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Literacy Retreat 2015

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Inferring Ideas from Visual & Multimodal Texts

PHOTOGRAPHS:

SOPHISTICATED PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS:

  • In sophisticated picture books, the illustrations are absolutely necessary.
  • They demonstrate a high level of integration with the print text.
  • They may convey parts of the story that the print text never mentions.
  • They often utilize challenging or complex artwork and/or varied design layout.

POLITICAL CARTOONS:

  • These visuals provide a single perspective on a relevant/current topic or issue.
  • They require background knowledge on the topic and are therefore complex.
  • Although the text integrated into the cartoon is usually minimal, it’s essential.
  • Between the visual and the print text, there is a range of literary devices employed—symbolism, humor, hyperbole, sarcasm, irony, etc.

INFOGRAPHICS:

VIDEO CLIPS/MOVIE EXCERPTS/DOCUMENTARIES:

  • Numerous visual and audio messages are communicated simultaneously.
  • Unlike other visuals, videos require readers to sustain or “hold onto” their thinking across several minutes/hours.
  • Often there is a print text version to be compared to.

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Define the 3 phases of close reading.

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“READ” PHOTOS, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND POLITICAL CARTOONS.

Use a simple note-taking organizer to analyze: people/subjects, action & activity, setting & objects. Here are several examples:

 

“READ” INFOGRAPHICS.

Make note of the following facets: main idea/subject, data, source, text/words, visuals, organization.

“READ” VIDEO CLIPS/MOVIE EXCERPTS.

Take note of what you see (movement, action, etc.) and hear (sounds, music, etc.). This is why videos are referred to as multimodal texts—students have to use both visual and audio modes of communication.  

  • Initially use the 2-column T-Chart to note what you see and what you hear.
  • As students get better at analyzing multimodal texts, reveal the four quadrant organizer. Now they listen for sounds and music and words spoken. They watch for setting and action and words that may appear in the background. TIP: It’s easier to play the video clip through the first time where the students aren’t watching it, but just listening to it. This allows them to focus on what they hear—music, sounds, voices, silence, etc.—before being inundated with moving images.

TEACH STUDENTS TO USE SCRATCH PAPER.

Once students are more familiar with what to notice in a video clip, ween
them off the graphic organizers. For standardized tests, students can take notes, but can only utilize blank paper.

  • On the PARCC, students can use scratch paper or digital notepad. (Scroll to page 2.)
  • On the ISTEP+ and English 10 ECA, students can use scratch paper. (Scroll to page 4, item d.)
  • On the Smarter Balanced Assessment, students can use scratch paper or digital notepad. (See Item #1—Universal Accessibility Tools.)

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Apples to Apples.

For a quick experience making inferences and citing evidence from visuals, use the Big Picture version of “Apples to Apples.” Reveal a single green card depicting a word and definition and five random images. Students determine which image best depicts the word/definition and write a short constructed response. They cite evidence from the visual for their conclusion. (You might even require they utilize the Yes MA’Am structure in their written response.)
Knightstown Elementary teacher Kristen Crawford developed a template for students’ constructed responses. Notice how she also provided a frame for a strong written response.

Picture of the Day.

Each day, reveal a different picture. Ask students to:

English/Language Arts

VIDEOS
Speeches
Movies
Clips
Commercials
Documentaries

PHOTOS
BK on Setting/Culture
Depict Mood/Theme
Character Trait
Memes
Virtual Field Trips

ILLUSTRATIONS
Picture books
Graphic Novels
Charts
Clipart

INFOGRAPHS
Timelines
Compare-Contrast
Word Repetitions
Literary Genres

History/Social Studies

VIDEOS
Speeches
Documentaries
Reenactments
Instructional

PHOTOS
People/Places
Things/Events
Primary Source Documents
Virtual Tours

ILLUSTRATIONS
Picture books
Graphic Novels
Charts
Clipart

INFOGRAPHS
Timelines
Maps
Graphs/Charts
Battles
Compare-Contrast

The Sciences

VIDEOS
Concepts
Processes
Documentaries
Live Webcams

PHOTOS
People/Places
Things/Concepts
Picture of the Day
Close-Up Images
Virtual Tours

ILLUSTRATIONS
Dissections
Icons/Symbols

INFOGRAPHS
Diagrams
Dissections
Flowcharts
Timelines
Compare-Contrast

Technical Subjects

VIDEOS
Concepts
Processes
Demonstrations
Instruction

PHOTOS
People/Places
Things/Events
Close-Ups
Paintings
Magazine Covers
Virtual Tours

ILLUSTRATIONS
Instructions
Fingering Charts
Icons/Symbols
Graphs
Clipart

INFOGRAPHS
Timelines
Graphs/Charts
Diagrams
Dissections
Flowcharts
Cheat Sheets
Compare-Contrast