Plan NOAH N. Multimodal Task

 

Year 10 English: Multimodal Text Production about Work Experience or the Ski Trip

Due Date: Monday Week 5

Method of submission: Digital copy

Name: Noah Nishihara

The task

The point of this task is to allow you to decide on a purpose and form for your text production. Your purpose may be to describe, reflect or narrate. To use the language of the Australian Curriculum, the purpose of our task is to enable you to develop your own style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images.

Create one text (or more) in which you incorporate at least two forms communication. For example, you might create a narrative Photostory based on visual images and written words, or a reflective recount using drawings and words, or you might make a series of tweets or Instagram posts reflecting on an aspect of your ski trip or work experience. You might write a blog in which you consider the value of a ski trip or work experience.

You must decide on text form, audience and purpose in consultation with me.

 

Achievement Standard	Low		Satisfactory		High
	E	D	C	B	A
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
2.1    Show how the selection of language features can achieve precision and stylistic effect.
2.3   Develop your own style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images.
2.6    Demonstrate understanding of grammar, vary vocabulary choices for impact, and accurately use spelling and punctuation when creating and editing texts.

 

Ms Bourlioufas’s comment

 

Plan:

Text form: Blog post incorporating aspects of an inviting blog template, images (both moving and still, and audio, but the text will be the primary form

Audience: Other students; the community

Purpose: Consider the value of work experience, as well as reflect.

The images must be my own, but I don’t have any images relating to the work experience placement here. I may have to change the setting to another country.

Regarding work experience, my writing could be reflective, but also evaluative. Our teacher wants us all to further develop our workplace skills, become more aware of the work situation, and also take another step in planning for our future. In the beginning, I was rather critical of the school not providing assigned workplaces for students to go to. Now of course, I understand, that this is better for most students, as it will provide the opportunity for students to think about where they will really enjoy working for one week, if the school provided the list, students will most likely not be able to choose the workplace they really want to learn more about. The school did provide one workplace for those who were interested in learning more about the animation and games industry. It does seem similar to the ski trip, in that students attend together and are able to take part in activities that are enjoyable. Throughout the placement, I was given tasks, often simple ones, which no doubt were usually performed by the employees in the library. To experience the day to day life of the employees was fairly useful in understanding their job. As soon as I arrived at the library, the staff welcomed me warmly and gave me a comprehensive tour of the premises, my first task was given to me shortly after that. There was little need to work shadow, since all the everyday tasks were simple and easy to understand. Later on, in the office, other employees introduced their work roles and aspects of their skills in completing tasks efficiently.

Of course, what I really gained from this work experience was actually performing and using the work skills that we were all setting goals on and developing. Having the marking criteria that the workplace supervisor can mark us on was the main driver of our work. We completed work to the highest standard in order to get good results. Being in an environment different to that of a school was also a great influence on our reflection on our abilities and our planning of future careers.

Similar to the blog post idea, a magazine article may also be a good idea. A series of tweets would be difficult to perfect.

So, a description of someone you met on work experience, or even describing the setting, or even an event; the experience itself would be a good idea. Drawings and images can be used. Language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images can be more easily manipulated if you use a descriptive narrative writing style. The audience will be other work experience students. The purpose is to make readers think afterwards and also entertain them.

In the presentation, I may have to incorporate a magazine design (eventually I will hand up a PDF file of this) which will suit this genre and piece of writing.

