Communication Aids and Strategies using tools of technology

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 Communication Aids and Strategies using tools of technology

1. OBJECTIVES
a. Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and/or web-based presentations for different target
audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers.
b. Adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas.

2. DICUSSION PROPER
Module Unit 3:
A. Communication aids and strategies using tools of technology.
1. Texts, video/audio clips from various sources:
a. http;//creatingmultimodeltexts.com/
The meaning of multimodal texts

Creating
according from Australian Curriculum as ‘the development and/or production of spoken,
written or multimodal texts in print or digital forms’ and is an embedded literacy
expectation across all disciplines.

Multimodal
defined in the Australian Curriculum as the strategies use of ‘two or more communication
modes’ to make meaning for example, image, gesture, music, spoken, language, and
written language.

Multimodal text
While the development of multimodal literacy is strongly associated with the growth of
digital communication technologies, multimodal is not synonymous with digital. The
choice of media for multimodal text creation is therefore always important consideration
can be paper-such as books, comics, posters; digital – from slide presentation, e-books,
blogs, e-posters, web pages, and social media, through to animation, film and video games;
live-a performance or an event; transmedia-where the story is told using ‘multiple delivery
channels’ through a combination of media platforms, for example, book, comic, magazine,
film, web series, and video game mediums all working as part of the same story.
Transmedia is a contested term and Henry Jenkins is worth reading for more background.
Jerkins argues that transmedia is more than just multiple media platforms, it is about the
logical relations between these media extensions which seek to add something to the story
as it moves from one medium to another, not just adaptation or retelling. Transmedia
enables the further development of the story world through each new medium; for
examples offering a back story, a prequel, additional ‘episode’, or further insight into
characters and plot elements. (Jenkins, 2011). It also can require a more complex
production process.

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Communication Aids and Strategies using tools of technology

Development of multimodal literacy knowledge and skills

To enable our students to effectively design and communicate meaning through such rich
multimodal literacy knowledge and skills. Skilled multimodal composition requires new
literacy design skills and knowledge to enable students to make informed choices within
and across the available communication modes to effectively construct meaning.

Creating a multimodal text, a digital animation, for example, is a complex meaning design
process requiring the strategic orchestration of a combination of modes such as image,
movement, sound, spatial design, gesture, and language. The process of constructing such
text is also truly a cross-disciplinary literacy process, drawing on digital information
technologies and The Arts (media, music, drama, visual arts, design) to bring meaning to
life.

The multimodal text examples here describe different media possibilities – both digital
and on paper and provide links to examples of student work and production guides.

Print-based multimodal text includes comic, picture storybooks, graphic novels; and
posters, newspapers and brochures.

Digital multimodal texts include slide presentations, animation, book trailers, digital
storytelling, live-action filmmaking, music videos, ‘born digital’ storytelling, and various
web texts and social media. The level of digital technology requirements ranges from very
simple options such as slide presentation through to complex, sophisticated forms requiring
a higher level of technical and digital media skills. The choice is yours depending on your
skill and experience, level of confidence, and the sources and tools available to you.

These examples of different types of student multimodal composition are provided as ideas
and starting points, and may also provide models for introducing new forms of ‘writing’ to
your students.

The technical construction of digital multimodal texts is always a significant consideration

for teachers. Practical information about communication technology resources and digital
medial tools is provided where possible to support the successful implementation of
multimodal authoring in the literacy classroom.

Reading multimodal texts

Provides resources for deconstructing and analyzing how different modal systems work to
create meaning in a text.
Films and film clips
1. Analyzing Moving Image Texts: ‘Film Language’

