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PBLA Modules

Access tailored tools, resources, and strategies designed for instructors working with adult EAL literacy learners.

Equip your learners with the skills they need to succeed in everyday life and integrate into their communities.

Two women sitting at a table, one in a green hijab and the other in a red headscarf, collaborate on a writing exercise using a worksheet at the Literacy Centre of Expertise. One woman points to the paper while the other writes.

Foundation / CLB 1L

The Foundation Literacy/1L modules support learners with limited English through clear, simple, and highly supported tasks. Oral communication develops using isolated words and short phrases, reflecting limited vocabulary and slow speech with heavy reliance on gestures. Listening activities feature very slow, clear speech, supported by repetition, visuals, and predictable routines. Texts use minimal language, large fonts, and simple layouts to reduce cognitive load. Activities such as pointing, matching, and guided questions promote engagement. The modules provide transparent, manageable steps that build confidence at this earliest stage.

A woman wearing yellow gloves holds a white basket filled with various cleaning supplies. The background is pink with the text "Cleaning the House" and logos for TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Cleaning the House

A person in a maroon winter coat and knit hat stands in falling snow, looking cold with hands near their mouth. Text reads "Understanding Winter Weather." Logos for TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are also visible.

Understanding Winter Weather

A person in a wheelchair is bundled up in a brown coat, red scarf, and orange hat, sitting outside on a snowy day near a fence. The text reads "Dressing for Winter." Canadian government logos appear below.

Dressing for Winter

A smiling man with a beard holds half an orange fruit in one hand and gives a thumbs up with the other. The background is orange, and the text reads "Eating Fruit.

Eating Fruit

A bowl of fresh fruit salad with strawberries, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, and mango on a green background. Text reads: "Making Fruit Salad." Logos for TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are visible.

Making Fruit Salad

A woman and two young children in summer clothes stand smiling at a splash park. The background has a playground, water features, and sunny skies. At the top, text reads "Dressing for Summer" on a yellow background.

Dressing for Summer

A female doctor wearing a blue hijab and stethoscope smiles with arms crossed. Text reads "Visiting the Doctor" with logos for TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Visiting the Doctor

A woman stands in a room next to blue bins for recycling and garbage. She smiles and gestures toward sorting waste items on a table in front of her. The poster reads "Sorting Waste" and has logos at the top and bottom.

Sorting Waste

A cover page titled “Using School Supplies” features an assortment of school supplies—colored pencils, pens, an eraser, a sharpener, and a pair of scissors—arranged on a green background.

Using School Supplies

A smiling man waves while standing in a doorway. The background has text that reads "Starting a New English Class" and logos for TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Starting a New English Class

A man in a headset and traditional attire sits at a desk using a computer and smiling at the camera. The text reads, "Using a Computer." The image includes logos for TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Using a Computer

Two women sitting at a table, one in a green hijab and the other in a red headscarf, collaborate on a writing exercise using a worksheet at the Literacy Centre of Expertise. One woman points to the paper while the other writes.

CLB 1L/2L

The CLB 1L/2L modules build on learners’ experiences with spoken and written English through familiar, practical tasks. Learners listen to clear speech and respond to short, routine instructions with support from repetition, visuals, and gestures. Speaking moves from familiar words and short phrases toward rehearsed, simple sentences and basic requests. In reading, learners strengthen sound and word recognition, then identify meaning in short phrases and simple sentences related to everyday needs. Writing moves from copying familiar information toward completing short, personally relevant sentences. Guided practice with print and simple digital tasks helps learners use these emerging skills with growing confidence and independence.

A group of adults wearing headsets sit at computers in a classroom, smiling and typing. Text on the image reads “Using a Keyboard” and “Literacy Centre of Expertise.” Logos appear at the bottom.

Using a Keyboard

Two women sitting at a table, one in a green hijab and the other in a red headscarf, collaborate on a writing exercise using a worksheet at the Literacy Centre of Expertise. One woman points to the paper while the other writes.

CLB 2L/3L

The CLB 2L/3L modules support emerging literacy through gradual, transparent steps building on learners’ oral and print awareness. Oral skills develop via kinesthetic activities, realia, and collaboration grounded in life experience. Listening targets understanding slow, simple speech with visual and contextual support, allowing repetition and assistance. Speaking involves short phrases and simple sentences, often guided by prompts, with fluency improving despite pauses and limited vocabulary. Texts feature clear layouts and visuals to aid word and sentence recognition. Activities promote prediction, vocabulary growth, and digital literacy. Clear routines build confidence and ease of use.

A smiling man and woman walk hand in hand on a tree-lined path, both dressed in casual clothes. The text reads "Staying Healthy" and features logos of TIES and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Staying Healthy

A man sits at a desk, typing on a laptop with a lamp beside him. The image is on the cover of a guide titled "Using Email" from TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise. Logos of Canadian immigration offices are at the bottom.

Using Email

A woman sits at a table, looking concerned while holding papers. The text reads "Paying Utility Bills" with logos for TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Paying Utility Bills

A man with a beard looks at his phone with a concerned expression. The text "Running Late!" appears above him on a yellow background, with logos for TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Running Late!

Two women sitting at a table, one in a green hijab and the other in a red headscarf, collaborate on a writing exercise using a worksheet at the Literacy Centre of Expertise. One woman points to the paper while the other writes.

CLB 3L/4L

The CLB 3L/4L modules develop learners’ independence in oral, listening, and print tasks related to familiar topics and personal needs. Oral communication advances from short sentences with some connection at 3L to clearer discourse at 4L, with slow but increasingly fluent speech in face-to-face, small group, phone, or digital settings. Listening involves short informal monologues, dialogues, and instructions with simple to compound structures, supported by visuals and context. Texts use short paragraphs and familiar formats, emphasizing sight vocabulary and sentence structure. Activities focus on sequencing, following instructions, and guided writing. Digital literacy tasks build practical skills with strong scaffolding.
A female optometrist adjusts a phoropter in front of a seated patient’s face during an eye exam. The background is light blue with the text “Going to the Optometrist” and logos for Canadian immigration services.

Going to the Optometrist

A “No Dumping” sign is posted beside a roadside area littered with large black garbage bags and debris, with trees and a grassy area in the background.

Following Bylaws

A person in colorful traditional regalia dances at a powwow against an orange background, featured on a “Going to a Powwow” educational poster by TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise.

Going to a Powwow

A woman in a hijab sits at a table using a laptop, with a pen and striped mug nearby. The text reads "Using Email Safely" from the TIES Literacy Centre of Expertise, 3L/4L level.

Using Email Safely

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