Creating multimodal texts
Problem-centred tasks
Creating multimodal texts (paper or digital) for particular contexts and for particular audiences
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Creating a greeting card (Christmas, Valentine’s day, etc.)
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Making a book about a class/school/community/family event
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Creating a presentation on a chosen topic
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Making comics / graphic novel
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Designing a poster advertising a school event
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Creating a webpage / blog post on a topic of interest
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Making a movie/trailer or a craft-style video
Scaffolding activities
#1 Modes of meaning making
Students explore examples of multimodal texts and identify what modes are used (e.g. linguistic (oral, written), visual (still, moving), audio, gestural, spatial and multimodal)
#2 Drafting a project
Students brainstorm ideas for their multimodal texts and create an initial draft. They brainstorm the steps in the process (i.e. what needs to be done).
#3 Collecting resources
Students find relevant resources for their projects (e.g. audio/video fragments, texts, images, animation).
#4 Copyright
Students learn about restricted copyright images and Creative Commons images. They learn how to reference restricted copyright resources.
#5 Design
Students explore apps/software that can be used to create a multimodal text. They learn how to navigate it and explore the strengths it has to offer and its limitations.
#6 Design
Students engage in the design process and experiment with combining different modes. They consider (1) the purpose of the text, (2) the context, (3) audience.
#7 Power
Students compare several examples and identify what makes a multimodal text appealing. They revise their drafts.
#8 Sharing & reflection
Students share their work with the intended audience which may provide feedback on their work. They also reflect on the process (e.g. strategies, challenges, areas for improvement).