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The format of news report is good as they can see when they watch the news. Good to set the scene and prepare them for the topic. You could lead with this with subtitles for the SEN students. If you are focusing on reported speech, or looking at the grammar aspect. With the idea of writing, the students can have questions to ask the experts and participants on the panel asking about their feelings of a 4-day work week. Those notes can be added to writing an argumentative or a proposal later.

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The format of news report is good as they can see when they watch the news. Good to set the scene and prepare them for the topic. You could lead with this with subtitles for the SEN students. If you are focusing on reported speech, or looking at the grammar aspect. With the idea of writing, the students can have questions to ask the experts and participants on the panel asking about their feelings of a 4-day work week. Those notes can be added to writing an argumentative or a proposal later.

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I like the online forum. The students can see how others give a structured opinion about a topic. I would like to try a talk show where the students ( my stronger ones) would have a discussion and the audience could join in

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I think the infographics make it easier to understand the information. It is brief, short and stats are provided. The pictures reinforce what the overall topic is trying to convey. Reading comprehension for this would hopefully be a lot easier.

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1) Text type: an info-graphic which shows some valid research findings. Purpose: To persuade readers that four day workweek is a good way to alleviate the problem of inadequate sleeping.

2) The info-graphic helps conveying the main idea of the text and the use of heading (linguistic) helps readers grab the main focus while the spatial also helps readers follow the text in a more organised way.

3) For learning activity, I suggest making a news report or discussion forum in which students can express their opinions on this topic.

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(1) Text 2 is a discussion forum which allows people to post their comments on the four-day work week.

(2) There are different multimodal elements like visual, linguistic and spatial working together to create meaning in the discussion forum. On the left, photos of different people who have given comments on the four-day work week are shown in four big circles in red gradient color. And on the top right hand corner, the heading of the text ‘Discussion Forum The four-day work week’ with bigger font size inside a big circle is used to highlight the main topic. For the linguistic element, the text includes names of people, their age and comments to produce linguistic meaning. The layout of the text with aligning paragraphs, as a spatial element, also makes it more reader-friendly as readers can read the comments one by one, from the top to bottom.

(3) I would ask students to work in groups to read the discussion forum and highlight words with positive and negative connotations, then identify the attitude of each speaker. After that, I would ask them to write an article about the pros and cons of the four-day work week to train their productive skills.

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(1) GASP:

Genre - News Report; Audience - General Public; Subject - World’s biggest four-day working week trial ends in success; Purpose - to inform the audience about this latest trend of 4-day working week and promote work-life balance working style.

(2) This YouTube video engage students, especially teachers, with its visual and linguistic elements (bolded fonts and enlarged titles at 1:43), and audio elements (the news reports).

(3) I'd like to set this YouTube video to train students note-taking and speaking skills. They watch the video first, then listen to it again. Jot down 10 important points, then discuss with their partner on the questions below: a) Do you want to have 4-day school days? b) What are the pros and cons of having 4-day school?

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1)

Genre: News Report/ A YouTube Video

Audience: Audience who are interested in the flexible policies at work

Subject: The four-day working week trial

Purpose: to inform audience about the success of the four-day working week trial that took place in the UK

2)

Different multimodal elements, including visual, audio, spatial and linguistic modes work together to create meaning.

The news report provides visual clues to the audience to help familiarize themselves with the text. For example, an empty office on Friday (visual) is shown from 0:15-0:30 in the video clip along with the explanation of the four-day working week trial from the news reporter (audio).

The results of the trial are being demonstrated in a linguistic way. For instance, “39% of employees less stressed” can be seen at 1:43. Spatial elements can also be seen at 1:43 by placing the results (“39% of employees less stressed”, “65% fewer sick days”) in the centre of the video to highlight the success of the trial, drawing audience’s attention to the text.

Gestural elements of the news report also contribute to the meaning of the multimodal text. The rather relaxing movements of the news reporter and the interviewees indicated how successful the trial was.

In short, various multimodal elements create meaning effectively.

3)

a)     Debate

The multimodal text serves as an input to students’ learning. To improve their speaking skills, they can have a debate in class.

After watching the news report, students shall be assigned to two groups to discuss the implementation of the four-day working week.

In the process, they need to think about the pros and cons of the four-day working week, organise their ideas, present their ideas, and respond to opposing views.

The debate fosters interaction in the class. They can also share their thoughts and learn from each other in the debate.

b)    Writing Activity

They are asked to write at least a paragraph about the topic of the implementation of the four-day working week.

