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FOREIGN LANGUAGES
&
THE LITERARY IN THE EVERYDAY
open lessons for
L2 literacy

Lessons > Visual Play

Examples: punctuation, formatting, visual symbolism, media intertextuality, cinematography, multimodality

L’Amour (et la guerre)

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Lesson Title: L’Amour (et la guerre) [ Love (and War) ]
Lesson Author: Joanna Luks
Instructional Language: English / French
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year
Text Title: 6 september, 1939 / Excerpts from a WW II journal / Wartime correspondence
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: LLDQ, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: 6 september, 1939 / Excerpts from a WW II journal / Wartime correspondence
Text Language: French
Text Author: Jourdan, Robert
Genre: Poetry / Personal Blogs and Journals / Emails, Letters, and Postcards
Topic: n/a

Lesson

Lesson Title: L’Amour (et la guerre) [ Love (and War) ]
Instructional Language: English / French
Lesson Author: Joanna Luks
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year
Pedagogical Practices: n/a
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
Reading: Background information on the Fall of France during World War II.
Language Use & Strategies
Reading: Decoding visual and textual symbolism used for getting past censors in wartime correspondence. / Noticing intertextual references.
Writing: Following strategies and conventions for writing a love letter.
Visualization: Selecting an image to convey love.
FLLITE Form: LLDQ, Visual Play

Cosas de ciudad

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Lesson Title: Cosas de ciudad
Lesson Author: Natasha César Suárez
Instructional Language: Spanish
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Text Title: Puerta del Sol 2011
Text Language: Spanish
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play, Word Play

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Text

Text Title: Puerta del Sol 2011
Text Language: Spanish
Text Author: Natasha César Suárez
Genre: Image
Topic: Media and Technology / Historical and Cultural Events

Lesson

Lesson Title: Cosas de ciudad
Instructional Language: Spanish
Lesson Author: Natasha César Suárez
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:
  • Researching about contemporary social movements
  • Activating social / civil commitments
  • Reviewing grammar content (Imperative mode)
Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Analyzing an image with phrases on the target language
  • Understanding the meaning of summarized expressions related to the topic of the activity.
  • Imagining hypothetical social movement in Spanish language.
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Accessing a socio-historical content in Spanish language
  • Reflecting on the relevance of contemporary social movements
Language Use & Strategies
  • Language skills: reading, writing, speaking
  • Language competences: imperative mode
Design Elements
  • This activity is designed for activating the knowledge of social movements, and stimulating the commitment of the students. It could be complemented with images and / or music related to the most recent world social movements.
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play, Word Play

How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?

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Lesson Title: How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? [ How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? ]
Lesson Author: Hsiaomei, Tsai
Instructional Language: Chinese
Level of Activities: Elementary / Novice
Text Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Text Language: Chinese
FLLITE Form: Genre Play, Sound Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Text Language: Chinese
Text Author: Written by Eric Carle, Translated by Zheng MingJin
Genre: Narratives
Topic: Weather, Seasons, and Time

Lesson

Lesson Title: How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? [ How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? ]
Instructional Language: Chinese
Lesson Author: Hsiaomei, Tsai
Level of Activities: Elementary / Novice
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:

