Essential Skills,
Skill-Building Activities and
the Ontario Skills Passport
www.ontario.ca/skillspassport
Ontario Skills Passport (OSP)
Essential Skills (ES) Tasks
• tasks or activities that are performed in the
real world
– have a clear purpose and often include a “to”
statement
– are authentic (respond to real world demands)
• levels of complexity ranging from 1 to 4 or 5
depending on the skill
• demonstrate the transfer of skills from task to
task and context to context
What is an ES task?
An activity considered complete in itself that:
• employs a skill or skills
• describes what is being produced or acted
upon
• includes a purpose (real life or work context)
Writes a report to summarize a recent event.
Evaluates the quality of source materials to select what
to use.
Examples of ES Tasks
• Read cooking instructions on food packages to
prepare foods. Reading Text (2)
• Make program-design decisions to ensure the
smooth flowing of events. Decision Making (3)
• Participate in a job interview for a co-op
placement. Oral Communication (3)
Essential Skills Tasks:
Work, Learning and Life Database
Essential Skills Tasks:
Work, Learning and Life Database
Sample Essential Skills Tasks –
Work, Learning and Life Oral Communication
Occupation-Specific
Essential Skills Tasks
NOC 3411 – Dental Assistants
Sample Tasks for
NOC 3411 – Dental Assistants
OSP Occupational Profiles
Links to information on career planning, education and training,
and employment and volunteer opportunities
Skill-Building Activities
• build competency through practice
• link to the Essential Skills framework
• help learners understand why and how
• “bring it all together” for the student
• link to Ontario curriculum
What Are The Skill-Building Activities
Needed to Complete this Task?
Examples of Skill-Building Activities
• Complete a page of addition and subtraction
problems.
• Count money to show an understanding of
denominations.
• Arrange letters in alphabetical order.
• Arrange verbs, nouns and prepositions to create
sentences.
What Are The Skill-Building Activities
Needed to Complete this Task?
What Are The Skill-Building Activities
Needed to Complete this Task?
Why should I worry about tasks?
• Essential skills levels can only be assigned to
tasks
One Task, Many Skills
•
•
Skills aren’t used independently; we use many skills
to complete one task
Generally, one skill is the primary focus of the task
Is this an Essential Skills task?
Is this an Essential Skills task?
Is this an Essential Skills task?
People often like to renovate their homes. They
either do the work themselves or hire someone to
do it. Are you thinking about renovating your
bedroom and installing a nice hardwood floor?
1. Measure your bedroom and calculate how much
hardwood you will need to cover your floor.
2. Ask at a local store or search the Internet to find
out the price of the hardwood you want, and the
cost of installing it.
3. Calculate how much it will cost to install a
hardwood floor in your bedroom (including the
HST).
Try it out!
Task Descriptions
• Fill the 7-day pill box with your grandmother’s four prescriptions ES
• Complete the page of addition and subtraction problems SB
• Determine the costs for tuition and textbooks for the first semester of
your postsecondary program to decide how much you need to save ES
• Total your annual heating bill to decide whether the equal billing plan
would be a better payment option ES
• Write a paragraph about something you like to do SB
• Scan the college map to find your way to the bookstore ES
• Double the recipe to serve 12 ES
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Task Descriptions
• Make a list of sale grocery items you need and the sale prices ES
• Read the bus schedule to find which bus will take you to the doctor’s
office ES
• Read the memo and answer the questions that follow SB
• Read the classified ads and circle jobs you want to apply to ES
• Fill in the blanks in the following sentences SB
• Compare the size and cost of two cans of tomatoes and determine the
best buy ES
• Make a list of all the documents you read today SB
26
Identifying the
Essential Skills in the Task
Why?
• links “what I’m learning” to “how I’ll use it”,
connecting classroom learning to real life
• easily linked to learner goals
• demonstrates the use and application of skill sets
• informs instruction
• helps learners and practitioners assess skill
development and skill gaps
• assists learner understanding of skill transfer
27
Guide to Linking Essential Skills
and the Curriculum
The guide was created with educators in mind. It can help you as
teachers, literacy practitioners, adult educators, curriculum
writers, and learning materials developers:
•Identify the Essential Skills (ES) you are already teaching;
•Make the ES explicit in your classroom teaching and assessment;
•Analyse classroom activities to determine where embedded ES
are;
•Understand task complexity from an ES perspective
How Can I Identify Essential Skills
in Classroom Activities?
Step 1
Is this an Essential Skills task?
Read pamphlets and information sheets to learn about the
causes of diabetes.
Is this an Essential Skills task?
Complete a page of word problems to show understanding of a
recent Geometry Unit.
Step 2 - Analyze the ES Task
Step 2: To analyse Essential Skills tasks, ask:
Which Essential Skills
are being used?
What are the skill level
demands?
Use the OSP website to
help you. On the main
page, click on Essential
Skills to take you to a
list of Essential Skills
with definitions.
Use the OSP website to
help you. Once you are on
the page with the list of
Essential Skills and
definitions, click on the
name of an ES to get to skill
level descriptions for each
ES.
Step 2 - Analyze the ES Task
TASK: Count out exact change to pay for the bus.
Step 2 - Analyze the ES Task
TASK: Count out exact change to pay for the bus.
Try it out!
Step 2 - Analyze the ES Task
ES Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
Which Essential Skills are
being used?
What are the skill
level demands?
Read pamphlets and
information sheets to learn
about the causes of diabetes.
Main skill:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Other skills:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Give a 10-minute
presentation to the class on
findings from Internet
research about the long-term
health effects of narcotics
use.
Main skill:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Other skills:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Complete and sign a waiver
acknowledging awareness of
risks associated with using
shop equipment.