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b. https://creatingmultimodaltexts.com/reading-multimodal-texts-a/
Film and Media Studies Resources for teachers and students
provides a rich resource of film clips with teachers notes for screening in children’s films
and television programs, TV programs, advertisements, historical footage, with extensive
background information and education ideas.
1. australianscreen
2. BFI (British Film Institute)
3. Film Education by UK film industry
4. Media Education Film Resources from Wales

c. http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/downloads/filmanalysis.pdf
Analyzing Moving Images Texts: ‘Film Language’
Ten Tools for Reading Film by Bill Boyd
The Ten Tools were designed to provide teachers with a ‘route’ into the exploration of film
and moving image in the classroom. They were assembled especially with inexperienced
or beginner teachers in mind, and there is a deliberate attempt to avoid technical jargon
wherever possible. They are not prescriptive, but rather should be used selectively and in
combinations to suit the teacher and the learners. Each of the Ten Tools is accompanied by
a list of potential discussion questions and typical activities. With practice, the teacher
should come to know which of them will work best with any particular film text.
1. Making Predictions
One of the things we do as a reader of any kind of text, is that we immediately start
making predictions about the content, the message, the audience, the writer’s aims and
so on, and we do this by making inferences from the evidence in front of us. If you are
reading a poem, short story or a novel, you might talk about the title, the cover, the
blurb and the illustrations if there are any. Learners discuss the sort of text they are
about to read.
You can use the same kinds of activities before viewing a film, and at various points in
the text. This can be done using the cover of the DVD, or trailer, or the opening of the
film. At key points in the text the Freeze Frame, Shots-in-Sequence or Sound & Image
tools can be used to discuss what might happen next, or how it might end. As readers
improve their skills, and become more aware of the conventions of genre and narrative,
they become more confident in weighing up likely and unlikely outcomes, and in
identifying the textual evidence for their predictions.
Typical Questions
What do you think this might be about? (What makes you think so?)
What kind of film do you think this might be? (What makes you think so?) – this
relates to an increasing awareness of the features of genre.
What do you think (character) will do next? (What makes you think so?)
How do you think this will end? (What makes you think so?)
What do you think might happen in the sequel? (What makes you think so?)

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2. Sound and Image

Sound is a fundamental element of moving image texts, and one whose significance is
often overlooked (it is even ignored in the term ‘moving image text’!) Sound –
particularly music – can set the mood of a text, it can signify genre, and it can often be
more powerful than the visual images. In addition to its emotive force, the soundtrack
often carries a huge amount of narrative information, absorbed subliminally by the
viewer/listener. Sound can affect not only the way viewers interpret the images and
how they feel about the story events, but also what they think they actually see.

A soundtrack can have one or more of four elements – music, sound effects, voice and
silence.
Sound effects are of two types – atmosphere (continuous sound) or ‘spot effects’ (short
sounds)
Silence can be used to create tension or to slow the pace.

A number of techniques can be used to develop an understanding of the relationship

between sound and image in moving image texts. Cover or blank out the screen and
ask learners to listen carefully (for a few minutes only) to the soundtrack of a moving
image text, writing down exactly what they hear. You can then discuss what ‘type’ of
text it might be before watching:
Where is the film set? (indoors/outdoors? rural/urban? Which country/continent?)
When is it set? (day/night? Past/present/future?)
Who’s in it? (Gender? Age?
What’s happening?
What are they doing?
What is the mood/tone? (comedy/tragedy?)

How will it end? (happily/sadly?)

This exercise can also work effectively in reverse by playing a sequence without the
sound, and asking learners to suggest, or create, a suitable soundtrack.
Typical Questions/Activities
How would you describe this music? How would the sequence be affected if it was
different kind of music?
What can you tell about the speakers from their voices? Accent? Tone?
Do the sound transitions in this sequence match the shot transitions? (In drama they
may anticipate them, heightening the suspense)

Choose a short silent text and create an appropriate soundtrack (there are numerous
silent films on the Scotland on Screen website)

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3. Freeze Frame
Using the pause button on the media player allows the learner to focus particular shots
in the text (and also to appreciate that each shot is made up of a series of still images).
By examining such things as the angle, distance and movement of the camera, and the
use of lighting and colour, the reader can learn how every element of a visual image can
carry meaning, and how visual images can be ‘read’ like any other text.

