Real-World Task Guidelines:
Stage I
CLB 4
Employment - Finding a Job
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:
- Adapt online resources for accessibility/ use in the classroom and explain that certain tasks are authentically completed online
- Ensure texts include familiar words and phrases
- Ensure topics are very familiar and concrete
- Repeat listening texts
- Give a lot of support to learners in dialogues
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.
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.
Interacting With Others
Use a range of courtesy formulas and some casual small talk in short, one-on-one or small group interactions.
- Opens and closes a short conversation.
- Asks and responds to questions about common, everyday routines.
Sharing Information
Give brief descriptions of personal experiences, situations or simple processes, such as getting goods or services.
- Sustains about 5 to 7 sentences, which are adequately connected as discourse.
- Gives descriptions in coherent narratives.
Getting Things Done
Get information from short business or service texts.
- Identifies type and purpose.
- Finds main ideas, specific information and key details.
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.
Getting Things Done
Complete simple forms that require basic personal or familiar information and some responses to simple questions.
- Includes the required basic information with no major omissions.
- Follows appropriate conventions for addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
Reproducing Information
Copy or record an expanded range of information from short texts for personal use.
- Follows standard conventions for capitalization and punctuation; accurately copies other elements of formatting.
- Copies text with no major omissions and only occasional copying mistakes.
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen to advice from a job counsellor. (Comprehending Information)
Give short, simple directions to a classmate about how to get to a local employment centre. (Giving Instructions)
Read a simple statistical table (online or printed) about jobs in demand in Canada and their salary ranges. (Comprehending Information )
Write 2-3 paragraphs to a friend about your plans for finding a job in Canada. (Sharing Information)
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.
- Have an email address and be able to navigate email proficiently.
- Locate, navigate and use websites.
- Fill in forms online.
- Scan online resources to find information.
Instructors can:
- Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
- Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
- 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.
- 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.
Strategies:
- 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.