Based on the pros of the trial mentioned in the news report, they are required to write a strong and well-structured body paragraph that explains, proves, and/or supports their argument. For example, they need to present some data to convince the readers. They shall also make good use of connectives, topic sentences, examples and concluding sentences to enhance the cohesion and coherence of the paragraph.

The activity can help sharpen their writing skills.

(TSANG Sau Shing)

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(1)
Genre: infographic/poster
Audience: the general public (especially employers and employees)
Subject: A 4-day workweek pays off
Purpose: to raise people's awareness about overloading working hours and to persuade employers to consider adopting the 4-day workweek approach for the sake of employees' well-being

(2)
The visual images illustrate well the gists of the headings (e.g. the one having the worker's head put on the desk fits well the main idea of the description that workers put in overwhelming hours a week).

The bar charts displaying statistics are arranged right next to the related image and heading - this spatial arrangement helps readers understand the linguistic texts more at ease.

About the linguistic aspect, phrases (e.g. switch to four days, improved significantly) instead of all lengthy sentences are used, which can better catch the attention of the audience as an infographic.

(3)
Activity 1: debate competition
Divide a class into two teams - the affirmative side supports the idea that a four-day workweek pays off while the opposing team shows disagreement. Before the competition, students should also be guided to write up a debate speech.

Activity 2: individual presentation
Students are required to research thoroughly the subject and prepare slides for their individual presentations, which can involve the use of multi-modal texts. In the presentation, they should show their stance on whether they support or oppose that idea.

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Q.1: GASP Analysis
Genre: Infographic
Audience: Readers with an interest in employment
Subject: A Four-day working week
Purpose: To inform and to persuade
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Q.2: Analysis of multimodality
1. Visual elements:
i. Use of pictures: A picture of a fatigue and sleep deprived worker has been portrayed in order to represent one third of US workers who were put in 45 or more hours a week. The picture helps the readers create a negative feeling toward the longer workweek. On the other hand, the following two pictures of workers are displayed as happy ones which can help readers create positive feeling toward the shorter workweek. There is also a picture/logo of the digital magazine, The Nation, which convinces the readers that the study/research published in this magazine is authentic and reliable as the magazine is one of the oldest weekly publications widely read by intelligent and forward-looking individuals throughout the world.

ii. Use of bar diagram: Two statistical bar charts accompanied by pictures of workers are used for showing the effects on sleep deprivation of the workers who participated in the survey before and after switching to four-day workweek in the US, the UK and Australia, and on productivity at British companies with a four-day workweek. The bar charts with different colours help differentiate between the parameters of the infographic.

2. Linguistic elements: The headline titled ‘A Four-Day Workweek Pays Off’ is in the bolder font having each word capitalized and green in colour which depicts the writer’s positive attitude/tone toward the four-day workweek which is the “win-win” situation for both the companies and employees. The choice of green colour in the headline may suggest two things – one “yes, agreed” with the headline and the other “go green, low carbon”. The sub-headings are also in bold and brief which easily draw attention of the readers. They carry the message of the writer very clearly. The sub-headings that begin with “Companies” and ends in “productivity” having ellipsis integrating two bar charts summarizes the conclusion of the writer’s study/research that employees with four-day workweek are healthier and more productive compared to the earlier longer workweek.  At the bottom, the infographic cites the source of the study which can help the readers trust the authenticity and reliability of the research findings. The use of numbers and percentage is catchy and helps readers process the information quicker so that they are interested in reading it without paying too much time.

3. Spatial elements: The texts of the headings and sub-headings are centralized which means they highlight the writer’s opinion. The positioning of two different bar charts on two opposite sides help compare and contrast statistical data and easier to memorize by scanning with left and right eyes. Having the logo of the magazine and the source of the infographic at the bottom is a customary way of research articles which leave rooms for the readers to explore more if they are interested further.

Thus, this infographic uses clear visual, linguistic and spatial elements which work together to create meaning in such a way that the target audience are easily persuaded.
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Q.3: Suggested Learning Activities
1. Organise a debate competition by dividing students into two groups, assigning them to speak for and against the headline (Four-day Workweek).)

