Multimodal Literacy

Multimodal Literacy

the ability to understand and use language in spoken, written, and visual forms across contexts. It involves knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and language conventions, as well as the ability to adapt language use for various purposes and audiences.

the ability to interpret, and evaluate spoken language, background music, sound effects, and other auditory elements in various media. It involves understanding how these components convey meaning, influence emotions, and shape perception.

the ability to understand and use spatial information, such as maps, diagrams, and physical environments. It also involves spatial patterns and relationships between objects, places, and people in both physical and digital spaces.

the ability to interpret, analyse, and create meaning from information presented in the form of images. It involves understanding how visual elements communicate ideas, evoke emotions, and convey messages across different media.

the ability to understand and interpret meaning from body movements, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues in communication. It also involves using gestures effectively to support and enhance spoken or written language.

Gestural Literacy

Linguistic Literacy

Aural Literacy

Spatial Literacy

Visual Literacy

the ability to analyse and evaluate texts to understand how language, power, and ideology shape meaning. It encourages readers to question assumptions, uncover bias, and consider multiple perspectives in order to take informed action.

the ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. It involves critical thinking, technical skills, and an understanding of how digital tools influence information and communication.

the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate visual and material elements in designed objects, systems, or environments. It also involves the capacity to use design principles effectively to communicate ideas.

Critical Literacy

Digital Literacy

Design Literacy

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Grammar & syntax

Understanding how words are structured and combined into sentences that make sense. Includes tense, subject-verb agreement, word order, and clause structure.

Vocabulary & semantics

Understanding word meanings (literal and figurative), collocations, word formation, synonyms/antonyms, and context usage.

the ability to understand and use language in spoken, written, and visual forms across contexts. It involves knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and language conventions, as well as the ability to adapt language use for various purposes and audiences.

Discourse structure

Understanding how texts are organised into meaningful wholes and recognising introductions, bodies, conclusions, transitions, coherence, and different genres.

Punctuation & cohesion markers

Using punctuation and linking devices (however, although, because, etc.) to clarify meaning and create flow between ideas.

Linguistic Literacy Skills

Recognising tone, style, & register

Understanding and producing language appropriate for different contexts including formal vs informal, academic vs conversational, sarcastic vs sincere.

Code-switching & audience awareness

Adapting language to fit different audiences, often switching between languages or dialects where appropriate.

Understanding connotation & figurative language

Recognising meaning beyond the literal including idioms, metaphors, irony, sarcasm, emotional colour of words.

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Proximity in human interaction

Recognising how physical distance between people during interaction communicates meaning and reflects cultural norms, personal relationships, and levels of formality or intimacy.

Reading spatial arrangements

Being able to interpret the structure and layout of multimodal texts, such as how a webpage, magazine spread, or brochure guides the eye and organises information.

the ability to understand and use spatial information, such as maps, diagrams, and physical environments. It also involves spatial patterns and relationships between objects, places, and people in both physical and digital spaces.

How space affects meaning & accessibility

Recognising how proximity, spacing, alignment, and overall layout influence comprehension, emotional tone, and usability for users with accessibility needs.

Spatial Literacy Skills

Using white space effectively in design

Understanding the role of "empty" space (margins, padding, spacing between elements) in improving readability, focus, and emotional tone.

Recognising spatial affordances & constraints

Understanding what certain spatial arrangements allow or prevent (e.g., how a narrow sidebar limits image use; how a stage setup affects performance).

Navigating multimodal environments

Being able to move through complex multimodal spaces (e.g., museum exhibitions, websites, online learning platforms), identifying how space organises and prioritises information.

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Interpreting symbolism, perspective & metaphor

Understanding that images often carry deeper meanings beyond what is shown and recognising how things like size, placement, angle, or objects can represent abstract ideas (e.g., freedom, power, isolation).

Understanding visual hierarchy & composition

Recognising how designers guide the viewer’s attention through placement, size, contrast, and alignment. Understanding concepts like “rule of thirds,” focal points, and reading paths (e.g., Z-pattern or F-pattern in web design).

the ability to interpret, analyse, and create meaning from information presented in the form of images. It involves understanding how visual elements communicate ideas, evoke emotions, and convey messages across different media.

Reading icons, logos, and signs (semiotics)

Understanding that visual symbols (e.g., icons, emojis, road signs) have culturally agreed-upon meanings. Recognising denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (suggested or implied meaning).

Visual Literacy Skills

Evaluating the use of colour, font, design elements

Understanding how design choices evoke emotions or guide interpretation. Recognising cultural or psychological meanings of colours (e.g., red = danger/love) and font styles (e.g., serif = traditional, sans serif = modern).