Typical Questions
What or who can you see in this shot? What difference would it make if it were
composed differently?
Where is the camera in this shot? Does it move or is it fixed? What impression does
that create?
What can you tell about the time and setting from the colour in this shot?
What can you tell about the character from the background or setting?
What can you tell about the relationship between the characters from the camera angles
in this sequence?

4. Shots in Sequence
This tool is used along with Freeze Frame to focus on a particular sequence of shots in
a moving image text. Readers may be asked to estimate the number of shots after
viewing a short sequence, or to note each change in shot, location or sound.
Readers come to appreciate that the number, sequence of duration of shots in a moving
image text are created in editing process, and that screen time and story time are usually
different.
This tool can also be used to examine shot transitions (e.g., cut, dissolve, fade) and now
the type of transition affects the meaning. The types of transition used and the length of
shots help determine pace, and contribute to the meaning. Sound transitions do not
always coincide with shot transitions: in dramatic texts they often anticipate them to
create suspense or alter the mood.

Typical Questions/Activities
Estimate the number of shots in a moving image sequence before analyzing it in detail.
On the storyboard template, and using the pause on the media player, record a short
sequence of a film (6-20 shots) by drawing each shot, copying each one off the screen
one by one, and annotating afterwards with notes on sound and action
Use this to discuss the sequence
What does each shot tell you? What doesn’t tell you? What questions does it make you
ask; what does it make you want to know? (What is she looking at? Why did he pick
that up? Where are they going? Can you see any kind of progression or pattern in the
sequence?
Do we stay in the same place through the sequence or do we go somewhere else? (Do
we return to the original location?)
Do we follow continuous time through the sequence? Or do we miss bits out, and
shorten the timescale? Or do we stretch it even?
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How does the length of the shots change throughout the sequence? What effect does
this have?
What differences in camera angle, camera distance from subject, camera movement are
there between one shot and the next?
Was there more than one way of moving from one shot to another? What are these
transitions usually called and what do they usually signal?
Do the sound transitions coincide with the shot transitions or are they different? What
effect does this have?
How long is this sequence/extract/text? How much ‘story time’ does it cover? How is
that achieved?

5. Asking Questions
This may seem like an obvious strategy, since as teachers we do it all the time, but we
are talking here about student-generated questions! The key idea is that we develop an
understanding in the learning that asking questions is probably more important than
answering them. This is a core strategy in the development of critical thinkers, and we
need to guide learners towards the hierarchy of questions they should be asking as they
read a text (see Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy) Questions generally fall into one of 3
categories – LITERAL, INFERENTIAL or EVALUATIVE – and we need to ensure
that student questioning develops beyond the literal stage.
One simple but effective way of developing these critical skills is to use the ‘Tell Me’
Grids (see Appendix) during the viewing of moving image text. These allow readers to
focus on specific aspects of the text and record the questions which naturally occur to
them (these grids were developed by the writer Aidan Chambers in his book ‘Tell Me
Students Reading and Talking’ OUP 1993).
Typical Questions
How many characters are there in this story? (Literal)
Where and when do you think the story is set? (Inferential)
Why does (character) act in this way at this particular time? (Inferential)
What do you think is going through (character’s) mind here? (Inferential)
How well do you think the author has generated the feeling of happiness here?
(Evaluative)

6. Making Comparisons
When we read a text, we are constantly (and sub-consciously) making associations
between what are reading and other experiences: other things we have
read/seen/heard/watched, and our own real-life experiences. Or, to put that another
way, we are drawing on our prior learning.
In order to develop that in young readers we can encourage them to make those links
explicit and explore those aspects of the text which are most likely to elicit the
comparisons. It is also important to explore the notion that, while viewing the text will
often be a shared experience, our reactions to it may be quite different, depending on
the associations we make.

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Typical Questions
Does this remind me of anything I have read/seen/heard/watched before? How are they
similar? How are they different?
Does this remind me of anything in my own life? How did I/would I behave/react in
similar circumstances?

