Real-World Task Guidelines:
Stage I
CLB 4
Employment - At the Workplace
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Clearly formatted texts with clear font or printing
- Use of common and familiar visuals in reading texts
- Visual clues such as accompanying video for listening texts
- Slow, clear speech in listening texts
Instructors may need to:
- Limit answers that require writing; use tasks that require circling, matching, etc.
- Ensure texts include familiar words and phrases
- Ensure topics are very familiar and concrete
- Repeat listening texts
- Give support to learners in dialogues
Comprehending Information
Understand short descriptive or narrative communication on topics of personal relevance.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details, some implied meanings, key words and expressions.
Getting Things Done
Understand short communication intended to influence or persuade others in familiar, everyday situations.
- Identifies purpose, main ideas, factual details and some implied meanings in simple announcements, commercials or infomercials.
- Understands an expanded range of factual details and some implied meanings.
Giving Instructions
Give a set of simple, common, routine instructions and directions to a familiar person.
- Uses appropriate courtesy forms and structures.
- Expresses movement and location.
Interacting with Others
Use a range of courtesy formulas and some casual small talk in short, one-on-one or small group interactions. [Interlocutors are familiar and supportive.]
- Uses non-verbal communication (such as eye contact and nodding) to show interest and encourage conversation.
- Uses a range of small talk phrases and expressions.
Getting Things Done
Make and respond to a range of requests and offers (such as getting assistance, and asking for, offering, accepting or rejecting goods and services).
- Asks questions and makes requests and suggestions politely and appropriately.
- Uses modals with some accuracy.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand short, simple, clearly sequenced instructions and instructional texts for familiar everyday situations.
- Identifies sequence and location signals (such as first, next and before).
- Recognizes common sentence patterns, phrases and symbols commonly used in instructions.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple formatted texts.
- Identifies layout and specific information.
- Identifies type and purpose.
Comprehending Information
Understand the purpose, main idea, key information and specific details in simple, short texts related to everyday familiar and personally relevant situations and topics.
- Gets the overall meaning.
- Finds key information and specific details.
Interacting With Others
Convey short, personal, informal social messages on topics related to familiar everyday situations (such as invitations, thanks, updates, cancellations and apologies).
- Conveys the message so that a reader can follow it.
- Conveys main ideas and supports them with some detail in a basic paragraph structure.
Getting Things Done
Complete simple forms that require basic personal or familiar information and some responses to simple questions.
- Follows appropriate conventions for addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
- Follows most spelling conventions.
Getting Things Done
Write simple business or service messages
- Conveys main ideas and supports them with some detail in a basic paragraph
- Uses language and content that are appropriate to the purpose, intent, and social context.
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Follow instructions from a coworker about how to use the coffee machine in the staff room. (Comprehending Instructions)
Introduce a new coworker to your team. (Interacting With Others)
Read a message of about a paragraph from a supervisor, with an update about how the team is doing. (Interacting With Others)
Write a paragraph to a supervisor to suggest a workplace event to celebrate Pride month. (Getting Things Done)
Additional Resources
Digital Literacy Strategies
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Have keyboarding and typing skills.
- Fill in forms online.
- Have an email address and be able to navigate email proficiently.
Instructors can:
- Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 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.
- Teach that race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics and disability are all protected grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
- Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in the workplace.
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Triggers:
- Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority; make sure learners understand their rights in the workplace and give strategies for making polite requests.
- 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. Make sure that learners are always aware of the purpose of the form and be ready to provide support if needed.
- Questioning can be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma; be careful with the tone of questions in any kind of mock job interview situation and make sure learners understand the purpose of the activities.
- Discussions of income, payment and money may be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma, especially those who have lost their homes, possessions, and/or money. Make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences.
Strategies:
- Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine.
- Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choice.
- Give learners advance warning of discussions of this topic.
- Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
Sample Real World Tasks
This information is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to help guide you in the planning process. You can use these sample real-world tasks to guide and inform your selection or creation of skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks.
These sample real-world tasks include the following: skill, real-world task, competency area, one competency statement and two sample indicators of ability. This is not an exhaustive list: there are more indicators of ability and information about this CLB level in Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults. Consult this resource for more information and to select your own competencies or indicators of ability. Remember, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson plan, module plan or curriculum.