Inferring meaning from still & moving images

Reading visual narratives and guessing storylines, emotions, or messages without text. Interpreting gestures, facial expressions, lighting, and visual clues.

Creating visual narratives (e.g., storyboarding)

Planning and sequencing images to tell a coherent story or explain an idea. Using visual and textual elements in combination.

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Recognising emotional tone through sound

Identifying feelings or atmosphere conveyed by sounds (e.g., fear, joy, tension). Interpreting mood from soundtracks, voice, or sound effects.

the ability to interpret, and evaluate spoken language, background music, sound effects, and other auditory elements in various media. It involves understanding how these components convey meaning, influence emotions, and shape perception.

Understanding intonation, pitch, rhythm, & volume

Detecting how changes in voice affect meaning. Noticing emphasis, sarcasm, questions vs. statements.

Differentiating between speech, sound effects & background noise

Separating layered audio into its components. Recognising how background sounds shape the context.

Aural Literacy Skills

Evaluating how music or sound supports meaning in multimodal text

Understanding how audio supports or changes meaning in combination with images or text. Considering timing, genre, style of music/sound.

Listening critically to content for argument, bias, or persuasion

Discerning intent in audio messages (advertisements, speeches, debates) and recognising bias, emotional appeals, and persuasive techniques.

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Recognising gestures & their cultural significance

Understanding both universal and culturally specific gestures, how gestures convey meanings, and how they can be interpreted differently across cultures.

Interpreting facial expressions for emotion or attitude

Reading and analysing emotions, attitudes, or intentions based on facial cues like eyebrow movement, mouth shape, and eye expression.

the ability to understand and interpret meaning from body movements, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues in communication. It also involves using gestures effectively to support and enhance spoken or written language.

Using body language to support communication

Using gestures, posture, and movement to emphasise points, show enthusiasm, build rapport, or signal openness.

Gestural Literacy Skills

Eye contact, posture & positioning in interaction

Recognising how eye contact, physical orientation, and posture affect communication dynamics, turn-taking, and perceived engagement.

Gesturing effectively in live or recorded presentations

Purposefully planning and using gestures to enhance clarity, engage the audience, and emphasise key points in both live and video contexts.

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Selecting appropriate modes & media for a purpose

Understanding the most effective combination of modes (text, image, audio, video, gesture, etc.) and media (poster, video, website, infographic, etc.) to communicate their message clearly and impactfully, depending on the goal and the audience.

Aligning visual, verbal, aural & gestural elements coherently

Ensuring that different semiotic elements work together to deliver a unified message – for example, that visuals match the tone of the language or that music supports the mood of a video.

the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate visual and material elements in designed objects, systems, or environments. It also involves the capacity to use design principles effectively to communicate ideas.

Balancing aesthetics and functionality

Creating visually appealing products that are also easy to understand and navigate. Students must avoid clutter while making design choices that support user needs.

Design Literacy Skills

Using templates, layouts & storyboards effectively

Understanding how to use pre-existing design structures or create a plan and organise information effectively before production.

Adapting design based on context & feedback

Revising and tailoring multimodal work depending on audience needs, platform, or feedback from peers and users.

Using digital tools to create & refine products

Hands-on skills in digital tools for producing and polishing multimodal content, from selecting fonts and layouts to layering audio and video elements.

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Identifying purpose, audience & bias

Looking beyond the surface of a text to understand why it was created, who it's meant for, and what viewpoint or agenda it reflects.

the ability to analyse and evaluate texts to understand how language, power, and ideology shape meaning. It encourages readers to question assumptions, uncover bias, and consider multiple perspectives in order to take informed action.

Recognising manipulation or persuasive techniques

Becoming aware of the ways texts influence their feelings, beliefs, or behaviour, through language, images, or emotional appeal.

Critical Literacy Skills

Deconstructing stereotypes & representations

Exploring how people, cultures, genders, and groups are portrayed in texts and how these portrayals can reinforce or challenge stereotypes.

Asking who benefits from a particular message

Thinking critically about power and profit and considering who gains financially, politically, or socially from a text or message..

Comparing multiple perspectives on the same issue

Recognising that every story has different sides and understanding and comparing diverse viewpoints before forming their own.

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Navigating websites, apps & social media

Understanding user interfaces, using menus, search bars, and filters effectively, following logical site architecture, recognising ads, pop-ups, and navigation traps.

the ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. It involves critical thinking, technical skills, and an understanding of how digital tools influence information and communication.

Using multimedia creation tools

Using apps like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Google Slides, combining text, images, audio, and video effectively and making design choices to suit purpose and audience.