This lesson was created for a Chinese immersion class as part of a unit on the four stages of a butterfly’s life. The unit introduces relevant vocabulary in Chinese, such as caterpillar, butterfly, metamorphosis, cocoon, (callus), and egg. This lesson connects science and math with Chinese literacy development. This lesson in the unit focuses on the popular children’s picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The book was originally written in English but has been translated into many different languages, including Chinese. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is fictional rather than scientifically accurate, but plays off of the butterfly life stages and thus provides a literary glimpse at everyday scientific concepts with which the students are becoming familiar. At the same time, many of the linguistic resources in the text – e.g. the numbers, days of the week, food items, etc. – offer an opportunity for comparing and contrasting Chinese and English expressions.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” picture book
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • The scientific focus of the lesson, means that the focus is largely on processes that seem to transcend culture, but some of the everyday expressions bring in opportunities for cultural comparison.
  • In addition the continued expression of the caterpillar’s feelings can enable younger learners to express their feelings in their daily lives.
Language Use & Language Play
  • The story plays with the life cycle of the butterfly, a story that will be familiar to many young children. In this way, the primary type of play if genre play, in the blending of scientific text and children’s story.
  • There is also a frequent use of repetition, which creates a sound play when the story is read aloud, as story books are meant to be. This includes:
    • Repetition about past tense 了 (sound play)
    • The repetition of describing caterpillar’s physical appearance ( 又___又___) and experience (肚子好饿,肚子好痛) (narrative play)
  • Finally, there is visual play in the use of images to express the caterpillar’s transformation process and his feelings.
FLLITE Form: Genre Play, Sound Play, Visual Play

Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas

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Lesson Title: Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas [ Transmedia Storytelling with a Fairytale ]
Lesson Author: Maybel Mesa Morales
Instructional Language: Spanish
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Text Title: Transmedia Storytelling
Text Language: Spanish
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: Transmedia Storytelling
Text Language: Spanish
Text Author: Elpublicista Revista
Genre: Social Media
Topic: Media and Technology

Lesson

Lesson Title: Las narrativas transmedia a partir de un cuento de hadas [ Transmedia Storytelling with a Fairytale ]
Instructional Language: Spanish
Lesson Author: Maybel Mesa Morales
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year / Intermediate, Advanced
Pedagogical Practices: Writing / Speaking / Listening / Viewing
Grammar Focus: Pretérito/Imperfecto
Main Objectives:

Learners will be able to recount and expand a story or story experience across multiple platforms through transmedia practices using current digital technologies.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Analyzing and interpreting an infographic to elaborate a definition of transmedia storytelling.
  • Analyzing, understanding, and explaining a video about transmedia storytelling.
  • Expanding and writing a new end for the (comic) through personal creative intervention
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Telling stories across multiple media allows content to form a larger, cohesive, and rewarding experience.
  • Telling stories across multiple media increases the author’s and reader’s awareness of the characteristics of each medium and genre, promoting digital literacy.
  • Transmedia practices may expand the potential reach of storytelling by creating different adaptations for different audience segments.
Language Use & Language Play
  • Preterite and Imperfect
  • Vocabulary about technology and social media
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Narrative Play, Pragmatic Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

El mayor premio es compartirlo

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Lesson Title: El mayor premio es compartirlo [ The greatest prize is to share it ]
Lesson Author: Raychel Vasseur
Instructional Language: Spanish
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year, 3. year / Novice
Text Title: Anuncio de la lotería de Navidad 2015
Text Language: Spanish
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Grammar Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: Anuncio de la lotería de Navidad 2015
Text Language: Spanish
Text Author: Leo Burnett agency
Genre: Emails, Letters, and Postcards / TV and Film / Image
Topic: Family, Friendships, and Relationships / Holidays and Celebrations

Lesson

Lesson Title: El mayor premio es compartirlo [ The greatest prize is to share it ]
Instructional Language: Spanish
Lesson Author: Raychel Vasseur
Level of Activities: College / 1. year, 2. year, 3. year / Novice
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Cultural Understanding
Grammar Focus: adjectives as nouns, cognate (and false cognate) recognition, dates, telling time on a 24 hour clock
Main Objectives:

Grammatically the main objectives of this lesson are that students will be able to recognize, false cognates, recognize and understand adjectives used as nouns, to recognize, understand, and produce cognates, students will understand and produce written dates, and students will recognize the 24-hour clock system. Culturally, students will understand the practices and perspectives of the Spanish Christmas lottery and compare them to their culture’s lottery and Christmas traditions. Analytically, students will be able to use multimodal elements to support their interpretation and understanding of an advertisement.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Watching and analyzing a commercial for the Spanish Christmas lottery.
  • Using multimodal elements (visual and audio) to support interpretation and understanding.
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Interpreting and understanding “The best prize is to share it” as the overarching theme of the Christmas lottery and how this appeals to working-class Spaniards.
  • Making sense of the importance of social solidarity
Language Use & Language Play
  • grammar play: Using adjectives as nouns
  • grammar play: Recognizing cognates (and non-cognates)
  • culture play: Foregrounding relationships to advertise a lottery
  • perspective play
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Grammar Play, Visual Play

