Language has, and always will, go beyond the bounds of a textbook. This workshop for K-16 educators of any language level will allow participants to harness the power of authentic, multimodal texts by demonstrating best practices for activity design using the Multiliteracies framework. Interweaving theory and practice, this workshop will: 1) briefly present theoretical foundations of this approach; 2) engage participants with interpretive activities based on authentic texts; and 3) guide participants in the design of an instructional sequence for their own teaching context. Through the diverse themes usually offered in FL textbooks (family, food, hobbies, etc.), this workshop will demonstrate possibilities for orienting FL instruction to socially relevant issues, as well as assessing students through the use of creative artifacts. Participants will gain practical ideas for selecting and designing texts and activities that maximize textual engagement to develop culture-specific knowledge and foster students’ agency and autonomy.
