Step By Step Guide

 

1.        Begin by selecting two or three different possible topics for your presentation: don¡¦t simply jump at the first idea that occurs to you. Making your topic a question by starting with the word ¡¥How¡¦, e.g. ¡¥How does Szymborska explore the theme of ¡K in her poetry?¡¦ or ¡¥How has Ondaatje used the motif of foodin the Outside?¡¦ or ¡¥How has the political situation of South Africa under Apartheid influenced Puig¡¦s work?¡¦ can be a good start.

 

2.        Check the mark scheme and make sure that the topic you finally choose will allow you to score as highly as possible. Choosing something you are actually interested in will really help too!

 

3.        Write out a plan for your IOP that breaks down the 15 minute presentation time into different, logically connected sections. You will need to check this with me before you go any further.

 

4.        Once your plan has been approved, begin gathering quotations or references to the text for your presentation. Even if you are doing a creative presentation it will need to be grounded firmly in a text and so you will need quotations to use in your explanation.

 

5.        It is a good idea to begin by writing out a script as a basis for your presentation but by the time you actually come to present you should know your topic well enough to be able to improvise away from this script as you will not actually be allowed a script when you present.

 

6.        In particular you should write out a first and last sentence of your presentation so that you do not begin with ¡¥Um ¡K¡¦ and end on ¡¥Well ¡K er ¡K yeah, that¡¦s it!¡¦ Try to make these sentences as powerful and memorable as possible!

 

7.        Ensure that you have everything ready for your presentation and that any presentation aids are going to work smoothly. Movie clips and songs for example don¡¦t always work smoothly on other computers or projectors so it is a good idea to check that these do in fact work before your presentation

 

Given the flexible nature of this assessment task the suggested structure outlined below is only a rough guide that works well for very straight-forward presentations and so you should feel free to deviate from it if it seems appropriate to your presentation.

 

Presenting your oral:

1

Min
  1. Begin with the first sentence you have prepared so that your first word is not ¡¥Um ¡K¡¦

 

  1. Explain briefly the text that your presentation is going to be based on and what you are going to do. You may also want to introduce the main points that you will make in your presentation if necessary

 

  1. You will have to, at some point, indicate an understanding of the context that the text was written in. The introduction might be a good place to do this

 

12

Mins
  1. If you are doing a straight forward presentation:

¡P         you should have a clear series of points that you work through in a logical, sensible order

¡P         you should examine each point in depth and complete it before moving on to the next point, this will mean that you do not have to disrupt the structure of your presentation by jumping back to an earlier point when you suddenly remember something your previously forgot.

¡P         try to ensure that there is some kind of logical link between points as this will make the movement from one point to the next more smooth

 

  1. If you are doing a dramatic or creative presentation:

¡P         you may begin by performing the dramatic or creative element of your presentation

¡P         you should then go on to analysing your creative response and how it is grounded in the relevant text

 

  1. In both cases you will probably at some point want to make use of the PEE structure:

¡P         Make a Point ¡V ¡¥Szymborska implies that while life and love are fragile things, there is nonetheless something beautiful and valuable about them.¡¦

¡P         Give your Evidence ¡V the line ¡¥We, too, can divide ourselves ¡K Into flesh and poetry.

¡P         Explain how this relates to the Point ¡V ¡¥The line implies that even though we are destined to die, like the Holothurian mentioned at the start of the poem, we can create a sort of immortality through poetry. The fact that this poetic immortality is described as a ¡¥broken whisper¡¦ suggests that it is fragile but the subsequent line ¡¥non omnis moriar¡¦ ends the poem on a hopeful note as Szymborska asserts that we shall not wholly die.¡¦

 

1

Mins
  1. You do not need to have an obvious ¡¥summing up¡¦ style conclusion, indeed a good presentation will often end on its strongest and most effective point, but if you wish to include a conclusion then do so briefly here.

 

  1. Conclude with the final sentence that you have prepared in advance so that your last words are not ¡¥Well ¡K er ¡K that¡¦s about it!¡¦