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//**Lesson 4:**// **Multimodal Texts – Using different communication modes to convey meaning** Students will learn about their local community and present information about Bankstown in an integrated HSIE / English unit. Students will examine how to effectively construct a factual recount (both written and spoken), including visual grammar and multimodal techniques that can be used to support information, for a specific audience and social purpose. By the end of the unit, students will produce texts that are well-structured (using the appropriate schematic structure of factual recounts) and well-presented (including supporting visual images). · Identifies some significant customs, practices and traditions of their local community, beginning with Aboriginal people · Gives some reasons why their local community is different to others and why it is of value and should be respected · Identifies major community religions and places of religious significance in their communities, temple, church, synagogue, mosque · Locates and identifies evidence of the languages used in their local community, beginning with the original Aboriginal languages, eg signage, place names, sign language || In the previous lesson, students have developed a broadened understanding of how visual grammar effects our interpretations of texts. In this lesson, students will further develop upon this desired understanding by investigating different ways modes of communication convey information in texts to convey meaning. Students will explore the different “elements of modes based on different logics” (Kress, 2003, p. 47) which make up multimodal texts and work collaboratively to create a multimodal text and individually identify the various features, elements and modes which contribute to their multimodal text. · Recognises how different factual texts are organised according to their purpose. · Makes general statements about how visual texts such as diagrams, tables and illustrations · Talks about different interactive meanings of visual texts and discusses their purpose and meanings.
 * ** Unit Topic: “ **// Our Community: Bankstown” // |||| ** Curriculum Link: ** HSIE || ** Yr Level: ** Stage 2 / Year 4 ||
 * ** Lesson Number: 8 ** of 10 |||| ** Lesson Topic: ** Multimodality: Using different modes to convey meaning || ** Learning Area: ** English ||
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 * CUS2.3 Explains how shared customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions in communities contribute to Australian and community identities. **
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 * RS2.7 Discusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways, how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use language to achieve a wide range of purposes. **

· Selects relevant images to accompany own writing. · writes for a chosen audience · writes a wider range of text types · demonstrates understanding of a range of topics · researched on specific topics to write about || Bankstown Community Atlas – About the city (Bankstown City Council, 2009) [], SMART board, small pieces of card for introduction activity, poster materials, digital cameras, computers, A3 sheets of paper for conclusion activity. || In a whole class setting, students are to organize themselves around the SMART board in a position where they can view the Bankstown Community Atlas (Bankstown City Council, 2009). Students are shown the resource (interactive map and text) and are asked to take a minute to independently examine the text. After this, the teacher asks students to contribute to class discussion describing what they have viewed. Next the teacher tells the students they are going to look deeper into the text and selects different students to read parts of the text aloud, interact with the map and examine the different information possibilities through tab options. || Bring the class together and discuss the features of the text students’ interacted with (maps, text and interactive images) Students are then asked whether the interactions with the resource changed the way they initially felt about the text or how they acquired information. //What did you notice? What information is being described? What do we already know about the community? Did the information come to you differently? How did this affect the way you understood the text?// The teacher will then ask students to write down on a piece of card the different ways information was displayed in the text.
 * WS2.9 Drafts, revises, proofreads and publishes well-structured texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and written language features. **
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Ask students to form a circle and contribute their ideas regarding the varied ways information was conveyed in the text (eg. text, map, pictures, tables etc). Once this was described, the cards students wrote their ideas on would be placed in the centre of the circle for reference. Teacher asks if there are any other ways that information could be conveyed (including speech and interactive elements).

Sums up that there are many different ways that information can be conveyed and tells students that these are called ‘modes of information’ and when a text or resource uses more than one ‘mode of information’ to provide information or convey meaning it is called a multimodal text. Also describes that these features work together to convey meaning including reading paths and colour.

Asks students to think of different texts they know that might be multimodal and how they are multimodal. //When describing multimodal texts uses accompanying explanation of multimodality as different ways texts convey meaning and provide information in a single text.// Students contribute answers and reasons why these texts are multimodal. Teacher interjects with further questioning and support information and emphasizes that speech is another mode of conveying information.

