Learning English with CBC
Listening Lessons for Intermediate Students
Based on CBC Manitoba Radio Broadcasts
March 25, 2010
Lesson 57: Teacher’s Edition
Level:
Benchmark 5 and up
Topic:
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Language Skills and Functions:
Listening – listening to a short interview for main
ideas and inference
Speaking – asking questions; providing information
Reading – reading a map for detail; scanning a text
for information
Writing – writing questions
Language Competencies:
Language Tasks:
Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Listening and Speaking
Strategies, Socio-cultural/sociolinguistic Competence
Discussing the advantages / challenges of immigrating through a foreign
worker program
Listening for main ideas and inference to a radio interview with CBC
reporter Louise Charette about the influx of newcomer students into the
Brandon School Division
Reading a map of Manitoba and answering detail questions about where
Brandon is located
Writing pre-arrival questions for an immigrant to Brandon
Scanning a fact sheet to find information to answer pre-arrival questions
Accessing and presenting information from a website about a Brandon
attraction or institution
Essential Skills:
Worksheets1:
Reading text, working with others, numeracy, thinking skills, oral
communication, writing
1. Vocabulary Preview
2. Listen for Main Ideas and Inference
3. Read a Map to Find Out Where Brandon is Located
4. Write Pre-Arrival Questions for an Immigrant to Brandon
5. Locate Information about Brandon
Appendices: Transcript of the podcast
Map of Manitoba
Brandon Fast Facts
1
Answers to worksheets are in the self-study version of the lesson plan.
Manitoba Memo
Brandon is Manitoba's second largest city. It is the economic, education, health
and retail centre for the 180,000 people who live in Southwestern Manitoba. Often
referred to as the Wheat City, Brandon's history is rooted in agriculture. Today, the city
has a more diversified economic base.
Brandon has approximately 46,000 residents. The city's population has increased by
3,000 since 2001, largely due to immigration. About ten percent of the population is First
Nations.
The majority of newcomers to Brandon come to work at Maple Leaf Consumer Foods, a
large meat packing plant. For the past several years, Maple Leaf has recruited foreign
workers to work at its plant. Most come initially as temporary workers with a work VISA.
After six months, they can apply to immigrate to the Manitoba through the Provincial
Nominee Program. If their application is accepted, they can then apply for permanent
residence to Canada for themselves and for their spouse and children. It can take up to
two years after a worker arrives in Brandon before they and their family receive
permanent visas.
Economic Development Brandon projects that between June 2007 and March 2011, a
total of 3,257 family members will arrive in Brandon to join their spouses. There are
nearly 50 countries of origin represented. The main language groups of the newcomers
arriving are Spanish, Mandarin, Ukrainian/Russian and French.
The arrival of so many newcomers in such a short time frame has been a challenge.
English as an Additional Language programming in the community and in Brandon
schools has grown exponentially. Other services, such as policing, health care, child
care, settlement programs and public transit, have also had to expand and adapt.
Translation services are in high demand.
While there are some Brandon residents who are less than enthusiastic about the
transformation of their city and the cost of providing services to the newcomer population,
most residents are giving a warm welcome to their new neighbours. They like the
diversity in culture and traditions newcomers bring to their city.
Ninety-five percent of the foreign workers recruited by Maple Leaf decide to stay in
Brandon and bring their families to live there. Clearly, they share the belief of long-time
Brandon residents that the city is a safe, quiet place to work and a good place to raise a
family.
In the words of an international student attending Brandon University:
"Brandon is a small city but it's not too small. It has everything you need."
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Pre-listening activities
1. Discuss as a class

When newcomers are recruited to Canada as foreign workers, it is common for
one family member (often the husband) to come first. Their spouse and children
remain living in their country of origin for up to two years before they are
permitted to come to live in Canada. What do you think are some advantages of
immigrating to Canada through a foreign worker program? What do you think are
some of the disadvantages for families who immigrate this way?

The City of Brandon has had to scramble to extend and adapt services for its
newcomer population. What do you think will be some of the biggest challenges
the city will face as it welcomes its newcomer population? What kinds of services
do you think the city must be sure it can provide?
