Section 8: EAL/ESL Literacy and the CLB

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  3. Section 8: EAL/ESL Literacy and the CLB
  • There are five levels of EAL/ESL literacy in the CLB: Foundation L and CLB 1L-CLB 4L.
  • Different literacy skills are focused on at different levels.
  • There is a description of the literacy focus and the context for learning for Foundation L to CLB 4L.
  • ESL for ALL includes a Continuum of Literacy Skills for the development of literacy.
  • Needs Assessments are best conducted with EAL/ESL literacy learnings using oral language, clear photographs, scribing, pointing, circling, and physically moving in response to questions.
  • The pace of learning for EAL/ESL literacy learners is slower due to a difference in formal learning strategies and a much larger learning task; literacy learners can take twice as long or longer to complete a task as non-literacy learners.
  • There are a range of strategies for using PLBA with EAL/ESL literacy learners.
  • There are three different profiles of EAL/ESL literacy classes, including profiles of individual learners.
EAL/ESL Literacy and the CLB

8.1 Levels of EAL/ESL literacy

The levels of EAL/ESL literacy in Canada are parallel to CLB Stage I, with the addition of a Foundation Literacy level. Literacy learners are assigned regular CLB for listening and speaking and are assigned literacy CLB, designated with an “L,” for reading and writing. For example, a learner may have the benchmarks (LSRW): 111L1L, or 332L2L. Some EAL/ESL literacy learners have significantly higher listening and speaking benchmarks than reading and writing, which can mean some challenges for appropriate placement in a class.

Stage I Stage I Literacy
Listening and Speaking Reading and Writing Listening and Speaking Reading and Writing
CLB 1 Foundation Literacy (FL)
CLB 1 CLB 1 CLB 1 CLB 1L
CLB 2 CLB 2 CLB 2 CLB 2L
CLB 3 CLB 3 CLB 3 CLB 3L
CLB 4 CLB 4 CLB 4 CLB 4L

The literacy benchmarks are described in ESL for ALL with further exploration in ESL for ALL Support Kit. Instructors should refer to Canadian Language Benchmarks: English as a Second Language for Adults for descriptions of the Stage I listening and speaking benchmarks.

While literacy learners use the regular CLB to describe their listening and speaking skills, they still require extra time, support, and appropriate learning activities to develop listening and speaking skills. For more information, please see Section 5: Language Skills for EAL/ESL Literacy Learners.

The literacy benchmarks align fully with the regular Stage I benchmarks with a few additions:

  • Slower pace
  • Increased support and scaffolding
  • Appropriate learning activities
  • Integration of explicit instruction in literacy skills
  • Instruction in learning strategies, numeracy, visual literacy, and digital literacy
  • Increased time to complete a benchmark

Literacy skills are taught in progression across the levels.

The Development of Literacy Skills in the CLB
Foundation L CLB 1L CLB 2L CLB 3L CLB 4L
Letters Words Sentence Frames Sentences Paragraphs
Texts and meaning (Intensive) Texts and meaning (Ongoing)
The sounds of English (Intensive) The sounds of English (Ongoing)
Letter formation (Intensive) Phonics, sight words, and spelling patterns (Intensive) Phonics, sight words, and spelling patterns (Ongoing)
Reading comprehension (Intensive)
Writing sentences (Intensive) Writing short paragraphs (Intensive)
Fluency (Intensive)

8.2 CLB Foundation Literacy (FL)

Foundation L learners in reading or writing are developing their first, basic foundational literacy skills. They are also working on their listening and speaking skills as appropriate for their listening and speaking benchmarks. They will likely progress faster in listening and speaking than in reading and writing.

FL learners:

  • Typically have between 0-2 years of previous formal education before coming to Canada and have very little experience with text, classrooms, and formal learning.
  • May not know what to expect in a classroom and may not have basic learning and classroom strategies such as keeping their possessions to a limited space, watching the instructor, or following instructions.
  • May have a range of listening and speaking benchmarks.