7. Looking for Patterns

By comparing and contrasting texts they have read, the sophisticated reader begins to
show a deeper understanding of genre, or of the work of a particular writer, director,
culture or historical period. Identifying recurring motifs within a text can help
illuminate the text as a whole, and you can look for them in the soundtrack, the images,
and in story events.
Patterns can be found in elements of the plot, or the repeated use of a certain colour or
symbol, of types of lighting, of camara angles, shots or movements, of shot sequences
or transitions. They can also be found in the soundtrack of course, in particular musical
motifs or instruments, or sound effects – Sound and Image is an extremely effective
tool for identifying these.
Using Freeze Frame or Shots in Sequence can also make learners more aware of
patterns, by separating the shots in a sequence and looking in detail and narration.

Typical Questions
Can you see anything in the text which appears more than once?
Do you hear anything which appears more than once?
Do you notice any patters among the images, or in the way they are filmed? (e.g.,
camera angle, distance, movement)
Do you notice any patterns among the sounds? Are particular characters or actions
associated with particular sounds?
Are there any recurring actions?
Are there are recurring ideas/themes/messages in the film?
Did the length of the shots get shorter or longer at any point in the sequence? Is there a
pattern here? If so, what effect does it have on the viewer?
What kind of story is this? How do we know? (Introduce concept of ‘genre’ when
appropriate) What would you expect to happen in this kind of story?

8. Generic Translation
Visualization, or the interpretation of a printed text into informal images, is a natural
process for trained readers, but the link needs to be made explicit for a developing
reader. Asking learners to draw a character or a scene from a printed text allows them
to present their unique interpretation of the text. Using graphic organizers such as
Mind-Maps can be a very effective way of making sense of a text, summarizing key
elements, committing to memory or sharing with others, while storyboards or
comic-book software make the creation of narrative easier and more fun.
In the same way, learners can often develop a better understanding of moving image
texts by ‘translating’ them into a print genre such as poem, short story, diary entry or
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newspaper item, or by adapting and ‘audio-visualizing’ a short-written text into a

storyboard.

Typical Activities
Take a short-written text (story openings can be good) and ‘audio-visualize’ it on a
story board. (Note: 1/attempt ONLY after learners have become familiar with
storyboards through copying off the screen (see Shots in Sequence); 2/Keep the written
passage VERY short – a few well-chosen lines or a couple of paragraphs can generate
pages of storyboard.)
Write a short paragraph describing character x from a film you have seen, as if you
were introducing them into a short story. Try to bring out their personality as well as
their appearance.
Draw a mind-mad showing the main elements of the text.
Storyboard the beginning of a sequel to the text
Write the front-page article for your local newspaper the day after the events portrayed
in the film.
Make a PowerPoint presentation to convey as effectively as possible what you have
learned from a moving image text.
Make a Podcast radio trailer for a film you have watched.
9. Summarizing
The ability to summarize is an essential skill for the developing fluent-comprehending
reader, but it is also a highly sophisticated skill which needs to be modelled repeatedly
by the teacher. It is another of those aspects of reading which sophisticated readers take
for granted: as we progress through a text, we are sub-consciously assimilating and
synthesizing each new piece of information into a constantly updated summary of the
whole.
There are a number of ways in which the ability to summarize effectively can be
developed in learners. Writing or making a trailer for a film can be an effective way of
making an accurate ‘summary’ of the whole text, whether it’s in the form of a
‘sound-only’ trailer for radio, a poster of the key elements, or a selected edit of shots
from the original with appropriate voiceover (the films on Scotland on Screen website
allow for download and edit through GLOW and are ideal for this purpose).

Typical Questions/Activities
Consider the title of the film (which is one form of summary). Can you provide a better
one? Explain your choice.
Write a tagline for the film.
Write a ‘pitch’ for the film as you would present it to a potential investor in 25 words or
less.
Write a synopsis (200-300 words) for the investor to accompany the pitch.
Write a script for a trailer for the film in no more than 100 words.

