The ABCs of Practical Literacy

375 Pages·2014·6.17 MB·English

The ABCs of Practical Literacy
Economic Literacy Activities
Employment Literacy Activities
Personal Management Literacy Activities
For adult ESL learners
A Resource Book of Content-based Literacy Activities
Based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000: ESL for Literacy Learners
Jennifer Acevedo
Editor
Diane Armstrong
Project Coordinator
Kim Anderson
Illustrator
Funded by Alberta Learning
Copyright © 2002 Bow Valley College
332 6Ave SE Calgary , Alberta T2G 4S6, Canada
403-297-4963
All rights reserved
Permission to copy
The material in this book is copyright. However the publisher grants permission for copies
of the pages to be made without fee as follows:
Reproducible materials, flashcards and worksheets may be copied for classroom purposes.
The main text of the document not be reproduced of transmitted in any form by any means
without written permission in writing from the copyright owner
Development of this materials resource was made possible with financial assistance from
Alberta Learning
The ABCs of Practical Literacy
Section 1: Economic Literacy Activities
Section 2: Employment Literacy Activities
Section 3: Personal Management Literacy Activities
Section 1
Economic Literacy

Economic Literacy Activities
Activity 1: Canadian Coins ....................................................................1
Activity 2: Cash or Charge ....................................................................4
Activity 3: Money Amounts ..................................................................23
Activity 4: Hours of Business Game ......................................................42
Activity 5: Canadian Coins ..................................................................57
Activity 6: It’s Too Big ..........................................................................72
Activity 7: Using Coupons ....................................................................78
Activity 8: Numbers and Number Words ................................................86
Activity 9: Number Words and Word Math ..............................................91
Activity 10: Deposit and Withdrawal Slips ..............................................98
Activity 11: Karen’s Cheque ................................................................102
Activity 12: Understanding Flyers ........................................................106
Activity 13: Karen’s Bill ......................................................................111
Activity 14: Estimating Prices ............................................................117
Activity 15: Banking by Machine ..........................................................121
Activity 16: Bank Pamphlets ..............................................................127
The ABCs of Practical Literacy
© Bow Valley College 2002
Economic Literacy Activities
Activity 1: Canadian Coins
Phase I – Initial
Focus Topic: Money
Language Competencies Addressed in Activity:
n Read and follow short instructions used in the classroom
n Use phonics to write initial consonant sounds in words
n Identify money units
n Identify and use word names for Canadian coins
Activity Overview: In this activity, students will learn to identify coins and their names. The students will
learn to say the words of each Canadian coin, identify the picture of each coin and handle the coins.
Using the worksheet, the students will look at and read the spelling of the words for each coin and write
the initial consonant of each coin.
Materials Needed:
n Real coins: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie – one of each for each student
n Envelopes marked "Canadian Coins" – to put coins in - 1 per student
n 1 copy of Canadian Coins worksheet (Econ1.1) per student
n 1 copy of Canadian Coins worksheet (Econ1.1) per class on an overhead transparency
n Teacher made flashcards for optional hands-on activity – 2 sets, 1 set per team of students
n 1 plate or tray holding a sampling of coins
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© Bow Valley College 2002
Instructions:
I. Show the students the samples of coins. Say the words for the coins many times and ask the
students to repeat the words many times.
II. Copy the Canadian Coins worksheet (Econ1.1) for use on an overhead projector and use this to
review the words for the Canadian coins with the students. On the overhead projector, point to the
coin picture and say the words for each coin. Ask the students to repeat the words several times
until the pronunciation is mastered. Point to the words for the coins slowly and ask the students to
repeat the words. Note the initial consonants of each word.
III. Cover the words on the overhead to see if the students recognize the coins and can say the names of
them correctly.
IV. Give each student 1 copy of the Canadian Coins worksheet (Econ1.1) and again review the pictures
of the coins and words with the students.
V. Explain the activity on the Canadian Coins worksheet to the students. Do the first word with the
students as an example by showing the first example on the board. Say the words one at a time for
the students. Tell them to write the first letter of each word in the blank. Tell them to write small
letters. When the students have finished, go through the answers with them orally as a class to check
for accuracy and answer any questions they may have. Check the students’ written work to ensure
that the letters are written correctly as small letters.
VI. Follow up with a hands-on activity. Give each student a small envelope marked "Canadian Coins"
that has one of each of the following coins in it: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie.
Ask the students to take the coins out and to put the real coins on the correct pictures on the
worksheet and say the words one at a time.
Extension activity:
n Make large flashcards with pictures of coins and their names below them – one card per coin, and one
set of cards for each team in the class (by enlarging the pictures from the worksheet.) Give each team a
set of cards and a whiteboard marker or a piece of chalk. Explain that you will call out the name of a
coin. Students should look through their cards and find the coin that you have called out. Then they
can send one person from their team up to the board with the card to copy the name of the coin on the
board. The first team to write the name correctly gets a point. As the students get more confident, you
can have them select the correct card, look at the word and then go up to the board to write it without
the card to copy from.
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© Bow Valley College 2002
Econ1.1
Canadian Coins
penny nickel dime
quarter loonie toonie
Listen to the teacher.
Write the missing letter.
d
1. ime
2. ___uarter
3. ___oonie
4. ___enny
5. ___oonie
6. ___ickel
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© Bow Valley College 2002
Activity 2: Cash or Charge
Phase I – Initial
Focus Topic: Consumer Transactions
Language Competencies Addressed in Activity:
n Read and follow short instructions in the classroom
n Write one-word answers to simple yes/no questions
n Recognize that there are different ways of paying for things in a store
Activity Overview: In this activity, students learn to recognize that there are different ways of paying
for things at a store. First, they explore a wallet and discuss the kinds of cards and information found in
wallets. Then, they practice reading and recognizing pictures and corresponding words. Then they discuss
which kinds of cards can be used as payment. Finally, after practicing with instruction words, students
demonstrate their learning by completing a short written exercise.
Materials Needed:
n 1 sample wallet with cards and items for students to explore
n Large picture cards (Econ2.1a-e): copied and cut out on hard stock paper,
two sets per pair of students
n Large word cards (Econ2.2a-e): copied and cut out on hard stock paper,
two sets per pair of students
n Small picture cards (Econ2.3): one set copied for each student on hard stock paper
n Small word cards (Econ2.4): one set copied for each student on hard stock paper (Consider having the
students cut out these small picture and word card sets. If that is not appropriate for the group, have
the small cards cut out in advance.)
n Instruction word cards (Econ2.5a-b) one set per class
n Student Activity Sheets (Econ2.6a-b): one copy per student
n Optional - one copy of a blank bingo board game for each student. (Not found in book. Teachers can
easily make a blank board game by drawing a table of 5x5 squares. If appropriate, create a bingo board
game with fewer squares, such as 4x2. )
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© Bow Valley College 2002