2. Give individual presentation summarizing the statistical data of the infographic in the Morning Assembly.

3. Write a magazine report based on the statistical data of the infographic.

4. Have a group discussion on pros and cons of the headline (Four-day Workweek).

5. Assign a group project (to prepare a 10-slide PowerPoint Presentation based on the infographic).

6. Voting/polling activity with two reasons: For or against the headline (Four-day Workweek).

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Q.1: GASP Analysis
Genre: Infographic
Audience: Readers with an interest in employment
Subject: A Four-day working week
Purpose: To inform and to persuade
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Q.2: Analysis of multimodality
1. Visual elements:
i. Use of pictures: A picture of a fatigue and sleep deprived worker has been portrayed in order to represent one third of US workers who were put in 45 or more hours a week. The picture helps the readers create a negative feeling toward the longer workweek. On the other hand, the following two pictures of workers are displayed as happy ones which can help readers create positive feeling toward the shorter workweek. There is also a picture/logo of the digital magazine, The Nation, which convinces the readers that the study/research published in this magazine is authentic and reliable as the magazine is one of the oldest weekly publications widely read by intelligent and forward-looking individuals throughout the world.

ii. Use of bar diagram: Two statistical bar charts accompanied by pictures of workers are used for showing the effects on sleep deprivation of the workers who participated in the survey before and after switching to four-day workweek in the US, the UK and Australia, and on productivity at British companies with a four-day workweek. The bar charts with different colours help differentiate between the parameters of the infographic.

2. Linguistic elements: The headline titled ‘A Four-Day Workweek Pays Off’ is in the bolder font having each word capitalized and green in colour which depicts the writer’s positive attitude/tone toward the four-day workweek which is the “win-win” situation for both the companies and employees. The choice of green colour in the headline may suggest two things – one “yes, agreed” with the headline and the other “go green, low carbon”. The sub-headings are also in bold and brief which easily draw attention of the readers. They carry the message of the writer very clearly. The sub-headings that begin with “Companies” and ends in “productivity” having ellipsis integrating two bar charts summarizes the conclusion of the writer’s study/research that employees with four-day workweek are healthier and more productive compared to the earlier longer workweek.  At the bottom, the infographic cites the source of the study which can help the readers trust the authenticity and reliability of the research findings. The use of numbers and percentage is catchy and helps readers process the information quicker so that they are interested in reading it without paying too much time.

3. Spatial elements: The texts of the headings and sub-headings are centralized which means they highlight the writer’s opinion. The positioning of two different bar charts on two opposite sides help compare and contrast statistical data and easier to memorize by scanning with left and right eyes. Having the logo of the magazine and the source of the infographic at the bottom is a customary way of research articles which leave rooms for the readers to explore more if they are interested further.

Thus, this infographic uses clear visual, linguistic and spatial elements which work together to create meaning in such a way that the target audience are likely to be persuaded.
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Q.3: Suggested Learning Activities

1. Organise a debate competition by dividing students into two groups, assigning them to speak for and against the headline (Four-day Workweek).)

2. Give individual presentation summarizing the statistical data of the infographic in the Morning Assembly.

3. Write a magazine report based on the statistical data of the infographic.

4. Have a group discussion on pros and cons of the headline (Four-day Workweek).

5. Assign a group project (to prepare a 10-slide PowerPoint Presentation based on the infographic).

6. Voting/polling activity with two reasons: For or against the headline (Four-day Workweek).

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Yeung Mei Sim
1. It is a news report. The purpose is to inform and present more details to the viewers of the latest issue- the world’s biggest four-day working week trial ends in success.

2. The news report contains multimodal texts: Visual: the interviewer (the news reporter), interviewees, working places; audio: the sharing of the interviewers, the narration of the news and also the tones of the speakers; linguistic: all written work including the names and titles of the interviewees, the figures of the survey result, and the name of the broadcasting company as well; gestural: the gestures, facial expressions and emotions of the people in the news report; spatial: the composition of the shooting screen including the shot angles, still or moving positions, etc. All these work together to convey meanings and provide a more convincing fact to the viewers. For example, in Linda’s interview, multimodal elements: visual, audio and spatial work together to let the viewers “see” and “feel” how happy Linda is when she has started having a 4-day working week.

3. Activities
After watching the video, students can be asked to design a  infographic introducing 4-days working week. Or they can design a poster including a slogan promoting the four days working week. For more capable students, they can be asked to gather more more information about the 4 days working week.  Afterwards, they can have a group discussion to talk about both advantages and disadvantages of the it. At the end, they can write a one-sided essay if they support it or not.

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(1) Text Type:  Discussion Forum

Purpose of the text:  Allow the public or target audience to share their own views about a four-day workweek.  People can read the others’ comments.

(2) How do different multimodal elements (e.g. visual, audio, spatial and linguistic modes) work together to create meaning?

Multimodal elements are used.

Visual:  Pictures of each participant in the discussion forum are displayed.  It looks authentic.  Also, the topic is in bold colour.  It is eye-catching.

Spatial:  Position of layout is clear.  The discussion topic is highlighted in a circle with bold colour, and each comment is listed in a separate paragraph.