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10. Evaluating
This tool will be used to a greater or lesser extent on every text, and it is one aspect of
reading which rarely has to be encouraged. However, the process of evaluating or
assessing the worth of a text is often the lease considered or developed. Readers of any
age will happily tell you what they think of a text, but will often struggle to explain
why, beyond the stock responses of “it was boring” or “it was exciting”.
When engaged in this strategy, therefore, it is the quality of the discussion and the use
of open questions which will determine the quality of the outcome. It is also important
that in any evaluation, the criteria for success are shared and agreed, and these will
usually be related to audience and purpose. An appropriate vocabulary needs to be
developed over time.

Typical Questions/Activities
What was the author’s purpose here and to what extent did he/she achieve it?
What is the writer’s or filmmaker’s (as opposed to the character’s) point of view?
Was the ending credible? True to the rest of the story? Why?
Was this more or less successful than similar texts with the same purpose?
How could you have made the film better?

d. video presentation on “The World’s worst research presentation”

Identifying problems with the research presentation in the video

3. SUMMARY

Module Unit 3:
A. Communication aids and strategies using tools of technology.

4. ACTIVITIES
Module Unit 3

Activity 1
After watching the video, answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think the video was entitled “The World’s Worst Research Presentation”?
2. Identify and enumerate the mistakes that were committed by the presenter.
3. What do you think are the do’s and don’ts in presenting? Justify your answer.

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5. References:

Communication Coach Alex Lyon. (n.d.),

YouTube;(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pYSbdGiDYw

Chesebro, J.L. (2018). Professional Communication at Work.

file://C:/Users/CONSUELO%20J.%20GREGORIO/Downloads/9781315772738_previewpdf.pdf

Madrunio, M.R. & Martin, I.S. (2018). Purposive Communication. Using English
in Multilingual Context. C & E Publishing, South Triangle, Quezon City. Hall, S. (2002).

McGuire, W. (1981). “Theoretical Foundation of Campaigns. “In Ronald Rice and William Paisley
(eds.), Public Communication Campaigns, Sage.

Monroe, A.H. (1935). Motivation Sequence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Monroe’s_motivated_sequence.

Lasswell, H. (1948). “The Structure and Function of Communication in Society.” In Lyman Bryson
(ed.), The Communication of Ideas. Harper and Row.

TriduumLearningLabs. (2014, November 3). Communication Barriers. YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3a3fgUkw6c

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Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

1. OBJECTIVES
a. convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and/or web-based presentations for different target
audiences in local and global setting using appropriate registers
b. create clear, coherent, and effective communication materials
c. present ideas persuasively using appropriate language registers, tone, facial expressions, and
gestures
d. adopt awareness of audience and context in present ideas

2. DISCUSSION PROPER
Module Unit 4:
A. Communication for various purposes
1. To inform (obtain, provide, and disseminate information)
2. To persuade
3. To argue
4. To entertain
5. To evoke

I. Test your knowledge of facts by answering the following trivia questions:

1. Why are plants green?
Plants are green because their cells contain chloroplasts which have the pigment
chlorophyll which absorbs deep-blue and red light, so that the rest of the sunlight
spectrum is being reflected causing the plant to look green. (quizlet)
2. Why is traffic heavy in cities
Urban demands more cars because of globalization and travel demands.
3. Why can’t a man become pregnant?
A woman can only become pregnant because of its reproductive organs: the uterus and
ovary, which a man doesn’t have.
4. Why do we celebrate the coming of a new year?
Celebrating a beginning of another year is to welcome new challenges and the
opportunity of becoming a better one.
5. Why does Swiss cheese have holes?
The carbon dioxide that exists in the Swiss cheese form holes, and it makes the Swiss
cheese more delicious.

INPUT
WRITING AN EXPLANTION ESSAY
‘Why’ questions are very important. If people in ancient times or the recent past did
not ask ‘why’ questions or attempt to answer these questions, we would have very
limited knowledge about many things in our world. If Isaac Newton, for example, did
not ask why things fell down after throwing them up, he would not have discovered the
law of universal gravitation. Addressing ‘why’ questions means providing explanations
for phenomena. An explanation essay is one such example of a written piece of work
that addresses ‘why’ questions. It explains a particular topic to its readers. Since it is
meant to inform or educate the readers, the essay should present convincing and
adequate support for the explanations.