FL literacy learning includes:

  1. Texts and meaning

    • Recognizing that text has meaning
    • Recognizing that text represents oral language
    • Recognizing that text has orientation and directionality (left to right, top to bottom)
    • Developing 1:1 correspondence between a spoken word and a written word


  2. The sounds of English

    • Recognizing and producing most single consonant sounds and some vowel sounds


  3. Phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling patterns

    • Recognizing most letters
    • Connecting most consonants to their sounds
    • Forming most capital and lowercase letters
    • Reading own name and other highly familiar, personal words as sight words
    • Beginning to track
    • Beginning to use visual discrimination
    • Writing own name
    • Copying letters and single words

The context for FL learning is:

  • highly familiar
  • personally relevant
  • highly supportive
  • non-demanding
  • reading single words or up to three-word phrases
  • supported with immediately relevant physical objects or with very clear photographs, such as a clear image on a white background
  • for a known purpose in a predictable context
  • made up of words that are already in their regularly used oral vocabulary
  • presented in a very large, literacy-friendly font with lots of white space
  • presented without wrap-around text
  • any new concepts are introduced and explained slowly and orally
  • includes plenty of repetition and recycling

8.3 CLB 1L

CLB 1L learners in reading or writing have either started language learning at this level or are building on the skills of FL and developing basic literacy skills. They are also working on their listening and speaking skills as appropriate for their listening and speaking benchmarks. They will likely progress faster in listening and speaking than in reading and writing. CLB 1L learners:
  • Typically have between 0-4 years of previous formal education before coming to Canada and have little experience with text, classrooms, and formal learning
  • May not know what to expect in a classroom and may not have basic learning and classroom strategies such as keeping their possessions to a limited space, watching the instructor, or following instructions
  • May have a range of listening and speaking benchmarks.
CLB 1L literacy learning includes:
  1. Texts and meaning

    • Recognizing that text has meaning
    • Recognizing that text represents oral language
    • Recognizing that text has orientation and directionality (left to right, top to bottom)
    • Developing 1:1 correspondence between a spoken word and a written word
    • Recognizing that text has different purposes


  2. The sounds of English

    • Recognizing and producing most single consonant sounds and vowel sounds
    • Beginning to blend sounds to make words and split words into sounds


  3. Phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling patterns

    • Recognizing and forming lowercase and capital letters
    • Connecting most consonants to their sounds
    • Connecting some vowels to their sounds
    • Reading own name and a few highly familiar, personal words as sight words
    • Tracking
    • Using visual discrimination
    • Writing single words
    • Copying words
The context for CLB 1L learning is:

  • highly familiar
  • personally relevant
  • highly supportive
  • non-demanding
  • reading single words or up to three-word phrases
  • supported with physical objects or with very clear photographs, such as a clear image on a white background
  • for a known purpose in a predictable context
  • made up of words that are already in their regularly used oral vocabulary
  • presented in a very large, literacy-friendly font with lots of white space
  • presented without wrap-around text
  • any new concepts are introduced and explained slowly and orally
  • includes plenty of repetition and recycling

8.4 CLB 2L

CLB 2L learners in reading or writing have either started language learning at this level or are building on the skills of previous literacy levels. They are also working on their listening and speaking skills as appropriate for their listening and speaking benchmarks. They will likely progress faster in listening and speaking than in reading and writing. CLB 2L learners:
  • Typically have between 0-6 years of previous formal education before coming to Canada and have some experience with text, classrooms, and formal learning
  • May not have learning and classroom strategies such as organizing their papers, filing, or using strategies when answering questions.
  • May have listening and speaking benchmarks anywhere from CLB 2 and higher.
CLB 2L literacy learning includes:

  1. Texts and meaning

    • Ongoing practice in texts and meaning


  2. The sounds of English

    • Recognizing and producing most single consonant sounds and vowel sounds
    • Blending sounds to make words and splitting words into sounds
    • Recognizing and producing some consonant blends


  3. Phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling patterns

    • Recognizing and forming lowercase and capital letters
    • Connecting all consonants to their sounds
    • Connecting most vowels to their sounds
    • Beginning to use consonant blends
    • Reading a wider range of very common, highly familiar sight words
    • Tracking and using visual discrimination
    • Writing words to complete sentence frames
    • Copying


