Spread Awareness Poster
Activity Summary
In this activity, students have to reflect upon finding their own angle of interest within the topic taught; they’ll research around the topic and discuss questions which will guide them to reflect upon the issue in a critical perspective. They will produce a poster of “Fun/interesting Facts” about the topic research that they think others can benefit from learning; finally, they will make creative posters to hang around their school containing what they have learned about the topic.
Activity Plan
1
15 min
Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. The groups discuss what they think might be fun and/or interesting topics for them to investigate within the topic/theme they are taught.
- The teacher opens the discussion with the whole class, summarizes their answers and ideas and writes them on the board (all that gets written on the board are approved to work with);
- The teacher then makes new student pairs that will work on the activity ahead.
2
5 min
Through dialogue, in the new pairs, they explore what ideas they find the most interesting to focus on. They have to argue why they find the topic interesting and/or relevant, e.g. that they find it relevant for a certain challenge within society or in their own life. Give the students approximately 5 minutes for the discussion, where they have to, based on this conversation, choose their focus within the topic.
3
1 hr
Give the groups time to research the topic. Give examples and inspiration how they can research the focus of their choosing – e.g. desktop research, mini-interviews, collecting artifacts, going to the library, calling an expert, etc. The students can get some time for group strategic planning.
4
45 min
Production time! The students have to make posters on the topic based on their research, either analogue or online (for inspiration on how to do this, see ‘Tips&Tricks’), in which they both visually and with words, share information, fun facts, insights into the topic they have researched relevant to the topic. The students have to communicate short and precise as they can only make 1 poster.
5
5 min
After the finished posters, the pairs discuss and decide where it is relevant that they spread this informational poster. To classmates, teacher/principal or the whole school? The students will hang their posters accordingly.
6
45 min
Finally, the whole class takes a walk through the school building to be introduced to the different posters about different aspects within the topic. The students have to shortly present the content of their posters, why they have chosen to hang it where it hangs, how they researched the focus area, why they chose to work with this area, what they learned about the research method, and what they found fun/interesting/challenging/etc. from this exercise. The class moves around the building to hear all the poster-presentations.
7
10 min
After all creative posters have been presented, conclude the exercise in the classroom by collectively discussing what they have learned, what caught their attention, what they learned about researching the topic, what posters made an impact on them and why.
Tips & Tricks
- Inspiration for making the posters analogue:
The students might benefit from (but are not limited to) making the posters either by hand writing and drawing and/or by making a collage. - Inspiration for making the posters on the computer:
The students might benefit from (but not limited to) using one of the following programs – Canva (online), PowerPoint, Keynote, google presentation - Consider making a collage of examples of how posters can potentially look, that the students can be inspired from.
- Though this exercise can be used in all subjects; using this activity in a language class functions as a good way for students to practice communication in a second language.
- The length of this activity can be modified depending on the context.
Additional Resources
More information on https://www.iatblt.org/fatures-projects
What is Visual Literacy?
Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image, extending the meaning of literacy, which commonly signifies interpretation of a written or printed text. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be through a process of reading.[1](Definition from Wikipedia).
See examples of Visual Literacy (and Graphic recording): https://www.imagethink.net/what-is-graphic-recording-a-quick-guide-and-what-to-know/