1. INDIVIDUAL ORAL COMMENTARY WELCOME TO THE IOC

2. ANNOTATE THE POEM OR EXTRACT 20 Minutes Read the Guiding questions at the bottom of the text. Annotate for any and all poetic, literary or dramatic techniques. Create a basic outline including: Thesis statement/idea Major topics Bullet-pointed evidence with one-two word purpose Closing ideas – what big ideas have you been leading us towards?

3. CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS (AS LINKED TO PURPOSES) SPEAKER & AUDIENCE : Who is narrating? How does that affect the text? Is the narrator reaching out to a specific audience? How does the speaker reflect characterization? TONE: What is the speaker’s attitude towards the topic or other character? How does this influence your response? MOOD: How is it created? What stylistic devices are employed? STRUCTURE: What is the sequence of ideas? Are there any noticeable features in line / verse / narrative structure LANGUAGE: What kinds of words are used? What stylistic devices are employed? How does this shape your reading? IMAGES: Identify images and comment on their effects on your response to the main idea or character(s). RHYTHM / SOUND: What sound devices are employed? How does this influence your response to the ideas/mood/charcaters?

4. ORAL COMMENTARY STRUCTURE TIPS Introduction: Introduce the text and author Sum up the content/message/theme of the text Speaker and audience Comment on the context of the text Only include necessary context Thesis statement (do not base on a list of techniques)

5. BODY OPTIONS Approach the text in a linear fashion, one stanza/section at a time Approach the text holistically and thematically For both options: Fluidly integrate words/phrases from the text as you discuss its meaning Fluidly integrate stylistic (literary/poetic/dramatic) techniques and how they impact the meaning Make connections back to the thesis Feel free to mention if these are common techniques used by the author (since the IB knows you studied a collection of his works and/or read the entire novel/play) Use line number references, especially if jumping around

6. CONCLUSION Poetry Sum up how your content reflects the thesis. How does the text have personal meaning to you or to modern times? How does the text reflect the context of the author’s overall body of work? Consider saving the final lines of the text for your conclusion IF they reflect the text’s meaning. Prose or Drama Sum up how your content reflects the thesis. How does the text relate to the context (the story as a whole)? Was there foreshadowing? Significant characterization? Significant setting or relationships information? Consider saving the final lines of the text for your conclusion IF they reflect the text’s meaning. (This could work for Othello.)

7. COMMON LITERARY DEVICES IN TFA Epigraph (poem!) Point of View & Tone Mood Characterization Tragic Hero Foil Internal & External Conflicts Proverbs & Ibo Language/Songs Imagery Simile & Metaphor Symbolism Allusions (Biblical) Sound Devices – Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Sibilance, Plosive, Euphony, Cacophony Motifs

8. THINGS FALL APART PRACTICE Read the Guiding Questions at the bottom of the text. Take 20 minutes to analyse the passage. Annotate any and all stylistic devices which could relate to the Guiding Questions or other ‘big ideas’ you may have. Create a brief outline. If you choose to move linearly, make sure to write a THESIS so you can stay focused on it. What are your plans for an IOC on this passage?