  4. Reading comprehension

    • Beginning to identify key details in the text, answering questions about who, what, where, and
      • when
    • Beginning to identify the topic of a text
    • Activating knowledge before reading
    • Beginning to make predictions about a text
    • Beginning to use knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation
The context for CLB 2L learning is:

  • highly familiar
  • personally relevant
  • highly supportive
  • non-demanding
  • reading is limited to up to 5-7 very short, simple sentences
  • includes very simple, straightforward formatted text, such as very basic charts or schedules
  • supported with clear photographs
  • for a known purpose in a predictable context
  • made up of words that are already in their regularly used oral vocabulary
  • presented in a large, literacy-friendly font with lots of white space
  • may be presented with some wrap-around text
  • any new concepts are introduced and explained slowly and orally
  • includes plenty of repetition and recycling

8.5 CLB 3L

CLB 3L learners in reading or writing have either started language learning at this level or are building on the skills of previous literacy levels. They are also working on their listening and speaking skills as appropriate for their listening and speaking benchmarks. They will likely progress faster in listening and speaking than in reading and writing.

CLB 3L learners:

  • Typically have between 0-8 years of previous formal education before coming to Canada and have some experience with text, classrooms, and formal learning
  • May not have learning and classroom strategies such as organizing their papers, filing, sorting, categorizing, or using strategies, process of elimination, or other forms of logic when answering questions.
  • May have listening and speaking benchmarks anywhere from CLB 3 and higher.


CLB 3L literacy learning includes:

  1. Texts and meaning

    • Ongoing practice in texts and meaning


  2. The sounds of English

    • Ongoing practice in the sounds of English


  3. Phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling patterns

    • Ongoing practice in phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling practice
    • Developing more proficient decoding skills using phonics
    • Developing a wider sight word bank


  4. Reading comprehension

    • Identifying key details in the text, answering questions about who, what, where, and when.
    • Identifying the topic of a text
    • Activating knowledge before reading
    • Making predictions about a text
    • Using knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation
    • Making very basic inferences when highly supported


  5. Writing sentences and short paragraphs

    • Writing short, simple sentences
    • Using oral language to support writing


  6. Fluency

    • Reading below-level texts to practice fluency
    • Beginning to use chunking when reading
    • Beginning to read below-level texts with speed, accuracy, and expression
The context for CLB 3L learning is:

  • highly familiar
  • personally relevant
  • highly supportive
  • non-demanding
  • reading is limited to 3 short, simple paragraphs
  • includes simple, straightforward formatted text, such as simple charts, brochures, maps, or schedules
  • supported with clear photographs or illustrations
  • for a known purpose in a predictable context
  • made up of words that are already in their regularly used oral vocabulary
  • presented in a variety of fonts (12-14 pt.) with lots of white space
  • presented with wrap-around text
  • any new concepts are introduced and explained slowly and orally
  • includes plenty of repetition and recycling

8.6 CLB 4L

CLB 4L learners in reading or writing have either started language learning at this level or are building on the skills of previous literacy levels. They are also working on their listening and speaking skills as appropriate for their listening and speaking benchmarks. They will likely progress faster in listening and speaking than in reading and writing. CLB 4L learners:

  • Typically have between 0-10 years of previous formal education before coming to Canada and usually have some experience with text, classrooms, and formal learning
  • May not have learning and classroom strategies such as organizing their papers, filing, sorting, categorizing, or using strategies, process of elimination, or other forms of logic when answering questions.
  • May have listening and speaking benchmarks at CLB 4 or higher


CLB 4L literacy learning includes:

  1. Texts and meaning

    • Ongoing practice in texts and meaning


  2. The sounds of English

    • Ongoing practice in the sounds of English


  3. Phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling patterns

    • Ongoing practice in phonics, sight words, letter formation, and spelling practice
    • Developing more proficient decoding skills using phonics
    • Developing a wider sight word bank


  4. Reading comprehension

    • Identifying key details in the text, answering questions about who, what, where, and when and very simple questions about how and why
    • Identifying the topic of a text
    • Activating knowledge before reading
    • Making predictions about a text
    • Using knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation
    • Making basic inferences when highly supported