Understanding hyperlink structures & web conventions

Understanding layout conventions (e.g., navigation bars, sidebars) and recognising hyperlinks, anchors, and embedded links, whilst navigating through multi-page content.

Digital Literacy Skills

Evaluating online credibility & authenticity

Identifying bias, authorship, and intent, cross-checking facts, recognising fake news or unreliable sources and identifying sponsored content.

Managing digital identity & data privacy

Being aware of how personal information is shared online and making informed decisions about privacy settings. Managing online profiles and digital footprints. Recognising phishing, scams, and unsafe behaviours.

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Created By Nik Peachey - Pedagogical Director - PeacheyPublications

© PeacheyPublications Ltd 2025

Activities

• Mode Matching Task: Give students different messages (e.g. a product pitch, an emergency alert, a travel blog) and have them match each to the most effective medium and mode o communication.
• Redesign Challenge: Take a written article and ask students to redesign it as a video script, infographic, or podcast. Get them to discuss the pros and cons of each version.
• Purpose & Audience: Provide examples of media (e.g. posters, memes, brochures) and have students identify the target audience and purpose, then discuss why the chosen modes are (or aren’t) effective.
• Story Retelling Across Modes: Students retell a short story using a different medium (e.g., turn a video story into a comic strip or audio drama).
• Multimodal Elevator Pitch: Students create short pitches for an idea using a self-selected format (e.g. poster, video, slides), justifying their design choices.

Activities

• Gesture Comparison Game: Show videos/images of gestures from different cultures (e.g., thumbs up, "OK" sign, nodding). Students guess the meaning and origin, then discuss differences and similarities.
• Cultural Charades: Students act out gestures common in one culture (e.g., bowing in Japan, cheek kissing in France) while others guess the gesture and its meaning/context.
• Role-play with Cultural Mix-ups: Create scenarios where a gesture causes confusion or offence due to cultural differences. Students act them out and then reflect.
• Create a Gesture Dictionary: Each student contributes one gesture from their culture with its meaning and proper usage. Compile as a class multimodal resource.

Activities

• Before and After Design: Students improve a cramped flyer or infographic by adding white space and explain their choices.
• Design with Constraints: Create a poster with a 30% white space rule. Students must design within this constraint while maintaining clear communication.
• White Space Walkthrough: Analyse well-known designs (e.g., websites like Apple, Medium, or IKEA) to identify how white space is used intentionally.
• Handwritten Posters: Students design a hand-drawn poster on A3 paper with emphasis on how spacing affects legibility and hierarchy.
• Peer Swap Critique: Students exchange work and provide feedback specifically on the use of white space.

Activities

• Template Remix: Give students a basic presentation or infographic template and ask them to modify it for a new purpose while keeping it visually clear.
• Storyboard a Scene: Before making a video or animation, students storyboard each scene, including audio, visuals, and gestures.
• Layout Puzzle: Provide mixed-up design elements (e.g. text, images, headlines) and have students organise them into a balanced, user-friendly layout.
• Gallery Walk: Students display their design plans (e.g. storyboards or wireframes) and get peer feedback on clarity and flow.
• Template Design Challenge: Create their own blank templates for others to use (e.g. a resume layout, lesson plan slide, Instagram story format).

Activities

• Linker Fill-in: Provide a text with missing cohesive devices; students insert appropriate ones.
• Punctuation Relay: Groups race to punctuate a poorly punctuated paragraph correctly.
• Cohesion Chain: Students create a short text where each sentence logically links to the previous using connectors.
• Cohesive Devices Word Hunt: Identify and categorise cohesive devices in a reading passage.
• Rewrite with Style: Give students a text with no punctuation and all ideas jumbled; they rewrite it using punctuation and linking words for flow.

Activities

• News Carousel: Give groups different news stories on the same event (from international or ideological perspectives). Students summarise and compare.
• Perspective Ladder: Choose a controversial issue. Students write three short paragraphs from different viewpoints (e.g. youth, parent, politician, business person, etc.).
• Point of View Debate: Split students into roles with set opinions (e.g. environmentalist, business owner) and hold a structured debate.
• Two Truths and a Bias: Present three articles/opinions. Two present clear views; one is biased. Students must spot which one and justify why.
• Empathy Interviews: Students interview classmates or community members about a shared topic (e.g. schooling, work) and present contrasting views.

Activities

• Ad Analysis: Students analyse print/video ads using a checklist (e.g. use of emotion, celebrity endorsement, repetition, etc.).
• Persuasion Spotting: Watch a commercial or read an opinion piece and underline or label persuasive techniques (e.g. exaggeration, emotional language).
• Slogan Challenge: Students create slogans using persuasive techniques for a made-up product.
• Debate Prep: Students practice identifying arguments and persuasive strategies in a short editorial before preparing rebuttals.
• Truth or Trick?: Students examine 'clickbait' headlines and rework them into truthful versions.