Anxiety after the Revolution

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Lesson Title: Anxiety after the Revolution
Lesson Author: Kelly Houck
Instructional Language: Persian
Level of Activities: College / 2. year, 3. year, 4. year / Intermediate
Text Title: در این بن بست [In This Blind Alley]
Text Language: Persian
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Sound Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: در این بن بست [In This Blind Alley]
Text Language: Persian
Text Author: Ahmad Shamlu
Genre: Poetry
Topic: Historical and Cultural Events / Beliefs and Politics

Lesson

Lesson Title: Anxiety after the Revolution
Instructional Language: Persian
Lesson Author: Kelly Houck
Level of Activities: College / 2. year, 3. year, 4. year / Intermediate
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: n/a
Main Objectives:

Analyzing a piece of modern poetry, understanding the tense political atmosphere after the revolution, considering poetic devices of modern Persian poetry, practicing new vocabulary, constructing a poem using a modern structure to communicate a particular mood and perspective.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading a poem and examining its content and form
  • Speaking with and listening to classmates regarding poetic devices, grammar, and vocabulary
Cultural Knowledge & Mindset
  • Understanding the impact of the Islamic Revolution on day-to-day life
  • Interpreting the fears and anxieties of someone unsupportive of the new government
  • Considering the depth of the speaker’s emotional state
  • Discussing the impact of the imagery on the reader
Language Use & Language Play
  • Identifying the perspective and mood of the speaker
  • Identifying the structure of the poem
  • Analyzing metaphors and imagery to understand the feelings the speaker is communicating
  • Recognizing the impersonal verb conjugation
Design Elements
  • Examining the modern elements of the poem, such as stanza length and rhyme scheme
  • Communicating one’s interpretation of the poem to others
  • Practicing sustaining a conversation about a challenging literary topic
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Sound Play, Symbolic Play, Visual Play

Cherchez le dépaysement

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Lesson Title: Cherchez le dépaysement [ Look for a change of scenery ]
Lesson Author: David Barny
Instructional Language: French
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Text Title: Sites et curiosités
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Visual Play

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Text

Text Title: Sites et curiosités
Text Language: French
Text Author: René Gosciny / Marcel Gotlib
Genre: Image / Comics and Graphic Novels
Topic: Travel and Vacation

Lesson

Lesson Title: Cherchez le dépaysement [ Look for a change of scenery ]
Instructional Language: French
Lesson Author: David Barny
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: Inflectional Future Tense (futur simple)
Main Objectives:

This lesson is designed around a two-page bande dessinée (French comic strip) by writer René Gosciny and illustrator Marcel Gotlib. In this strip, Gotlib uses his trademark burlesque, farcical visuals to poke fun at the tourism industry by illustrating how to manufacture folklore and turn the most isolated and bleak village into a picturesque tourist favorite. Through humor, this artifact leads the learners to wonder: What constitutes folklore? How does folklore intersect with history? Are these characteristics cross-cultural? Additionally, students will reflect on the discourse of tourism and the genre of tourist text, while apprehending the use of the inflectional future (futur simple) in planning an itinerary.

The final task is designed as a team effort. Student will create their own tourist brochure about their college town by following the tropes highlighted by Gosciny and Gotlib. The brochure will be presented orally in class to the rest of the students who will then vote on which version of their college town they would rather live and attend university in.