2. Vocabulary
Elicit or present key vocabulary that students need to understand prior to listening to the
podcast (see suggested vocabulary and explanations which follow). You can write the
words on the board and elicit possible meanings from the class or break students into
groups and give each group a few words to review. Groups can then present the
vocabulary to the rest of the class. You can also ask students to mark the syllables and
stress for each word, identify word families and practise pronouncing the words. You
may want to ask students to think of sentences that use the new vocabulary. If your
students keep a vocabulary journal, they can copy the vocabulary into their journal.
Or you can begin by handing out Worksheet 1 and asking students to work with a
partner to complete it. Take up the answers as a class.
Vocabulary
an influx of
The sudden arrival of a large number or amount of
something. For example: When potential
immigrants to Canada heard what Brandon could
offer them, there was an influx or a large number of
inquiries about how they could apply to work and
live there.
to be transformed
To be completely changed or totally different from
before.
typical
The usual or common qualities of a particular group
or thing.
elementary school
The first years of education for children.
principal
The person in charge of a school and responsible
for what happens at that school.
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
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Maple Leaf Consumer Foods
The name of a corporation that processes and
packs meat and meat products.
to recruit foreign workers
To look for and find workers from other countries
who are willing to come and work in your
community.
a trickle
A little bit; a small number or a small amount of
something.
to be packed with
To be so full of things or people that there is little or
no room to add any more. For example: So many
people had come to hear her speak that the room
was completely full. It was packed with people who
could hardly move.
to cope with
To succeed in dealing with a difficult problem or
situation.
Board Chair
The elected person who runs the meetings of a
board of directors for an organization.
to assess
To make a judgement about a person or situation
after gathering information.
to put a strain on something
To put an organization or individual in a stressful
situation, where they have limited resources, and
have to work hard to deal with the challenges they
face.
to register students
To put a student's name on an official list so they
can attend a particular school.
a division
A school division is the name of the geographic
area a school board represents.
a reception centre
A place where people are greeted and provided
with help and assistance when they arrive
somewhere.
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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3. Predict what the podcast is about
CBC reporter Louise Charette is researching a story on Brandon, Manitoba. The story
is about the influx of newcomers to the community and how the school classrooms in
Brandon are being transformed. Louise also talks about the challenges the local school
division is facing. Ask student if they can you predict what kinds of changes and
challenges Louise will talk to Terry MacLeod about in the interview?
I think she'll talk about ...how crowded the classrooms are.
She might talk about...a shortage of EAL teachers.
She could talk about...
Maybe she'll talk about...
I expect she'll talk about...
I don't know what she'll talk about.
While-listening activities
1. Introduce the podcast
Tell students that in this podcast, they will hear four speakers. They will hear:
Marcy Markusa – host
Terry MacLeod – interviewer
Louise Charette – CBC reporter
George Buri - Chair, Brandon School Board
Play the podcast for the first time.
2. Listen for the main ideas
Hand out Worksheet 2. Ask students to work with a partner or in a small group to
complete it. Discuss the answers as a class.
3. Use of last names only
Ask students if they noticed how Louise Charette referred to Brandon School Board
Chair George Buri. The first time she mentions him (line 29) she calls him by his first
and last name. But when she refers to him the second time (line 39) she uses only his
last name.
Using last names to refer to someone is common practice in news reporting. But it's not
as common outside news circles. Tell students: If you were talking about this individual,
you would likely call him Mr. Buri (formal) or George Buri. If you knew him well or felt
quite familiar with him, you might call him George. But it's unlikely you would ever refer
to him as "Buri".
There are other instances in spoken English when you may hear people referred to only
by their last name. Here are a few examples:
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
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a) During a roll call, or when a list of names is being read in a public place. For
example, an airline might page "passenger Buri."
b) When people talk about well-known sports personalities, for example, Gretzky or
Beckham. This isn't always true though. Tiger Woods has generally been called by
both his first and last name throughout his career.
Interestingly, it is less common for women sports personalities, or well-know women
in other fields, to be referred to by only their last name.
c) When someone is so well-known that we assume everyone knows them, we may
talk about them only using their last name, for example, Gandhi or Picasso or
Mozart.
d) Sometimes people will talk informally about a close friend or work colleague using
only their last name. Men tend to use last names to talk about other men but they
are less likely to use last names to talk about women. Women are less likely than
men to refer to their friends by their last name.
After-listening activities
1. Review pre-listening predictions
Ask students whether they were able to correctly predict the changes and challenges
Louise Charette would talk about.