Activities

• Accessible Design Challenge: Redesign a cluttered webpage or flyer to be accessible to someone with a visual or cognitive disability.
• Space vs. Message: Present the same text in different layouts (dense vs. spaced, center-aligned vs. left-aligned) and ask students to discuss how it changes tone or readability.
• Minimal vs. Maximal: Show minimalist and maximalist designs (e.g., Apple vs. tech blogs), and explore how space contributes to brand identity and meaning.
• Classroom Space Design: Students reimagine the layout of a classroom for different purposes (e.g., exam, discussion, group project) and present their reasoning.
• "Fix the Layout" Task: Give students a poorly spaced document and ask them to redesign it for better accessibility and impact.

Activities

• Text Detective: Provide 2–3 short articles on the same topic. Students answer: Who wrote it? Why? For whom? What's the tone?
• Purpose Hunt: Give students mixed media (e.g. ads, news articles, social posts). They classify each as inform, persuade, entertain, etc.
• Author Role Play: Students write a message (e.g. tweet, email, status update or letter) on the same topic from different perspectives (e.g. government, activist, journalist).
• Bias Spotting Game: Students highlight opinion vs. fact in news headlines and rewrite biased headlines to make them more neutral.
• Compare and Contrast Posters: Students compare two texts on the same topic and create posters showing differences in purpose, tone, and audience.

Activities

• Digital Maze Game: Students explore a complex website or app (e.g., BBC Learning English, Duolingo, or an LMS) and map the paths to find specific information.
• Exhibition Design Task: Plan a gallery or museum exhibition. Students decide how to arrange objects and text panels for flow and engagement.
• Digital Scavenger Hunt: In teams, students find information from a multilayered site, reflecting on ease of navigation and user experience.
• Build a Virtual Tour: Using tools like Google Slides or Canva, students build a "guided path" through a virtual space (like an interactive presentation or learning path).
• Redesign a Menu: Choose a digital or restaurant menu with poor usability and redesign it for easier navigation and better categorisation.

Activities

• Word Mapping: Create word webs with meanings, synonyms, antonyms, collocations, and example sentences.
• Context Clue Detective: Identify unknown words in a text and infer meaning from context before confirming with a dictionary.
• Vocabulary Journals: Students record new vocabulary daily, noting meaning, pronunciation, usage, and example sentences.
• Odd One Out: Provide 4–5 related words; students decide which doesn’t belong and justify their reasoning.
• Lexical Field Sorting: Give students a list of words; they categorise them into topics or themes (e.g. emotions, business, travel).

Activities

• Ad Analysis: Listen to audio ads, TikTok ads or podcast sponsorships. Identify target audience, emotional appeals, and any persuasive language.
• Podcast Debate Breakdown: Play a podcast clip with opposing views. Students list each speaker’s argument, tone, and use of persuasive strategies.
• Voice of Bias Exercise: Record two versions of the same statement—one neutral, one biased. Students compare and discuss how tone, volume, or rhythm affect credibility.
• Persuasion Hunt: Play clips from political speeches or podcasts. Students identify persuasive techniques (e.g., repetition, emotional appeal, statistics) and their purpose.
• Fake News Audio Challenge: Provide two audio news reports—one real, one fake or exaggerated. Students evaluate credibility using a checklist (e.g., tone, evidence, source).
• Podcast Pitch Project: In groups, students script and record a short podcast with a clear opinion. They choose tone, music, and voice strategies to persuade. Peers evaluate effectiveness.

Activities

• Text Jigsaw: Cut a text into paragraphs; students reorder it using discourse markers and logic.
• Genre Detective: Analyse different genres (e.g. emails, essays, ads) for structure and conventions.
• Write the Next Section: Students read part of a text (e.g. an introduction) and write the continuation.
• Storyboarding: Plan narrative texts visually before writing, focusing on logical progression.
• Compare and Contrast Texts: Examine two versions of the same content in different formats (e.g. blog vs. formal article).

Activities

• Create a Mini Infographic: Students design an infographic summarising a topic they’ve studied (e.g., climate change, interview tips, etc).
• Video Journal or Vlog: Using a phone or video editor, students record a short video reflection or tutorial, adding subtitles and basic edits.
• Interactive Poster: Using tools like Genially or Canva, students create posters with embedded links or animations.
• Storyboarding for a Video: Before filming a charity campaign, students sketch out scenes, choose visuals, and write voiceovers or captions.
• Podcast Clip or Audio Profile: Students use Audacity or mobile apps to record and edit a 2-minute audio profile of a classmate, including music and transitions.

