2 Using this guide
The lessons included in this handbook are intended to serve as resources and models for language/culture teachers, who want to begin to integrate multiliteracies as multisensory, aesthetic experiences into their classrooms. Although many of the lessons are set in an art gallery, these work to indicate alternate ways of engaging with the activities in the classroom; and some others consider other spaces (e.g., the Instagram sites, outdoor markets) using the framework of the gallery, thus pushing educators and students to also think of these as designed but also dynamic compositions of various semiotic elements that can experienced, analyzed and conceptualized in terms of their symbolic and culture elements, and applied as meaning making resources in new contexts.
There are three sets of lessons included:
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- German-language lessons – These were originally created by Chantelle and piloted for the German Studies program at the University of Arizona and include variations for the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.
- Swahili-language lessons – These were originally inspired by German-language lessons, but also developed in order to meet forms of aesthetics and design particular to Swahili-speaking contexts.
- English-language lesson – The English-language lessons are translations of the German lessons, which are provided to make the materials and ideas presented in this guide accessible to teachers of other languages.
Creative Commons Licensing
This guide and all of the lessons included have been published as open educational resources (OERs). These materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which means that you can use, share, and adapt it for your own purposes, as long as you attribute the original work to us.
Creative Commons provides models for how to cite open resources. You can find the particular title and author information for each component of this guide in the footer of the document.
For example, if you created your own adaptation of the lesson “Ich bin…”, you would want to include the following information at the start or your new material or in the header or footer:
”Ich bin…” by Chantelle Warner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
We also ask that “share-alike,” which means that any derivative materials you create should also be shared as open educational resources. If you do create something new out of what we have provided here and you are willing to share it through CERCLL, you can contact us at cercll@arizona.edu.