Main skill:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Other skills:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Measure a classroom to
figure out how many desks fit
in the room, to show
understanding of a recently
taught unit on area.
Main skill:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Other skills:
1 2 3 4 (5)
Step 2 - Analyze the ES Task
ES Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
Which Essential Skills are
being used?
What are the skill
level demands?
Read pamphlets and
information sheets to learn
about the causes of diabetes.
Main skill: Reading Text
Other skills: No additional skills
N/A
Give a 10-minute
presentation to the class on
findings from Internet
research about the long-term
health effects of narcotics
use.
Main skill: Oral Communication
2
Other skills: Computer Use
Finding Information
2
2
Complete and sign a waiver
acknowledging awareness of
risks associated with using
shop equipment.
Main skill: Document Use
2
Measure a classroom to
figure out how many desks fit
in the room, to show
understanding of a recently
taught unit on area.
Main skill: Measurement and Calculation
Other skills: No additional skills
Other skills: No additional skills
3
N/A
2
N/A
Try it out!
Curriculum Planning Chart
Course(s)
Curriculum
Expectations
Essential
Skills Tasks
Skill-Building
Activities
Locally Developed
Compulsory
Credit
Course, Math,
Grade 9 (MAT1L)
DMSV.01 – interpret,
write, and round
decimal numbers with
understanding
in everyday money
situations
Count out exact
change to pay for
the bus when
travelling to a
doctor’s
appointment.
Identifies money
denominations.
DMS1.10 – identify
different combinations of coins and bills
that would result in a
given amount of
money (e.g., What are
possible ways to make
$27.48, using coins
and bills?)
Money Math (1)
Counts coins.
Knows that a dime
equals 10 cents, for
example.
Performs simple
addition.
Identifies different
combinations of
coins for bus fare.
46
Curriculum Planning Chart –
Light Duty Cleaner
Course(s)
Locally Developed Compulsory
Credit Course, English - Grade 9
(ENG 1L)
Curriculum
Expectations
Essential
Skills Tasks
DRVV.02 – read and recognize a variety of
short, engaging, authentic, and relevant
print and non-print text forms, both
teacher- and student-selected;
The Canada Day holiday will be
taken on the last Monday of
June and no cleaning will be
completed on that day. Look at
the Monthly Schedule. Highlight
or circle the date on the
Cleaning Schedule.
Document Use (2)
DRV1.02 – preview the features and
organizational patterns of print and nonprint text, using appropriate strategies;
Skill-Building
Activities
•Read a calendar to locate
specific information
•Use tools to highlight or
indicate specific information
Mark T. provided the light duty
cleaner with $50 in payment for
cleaning services. The cost for
two hours of cleaning services is
$40 plus HST. Calculate the
change the light duty cleaner
owes to Mark.
Money Math (2)
Cleaners sign confidentiality
agreements as a condition of
employment.
Look at the Confidentiality
Agreement. Highlight or circle
the places where the Cleaner
would print and sign his or her
name.
Reading Text (1)
Document Use (1)
47
Curriculum Planning Chart –
Light Duty Cleaner
Course(s)
Curriculum
Expectations
Essential
Skills Tasks
Locally Developed
Compulsory Credit Course,
Mathematics
-Grade 9 (MAT 1L)
DMSV.01 – interpret, write, and
round decimal numbers with
understanding in everyday money
situations;
DMSV.03 – communicate
information about money concepts;
DMS3.03 – communicate, orally and
in writing, the solutions to money
problems and the results of
investigations, using appropriate
terminology, symbols, and form;
Mark T. provided the light
duty cleaner with $50 in
payment for cleaning
services. The cost for two
hours of cleaning services is
$40 plus HST. Calculate the
change the light duty
cleaner owes to Mark.
Money Math (2)
Learning Strategies 1: Skills
for Success in Secondary
School, Grade 9, Open (GLS
10/GLE 10/GLE 20)
Learning Skills (Overall) identify and
use a variety of numeracy skills and
strategies to improve their practical
application of mathematics in
everyday contexts;
Skill-Building
Activities
• Use a calculator to multiply
numbers with percentages
• Use a calculator to add
numbers with decimals
• Calculate the tax on an
invoice
• Sort coins by type.
• Identify money
denominations.
• Know that a dime equals
10 cents, for example.
• Counts coins.
• Performs simple addition.
• Identify different
combinations of coins for
making change.
(Specific)
connect and apply mathematical
concepts and ideas in a variety of
problem-solving situations; describe
how mathematics is applied in
everyday situations (e.g., making
financial transactions, budgeting,
constructing, scheduling);
48
Curriculum Planning Chart –
Light Duty Cleaner
Course(s)
Locally Developed
Compulsory Credit Course,
English - Grade 9 (ENG 1L)
Curriculum
Expectations
Essential
Skills Tasks
Skill-Building
Activities
DRVV.02 – read and recognize a
variety of short, engaging, authentic,
and relevant print and non-print text
forms, both teacher- and studentselected;
Cleaners sign confidentiality
agreements as a condition
of employment.
Look at the Confidentiality
Agreement. Highlight or
circle the places where the
Cleaner would print and
sign his or her name.
Reading Text (1)
Document Use (1)
• Understand the difference
between “signature” and “print
your name”
• Know what the term
“signature” means and locate it
on a form
• Understand what the term
confidentiality means
• Understand the
responsibilities associated with
signing your name to an
agreement or contract.
DRV1.02 – preview the features and
organizational patterns of print and
non-print text, using appropriate
strategies;
49
SKILLS ZONE
Review
1. Skill-Building Activities are the building blocks for
Essential Skills tasks.
2. Identify Essential Skills in Classroom Activities
through a two-step process:
Step 1: Identify Essential Skills Tasks
Step 2: Analyse the Task
3. Linking Essential Skills and the Curriculum.