Activities

• Presentation Coaching: Students give short talks and are coached to use hand gestures, open posture, and movement to support their message.
• Mirror Practice: Students work in pairs, with one speaking and the other mirroring gestures and posture to build awareness and alignment.
• Gesture Swap: In a dialogue, students exaggerate or change typical gestures (e.g., folding arms while saying "I'm excited") and discuss how it affects the message.
• Body Language Bingo: Create a bingo sheet with items like “open hands,” “shrug,” or “leaning forward.” Students watch a video or classmate presentation and check what they observe.
• 'Say It with Your Body' Game: Give students a sentence (e.g., “I’m not sure about that”) and ask them to say it with body language alone. Then again with verbal and nonverbal alignment.

Activities

• Web Scavenger Hunt: Give students a list of questions and links. They must navigate through a site (e.g. BBC, National Geographic, etc.) to find specific info.
• App Comparison Task: Have students explore two language learning or note-taking apps and compare navigation, ease of use, and features.
• Social Media Profile Analysis: Analyse different public social media profiles (e.g. Twitter, facebook, accounts from brands) and identify common sections, features, and design elements.
• Menu Map Challenge: Students create a visual 'map' or flowchart of a website’s menu and submenus, showing where each option leads.

Activities

• Representation Audit: Students review a selection of ads, books, or films and chart how different groups (e.g. women, ethnic minorities, people from other cultures, etc.are represented (e.g. roles, appearance, traits, etc.).
• Character Rewrite: Choose a stereotypical character from a media clip and rewrite or role-play them with more depth or a different background.
• Stereotype Sorting: Provide statements or images and ask students to sort them into 'Stereotype,' 'Positive Representation,' or 'Neutral'.
• Photo Voice: Students bring or take photos of real people they admire from their own communities to challenge mainstream stereotypes.
• Poster Creation: Create posters that promote inclusive, diverse, or alternative representations of underrepresented groups.

Activities

• Intonation Mimic Game: Play a short dialogue with varying pitch/intonation. Students try to mimic it and explain how intonation changed the meaning.
• Rhythm and Stress Relay: Students practice stress-timed sentences (e.g., “I didn’t say she stole the money”) and explore how stressing different words shifts meaning.
• Volume Contrast Challenge: Students create mini-dialogues where volume has to be exaggerated or deliberately controlled (e.g., stage whisper vs. yelling) for effect.
• Stress Shift Drama: Provide a simple dialogue (e.g., “I didn’t take your pen”). Students perform it multiple times with different word stresses and discuss how the implied meaning changes.
• Volume Mapping: Students graph the volume and pitch of a short speech or monologue as a line graph, then analyse how variation contributes to meaning.

Activities

• Emotion Freeze Frames: Show still images of people’s faces or freeze a video. Students describe the emotion and justify their interpretation.
• Emoji-to-Face Matching: Match real facial expressions to emojis, discussing which expressions are easier or harder to read and why.
• Guess the Emotion: One student silently expresses an emotion using only their face; others guess the emotion and situation.
• Reaction Video Commentary: Watch clips (e.g., reality shows, interviews) with the sound off. Students discuss the facial expressions and speculate on emotions or thoughts.

Activities

• Icon Matching Game: Provide icons and their meanings (e.g., USB, Wi-Fi, recycle). Ask students to match them and describe when/where they’ve seen them.
• Logo Storytelling: Show famous logos (e.g., Apple, Nike, McDonald’s) and have students brainstorm what ideas/values the company is trying to convey.
• Design Your Own Icon: Students design a symbol for a concept like “peace,” “creativity,” or “recycling,” and explain their visual choices.
• Guess The Brand: Show cropped or modified logos and ask students to guess the brand and justify why. Discuss what visual clues helped.

Activities

• Silent Film Scenes: Show a short video clip with no sound (e.g., Pixar’s La Luna) and ask students to infer what is happening, what characters are feeling, and what the message might be.
• Comic Panel Prediction: Show one or two comic panels and ask students to predict what happened before and what will happen next.
• Caption This: Provide an image and have students write a headline, caption, or short dialogue.
• One Frame, Many Stories: Show a photo and ask students to write multiple possible interpretations or backstories. Emphasise how visuals can suggest multiple meanings.

Activities

• Storyboarding a Video: Give students a story prompt and ask them to storyboard 4–6 frames of a video using sketches and captions.
• Comic Strip Creation: Have students create a comic strip to retell a short story, personal experience, or current event.
• Infographic Project: Assign a topic (e.g., “How to recycle,” “My morning routine”) and ask students to present it visually using icons, arrows, and minimal text.
• Explain a Concept Poster: Students choose a complex idea (e.g., climate change, AI, recycling) and break it down visually for a younger audience using simple images and layout design.

