<p>hi u guys, i have my external IB eng a1 oral commentary coming up in two weeks. I really wanna do well on it, but im starting to panick BIG TIME! do any of you have some good tips about how to go about preparing? I have about 25 extracts to prepare for, i usually know exactly what to say but i get very very very tongue tied and nervous when i start talking into the tape recorder. i forget everything i had in mind, my language becomes an embrsmnt , i end up saying things witch i pity my teacher for haveing to listen to, i loose my place in the notes tht i wrote in the 20 mins prep time and take forever to find the quotes im looking for. do u guys have any suggestions, or maybe a way tht u go about when doing orals or this type of presentation in general?</p>
<p>well. im not in IB, but thanx to ib people in AP class we have to do practice orals anyways. and i've always done well and i hate public speaking. my way of doing it.. has always been to rely less on notes... other than just for rembemering what to write about. cause honestly, u'ev read the extracts for english, u kno the stuff its just about trusting that you know it and interpreting whatever passage you have. if you lose your place in your notes, just go with the first thing u see on teh passage that u kon something about and keep going, and then maybe glance back for more hints. and i kno it's probalby hard. but for oral exams like these. u jsut have to calm down and tell yourself you'll do fine. \ my school's ib orals are this week.. oh and make sure your teacher has batteries/the recorder plugged in. Someone last year from my school. did his whole IB english oral.. and his teacher realized the recorder wasnt plugged in. he ran out of the library screaming and had to go back in and do it after a 3 min calming down period :) Good Luck!</p>
<p>First of all, you're lucky, elodie! We had no idea what passage we would get; we only knew the possible books. Here's some tips my teacher gave us: </p>
<p>General Tips
1) Speak calmly. Don't rush.
2) Avoid trying to sound sophisticated- be yourself.
3) The tape recorder is just proof you did the commentary- don't worry about it.
4) As you deliver your commentary, make sure you're in the right place in your notes.
5) Identify the work and the author.
6) Where is the passage located in the work?
7) Have an introduction and conclusion.
8) Decide if you will organize line-by-line or by literary techniques.
9) Highlight passage; write brief notes about the details of the passage (not the whole work).
10) Answer the guiding questions.
11) State the obvious, but don't end there. ELABORATE!
12) Balance critical analysis with personal impression:
-Sense of questioning
-Acknowledging/working through ambiguity
-Consider alternate interpretations or responses.</p>
<p>Where to Start
1) In the introduction, introduce your plan and place in context.
2) Avoid just describing and identifying-what is the effect?
3) Look for descriptions of characters and characters' states of mind.
-______ makes the character seem...
-Based on ______, the character will...
4) Does this passage introduce or reinforce themes?
5) What words express thoughts or emotions? How do they create their effects?
6) What do allusions/images suggest or reveal?
7) What is the primary purpose of the passage?
8) Who is the speaker? Does this make a difference?
9) Is the vocabulary/diction important?
10) Is there any irony? Expand and describe its purpose.
11) How is form important? How does form fulfill the content?
12) Include literary techniques:
-Rhythm?
-Rhyme?
-Deviations in form?
-Breaks in passage?
-Stream of consciousness?
-Questions in passage?
-Transitions?
13) Make sure to cover setting, characterization, style, mood, and tone. </p>
<p>I am sure you'll do fine. Don't worry about the tape recorder; only look at your notes if you need to. Speak slowly and distinctly. Keep your finger on your notes if you tend to lose your place. Make sure to follow your notes; they'll help you remember what to say. Make the best of your prep time. The 10-15 minutes will go by quickly. It's really not that bad. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks so much that was really helpful!</p>