Canadian Language Benchmark 8

Reading: High Level

Global Performance Descriptor

• Learner can follow main ideas, key words and important details in an authentic two- to three-page text on a familiar topic, but within an only partially predictable context.
• May read popular newspaper and magazine articles and popular easy fiction as well as academic and business materials.
• Can extract relevant points, but often requires clarification of idioms and of various cultural references.
• Can locate and integrate several specific pieces of information in visually complex texts (e.g., tables, directories) or across paragraphs or sections of text.
• Text can be on abstract, conceptual or technical topics, containing facts, attitudes and opinions. Inference may be required to identify the writer’s bias and the purpose/function of text.
• Learner reads in English for information, to learn the language, to develop reading skills.
• Uses a unilingual dictionary when reading for precision vocabulary building.

Performance Conditions

• Text is one page, five to 10 paragraphs long and is related to personal experience or familiar context.
• Text is legible, easy to read; is in print or neat handwriting.
• Instructions are clear and explicit, but not always presented step by step.
• Pictures may accompany text.
• Context is relevant, but not always familiar and predictable.
• Text has clear organization.
• Text content is relevant (e.g., commercials/advertising features, business/form letters, brochures).
• Informational text is eight to 15 paragraphs long with clear organization in print or electronic form.
• Pictures often accompany text.
• Language is both concrete and abstract, conceptual and technical.
• Text types: news articles, stories, short articles, reports, editorials, opinion essays.

Competency Outcomes and Standards

I. Social Interaction Texts

What the person can do

• Obtain factual details and inferred meanings in moderately complex notes, e-mail messages and letters containing general opinions and assessments of situations, response to a complaint and expressions of sympathy.

Examples of tasks and tests

• Community, Study, Workplace: Read authentic notes, e-mail messages and letters (personal and public) containing general opinions, assessments of current affairs, response to a complaint/conflict, or expression of sympathy. Identify correctly specific factual details/inferred meanings.

Performance Indicators

• Identifies specific factual details and inferred meanings in text.
• Identifies purpose of text, context of the situation, reader-writer relationship.
• Identifies mood/attitude of writer and register of the text.

II. Instructions

What the person can do

• Follow an extended set of multi-step instructions for established process.
• Follow coherent extended instructional directions.

Examples of tasks and texts

• Community, Workplace: Explain how to assemble a simple object, according to written instructions and diagrams.
• Follow instructions for CPR and what to do in case of a serious injury in a car accident.

Performance Indicators

• Follows an extended set of multi-step instructions for an established process or procedure.
• Completes tasks.

III. Business/service texts

What the person can do

• Identify factual and inferred meanings in written proposed solutions, recommendations and proposals; and in statements of rules, regulations, laws and norms of behaviour.
• Locate and integrate three or four pieces of information contained in moderately complex formatted texts.

Examples of tasks and texts

• Workplace: Interpret selections from texts about safety precautions at a workplace (e.g., WHMIS: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), by locating and integrating three to four pieces of information from the text.
• Community, Workplace: Read and explain a written declaration of the rights and responsibilities of a client, customer, patient, student.

Performance Indicators

• Identifies main intent, main idea, factual details and some inferred meanings in the texts.
• Identifies writer’s purpose/intent/attitude.
• Identifies communicative value of text, and its parts.
• Finds and integrates three or four pieces of specific information in extensive and visually complex directories.

IV. Informational texts

What the person can do

• Demonstrate comprehension of factual details and inferred meanings in an extended description, report or narration when events are reported out of sequence. Draw conclusions.
• Express in alternative forms verbal ideas and graphics contained in charts, graphs.

Information literacy/reference and study skills competencies

• Access/locate several pieces of information in online electronic reference sources.

Examples of tasks and texts

• Study: Identify main ideas of a five- to 10-paragraph text about a current event; summarize the text into 150 to 200 words.
• Based on the information, hypothesize how something may work or may have worked.
• Based on the information, complete an unfinished classification/categorization diagram.
• Interpret orally or in written text a process flow chart related to basic science or social science.
• Community, Study, Workplace: Access/locate several pieces of information in online electronic reference sources.

Performance Indicators

• Identifies factual details and inferred meanings in text (70%-80%).
• Identifies main idea.
• Identifies organization of text, topic sentences and logical relationship links between paragraphs.
• Follows the sequence of narration or process even when events are out of sequence.
• Distinguishes facts from opinions.
• Extracts detailed information.
• Infers meaning of words from contextual clues.
• Hypothesizes how something works.
• Evaluates ideas in text, draws conclusions and expresses personal opinion.
• Interprets key information in a diagram or graph as verbal text; transfers key ideas diagrammatic display.
• Accesses/locates several pieces of information in online electronic reference sources.
• Uses effective search strategy and tools.