Contextualization
Communication is imperative to our lives in society. Through it, we express our ideas, feelings, desires, and needs. But in what ways can we communicate? Today, we'll learn about verbal, nonverbal, and mixed language in the discipline of Portuguese.
Verbal language refers to the use of words to convey a message. It can be written or spoken, and is the predominant form of communication among human beings. Nonverbal language, on the other hand, is communication without the use of words, which can include facial expressions, gestures, body posture, static or moving images, and even silence. Finally, mixed language is a combination of the previous two, and is very common in our daily lives, such as the emoticons we use on social media or traffic signs.
By learning about these types of language, we can improve our ability to interpret and convey messages, which is important for various everyday situations, from talking to a friend to giving a school presentation to understanding a TV commercial.
This project will aim to deepen our knowledge of these types of language through fun, hands-on group activities.
Practical Activity
Activity Title: Creating Comic Books: Exploring Verbal, Nonverbal, and Mixed Languages
Project Aim
Students will create a short comic book, up to 4 pages long, using verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages. The aim is to apply theoretical concepts learned in class and develop communication, creativity, collaboration, and time management skills.
Detailed Project Description
Materials needed
- Blank paper (A4 size recommended)
- Pencils, eraser, colored pens, crayons
- Computer/laptop with internet access (for research and references)
- Camera or smartphone to take pictures of final projects
Step-by-step
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Form groups of 3 to 5 students. Before starting to create the comic book, discuss the theme of the story. It can be an adventure, drama, comedy, etc. Remember: your story should contain situations that allow the use of verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages.
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Brainstorm ideas for the plot and characters. Write a simple script describing what will happen on each page and in each frame of the comic book.
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Start drawing the comic book frames on paper, according to the script. Use pencils first, so you can easily correct mistakes.
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After drawing the frames and characters, add the characters' dialogue and thoughts verbally. Use nonverbal language to demonstrate emotions and actions, and mixed language to complement the plot.
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Finalize the comic book by inking the drawings and texts with colored pens or crayons.
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Evaluate the work, ensuring that it meets the requirements for using verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages.
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Photograph each page of the comic book for record and presentation.
Project Deliverables
At the end of the project, students must submit:
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The final comic book in photographed form.
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A written report, containing:
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Introduction: Contextualization on the topic "Verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages", the relevance of this learning, and its application in the real world, as well as the objective of this project.
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Development: Description of the theory on verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages; details of the comic book's creation, including story conception, drawing creation processes, and application of languages; the methodology used and the results obtained. Give examples of situations in which each type of language was used and discuss the effect they had on the narrative.
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Conclusion: Recapitulation of the main points of the work, the learnings obtained in the project, more specifically regarding the practical application of the concepts of verbal, nonverbal, and mixed languages, and the experience of working in a team.
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Bibliography: List of all sources consulted during the elaboration of the project, including websites, books, videos, and any other materials used.
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<The activity will end one week after the proposed start, and the estimated time to complete it is two to four hours per participating student.
Each deliverable (comic book and report) will be assessed and will make up the final grade for the project.