Activities

• CRAAP Test Challenge: Teach the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose), then have students apply it to three different articles on the same topic.
• Real or Fake News?: Students analyse headlines and articles from fact-checking sites like Snopes and discuss how they judged their credibility.
• Compare the Coverage: Compare how different news sources report the same event. What’s emphasised? What’s left out?
• Fake Product Review Investigation: Show students reviews on Amazon or YouTube and have them spot which ones may be fake or overly biased.
• 'Who Made This?' Research: Have students explore the 'About' pages and author bios of websites and reflect on how this affects credibility.

Activities

• Mood-Matching Movie Scenes: Show a clip with different background soundtracks (e.g., comedy music vs. suspenseful music) and have students describe how the mood changes.
• Voice Acting Practice: Students read the same sentence using different emotions (anger, sadness, excitement), then classmates guess the emotion and give feedback.
• Emotion Soundtrack Creation: Students listen to a short written story and choose a soundtrack that best reflects the emotional tone, then justify their choice.
• Audio Mood Journal: Over a week, students record sounds from their environment that match different moods (e.g., relaxing, tense, joyful). They share and discuss them in class.
• “Feel That Scene” Freeze Frame: Students listen to a dramatic audio scene. When the audio stops, they freeze in a pose showing how the mood made them feel, then describe their interpretation.

Activities

• Affordance Analysis: Analyse different digital or physical spaces (e.g., Instagram post vs. website vs. poster vs. brochure) and brainstorm what each space "affords" and restricts.
• Design for Context: Assign students a scenario (e.g., museum sign, Instagram ad, small business card) and have them design for the specific spatial constraints.
• Format Remix: Students redesign a blog post into an infographic or Instagram carousel, discussing what had to change based on spatial limits.
• Sticky note to Brick Wall: On a limited space (e.g., sticky note or index card), students must communicate a full message. Then they expand it for a larger medium, comparing affordances.
• Test & Reflect: Create two versions of a product (e.g., flyer or menu) with different spatial constraints. Peers test them and reflect on usability and message delivery.

Activities

• Proxemics Role-Play: Students act out dialogues using different distances: intimate, personal, social, and public space. After each scenario, the class reflects: How did it feel? What did the distance communicate? Did it feel appropriate for the context?
• Cultural Space Comparison: Research how different cultures approach personal space (e.g., Middle East vs. Northern Europe). Create posters or infographics showing differences and appropriate uses of space in each culture.

• Observation Journal: Students observe real-world or video-recorded conversations and note how people use space: How close do people stand? Do they lean in or back away? What’s the relationship?Share findings in small group discussions.
• Video Call Framing Task: Students examine how people position themselves in Zoom/Teams calls. Discuss how “virtual proximity” (camera angle, distance, gaze) affects impressions.
• Design a Social Space: In small groups, students design the layout of a classroom, café, or public space to encourage a specific kind of interaction (e.g., quiet study, group work, networking). Present the design and explain how proximity and space influence behaviour.

Activities

• Design Critique Gallery: Show students examples of websites, posters, or presentations. In groups, critique them based on appearance and usability.
• Redesign for Clarity: Give students a cluttered infographic or confusing slide and ask them to redesign it with cleaner layout and more user-friendly visuals.
• Minimalist Makeover: Students take a busy page of content and present it in a minimalist, elegant format (e.g., a clean slide or one-page summary).
• Form vs. Function Debate: Students debate the importance of beauty vs. usability in design projects, using real-world examples (e.g., Apple products, IKEA manuals).
• Usability Testing: Peer review a project and give feedback on how easy it is to understand and navigate (e.g., a webpage, poster, or video).

Activities

• Audience Swap: Students adapt an existing project (e.g. a teen-focused video) for a new audience (e.g. parents or professionals).
• Feedback Loops: Create, peer-review, revise. Students present a draft, receive structured peer feedback, and make specific design adjustments.
• A/B Testing: Create two versions of a digital poster or video intro and ask classmates which one is more effective and why.
• Role Play Feedback Panel: Students present projects to a group playing different roles (e.g. teacher, investor, classmate) and answer questions.
• Context Shift: Change the platform or purpose (e.g. turn a printed flyer into a social media post) and redesign accordingly.

Activities

• Audio Dissection Task: Play a 30-second audio scene (e.g., from a film or radio drama). Students write down everything they hear: dialogue, sounds, music. Discuss what each adds to the meaning.
• Scene Reconstruction: Give students sound effects only. Ask them to write or discuss what they think is happening and what dialogue might match the sounds.
• Soundtrack Layering Challenge: Students build their own layered audio scene using free sound libraries (speech, effects, ambient). They explain their choices in a group.
• Audio Bingo: Create bingo cards with sound types (e.g., door slam, footsteps, applause). Play a video or radio drama, and students tick sounds as they hear them.