This lesson can easily be implemented in most textbook-based curricula, as these typically include a thematic unit of tourism and traveling.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading and responding to a satirical bande dessinée (text and image)
  • Reading and analyzing a short touristic text on Brittany
  • Writing/Designing a tourist brochure about a College Town
  • Presenting (through promoting) a tourist destination
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Apprehending Franco-Belgian bande dessinée as a satirical tool
  • Reflecting on the essence of folklore as a concept
  • Comparing French folklore with the learners’ native culture folklore
  • Analyzing French examples of touristic discourse.
  • Discovering French historical and literary references
Language Use & Language Play
  • Culture play: subversion of cultural practice (creation of folklore)
  • Genre play: genre subversion (humorification of folklore)
  • Visual play: visual subversion of monuments and historical sites
  • Language Skills: viewing, reading, listening writing, speaking
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Visual Play

Rat de ville ou rat des champs ?

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Lesson Title: Rat de ville ou rat des champs ? [ Town Mouse or Country Mouse? ]
Lesson Author: David Barny
Instructional Language: French / English
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Text Title: Nouillorc
Text Language: French
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Perspective Play, Sound Play, Visual Play, Word Play

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Text

Text Title: Nouillorc
Text Language: French
Text Author: Olivier Amsellem, Sébastien Pierre, Sylvain Thirache, Alexander Kalchev
Genre: Advertisements and Personal ads / Image
Topic: Travel and Vacation

Lesson

Lesson Title: Rat de ville ou rat des champs ? [ Town Mouse or Country Mouse? ]
Instructional Language: French / English
Lesson Author: David Barny
Level of Activities: College / 2. year / Intermediate
Pedagogical Practices: Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
Grammar Focus: Negation
Main Objectives:

This lesson is designed around one of the posters for an ad campaign by the French National Railway Company SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français). This ad plays on the sounds of the French language and the imagery of the French countryside by comparing it humorously to the sounds of English and the expected imagery of global metropolises. Through humor, this artifact leads the learners to wonder about the relationship between urban and rural cultures/perspectives in France? Does this type of power relationship exist between their native urban and rural cultures? Does it surface in specific cultural practices?

Additionally, students will reflect on advertising strategies in the target culture, while considering the different types of negation in French and their uses.

The final task is designed as a team effort. Student will script and design their own parody of a commercial promoting their college town by reinvesting the semiotic codes they noticed in the various documents under study.

This lesson can easily be implemented in most textbook-based curricula, as these typically include a thematic unit of tourism and traveling, although they rarely, if ever, discuss the issue of centralization and rural desertification.

Texts, Genres & Practices
  • Reading, watching, listening and interpreting the languaculture behind satirical texts (billboards, commercials, comedy sketches)
  • Reading and analyzing a short touristic text on Auvergne (blog)
  • Writing/Designing a script for a satirical commercial promoting a college town
  • Presenting (through promoting) a tourist destination
Cultural Knowledge & Perspectives
  • Analyze French examples of satirical discourse.
  • Conceive advertising as a satirical tool
  • Reflect on the on the part of humor that is culture specific.
  • Compare French advertising with equivalents in the learners’ native culture
  • Discover historical and cultural aspects of French demographics and geography
Language Use & Language Play
  • Word play / Sound play: Subversion of the French phonetic inventory to create rural metropolises.
  • Visual play: subversion of rural semiotics (reinterpreting the visual identity of the French countryside).
  • Culture play: subversion of the theme of rural exodus.
  • Genre play / Perspective play: subversion of the advertising genre by adopting a negative perspective.
  • Language Skills: viewing, reading, listening, writing, speaking, cultural understanding
FLLITE Form: Culture Play, Genre Play, Perspective Play, Sound Play, Visual Play, Word Play

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  • Project
    ▼
    • Team
    • Editorial Board
    • Collaborators program
    • About the FLLITE Approach
    • Further Reading
  • Lessons
    ▼
    • Lessons by Language
    • Lessons by Language Play
  • Example Texts
  • How to Participate
  • Connect
  • Provide feedback

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