  5. Writing sentences and short paragraphs

    • Writing short, simple sentences
    • Writing compound sentences and very basic complex sentences
    • Writing some introductory phrases
    • Using oral language to support writing


  6. Fluency

    • Reading below-level texts to practice fluency
    • Using chunking when reading
    • Reading below-level texts with speed, accuracy, and expression


The context for CLB 4L learning is:

  • highly familiar
  • personally relevant
  • highly supportive
  • non-demanding
  • reading is limited to 3 simple paragraphs
  • includes a range of straightforward formatted text, such as charts, brochures, maps, or schedules
  • supported with clear photographs or illustrations
  • for a known purpose in a predictable context
  • made up of words that are already in their regularly used oral vocabulary
  • presented in a variety of fonts (12-14 pt.) with lots of white space
  • presented with some wrap-around text
  • any new concepts are introduced and explained slowly and orally
  • includes plenty of repetition and recycling

8.7 Continuum of Literacy Skills

ESL for ALL includes a continuum of literacy skills which looks at the development of literacy as the building of 9 skills for reading and 9 skills for writing. The continuum looks at these skills across five levels, described as a continuum between emerging and expanding.

See Section 6: Literacy Skills for EAL/ESL Literacy Learners for more information on teaching literacy skills.

Continuum of Literacy Skills
Reading Writing
  1. Oral communication to support reading and writing
  2. Developing visual/perceptual skills
  3. Processing visual information
  4. Decoding text and recognizing spelling patterns
  5. Developing vocabulary and sight words
  6. Understanding word order and sentence patterns
  7. Navigating and understanding text conventions, formats, and layouts
  8. Reading with comprehension fluency, and expression
  9. Reading with social and critical awareness
  1. Oral communication to support reading and writing
  2. Developing visual/motor skills
  3. Communicating using visual information
  4. Encoding text and using spelling patterns
  5. Vocabulary and sight word development
  6. Using word order and sentence patterns to produce text
  7. Using text conventions, formats, and layouts
  8. Writing clearly, expressively, and fluently
  9. Writing with social and critical awareness

8.8 Needs assessments

Needs assessments can be completed at the start of any period of learning, such as at the beginning of a learning module or unit. They are most meaningful with literacy learners if they are done regularly, with smaller pieces of learning, rather than once at the start of a term. Needs assessments are best done in a way that is clear and meaningful to the learners. They can involve different activities, including:

  • Using pointing, circling, pictures, placing sticky notes by what you want to learn, and physically moving your body to respond to questions
  • Brainstorming what learners already know about the topic, with the instructor acting as scribe at the board
  • Brainstorming what learners want to know about the topic
  • Identifying several learning objectives/tasks, illustrated by a clear photograph, e.g. Make an appointment with a doctor or Fill in a simple form
  • Discussing the learning objectives and then giving learners sticky notes to put next to the 2 or 3 objectives that are most important to them
  • Depending on the level, following up with a simple list of objectives where learners can put a checkmark, circle, or copy 2-3 that are important to them
  • Brainstorming what learners can do to practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing


Once you’ve conducted a needs assessment, use that information to guide your teaching, including what kinds of tasks and activities to choose or what to focus on. Examples of needs assessments can be found in the CCLB Multi-Level Literacy Modules such as Dealing with Emergencies: CLB 1L/2L or Grocery Shopping: CLB 1L/2L.

8.9 Pace of learning

The pace of learning for EAL/ESL literacy is considerably slower than the average pace of a non-literacy class at the same benchmark. EAL/ESL literacy learners may or may not actually learn more slowly, depending on the learner, but the amount that they are learning is so much larger than for non-literacy learners, and they are doing it with much less experience with learning and often fewer resources overall.

EAL/ESL literacy learners can typically take up to twice as long or more to complete a task as non-literacy learners.