Extension activities
1. Read a map of Manitoba and answer detail questions about Brandon's location
Hand out Appendix 2 and Worksheet 3. Ask students to work with a partner to
complete Worksheet 3. Take up the answers with the class.
2. Write pre-arrival questions an immigrant to Brandon might ask
Hand out Worksheet 4 and review the instructions with the class. Have students work
with a partner to write the questions on the worksheet. Ask some students to share
their questions.
3. Scan a fast fact sheet about Brandon and find answers to pre-arrival questions
Hand out Appendix 3. Have students continue to work with their partner. Students take
turns asking each other the pre-arrival questions they just completed and answering
these questions by finding the information on the Brandon Fast Facts sheet. Discuss
the answers as a class.
4. Access and present information about a Brandon institution or event
Hand out Worksheet 5. Ask students to work in small groups to research a topic. Ask
the groups to present the information to the class.
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Want to know more…
The website for the Brandon School Division is: http://www.brandonsd.mb.ca/
The City of Brandon website is: http://www.city.brandon.mb.ca/
Economic Development Brandon's website is : http://www.econdev.brandon.mb.ca/
You can find information on immigrant and settlement services for Brandon and the
Westman region at: http://www.wesls.com/
For an overview of Maple Leaf Consumer Foods involvement in the Brandon
community, go to: http://www.city.brandon.mb.ca/main.nsf/Pages+By+ID/648
A profile of Brandon can be found at:
http://www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi-bin/csd/index.cgi?id=4607062
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Worksheet 1: Vocabulary
The paragraphs below provide background on the interview you are about to
hear and introduce you to some of the vocabulary you will need to know.
Before listening, work with your partner to see if you can find the correct word to
fill in the blanks. Use the clue provided, the context of the sentence and the
paragraph, and an English language learners' dictionary to help you. The
missing words are in the box at the bottom on the page. The first sentence is
completed for you as an example.
When Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon could not find enough local workers for its
meat processing plant, it began to recruit (actively look for) foreign workers.
These workers came to Manitoba on temporary work permits. First there was
only a _______ (small number) of foreign workers, but before long, there was
an _______ (sudden arrival) of foreign workers. Most of these workers decided
to stay in Brandon and eventually brought their families to live with them.
Newcomers to Brandon are __________(changing) the Wheat City.
Welcoming so many newcomers has put a ________ (stress) on the Brandon
School Division.
Teachers and School Board officials have had to _______ (deal with a difficult
situation) with classrooms that are ________ (full of) with children who do not
speak English. It is ________ (common) for a classroom to have children from
many different countries.
The Brandon School Division plans to set up a ______________ (place which
greets and helps people) to assist students and their families.
influx
recruit
trickle
packed
transforming
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
cope
typical
reception centre
strain
Learning English with CBC
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Worksheet 2: Listen for Main Ideas and Inference
Sometimes when we listen, we are listening for important details that help us to understand a
situation. Sometimes we are listening for the main ideas or for inference. When you listen to
the interview this time, listen for main ideas and inference. What are the key points we need to
know to understand the story? What conclusions can we infer from what we hear? Read the
question list with your partner. Then see if you can answer the questions in point form. The
first one is completed for you as an example.
1. Why did Maple Leaf Consumer Foods decide to recruit foreign workers?

they could not find enough local workers
2. If you visited a Brandon elementary school classroom today, what kinds of things might be
different than if you had visited that classroom 10 years ago?


3. What are some of the challenges the Brandon School Division is facing in meeting the
needs of its newcomer students?



4. How does the school division plan to meet these challenges?



Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Worksheet 3: Read a Map to Find Out Where Brandon is Located
Throughout our lives we read many different kinds of maps. There are geographical maps,
highway maps, tourism maps and building maps. Most maps are drawn to scale. Once you
know the scale of a map, you can determine the distance from one place to another. Maps
usually tell you which way is north so that you can tell which direction is south, west and
east. The legend on a map helps you read it. The legend provides information on what the
symbols on the map mean.
There is a map of Manitoba in Appendix B. This map shows Manitoba's larger communities
and some of the province's major highways. Take a close look at this map with your
partner. Can you find out more about where Brandon is located by answering the questions
below? Underline or circle the correct response for questions one to nine. The first one is
completed for you as an example.