It's Monday and the library's closed. The library is quiet enough most of the time, but on a day like this when it's closed it's like the land that time forgot. Or more like a place that's holding its breath, hoping time won't stumble upon it. Down the corridor from the reading room, past a STAFF ONLY sign, there's a sink area where you can make coffee or tea, and there's a microwave oven, too. Just past this is the door to the guest room, which includes a barebones bathroom and closet. Next to the single bed is a nightstand outfitted with a reading lamp and alarm clock. There's also a little writing desk with a lamp on it. Plus an old-fashioned set of chairs, covered in white cloth, for receiving guests, and a chest for clothes. On top of a small, bachelor-size refrigerator are some dishes and a small shelf for stowing them away. If you feel like making a simple meal, the sink area's right outside. The bathroom's outfitted with a shower, soap and shampoo, a hair dryer, and towels. Everything you need for a comfortable short stay. Through a west-facing window you can see the trees in the garden. It's getting close to evening, and the sinking sun glints past the cedar branches. "I've stayed here a couple of times when it was too much trouble to go home," Oshima says. "But nobody else uses the room. As far as I know, Miss Saeki never uses it. It's not going to put anybody out, your staying here, is what I'm trying to say." I set my backpack on the floor and look around my new lodgings. "There's a clean set of sheets, and enough in the fridge to tide you over. Milk, some fruit, vegetables, butter, ham, cheese... Not enough for a decent meal, but enough for a sandwich or salad at least. If you want something more, I suggest takeout, or going out to eat. For laundry you'll have to make do with rinsing things out in the bathroom, I'm afraid. Let's see, have I forgotten anything?" "Where does Miss Saeki usually work?" Oshima points to the ceiling. "You remember that room on the second floor you saw on the tour? She's always there, writing. If I have to go out for a while she sometimes comes downstairs and takes over at the counter. But unless she's got something to do on the first floor, that's where you'll find her." I nod. "I'll be here tomorrow before ten to run through what your job involves. Until then, just relax and take it easy." "Thanks for everything," I tell him. "My pleasure," he replies. After he leaves I unload my backpack. Arrange my meager assortment of clothes in the dresser, hang up my shirts and jacket, line up my notebook and pens on the desk, put my toiletries in the bathroom, and finally stow the pack itself in the closet. The room doesn't have any decorations at all, except for a small oil painting, a realistic portrait of a young boy by the shore. Not bad, I decide-- maybe done by somebody famous? The boy looks about twelve or so, and he's wearing a white sunhat and sitting on a small deck chair. His elbow's on one of the arms of the chair, his chin resting in his hand. He looks a little sad, but kind of pleased, too. A black German shepherd sits next to the boy, like he's guarding him. In the background is the sea and a couple of other people, but they're too far away to make out their faces. A small island's visible, and a few fist-shaped clouds float over the water. Most definitely a summer scene. I sit down at the desk and gaze at the painting for a while. I start to feel like I can hear the crash of waves, the salty smell of the sea. The boy in the painting might be the boy who used to live in this room, the young man Miss Saeki loved. The one who got caught up in the student movement clashes and was pointlessly beaten to death. There's no saying for sure, but I'm betting that's who it is. The scenery looks a lot like what you see around here, for one thing. If that's the case, then it must be from about forty years ago--an eternity to somebody like me. I try imagining myself in forty years, but it's like trying to picture what lies beyond the universe. The next morning Oshima arrives and shows me what I'm supposed to do to get the library ready to open. First I have to unlock and open the windows to air out the rooms, make a quick pass with the vacuum cleaner, wipe the desktops, change the flowers in the vases, turn on the lights, occasionally sprinkle water in the garden to keep down the dust, and, when the time comes, open the door. At closing time it's the same procedure in reverse--lock the windows, wipe the desktops again, turn off the lights, and close the front door. "There's not much for anybody to steal here, so maybe we don't need to be so worried about always locking the door," Oshima tells me. "But Miss Saeki and I don't like things done sloppily. So we try to do things by the book. This is our house, so we treat it with respect. And I hope you'll do the same." I nod. Next he shows me what to do at the reception desk, how to help out people coming to use the library. "For the time being you should just sit next to me and watch what I do. It's not all that hard. If something ever comes up you can't handle, just go upstairs and ask Miss Saeki. She'll take care of it." Miss Saeki shows up just before eleven. Her Volkswagen Golf makes a distinctive roar as it pulls up, and I can tell right away it's her. She parks, comes in through the back door, and greets the two of us. "Morning," she says. "Good morning," we answer back. That's the extent of our conversation. Miss Saeki has on a navy blue short-sleeved dress, a cotton coat in her arms, a shoulder bag. Nothing you could call an accessory, and hardly a hint of makeup. Still, there's something about her that's dazzling. She glances at me standing next to Oshima and looks for a moment like she wants to say something, but doesn't. She merely beams a slight smile in my direction and walks up to her office on the second floor. "Not to worry," Oshima assures me. "She has no problem with your being here. She just doesn't go in for a lot of small talk, that's all." At eleven Oshima and I open up the main door, but nobody comes for a while. During the interval he shows me how to use the computers to search for books. They're typical library PCs I'm already familiar with. Next he shows me how to arrange all the catalog cards. Every day the library receives copies of newly published books, and one of the other tasks is to log in these new arrivals by hand. Around eleven-thirty two women come in together, wearing identical jeans. The shorter of the two has cropped hair like a swimmer, while the taller woman wears her hair pulled back. Both of them have on jogging shoes, one a pair of Nikes, the other Asics. The tall one looks around forty or so, with glasses and a checked shirt, the shorter woman, a decade younger, is wearing a white blouse. Both have little daypacks on, and expressions as gloomy as a cloudy day. Neither one says very much. Oshima relieves them of their packs at the entrance, and the women, looking displeased, extract notebooks and pens before leaving them. The women go through the library, checking the stacks one by one, earnestly flipping through the card catalog, occasionally taking notes. They don't read anything or sit down. They act less like people using a library than inspectors from the tax office checking a company's inventory. Oshima and I can't figure out who they are or what they could possibly be up to. He gives me a significant look and shrugs. To put it mildly, I don't have a good feeling about this. At noon, while Oshima goes out to the garden to eat his lunch, I fill in for him behind the counter. "Excuse me, but I have a question," one of the women comes over and says. The tall one. Her tone of voice is hard and unyielding, like a loaf of bread someone forgot on the back of a shelf.

Refocus: The writing should focus on my experience (that is, what I did, and what it was like) and also describe how they work (their approach to trouble, and what they think of their work)

Title: The Work in a Day of a Public Library

Purpose: to get others to think libraries are fun and good.

Conclusion: probably leave others to interpret