and so on

Sample Grammar:

Common everyday English spelling and punctuation rules and conventions for simple sentences.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

You have to fit your writing into the spaces on forms.
You must print neatly on forms.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

You can ask someone for help in filling out a form at a financial institution, settlement agency, and so on.
You can often request a form in a different language.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What is a loan? Brainstorm a list of different types of loans on the board. Ask learners where they can go to get a loan. Discuss safe options, such as banks, unsafe options, such as loan sharks, and high-cost options, such as pay-day loans (who as of January 1, 2025, have been limited in most provinces in Canada to charging $14 per $100 borrowed, which is a 365% annual interest rate).
Look at the infographic on the cost of borrowing money from the Government of Canada: Payday Loans: An Expensive Way to Borrow Money! Read the infographic together as a class. Discuss words / phrases such as interest rate, charge, due, penalty.
Discuss as a class: What is a micro-loan? Why are some loans available to specific groups, such as Newcomers or women? What is the purpose of a micro-loan?
Review the task vocabulary. Use vocabulary cards with words, pictures, and very simple definitions to practice the vocabulary.
Do activities such as matching, filling in the blanks, and crosswords.
Create a mini word bank to use for later activities related to loans (safe options) / loans (less safe options) / fees related to borrowing costs (interest, fees).
Review polite requests with would: I would like to… Use prompt cards to practice making requests of your classmates.
Read a short sample loan request form for Newcomers which includes details such as, “I want to start my own business. I would like to take a course to learn new skills.
I need to purchase a sewing machine for my tailoring business.” Answer true / false statements about the loan request.
Listen to an audio of people simply describing their goals for starting their own business and match each person to a picture of the business they are interested in.
Discuss in small groups: If you received a micro-loan of $1000, how would you spend it? What would you consider a good use of the money? Should a loan like this be used on commercial items, such as clothes?
Read a simple instructor-made article about micro-loans. Read together with a classmate. Discuss the article and work together to answer comprehension questions. Read this article several times over several days and complete different comprehension activities each time. Focus on pronunciation, intonation and fluency.
Listen to a short instructor-made recording from someone who used a micro-loan to purchase tools to start an apprenticeship. Discuss the recording as a class. Answer comprehension questions.
Discuss as a class: What kind of information do you need to give a bank when you borrow money? Discuss the kinds of information they want on a form.
Review an instructor-made online form for applying for a loan. The form has a number of capitalization and punctuation errors. Find the mistake and highlight the mistakes. On a blank form, copy the information with the errors corrected.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Complete an instructor-made online form
to apply for a car loan from a bank.
Use information from a prompt card to complete the form.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Complete up to 20 itemson a simple form
to apply for a micro-loan for Newcomer women.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Recognize that issues related to economic disadvantage are often stigmatized. Instructors can work to reduce the stigma.
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. A bank may only communicate directly with an account holder rather than allowing family members to complete transactions on their behalf.
Instructors can encourage discussion about gender roles with finances, but address concerns with sensitivity that Canada is equitable and inclusive to people of all genders.
People’s attitudes toward borrowing money and debt are different in different countries. In some cultures, borrowing and debt is common; in others, it is avoided. Instructors need to be aware that these differences exist and avoid judging learners’ choices.

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.
Type information to appear on screen
Send and receive text messages and messages on other texting apps.
Send and receive email messages
Complete formatted texts online, such as forms
Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.
Use a search engine 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.
Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

People from different cultures may have different expectations of how to manage their finances. Some may not have experience with loans or may not trust banks.
There are often programs available to help Newcomers with starting a business in Canada and basic business planning. Research loan programs in your area and share this information with the learners.
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.
Learners who have lived or are living in poverty and learners who have lost their homes and possessions may find discussions of banking, money, or finance triggering.

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:

Invite someone who specializes in financial literacy to speak to the class.
Invite a guest speaker from organizations that provide micro loans or at least support for new businesses to explain what options are available locally.
Invite a local Newcomer, who is also a business owner, to talk about their journey of opening a business in Canada
Have learners brainstorm ideas for starting a new business and give 5-10 minute pitches to the class about their idea.

Realia:

Loan application forms
Micro loan websites

Units and Modules:

Lessons and Activities:

Multimedia:

Government of Canada: Support for Businesses
YouTube (RightStart Newcomer Services): Going to the bank
Tutela: ESL Image Bank: Banking and Finance