Audience: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate English language learners
Level: B1–B2
Objective The objective of this activity is to strengthen students reading comprehension and written summarizing skills while developing their multimodal literacy. Students will learn to interpret and represent meaning through visual and textual modes. By transforming a written news article into a visual infographic, students will focus on how layout, color, and images can complement text to communicate key information clearly and effectively. Students will read a short news article and then design an infographic that summarizes its main ideas, using short written text, icons, and images to represent information visually.
Task The task integrates reading, analysis, and written production, following the principles of multimodality and multiliteracies by combining linguistic and visual modes to convey meaning.
Materials / Digital Tools An article from News in Levels (https://www.newsinlevels.com/) Canva: To design the infographic (https://www.canva.com/es_419/) Padlet: To upload the infographic and write your reflexion
Step #1: Reading and Analysis
1. Choose one article from News in Levels and put it on level 3
2. Read carefully and identify:
2.1 The main idea and key supporting details.
2.3 Important data (numbers, dates, facts).
2.4 Relevant vocabulary needed to describe the event.
3. Take short notes on what you think are the three most important messages from the article.
Step #2: Creating the Infographic
1. Go to Canva → choose an infographic template.
2. Add the title of the news article and your name.
3. Include:
3.1 2–4 short text sections summarizing the most important points.
3.2 Icons, charts, or images that visually represent the information.
3.3 Colors and layout that make your message easy to read.
4. Keep text concise (phrases or short sentences) and focus on clarity.
5. When finished, download your infographic as an image (PNG) or share the Canva link as a reply and post it on the padlet: https://padlet.com/bustosjuan2/multimodal-task-from-news-to-infographic-byihhcw3im8aki69
Step #3: Reflection and Posting
1. Upload your infographic to the class to Padlet: https://padlet.com/bustosjuan2/multimodal-task-from-news-to-infographic-byihhcw3im8aki69
2. Write a short reflection paragraph (80–150 words) responding to:
2.1 What did you learn from this news topic?
2.2 How did visuals help you express meaning?
2.3 How did the process help you improve your reading or writing skills?
I think this Infographic task is absolutely fantastic! I love that it gets the students off the boring text and gets them super creative with visuals and icons; it’s the coolest way to make reading worthwhile and ensure the information actually sticks. Using Canva is a huge plus because it's so easy to use and the final result always looks professional, and Padlet turns the homework into a gallery, which is a great social touch. Plus, making them turn the news into a visual design isn't just a summarizing exercise, it's a whole new way of thinking! I truly believe this will not only improve their English but also make them realize how messages work in the real world.
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ReplyDeleteMultimodal Task: From News to Infographic
ReplyDeleteAudience: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate English language learners
Level: B1–B2
Objective
The objective of this activity is to strengthen students reading comprehension and written summarizing skills while developing their multimodal literacy. Students will learn to interpret and represent meaning through visual and textual modes.
By transforming a written news article into a visual infographic, students will focus on how layout, color, and images can complement text to communicate key information clearly and effectively.
Students will read a short news article and then design an infographic that summarizes its main ideas, using short written text, icons, and images to represent information visually.
Task
The task integrates reading, analysis, and written production, following the principles of multimodality and multiliteracies by combining linguistic and visual modes to convey meaning.
Materials / Digital Tools
An article from News in Levels (https://www.newsinlevels.com/)
Canva: To design the infographic (https://www.canva.com/es_419/)
Padlet: To upload the infographic and write your reflexion
Step #1: Reading and Analysis
1. Choose one article from News in Levels and put it on level 3
2. Read carefully and identify:
2.1 The main idea and key supporting details.
2.3 Important data (numbers, dates, facts).
2.4 Relevant vocabulary needed to describe the event.
3. Take short notes on what you think are the three most important messages from the article.
Step #2: Creating the Infographic
1. Go to Canva → choose an infographic template.
2. Add the title of the news article and your name.
3. Include:
3.1 2–4 short text sections summarizing the most important points.
3.2 Icons, charts, or images that visually represent the information.
3.3 Colors and layout that make your message easy to read.
4. Keep text concise (phrases or short sentences) and focus on clarity.
5. When finished, download your infographic as an image (PNG) or share the Canva link as a reply and post it on the padlet: https://padlet.com/bustosjuan2/multimodal-task-from-news-to-infographic-byihhcw3im8aki69
Step #3: Reflection and Posting
1. Upload your infographic to the class to Padlet: https://padlet.com/bustosjuan2/multimodal-task-from-news-to-infographic-byihhcw3im8aki69
2. Write a short reflection paragraph (80–150 words) responding to:
2.1 What did you learn from this news topic?
2.2 How did visuals help you express meaning?
2.3 How did the process help you improve your reading or writing skills?
And that is all for today.
Juan José Bustos Erazo
I think this Infographic task is absolutely fantastic! I love that it gets the students off the boring text and gets them super creative with visuals and icons; it’s the coolest way to make reading worthwhile and ensure the information actually sticks. Using Canva is a huge plus because it's so easy to use and the final result always looks professional, and Padlet turns the homework into a gallery, which is a great social touch. Plus, making them turn the news into a visual design isn't just a summarizing exercise, it's a whole new way of thinking! I truly believe this will not only improve their English but also make them realize how messages work in the real world.
ReplyDelete