Students organized into mixed ability groups (to support students with additional needs and extend those with extension capabilities) of 3-4 members where they will have to create a multimodal text in the form of a poster which encourages people to visit the Bankstown community incorporating its cultural features and opportunities. Students will be given access to the resource used [], computers their voice recorders, cameras (from previous lesson), cardboard, and other stationary to create their text. Students will be given 10 minutes time for planning after which the tambourine will ring and the students will be expected to begin work on their multimodal text. Teacher also outlines that students will have to report back to the class and display their multimodal text and how they compiled it. The teacher will observe student interactions and their contributions to the activity while questioning students on their processes.

In their groups, students will present their presentation/posters to the class where the viewers will be asked to point out the multimodal features. If the class fail to distinguish all of these the group will display them to the class and be questioned on multimodal aspects featured in their texts and how these contribute to understand intentions of texts. |||| ** Students will: ** View the Bankstown Community Atlas and think about its various features. Students will engage in class discussion about the features they discovered in the resource and how their feelings changed when they were able to interact with it.

Students contribute to class discussion and share their ideas regarding the way information was conveyed in the text.

Students listen to teacher explanation and gain an understanding of multimodal texts.

Students engaged in mini activity where they are to think about multimodal texts they may know. Contribute to class discussion.

Students organized into groups, listen to teacher instruction and work collaboratively to plan and compile a multimodal text which encourages people to visit the Bankstown area. (Describes why it is a good place and the various cultural opportunities available). Use various resources including computers, hands on craft materials and other stationary resources. Students will answer any teacher questioning.

Students will present their texts to the class and the remaining students will try and distinguish the multimodal features. If they cannot, the presenting group will share their intentions. Students will also be subject to further teacher questioning designed to seek understanding of students knowledge of multimodal texts. || Students, individually are to sketch the structure(or diagram) of their multimodal text on an A3 piece of paper outlining how they organized their text and describing the different modes of communication they used this will be compiled into a wall display or pasted into their English bookss. The teacher will roam around the room questioning students on their diagrams, the multimodality of their texts and why they deem these attributes to be multimodal and contributors to understanding of the local community. || The teacher will make observations during the introduction and assess students’ knowledge through discussion and student interactions. The teacher will be able to see the degree of understanding displayed in regard to knowledge of the surrounding culture of Bankstown. Student responses to teacher questioning and contributions to class discussion will be assessed on the degree to which they exemplify understanding of content of previous lessons and the different components of multimodal texts and how they contribute to meaning in texts. Students abilities to work collaboratively will be assessed in their contributions to planning and compiling a multimodal text. Students will be observed and their final products will be assessed in the extent to which they: - convey meaning using different information modes - demonstrate understanding of multimodality - can describe different modes and how they contribute to meaning Finally students will be assessed individually on their ability to illustrate and explain different communication modes utilized in their presentations to create multimodal texts to express information and convey meaning about their local community through their reflections, presentation outlines and descriptions. || Students will be organized into mixed ability groups so that students with additional needs or ESL backgrounds can be supported by those with extension capabilities. The teacher will be available for additional guidance to students with additional needs in providing explanations of features of multimodal texts. Students will be referred to cooperative work rules and class agreements prior to engaging in the group activity. Students will be asked to refer to behaviour expectations if they do not comply with group work guidelines. Also each group will be provided with equal opportunities to use the computers and provided Community Atlas resource through the use of a bell for rotation of computer use or utilisation of more computers through booking the computer lab or available laptops. || · Was the introductory activity set at an appropriate level for stage 2 students? Were they able to work cooperatively to achieve the outcome for this activity? · Were students able to display understanding of multimodal texts and their key features? How? · Was this lesson productive? Were groups organized appropriately? · How could I improve this lesson to better teach students about multimodality? · What parts of the lesson worked well and were engaging for the students and what would I change? · How can I better structure my lessons to encourage deeper learning and student involvement? ||
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