kman Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 hey everyone, I am currently working on my IOP on Chronicle of a death foretold. Other than the traditional commentary on themes, literary devices, etc, I wanted to incorporate something creative that would allow me to stand out. Any suggestions/hints will be greatly appreciated. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biochem Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Here is some advice I gave to someone else earlier, applicable to some of the sections you would like to cover: I just did my IOP, and I have a lot of great advice for you. I think I got a perfect score on it happy.gif 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 happy.gif 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kman Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 That was very kind of you. Your advice really helped me and I am sure it will help others as they do their IOP's as well. Thanks =D Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ongfufu Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 WOW biochem, did you copy and paste? Or you actually wrote that here? I totally agree on the point about transition. It is SO important to diverge from one idea to another smoothly. That's one part I failed to do... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefuhfuh Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 biochem, you are better than my teacher. lol Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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