Further Oral Activity

Objectives To engage with the process of intercultural understanding To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of language in texts studied Analyze texts, exploring the ways in which the circumstances of production and reception affect the meaning of texts Analyze texts in a way that evaluates conflicting viewpoints within and about a text Choose a style, register, and organization that are appropriate to the task To understand the connections between language, culture, and context

Product A ten minute presentation/activity (per student) that demonstrates your understanding of a part 1 text and topic An interactive presentation/activity that addresses the relationship between language, meaning, and cultural context

Important Information Students are required to engage in at least two further oral activities, one based on part 1 and one on part 2 of the course. The mark of the best activity is submitted for final assessment; the marks of the other activities must be recorded and kept by the school. Students are expected to choose their activity in consultation with the teacher and link it to one (or more) specific learning outcome(s) from part 1. There must be a clear link between the activity and the texts that have been studied in a particular part of the course.

Timeline Introduction October 11 & 12 Proposals October 13 & 17 Conferencing/Prep November 3-10 Presentations November 13-22

Learning Outcomes (choose one of these for your focus): Analyse how audience and purpose affect the structure and content of texts. Areas to be considered could include: The change in register between different sources comparing/contrasting language in a variety of media postcolonial rereadings of texts.

Learning Outcomes (choose one of these for your focus): Analyse the impact of language changes. Points to be considered could include: the impact of electronic communication on meaning (emojis, texting, etc.) the emergence of new vocabulary (slang, jargon, etc.) from the language of groups (for example, young people) The emergence and/or disappearance of vocabulary and of languages themselves (what makes a word a word, dictionary entries, etc.)

Learning Outcomes (choose one of these for your focus): Demonstrate an awareness of how language and meaning are shaped by culture and context. Points to be considered could include: the ways in which jargon and professional language are used the ways in which language affirms identity the status given to standard and non-standard forms of the language the status of minority languages in multilingual societies.

Topics You may choose from the following topics  Language and gender (inequality, constructions of masculinity and femininity) Language and communities (nation/region, subcultures) Language and the individual (multilingualism/bilingualism, language profile/identity) Language and power (linguistic imperialism, propaganda, politics) History and evolution of the language (disappearing and revival languages, slang, emoji) Language and taboo (swearing, political correctness)

A Reminder Remember that your FOA should demonstrate understanding of your topic and text(s). Therefore, you must analyze the way language shapes meaning in at least one primary source.

Sample Formats/Topics (from the IB Lang & Lit Course Guide)  You can choose from four formats for your FOA: Structured group discussion Role play Dramatic presentation Oral presentation

Structured group discussion Discussion arising from materials prepared by a small group of students, for example, identifying the social, cultural and economic position taken by a particular text Class discussion where two or three students have been given special responsibilities (advance preparation, particular topics, a short report, a provocative position)—the whole class may participate, but only those two or three students should be assessed independently The presentation of material lending itself to discussion within the class, for example, the offering of two opposing readings of a text Formal debate

Role play A dialogue between two public figures with a follow-up discussion highlighting the way meaning is constructed (example: a mock presidential debate) A public figure interviewed by the student as him/herself, or in another role (for example, a fellow politician) Advertising or public relations figures using language in a meeting to shape the view of a product, brand or public figure

Dramatic presentation Writing and performing a scene concerning an issue encountered in the study of part 1 of the course Re-enacting a particular cultural or historical moment with a different focus or interpretation in mind

Oral presentation A formal speech based on an aspect studied in part 1 of the course A report related to an aspect of part 1 of the course, for example, comparing two newspaper articles on the same topic and identifying the stance taken by the newspapers as related to audience and context The examination of a particular interpretation of a text or event (example: looking at different reactions to the Paris attacks) A commentary on the use of a particular image, idea or symbol in a text or texts studied A comparison of two texts part 1 of the course (example: compare two commercials for the same product but designed for different audiences) An account of a student’s developing response to a text (formal analysis of a text) A presentation on image as text (example: present analysis of a photograph or series of photographs)

Successful past Examples Analysis of children’s cartoons, including a discussion of how the age of the audience impacts understanding Analysis of how companies market to children (or other target audiences) Analysis of how and why the portrayal of women on Cosmopolitan covers has changed over time Analysis of swearing in different parts of sports culture (swearing among teammates, swearing to referees, swearing as spectators, etc.) Role play showing different conversation rituals of men and women Analysis of emojis and how they have changed communication

Other ideas Analysis of a current event relating to language and taboo (campus safe spaces, celebrities getting into trouble, etc.) Comparison of two versions of a translation (analysis of subtitles in a film) Comparison of a scientific journal and a scientific blog about the same topic Analysis of code-switching (example: Barack Obama’s different interactions w/ African-Americans) Presentation about the language of a specific community (gamers, Appalachia, teenagers [slang], etc.) Debate about whether to allow certain words into the dictionary

dos Exercise quite a bit of choice to exploit your own intellectual and creative talents and interest. In other words, pick a topic that you know and love. You have a lot of freedom with your topic, as long as it lends itself to reaching a learning outcome (listed above). Put your personality into your presentation. Have fun with this; I’ll keep an open mind if you will! Use a register appropriate for your audience, while keeping in mind that this is an academic activity.

don’ts You may not read from a pre-prepared script (although you may have a few notes if you need them). Don’t make a traditional slide deck with bullet points to use as the crux of your presentation. If you use visual aids, they should supplement your presentation, not drive it. (Use TED talks as models for good visual aids). FOAs driven by traditional slideshows can score no higher than a 2 in criterion C.

Proposals On Haiku

FOA Assessment Criteria On Haiku