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The following reading selection is an explanation essay which attempts to answer some
“why” questions similar to those in the opening activity above. Note how the topic is
presented, explained, and supported. Note as well how the essay ended.

Before reading the text, look up the meanings of the following words and phrases that
are used in the selectionLingua franca
• Linguistic nationalism
• Cultural chauvinism
• Conversant
• Siloed cubicles
• Crème de la crème
• Mano-a-mano
• Bourgeois stories
• Batting an eyelash

II. A MANSION OF MANY LANGUAGES

By Danton Remoto (2017)

(1) In 1977, my mentor, the National Artist for Literature and Theater Rolando S. Tinio,
said: “It is too simple-minded to suppose that enthusiasm for Filipino as lingua franca
and national language of the country necessarily involves the elimination of English
usage or training for it in schools. Proficiency in English provides us with all the
advantages that champions of English say it does – access to the vast fund of culture
expressed in it, mobility in various spheres of the international scene, especially those
dominated by the English-speaking Americans, and participation in a quality of
modern life of which some features may be assimilated by us with great advantage.”
(2) Professor Tinio continues: “Linguistic nationalism does not imply cultural
Chauvinism
Nobody wants to go back to the mountains. The essential Filipino is not the center of
an onion one gets by peeling off layer after layer of vegetable skin. One’s experience
with onions is quite telling: Peel off everything and you end up with a pinch of air.”
*Chauvinism – sexism

(3) Written 40 years ago, these words still echo especially now, when by some quirk of
history and economics, enrollment in English courses are rising because
(a)there are many vacant positions for teachers of English and literature in the
private and public schools, and
(b)there are many vacancies, still, for jobs in call centers with entry-level pay of
PHP. 18,000 plus signing bonus, and a career that year. With the opening of the
doors of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to everyone in the
region, more and more Filipinos are being hired to teach English in Indonesia,
Thailand, and, yes, even our, best friend, China.

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(4) Why? First, Filipino teachers will accept a pay scale lower than that of their Western
counterparts. Second, they are conversant with American popular culture, a happy
(or unhappy) result of decades of American colonialism and neo-colonialism. Third,
the are still Southeast Asians beneath their skin, and are thus familiar with Asian
cultural practices whether said or unsaid. One is the importance of saving face, the
meaning of “maybe” or “I will try” to an invitation means he or she does not want to
hurt you, be he or she will not show up. Another is the primacy given to family.
Already in his 50s, one is still called Totoy or Baby or Blue Boy, and still lives with
one’s parents and extended family. You can see that as well in the other Southeast
Asian countries, where families are nuclear and not split, where food is communal
and not eaten in siloed cubicles.
*Siloed – isolated from others

(5) Three long decades of teaching English and Journalism to students (together with four
years of teaching Filipino) have shown me that the best students in English are also
the best students in Filipino. And how did they master the two languages?
(6) One, they had very good teachers in both languages. Two, the inhabited the worlds
of both languages. Three, they have gone beyond the false either-or mentality that
hobbled their parents.
*hobbled – limped
(7) Let me explain.
(8) My best students in English and Filipino were tutored by the crème de la crème, many
of them teaching in private schools. The enrollees in the university where I taught are
mostly intelligent students from the public schools and the provinces. Lack of books
and untrained teachers prevent them from having a level playing field with the other
freshmen. A year of catching up is necessary for them to have the skills to have a
mano-a-mano with the other students.
(9) Moreover, I introduce them to the worlds of the language they are studying – be it in
the formal realm of the textbook or the popular ones of film, graphic novel, YouTube
or anime. I encourage them to keep a journal as well, which is not diary where you
write what time you woke up and why. A journal, or its postmodern cousin, the Web
log or blog, aims to capture impressions or moods on the wing. If at the same it
sharpens the students’ knowledge of English, then that is already hallelujah for the
English teacher.

