English IOP help- Huck Finn roleplay

[hyperactivejellyroll]

Hi everyone!
I'm planning on doing my IOP as a creative writing/roleplay of Huck Finn at the gates of heaven to show how Twain was questioning conventional morals. But I'm really unsure on how to do this (my teacher kind of took my original idea and transformed it into this...).
Especially on how to organize this thing-
the roleplay part should demonstrate Huck's character, and he would talk about the theme? How long should this be?
And then explain why I decided to make it a roleplay, then why and how I showed the theme of challenging conventions (analyze passages?), and then why I presented Huck the way I did?

And it would help to talk about Twain's tone right? But that's hard to do because it's written in Huck's point of view, so how can one tell the difference between what's Twain and what's just him making Huck?

Thanks so much for the help ;_;

[dexter]

Well i havent read the book but i did a role play and most of the kids in my class here are few ideas: A Character being questioned by a host of a talk show (sounds cheezy but if you perfect it then its great such as asking analytical questions), Also what i did was my character at the psychiatrist, which also use good questions or another kid in my class did was a episode of "The Moment of truth" where you ask and say yes or no AND EXPLAIN your answer , one more is a skit of any sort! Hope that helps and dont worry IOP's SHOULD be fun!

[avrila]

I do not have the idea about the Huck Finn roleplay. However, I have a few suggestion on how you can do the IOP rather than just acting.
I have done my IOP and last time my group chose to present it like the TV Program "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire"
My group consist of 3 people and I become kind of the host with two contestants. The question asked are related to our literature books. You can ask about the theme, characters,...
We follow the same format as the TV Programme plus the sound effect as well. We did quite well I guess.
Other of my classmate did kind of talkshow. It was fun too. Just a few ideas.. Good Luck!

[biochem]

[color="#800080"]Here is some advice I gave to someone else earlier, applicable to some of the sections you would like to cover:[/color]

I just did my IOP, and I have a lot of great advice for you. I think I got a perfect score on it
I hope this advice is something that everyone can refer to, since I am going to cover everything there is to know.

1. Choosing a topic is not the most difficult part. You have to understand that the around 10 min rule, is not a lot of time. In order to pull off all the literary PURE analysis, literary terms, connections, comparisons + generalizations - your going to need a topic that covers these parameters. So my first rule to choosing a topic is; IS it going to give you sufficient analysis? So for example, a topic for Jane Eyre could be clothing. This type of topic is not going to allow you to get the full points needed. So a better topic would be, Appearance vs. Reality (inside/outside) of the character Jane Eyre. This type of topic is perfect, since its never explicitly mentioned - but rather you have to deduce the reading to absorb the struggle and liberation of the inside/outside aspects of the character.

2. I would then advice you to mark your book as you read. This is usually the best way to cover the IOP, since you will have a chance to see whats going on as you read and analyze it, and then follow it up with a different perspective after you have read the book entirely. I had a composition, and I wrote down each quote that covered my topic - and then went back after I read the book and analyzed it. This gives u a clear structure. Often times, my classmates wanted to cover a topic which perpetually moves through the book - and they were unable to cover it in the type of standard IB wants you to simply because they didn't remember what the theme/motif really meant. so make sure u document and track each and every occurrence or repetition of your motif, for example.

3. Do know, that you are graded on merely what you offer. So if u decide to cover something, like my topic Friendship analysis of Huck and Jim, understand the potential and parameters of that given topic. You will have to make a considerable amount of micromanaging in order to produce a paragon of literary analysis. Simply put, a topic that spans the horizon of the book will be difficult to summarize in 10 min ,and many points will be under developed. So if u choose something like that, your going to have to synthesize and generalize through a perspective which will also allow a tremendous quantity of pure analysis.

4. I would suggest looking up literary terms, defining them yourself, before you actually start your IOP or as you are reading the novel. This will help locate actual literary devices, rather than you having to try to stuff them in your IOP later on. Most novels have an important catharsis, or have competing literary devices. State why you choose for example, the second epiphany Huck experiences, rather than the first one.

5. Use transitions in order to have a smooth flow of your IOP. Make sure that you have developed points, and a good conclusion along with a thesis. This will elt the class know where you are going, and for my IOP as soon as I gave the thesis statement my teacher wrote down my 3 points in order to make sure I mention them throughout. This leads us to the next crucial point. Flow, flow, Flow. you should have a smooth flow of your topics. Maybe even a purposeful structure. I would not suggest chronological. Even in my Topic which spans the book and clearly has evolutionary aspects available, topics which are the main theme of the book and are all throughout, have to be synthesized. and going chronologically, will mean that you have points which u MUST mention, but are not as important in order to have flow. so to incorporate flow in a IOP which covers the significant aspects of a friendship for example, you would want to do their interactions as friends, how these interactions are effected by the external society and finally the individual development.

6. Have support for everything you say. So many students I listened to, said a wonderful idea and had no support. You should have support for the major things you are trying to develop, like Hucks evolution as a character, I used two different epiphanies which he has in order to show their contrast. So it wasn't something I came up with out of no where. I used two different ways he viewed nature, to explain or allude to the fact that his POV changes and is a reflection of his development as a character. So support your ideas periodically.

7. If you give an example, take it to the fullest potential. I heard in one of the presentations, that a parrot outside the Potellier home spoke different languages in a cage (Awakening). Why? see simply stating this wont allow you to score in the most important category where 10 points of the IOP come from (i.e., understanding of the text). The parrot spoke different languages as a sign of its influence, a refection of how a society can alter the it's nature, which foreshadows Edna's captivity due to socially congealed molds. Underdeveloped points are best not mentioned, then actually slipped in quickly in an attempt to cover something. This goes for literary devices too. Dont just throw in "metaphor" somewhere. Explain its effectiveness, and why it was necessary.

8. So at this point your IOP has direction and its well on its way, or already done. You should take a good amount of time to practice it. In my preliminary stages of practice, I noticed that I swayed to the side, fiddled with my pen, looked plenty of times at my notes and distracted the viewer. You don't want anyone to be distracted, you want a crisp articulation of words which allows you to effectively get the point across. dont put stress on words that are especially put in the IOP for vocabulary purposes. So you should have a formal presentation, with no stress on words like FAUX PAS, in attempt to indicate to the teacher you have used a word that's impressive. Rather ,make it sound like the word is directly from your mere thought process during the oral. As if, its part of your daily vocabulary. And all of this goes under the ability to give a convincing presentation, which is assessed on the Rubric. Sound like u understand what is going on, and not as if u are unsure. You want, even those points which might not hit a home-run, to sound like they are meaningful.

9. Time yourself, and practice before an audience. I practiced my oral 5 times in front of various classes, before I got the chance to actually say it. I administered note cards, on which the classmates wrote what they thought was good or bad about the presentation. Then I took this advice, and corrected it.

10. Dont wait till the last day. Dont use a PowerPoint, UNLESS it enhances your overall presentation (for example, covering imagery, should be done on a power point). And dont get sleep the night before, more than you normally do. Stick to your normal sleeping schedule. the night before, I had 3 hours of sleep in order to stimulate the same brain activity. Often times, my classmates take the opportunity and go to sleep at 6 p.m. after school, sleeping for 12 hours, and come to school dead. This is because Dopamine is a chemical in your brain which is released when you dont have sufficient sleep. you dont want to alter your biological chemistry the night before an exam. This causes a disturbance. Same goes for extreme diets. Dont have some extravagant breakfast before, rather have it after you finish the oral and you breath that heavy sigh, knowing that you just got a perfect score