Questions
1. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of Winnipeg.
2. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of Dauphin.
3. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of Virden.
4. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of Flin Flon.
5. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of the United States.
6. Brandon is located (north, south, east, west) of Nunavut.
7. The scale on this map is a) 1.2 millimeters equals 75 kilometers
b) 1.2 centimeters equals 75 kilometers
c) 1.2 inches equals 75 kilometers
8. Brandon is closest to the border of a) Ontario
b) Saskatchewan
c) Nunavut
9. On this map, the distance between Brandon and Winnipeg is about
a) 100 kilometers b) 200 kilometers c) 400 kilometers.
10. What is the name of the major highway that runs past Brandon?
___________________
11. How would someone find the capital city of Manitoba by looking at this
map?
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Learning English with CBC
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Worksheet 4: Write Pre-Arrival Questions for an Immigrant to Brandon
Task 1
Read the following scenario with your partner.
Scenario
Andriy is from Ukraine. He has been working at Maple Leaf Consumer Foods in
Brandon for six months. He really likes Brandon and has decided to apply to bring his
wife Galyna and their two sons to live with him. Their sons are ages 2 and 6.
Galyna is excited about re-uniting the family and moving to Brandon. She may also be
able to find work at Maple Leaf. But Galyna has many questions about Brandon.
Task 2
Work with your partner and help Galyna ask the questions she wants Andriy to research
for her. The first one is completed for you as an example.
Questions
1. She wants to know how many people live in the city of Brandon.
How many people live in the city of Brandon?
2. She wants to know if Brandon is a safe city to live in.
_______________________________________________________________
3. She wants to know whether there are programs to help her learn English.
_______________________________________________________________
4. She wants to know whether there are other immigrants from Ukraine in Brandon.
_______________________________________________________________
5. She wants to know if there will be child care available for her youngest son.
_______________________________________________________________
6. She wants to know if the family will need to buy a car.
_______________________________________________________________
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7. She wants to know how cold it is in winter and how hot it is in summer.
_______________________________________________________________
8. She wants to know if her older son will be able to learn English at school.
_______________________________________________________________
9. She wants to know what kinds of stores there are in Brandon.
_______________________________________________________________
10. She wants to know if the people of Brandon are friendly to newcomers.
_______________________________________________________________
11. She wants to know whether it will be difficult it will be to find a home to rent or buy.
_______________________________________________________________
Task 3
When you have finished writing the questions, your teacher will hand out Appendix 3:
Brandon Fast Facts. You will use the questions you have just written and this information
for a role play.
One student is Galyna, the other is Andriy. In the role play, Galyna will ask one of her
questions and Andriy will scan the fact sheet to find the information to answer that
question.
Switch roles after asking and answering four questions so both of you have an
opportunity to ask questions and to answer questions.
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Worksheet 5: Access and Present Information about Brandon
At work and at home, we use the internet to find information on a topic and research facts
or general information that is important to us or interests us.
With your group, chose one of the following websites to research. Once you are on the
website, fill out the chart below. You can stay on the main page of the site or you can
explore it further.
Step 1: Find the Website
Brandon University: http://www.brandonu.ca/home/
Assiniboine Community College: http://public.assiniboine.net/
Brandon Winter Fair: http://www.brandonfairs.com/
Cities in Bloom: http://www.city.brandon.mb.ca/Main.nsf/Pages+By+ID/784
Step 2: Complete the Chart
What to look for...
Two facts that interest us.
What you found out...
One fact that surprises us.
One fact we think the whole
class should know.
Step 3: Present Your Findings
When you present your findings about your website to the class, here are some ways you
could start your sentences.
You might be interested to learn that...
You might be surprised to find out that..
One thing you need to know is...
We were surprised to learn that...
We couldn't believe that...
We were shocked to find out that...
Can you believe that...
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Learning English with CBC
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Appendix 1: Transcript
March 9, 2010 (broadcast date)
Speaker
Podcast
Line
Marcy
Hi I'm Marcy Markusa and you're listening to Learning
English with CBC. Well the City of Brandon has been in the
news quite a bit lately. The influx of new immigrants to
Brandon has been creating challenges for the school system
and for the community as a whole. CBC reporter Louise
5
Charette is working on this story and Terry MacLeod
interviews her about how the Wheat City is being
transformed.