Linguistic:  The discussion forum consists of the topic, the participants’ names and ages and their comments.

(3) Possible learning activities:  Individual Presentation and Essay Writing.  Students are assigned to read the text, and they have to list the pros and cons of a four-day workweek.  Then, they can share their own opinions with authentic examples.  After the presentation, they may be assigned to do more research online and complete a two-sided argumentative essay.

(AU Wan-tung)

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(1) This is a discussion forum, allowing readers to air their opinions in an open forum. The forum is also open for discussion, where readers can comment on one another's views. Throughout the discussion, readers may have an opportunity to listen to people with different opinions.

(2)
Visual: The use of visual aids and colour helps students understand the format of a discussion forum/comment section of a blog post. The pictures on the left can also help students picture that ideas are from different people.

Spatial: The organisation helps students understand that the ideas are from different people. The topic is also placed at the top right hand corner, which helps readers focus on this topic.

(3)
Writing activity: After reading the text, we can encourage students to share their views on four-day work week and reply to at least a post. It helps promote their communication strategies by responding to others. They may also ask for clarifications.

Speaking activity: We can also assign students into two groups and ask them to have a mini debate. Students can then practise how to organise their ideas and make rebuttals after listening to their opponents' views.

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1) Genre: Infographic / Audience: people interested in business, economics and politics who are invested in the issue of work culture and productivity (Readers of the Nation magazine) / Subject: The four-day working week / Purpose: to persuade people that a four-day working week positively affects employee health and workplace productivity

2) Here, visual modality includes images, charts, symbols and typography. They effectively communicate small chunks of important information, evoke emotions, and enhance understanding. Moreover, textual modality includes the infographic's printed text, namely headlines, captions, labels, sentences and words. They are conveying explicit information about the subject. Furthermore, spatial modality is being used to arrange the layout of the infographic in a way that conveys meaning very easily and quickly guides the reader's attention. Lastly, the linguistic modality of the infographic includes some academic vocabulary (for the integrity of the graphic?) like 'implement' or 'productivity', and grammar that is relatively simple to facilitate quick understanding. These contribute to the coherence and overall communication of the text.

3) Students are grouped. Each group is given a different infographic. Then, each member is assigned the task of analysing the infographic to see how each modality contributes to the text's communication of meaning. They are known as experts. Once finished, each group reports to the class about what they found while the teacher offers guiding feedback on each 'expert's' insights. Moreover, students complete a while-listening worksheet to ensure they are paying attention to each group's ideas.

As a follow-up activity, each group could be asked to create (prosume) their own infographic with each 'expert' contributing to the text based on the modality that they analysed in the previous activity.

This would improve their language skills by means of vocabulary expansion (new words and phrases about the subject and textual literacy), reading comprehension (understanding information, identifying key points, extracting meaning), critical thinking (evaluating the effectiveness of the design choices), oral communication and presentation skills (expressing opinions, organising ideas, justifying viewpoints, meaningful conversation), and writing skills (writing captions, labelling, short descriptions of visual images and data).

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Leung Ka Chun

1. Genre: Infographic in a magazine article

Audience: the general public, or workers in the US

Subject: Advantages of working 4 days a week

Purpose: To tell the audience about the benefits of implementing the 4-day workweek policy in the workplace in terms of productivity and the well-being of workers.

2. The visual aids (graphs showing key statistics and pictures showing the difference after implementing the 4-day workweek policy) as well as the semi formal words in bold  may persuade readers that the 4-day workweek is a policy that is beneficial to both the company and workers and then should be promoted.

3. We may ask students to make another infographic related to other social issues, like the importance of exercising regularly or the harm of online scamming.

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Shuk-man Wai
(1) Text type: news report; Purpose: to give information on 4-day work week and does a short review. So far, it seems to be quite a success as it's increased productivity.

(2) Visuals: an empty office, a typical scene of a day-off
Linguistics: words and language used by interviewees
Audio: pitch and volume of the interviewees (e.g. happy tone of the employee; assertive tone of the reporter)
Gestural: the interviewees all look happy and relaxed with how 4-day week turns out.
Spatial: different interviews and perspectives (employers, employee, researcher) are put together, all sharing the benefits of a 4-day work week.