Learning Goals of Non-Literacy Learners Learning Goals of Literacy Learners
  1. Settlement
  2. Tasks in community, education, and employment
  3. Language development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing
    • Vocabulary
    • Structure and mechanics
    • Pronunciation
    • Idiomatic language
    • Strategies for listening, speaking, reading, and writing
  1. Settlement
  2. Tasks in community, education, and employment
  3. Language development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing
    • Vocabulary
    • Structure and mechanics
    • Pronunciation
    • Idiomatic language
    • Strategies for listening, speaking, reading, and writing
  4. Literacy development
    • Texts and meaning
    • The sounds of English
    • Phonics, letter formation, and spelling patterns
    • Reading comprehension
    • Writing sentences and short paragraphs
    • Fluency
  5. Formal learning strategies
  6. Numeracy
  7. Visual literacy
  8. Digital literacy
Recommendations for the pace of learning:

  • Move at the speed of learning.
  • Introduce vocabulary orally first.
  • Provide support and scaffolding for activities and tasks.
  • Allow learners the chance to be successful with one task before moving on to another.
  • Give plenty of repetition.
  • Recycle language and skills frequently.
  • Spiral learning over time, coming back around to the same skills at a slightly higher level.

8.10 EAL/ESL literacy and PBLA

Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) is an assessment approach implemented in government-funded adult EAL/ESL (including EAL/ESL literacy) classes across Canada. PBLA is an approach that integrates task-based language instruction into assessment and promotes the inclusion primarily of assessment for learning as well as some more formal assessment of learning.

The language portfolio contains:

  1. Needs assessments
  2. Goal setting
  3. Learning reflections
  4. Self-assessments
  5. Skill-using tasks
  6. Assessment tasks
  7. 8-10 Learning artefacts per skill:
    • Listening
    • Speaking
    • Reading
    • Writing
  8. Portfolio skills inventory sheet



EAL/ESL literacy learners usually don’t have the formal learning strategies to independently curate and organize their portfolios. They will need help with every step of creating their portfolio.


When you create portfolios with EAL/ESL literacy learners:

  • Make everything that goes into the portfolio learner-friendly, in language they understand.
  • Use strategies such as symbols and colour-coding on the dividers in the portfolio to help learners with organization.
  • Use symbols on assessment tools to show progress, such as faces getting progressively happier, trees growing more leaves, and so on.
  • Give specific action-oriented feedback on each task and review this feedback orally with each learner.
  • Make sure the portfolio includes both skill-using tasks (assessment for learning) and assessment tasks (assessment of learning). Note that when the skill-using and assessment tasks are the same, only one of the two may be included in the portfolio.
  • Make the steps of organizing a portfolio part of the classroom routine. Every time learners complete a task, work with them to file the task in the correct place in the portfolio.
  • Explicitly teach reflection. Sit with learners and review their portfolio as often as you can, celebrating successes and modelling the language of reflection. Help learners to feel ownership of their portfolios and see the portfolios as celebrations and records of their learning.
  • Help Foundation L learners keep appropriate portfolios. Since there is so much repetition and practice at this level, only include activities that show progression of learning and have been completed somewhat independently.

 

8.11 Profiles of an EAL/ESL literacy class

EAL/ESL literacy learners are a diverse population and come to language classes from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of needs. These profiles are examples to give a picture of what EAL/ESL literacy learning can look like:

  • Profile 1: a CLB FL/1L Mixed Class

This is a dedicated literacy class for FL and 1L learners in a medium-sized organization. There are 9 learners in the class, and they come from 8 different countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, Myanmar, and South Sudan. The learners are working on basic literacy skills. However, because this class includes CLB FL and CLB 1L learners, there are a range of abilities. The learners are learning the English alphabet, recognizing the sounds of English, forming letters, and recognizing basic personally relevant sight words. Some learners are also starting to sound out and read easily decodable words. Their language skills are varied, from CLB 1-3 in speaking and listening.

The class includes:

Akram

A 46-year-old Kurdish man who has been in Canada for 8 months
Akram speaks at a CLB 2 and is learning quickly. He had 4 years of formal education before leaving school to help support his family. He is highly motivated and occasionally frustrated when his classmates do not understand something. He can now write his own name and address as well as the names of his wife and six children.