(10) And the third is that today’s generation of students is no longer burdened by the
guild of learning English – and mastering it. I still remember those writing
workshops I took in the 19880s, when I was asked why I wrote bourgeois stories in
the colonizer’s language. The panelists said I should write about workers and
peasants – and that I should write in Filipino. Without *batting an eyelash, I
answered that I don’t know would be to misrepresent them. To the charge that I
write only in either English, I showed them my poems in Filipino, because the
modern Filipino writer is time only a writer in either English or Filipino, but a writer
in both languages, or in Bisaya or Bikolano or Ilocano or Waray, languages that are
like colorful balls he or she juggles with the dexterity of a seasoned circus
performers.

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*Dexterity - agility
(11) So, it’s not a choice, between English and Filipino, but rather, English and Filipino,
plus the language of one’s grandmother, be it Bikolano, Waray, or Tausug. And in
college, another language of one’s choice, be it Bahasa, Indonesia, German, or
French – the better to view the world from many windows, since to learn a new
Language is to see the world from another angle of vision. In short, one no longer
has
to live between two languages, but to live in a mansion of many languages.
(12) To end in a full circle, we must return to Rolando S. Tinio, who said:” Only the
mastery of a first language enables one to master a second and a third. For one can
think and feel only in one’s first language, then encode those thoughts and feelings
into a second and third.”
(13) In short, as a friend and fellow professor has put it, “The Philippines is a
multilingual paradise.” The earlier we know we live in a paradise of many
languages, the better was can savor it fruits ripened by the sun.

III. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

A. The reading selection above is an example of an explanation essay. Sharpen
your understanding of the text by answering the following questions.
1. How does the author introduce the topic of his essay?
2. In paragraph 4, the author asks the question “Why?” This signals that he is
explaining something. What exactly is the phenomenon he is explaining?
3. What are the explanations he provides for the phenomenon you identified in no
2 above? Give three answers.
4. In paragraph 7, the author writes, “Let me explain.” What exactly in the
phenomenon he is explaining?
5. What are the explanations he provides for the phenomenon you identified in no.
4 above? Give three answers.
6. How does the author end his essay?
B. Based on your reading of the essay by Remoto, answer the following questions:
1. The author asserts that the Philippines is a “multi-lingual paradise.” He believes
that having many languages is an advantage for the Philippines and to Filipinos.
Do you agree with the author? Discuss your agreement or disagreement.
2. Was the author able to fully explain the phenomenon he chose to explain?
Discuss your answer. Make sure to provide support for your answer with
specific strategies used by the author in making his explanation.

IV. WRITTEN MODES OF PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION

With the advent of technology, many communication materials that were not present
before now abound. How do these communication materials differ in format from those
that are written or prepared traditionally?

V. GENRE ACROSS PROFESSIONS

Different professions use different genres. However, you will note that there are
communication materials that cut across professions. They communicate important
information about a certain organization, event, or individual.

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

Some of these communication materials are the memoranda, minutes of meetings,

business letters, and business proposals. Moreover, with the advent of technology, there
are now new forms of communication materials using social media channels such as
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. All these communication materials are considered as
genres and they cut across the different professions and/or disciplines.

VI. BUSINESS LETTERS, MEMORANDA, MINUTES OF MEETINGS

Business letters are a common form of writing in any organization. The traditional parts
of a business letter are:
a. Heading
b. Inside address
c. Salutation
d. Body
e. Complimentary close
f. Signature
Generally, the business letter follows a certain format. When plain bond paper is
used, the conventional heading includes the address of the writer and the date when the
letter is written. A modern heading uses the company’s stationery which bears the
company’s logo, address, telephone number, and other information. The date when the
letter is written is simply indicated. The heading is followed by the inside address which
indicates the name of the recipient of the letter, his/her designation/position in a
company or organization, and the company or organization, and the company’s address.
It is also possible that the recipient has no business or company affiliation. In this case,
the letter writer merely indicates the recipient’s address. This part is followed by the
greeting or salutation, and the body of the letter which is clear, simple, and focused. The
body normally has three paragraphs, the first of which provides the reason for writing.
The second paragraph gives more specific details about the information provided in the
first paragraph while the last paragraph emphasizes the reason for writing and expresses
gratitude to the reader for taking time out to read/review the letter. The next part is the
complimentary close and the last is the signature.
The following template illustrate the parts and formats of a business letter.
Template of a business letter with a conventional heading and utilizing the purely
block format.