(3) Possible learning activities:
- Lead-in: Show students the empty office in the beginning of the clip and tell them it's a Friday though. Ask students to imagine where the employees have gone. They then share their thoughts on what would be worth doing on a Friday.
- Then, teachers can introduce the topic "4-day work week" and then show them the interview of the employees. Students try to identify the tone of the interviewee and stance of the employee or employer. Students can also respond to the figures and statistics shown in the video. They can share whether they feel surprised at the results.
- Students can reflect on their own "5-day school week". Students can write a short speech and debate whether a "4-day school week" is better for students' learning and well-being. Alternatively, they can do some creative writing on how they'll spend their day off if they have 4-day school only.

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KWAN Chung Yin
(1) The text is a news report. Its purpose is to inform readers about the results of a significant trial on implementing a four-day workweek. (2) The combination of different elements in a YouTube video, such as visuals, audio, spatial, and language, work together to convey meaning. Visuals can provide context. In addition ,audio adds information and emotion and language aids comprehension of the news report. These elements collectively create an engaging experience for students. (3) Learning activity: debate: 1. Introduce the topic of a four-day working week, explaining its concept and potential benefits and drawbacks. 2. Play the YouTube video for the class. 3. Divide students into two groups: one in favor of implementing a four-day workweek and the other against it. 4. Assign research tasks to each group, asking them to gather evidence and arguments supporting their stance. 5. Conduct the debate. 6. Ask students to use the evidence gathered for writing an argumentative essay

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(1) Genre: infographic, Audience: the general public, people who are interested in/involved in research in workplace environments, Style: semi-formal, since the topic is a real-life workplace-related issue, but the inclusion of graphics and the use of language features (e.g. punctuation (ellipsis)) may give readers a more relaxed feeling when they read it, Purpose: to inform readers of the current situation regarding the work motivation of workers in the US and statistics to support the implementation of a four-day workweek
(2) Spatial: The skilful use of spacing, i.e. separating the first and second half of the sentence 'Companies that implement ... drop in productivity' goes well with the data, which is also divided into two parts. The linguistic features provide concrete information and examples, while the visual features, namely the graphics and data, supplement the text by providing evidence and a clear visual contrast.
(3) The most obvious thing to do would be to show this text to students, and then ask them to notice the organizational features (not just the text-related ones), and do a similar analysis on an infographic of their choice, so that the task would be a bit more meaningful to students. Following this noticing activity could be a writing activity where students have to create their own infographic based on their interests, and stick them around the classroom to allow for peer assessment (perhaps like a gallery walk).

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(1)
Genre: an information text (part of a magazine article)
Audience: magazine readers
Subject: Benefits of a four-day work week
Purpose: to inform with evidence and to persuade

(2)
The different multimodal elements that work together to create money include the linguistic element (the word content), the visual element (the illustrations of the three people and the statistics diagrams), and the spatial element (the sectioning of the space into 3 parts).

(3)
Students can be asked to write a one-sided or a two-sided argumentative essay using the content provided.

(Written by NG Ruo Hang)

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(1) Genre: a PowerPoint slide

Audience: likely symposium attendees

Subject: The Benefits of a Four-Day Workweek

Purpose: to introduce and explain

(2) The slide includes pictures to maintain the audience's focus and interest, as well as charts to present numbers and statistics in a clear and systematic way.

(3) Students can work in pairs and use the slide for a missing information activity. One student can read a passage aloud while the other fills in the missing information. They can take turns filling in the gaps. Once they are done, they can exchange their materials.

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Posted by Li Man Sze

1. Text type: Online news report
1. Purpose: To inform audience of the success of world’s biggest four-day working week trial

2. The visual, audio, linguistic, and spatial modes work in synergy to convey information, evoke emotional responses, and enhance understanding. For example, the audio, spoken language provides the main source of information and narrates the news report. It conveys facts, quotes, and explanations. Also, the spatial mode includes factors such as the framing of shots, the positioning of on-screen text, or the use of transitions between scenes. Spatial organization helps guide viewers' attention, emphasize important information, and create a coherent narrative flow. It also contributes to the overall aesthetics and visual appeal of the video, enhancing engagement and comprehension.

3. Learning Activity 1: News Report Analysis and Summary Writing

1. Watch the news report.

2. Analyze the report using guiding questions.

3. Discuss answers and thoughts in pairs or groups.

4. Write individual summaries, focusing on main points.

5. Exchange papers, provide feedback, and revise summaries.

Learning Activity 2: Debate on the Four-Day Working Week

1. Divide class into groups for and against the four-day working week.

2. Research and gather evidence to support positions.

3. Conduct a class debate with presentations and evidence.

4. Encourage active participation and discussion.

5. Facilitate class discussion to express opinions.

6. Write persuasive essays supporting respective positions.

7. Provide feedback and encourage revisions.

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World’s biggest four-day working week trial ends in success - BBC News