Activities

• Tone Switch: Rewrite a message (e.g. complaint, invitation) in a different tone or register.
• Role-Play Scenarios: Practice speaking with varying tone/register (e.g. a job interview vs. a chat with a friend).
• Style Match: Match texts to their context or purpose (e.g. business email, blog, academic essay).
• Tone Guessing Game: Read short excerpts aloud with tone; peers guess the tone or emotion.
• Politeness Ladder: Rank phrases by level of formality or politeness and discuss where they fit.

Activities

• Audience Rewrite: Students rewrite the same message for two different audiences (e.g. boss vs friend).
• Persona Profiles: Create personas (e.g. teen, CEO, teacher) and write or speak as them.
• Language Choice Debate: Discuss when and why people switch between languages or styles.
• Peer Feedback Letters: Students give feedback using appropriate tone and language for a peer.
• Social Media Simulation: Write the same post for different platforms (e.g. LinkedIn vs Instagram).

Activities

• Gesture Planning Task: Students prepare a short speech and script gestures for specific parts (e.g., pointing to emphasise, hand-open for explanation).
• Video Yourself Challenge: Students record themselves speaking and analyse their gestures. Are they purposeful? Distracting? Effective?
• TED Talk Analysis: Watch segments of TED Talks or YouTube presentations. Focus on how gestures are used to support key messages.
• Gesture Freeze Practice: Rehearse presentations and periodically freeze. Peer reviewers describe the gestures being used and give feedback.
• The 'No-Hands' Challenge: Students present a topic without using their hands, then do it again using gestures. Reflect on clarity and engagement in both versions.

Activities

• Magazine Cover Analysis: Ask students to bring a magazine or use digital ones. Identify which elements catch the eye first and why (e.g., size, colour, placement).
• Redesign Challenge: Give students a poorly designed flyer or slide and have them redesign it to improve clarity and focus, explaining their design choices.
• Eye-tracking Guessing Game: Show a web page or poster and ask students to guess where viewers will look first, second, etc., then compare with heat map studies or group consensus.
• 'Design Like a Pro' Breakdown: Show a strong infographic or webpage and deconstruct the design. Students identify layout elements like Z-pattern, contrast, alignment, proximity.

Activities

• Eye Contact Role-play: Pairs take turns in conversations where one partner uses no eye contact, too much, or appropriate levels. Reflect on how it felt and what was communicated.
• Posture Walk: Students walk around the room using different postures (e.g., confident, nervous, aggressive). Discuss how posture affects perception.
• Conversation Position Swap: Conduct dialogues with varying spatial arrangements (e.g., sitting side-by-side vs. face-to-face). Reflect on how position impacts communication.
• Video Observations: Watch interviews or group discussions. Pause and analyse posture, eye contact, and spacing. What does each person’s positioning suggest?

Activities

• Mood Matching: Students are given a video clip or slideshow and must choose music and narration that enhance the emotional tone.
• Storyboard Creation: Students plan a short video or animation using a storyboard, ensuring consistent tone and message across all elements.
• Show & Tell Remix: Students present an object or idea using body language, voice tone, visuals, and a few words. They then reflect on how the elements supported (or didn’t support) each other.
• Brand Identity Exercise: Students choose a product and create a branding message, combining visuals, language, and sound in a cohesive identity.

Activities

• Idioms in Context: Match idioms to scenarios or rewrite sentences replacing idioms with literal meanings.
• Emotion Word Spectrum: Arrange emotion words by intensity (e.g., content < happy < ecstatic).
• Metaphor Maker: Create metaphors for abstract concepts (e.g., 'Time is a thief').
• Figurative Language Hunt: Identify similes, metaphors, idioms in literature or song lyrics.
• Connotation Sort: Sort similar words by their emotional connotation (e.g. 'slim' vs 'skinny').

Activities

• Image Metaphor Hunt: Show students an image (e.g., an advertisement or artwork) and ask them to identify any metaphorical or symbolic elements (e.g., a bird = freedom). Have them explain their interpretation in small groups.
• If This Picture Could Speak: Show an abstract or symbolic image and ask students to write or role-play what the image would say if it could talk.
• Compare Interpretations: Provide 2–3 culturally different interpretations of the same image and have students discuss how culture influences visual symbolism.
• Cultural Symbol Swap: Students compare how the same symbol (e.g., dove, colour red) is interpreted across different cultures.
• Photo Journal Analysis: Students bring in or find a personal or news photo and explain any metaphorical meanings or emotional responses the image provokes.