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

A. Template of a Business Letter with a conventional heading and utilizing the purely
block format:

# 888 A-Maharlika St., Pinagpalang Village (Writer’s detailed information)

Angeles City Pampanga Philippines
October 17, 2022 Date

Engineer Gervacio Mendoza Inside Address

Atalie Global Corporation (Recipient’s detailed information)
2877 Clark Freeport Zone
Angeles City Pampanga Philippines

Dear Engr. Gervacio: Salutation

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
(Body of the letter)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely Yours, Complimentary Close

Sender of the Letter Signature/above typed/printed name

The following template illustrate the parts and formats of a business letter.

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

B. Template of a Business Letter with a modern heading and utilizing the modified block
format:

Atalie Global Corporation Logo

__________________________________________________________________________

Date October 17, 2022

Engineer Gervacio Mendoza Inside Address

Chief Executive Officer
2877 Clark Freeport Zone
Angeles City Pampanga Philippines

Dear Engr. Gervacio: Salutation

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

(Body of the letter)

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Complimentary Close
Sincerely Yours,

Signature
above typed printed name Valentino
Tiongson
and designation General
Manager

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

VII. Different Types of Business Letters

1. Cover Letters
a. Application letters
b. Letters of intent
c. Letters of interest
d. Inquiry letters
e. Query letters
f. Motivation letters
g. Transmittal letters
2. Letters of Recommendation
3. Interview follow-up letters
4. Offer letters
5. Sales letters
6. Letter of commendation
7. Letters of resignation
8. Thank-you letters
9. Complaint letters
10. Apology letters
11. Office memorandum
12. Welcome letters
13. Requests letters
14. Announcement letters
15. Termination letters

VIII. Oral Presentation

a. Preparing a Speech or Oral Report
b. Delivering the Report/Speech/Talk
c. Presenting in Groups
d. Overcoming Anxiety or Stage Fright
1. Knowledge about the audience
2. The Oral Presentation
3. Dealing with Presentation Mishaps

3. SUMMARY
Module Unit 4:
A. Communication for various purposes
1. To inform (obtain, provide, and disseminate information)
2. To persuade
3. To argue
4. To entertain
5. To evoke

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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

4. ACTIVITIES
Module Unit 4
Activity 1
Pre-writing
Before you write your explanation essay, fill in the table below.
1.What is the phenomenon you are explaining?
2.What explanations are you providing for the
phenomenon above? Give at least three.
3.How do you plan to introduce your topic?
4.How do you plan to end the explanation essay?
5.Did you do research for your explanation essay? If
you
did research, what specific ideas
In your essay are generated through research?
6. If you did research what are your sources?
List all your sources. Use the citation format
recommended
http://www.apa.org/pubs/sofware/index.aspx
Activity 2
Writing
Write an explanation essay on any topic of your choice. You may need to do some research about
the topic in order to better explain it. The essay must be at least 500 words long and is organized as
follows:
● Introduction – one or two paragraphs
● Body – at least three paragraphs
● Conclusion – one or two paragraph
Your essay will be marked using the following
rubrics:
CONTENT
Have you substantially explained
the phenomenon you chose to 10 points
explain? Did you provide
convincing and adequate support
for your explanations?
ORGANIZATION 7 points
Have you arranged that the main
points of your essay clearly and
logically? Are there order and
logic in the ideas you presented in
each paragraph and in the entire
essay?
LANGUAGE AND 3 points
MECHANICS

TOTAL 20 points
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 Communication For Various Purposes Unit 4

5. References:
Career Guide. (June 01, 2022). 15 Types of Business Letters and the Purpose of Each
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-business-letters

Sample texts (inquiry letter, police reports, political speeches, letters of appreciation etc.)
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/samplechapter/0205524214.pdf

Effective Communication Skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pYSbdGiDYw

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