Terry
What does a typical classroom look like in Brandon these
days?
Louise
10
Ah it's very mixed. These days it's more like a school located
in central Winnipeg. I spent some time at Meadows
elementary school and the principal says the kids come from
about a dozen different countries, and most of them are very
recent, they've only come in the last few years.
15
Terry
And why is this happening now?
Louise
Well Maple Leaf has always had trouble finding local
workers to work at the plant, so for about the last five years,
they've been recruiting foreign workers. Now it was just a
trickle at first, but these days they're they're recruiting in
20
much larger numbers. Now, by law the workers come alone
at first and then usually a couple of years later they can
bring their families. So that's really starting to happen now,
and you've got this combination of lots more re re recruits
and more families and suddenly the schools are packed.
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25
Terry
So how are the schools ah the schools coping with this kind
of demand?
Louise
It's been hugely demanding. I spoke with board chair
George Buri, he's says they have hired a lot of English as an
additional language teachers, that's EAL of course, and a lot
30
of specialists to assess the kids grade levels when they
come in, but translators too. Buri says, think about it, if the
parents can't speak English what do you do when the
teachers need to talk to them?
George Buri
It has put a strain on. Ah we were at 672 EAL students at
35
the end of February, we've had another 27 since then, and
we're registering five to ten per week.
Terry
Five to ten a week, that's a lot of newcomers.
Louise
Ah Buri says pretty soon they'll have more than a thousand
in the division. Ah now the thing is that parents need a lot of
40
help too. They may have just landed here and school is the
first place that they go. And sometimes they're just lost. So
this year the trustees decided we have to do something. And
ah the Board decided they would set up a centre, like a
reception centre, and they'll put all the newcomers’ families
through it. They'll do everything from assessing the kids to
decide what grade they should be in, to helping the parents
with things like how to get around Brandon.
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Learning English with CBC
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45
Appendix 2: Map of Manitoba2
2
From: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/provincesterritories/manitoba/map.jpg
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
Learning English with CBC
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Appendix 3: Brandon Fast Facts
Population
Brandon's population is growing. Currently, the city has a population of 46,000. This is up
from 43,000 in 2001.
Newcomer Population
Brandon is welcoming immigrants from many parts of the world. The largest groups are
coming from China, South and Central America and the Ukraine.
The Ukrainian community in Brandon is tightly knit. Many are involved in the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church and maintain their Ukrainian traditions.
Newcomers to Brandon are setting up businesses and restaurants and contributing to the city's
cultural mosaic.
Brandon welcomes newcomers. The city is seen as a good place to work and live. In fact,
95 percent of the employees recruited by Maple Leaf Consumer Foods decide to call Brandon
home.
Crime and Safety
Brandon is a safe city with a low crime rate.
Brandon police are working with the newcomer population to ensure they understand the
police are there to help them.
EAL Programs for Adults
Westman Immigrant Services and other community organizations offer language training for
adults. There are classes during the week and on weekends.
Child Day Care
Finding child care in Brandon can be a challenge. Although there are new child care centres
and more family day care homes, it is hard to find infant care. Evening and weekend care is
also in short supply.
Transportation
The City of Brandon has a public transit system with several routes that run throughout the
city. There are also special buses that transport employees of Maple Leaf Foods to and from
their workplace.
Brandon: Manitoba's Second Largest City
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Weather
The average temperatures for Brandon are:
January (winter season): ̶ 13 degrees Celsius / 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit
April (spring season):
9 degrees Celsius / 48.2 degrees Fahrenheit
July (summer season):
26 degrees Celsius / 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit
October (autumn season): 12 degrees Celsius / 53.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Although there is snow and cold weather in winter, there is also lots of sunshine!
Brandon Public Schools
Public schools in Brandon are welcoming newcomer students in increasing numbers. Extra
staff have been hired to help them learn English and to help them integrate into school life.
Retail Shopping
Brandon has two shopping centres, as well as stores downtown. There are large department
stores such as Walmart, Zellers, Canadian Tire and Home Depot. There are also small and
unique shops.
Housing
The rental housing market in Brandon is very tight, especially for units with three bedrooms or
more. There is an on-line rental directory that lists everything available for rent.
The average cost of purchasing a home in Brandon in 2007 was $137,000.
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Learning English with CBC
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