Activities

• Message Mapping: Given a news story or social campaign, students draw a diagram showing who benefits and who might lose out.
• Behind the Scenes: Students research who owns or funds a media outlet or company and discuss how this might influence the content.
• Follow the Money: Analyse a product ad and list all the people or groups that benefit from you buying it (e.g. company, influencer, platform, etc.).
• In Their Shoes: Students take on roles (e.g. government, activist, corporation, consumer) and argue why a message works in their favour.
• Who’s Missing?: Analyse a media piece and ask which voices are included and which are not and then write in the 'missing voice'.

Activities

• Sentence Surgery: Give students grammatically incorrect or jumbled sentences to correct and reorder.
• Transformation Exercises: Students rewrite sentences using a different tense, voice, or structure (e.g. from active to passive).
• Grammar Dictogloss: Read a short text aloud. Students take notes and then reconstruct the text using correct grammar.
• Mini Grammar Podcasts: Students explain a grammar point to peers through a short recorded explanation with examples.
• Chain Story Grammar Challenge: Students continue a story line-by-line, using a specified grammar point (e.g. conditionals or modals).

Activities

• Web Layout Scavenger Hunt: Give students a list of features to find on websites (e.g., call to action, banner, navigation menu, sidebar, footer) and discuss why they’re placed where they are.
• Compare and Contrast Posters: Show two posters with different layouts. Students analyse how the layout affects the clarity and impact of the message.
• Eye Movement Mapping: Use heat maps or draw eye-tracking paths to guess how a viewer would "read" a page or image.
• Reorder the Content: Provide jumbled webpage sections or flyer elements; students rearrange them for clarity, impact, or usability.
• Design Feedback Carousel: Students display their layouts and walk around giving feedback on readability and organisation.

Activities

• Digital Footprint Timeline: Students imagine or research the digital history of a fictional person and map out what data they’ve shared over time.
• Profile Audit Role-play: In pairs, students 'audit' a fake online profile and suggest changes to improve privacy and reputation.
• Create a Privacy Guide: Students write a simple guide on how to set privacy settings for apps or social media platforms.
• Online Persona Design: Students design a digital profile (real or fictional) and make conscious decisions about what information to include or hide.
• Scam Spotter Game: Present students with fake and real emails or messages. They identify signs of phishing or data requests and explain their reasoning.

Activities

• Tool Scavenger Hunt: Explore a design tool (e.g. Canva, Clipchamp, Genially, etc) to discover hidden features or advanced functions. Evaluate the tool and present it to the class.
• Tutorial & Try: Students find and watch a short video tutorial on a specific tool function, then decide if they can apply it in a mini project.
• Before & After: Students improve an existing slide or poster using design tools, and explain their changes.
• One-Minute Masterpiece: Create a short, timed project (e.g., 1-minute video or 3-slide pitch) using a design tool. Groups of students use different tools and compare their results.
• Design Sprint: In groups, students are given a quick challenge (e.g., a campaign poster or explainer video) and must produce a polished product using digital tools within a set time.

Activities

• Silent Scene Soundtrack: Show a silent video (e.g., nature, urban scene). Students choose music to match it and explain their choice.
• Audio Remix: Play a clip with original audio. Then change the soundtrack (e.g., use cheerful music for a sad scene) and discuss how the meaning or mood shifts.
• Multimodal Story Creation: Students create short videos or digital stories combining images/text with soundtracks and voiceovers. Reflect on how sound choices affect interpretation.
• Animation Soundtrack: Give students a silent animated video. They create a voiceover and soundtrack to bring it to life, focusing on how sound changes interpretation.

Activities

• Hypertext Adventure Writing: Students create branching stories with Google Docs or presentation software using internal hyperlinks.
• 'Follow the Link' Web Trail: Start on a reputable website (e.g., Wikipedia) and follow links to reach a specific target page in 5 clicks or fewer.
• Hyperlink Mapping: Students explore a site and draw a visual map of how its pages are connected via links.
• Design a Web Page Layout: On paper or digital tools, students plan the structure of a web page, identifying where links should go and why.

Activities

• Mood Board Creation: Ask students to create a collage or digital board with images, colours, and fonts representing a theme (e.g., "calm," "power," "youth").
• Colour Comparison Discussion: Show the same image with different colour filters and ask how the feeling changes. Discuss how colour affects tone and mood.
• Font Personality Test: Show a sentence written in different fonts and ask students what personality or tone each font suggests.
• Design Emotion Game: Give a message (e.g., a safety warning or party invitation). Students choose colours, fonts, and layout to best match the message’s purpose.