Maria

A 52-year-old woman from Colombia who has been in Canada for 7 years
Maria speaks at a CLB 3 and often dominates discussion. She had 2 years of formal education in Colombia. She has been working as a cleaner at nights since arriving in Canada while her children have finished school and is excited to be in school herself. She can now form all letters and can copy familiar words such as her name and address.

Farah

A 22-year-old woman from Afghanistan who had 0 years of formal education
Farah comes from an educated family, and her father occasionally taught her at home when he could. Farah works very hard and is making good progress, but she is pregnant and will leave school when the baby is born.

Nyalok

a 37-year-old woman from South Sudan who had 0 years of formal education
Nyalok is nervous about learning but lately has been gaining confidence. She needs lots of repetition in learning. Nyalok likely experienced considerable trauma in her life and often suffers from headaches.
  • Profile 2: a CLB 3L class

This is a dedicated CLB 3L class in a large organization. Most of the learners in this class have come up through the lower literacy levels, but some have arrived in Canada with some language skills and have been placed at this level. There are 10 learners in this class from 8 different countries: Afghanistan, China, Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, South Sudan, and Syria. The learners have a growing bank of sight words and are working on decoding a wider range of words, including words that have consonant blends and some common spelling patterns. They can write several simple sentences on a topic and are learning to connect their writing together to write simple compound sentences. Their speaking and listening ability ranges from CLB 3-5.

The class includes:

Anteneh

A 20-year-old man from Ethiopia
Anteneh has been in Canada for 4 years. He was initially placed in an age-appropriate class in high school but left high school without a diploma when he aged out of the system. He is learning quickly in his class and has good spoken English compared with his classmates. He is often late for class; he is responsible for taking his younger siblings to school and often needs to help translate for his parents at appointments.

Yakoub

A 42-year-old man from Syria
Yakoub has been in Canada for 3 months. He is struggling in the class and is often absent due to his many appointments for himself or his family. When Yakoub is able to focus, he has good reading skills for this level, but he finds it challenging to write. He is very reluctant to write any word he cannot spell and writes best when he can copy from a word bank.

Akeyo

A 33-year-old woman from Kenya
Akeyo is a single mother of 3 who has been in Canada for 2 years. She is fiercely determined to get her high school equivalency and is working very hard in class. She perseveres and is making good progress, but she struggles with reading comprehension, especially for anything that is outside her own experience.
  • Profile 3: a CLB 2 class with some literacy learners

This is a CLB 2 class in a medium-sized organization. In this organization, there are no dedicated classes for EAL/ESL literacy learners, and this class has a mixture of 8 non-literacy learners and 6 literacy learners. The literacy learners are working on expanding their decoding skills to read very simple sentences of familiar words. They are able to write simple familiar words and complete simple sentences with sentence stems. The literacy learners struggle to keep up with the pace of the class and need more explicit instruction, more time, and more scaffolding and support to complete the tasks and activities. The instructor finds time each day to give the non-literacy learners an activity and work with the literacy learners on literacy skills.

This class includes:

Tatiana

A 31-year-old woman from Ukraine
Tatiana has been in Canada for 6 months and has a CLB 2 in listening and speaking. She is able to write simple words but is still learning basic spelling patterns, and her writing is not always legible. Tatiana is quiet in class and prefers to sit with her back to the wall where she can see all the exits. The instructor suspects that Tatiana has experienced trauma. At first, Tatiana always worked alone, but lately, she has been spending time with Paola, an older woman from Mexico, who seems to be looking out for her.

Adam

A 40-year-old man from Ethiopia
Adam is 40 years old but looks considerably older. He has been in Canada for 8 months. He presents as being friendly and cheerful at all times, but he has noticeable scars and has restricted use of one arm. Adam asks many questions in class. He looks at a free newspaper every morning on the bus and each day brings a list of several new words for the instructor to explain.

Hua

A 32-year-old woman from China
Hua has been in Canada for 2 years. She repeated the CLB 1 class and is now also repeating the CLB 2 class. She reads a wider range of sight words now, but she still struggles to decode new words. She has difficulty with pronunciation and matching letters to the sounds of English, especially vowels. She has a lot of difficulty transferring learning to a new context and often appears to not remember what she learned the previous day.