Quick and dirty IOC organization

Warning!• There is no ‘one size fits all’ organization for the IOC• If you try to apply a set structure, and it does not fit…

you will lose points

The analysis• Use the Big 5!!!• Use colors• Look closely language:• at adjectives/adverbs and verbs• Sentence structure• Narration or dialogue (in play: stage directions)

• How is the passage organized?• One long paragraph or multiple• Can the passage be seen to have multiple parts

Decide on your thesis• Decide what the passage is about:

• Theme• Setting• Characterization• Plot

• This is your “thesis”: • ‘This passage helps us to understand the character(s) better’ or ‘This

passage shows us how CHARACTER X ….’• ‘This passage illustrates the theme(s) of ….’• ‘This passage is important for the plot development’, or ‘This passage

reveals…’ or ‘This is a critical moment’, etc.• ‘This passage provides us with information about the setting <mention>

Introduction: 1st minute• “This is my IOC for the May 2017 session for English A

Language and Literature• Identify the passage and the author• Say where in the work the passage comes (beginning, middle,

end; chapter if you know it), and what happens before, after or during. • State your thesis• State who is narrating the passage, who is present, and what is

the setting of the passage (if not mentioned earlier)• Give the structure of your oral (‘first I will talk about A, then B,

then C’, etc.

The organization of the body (multiple parts)• If the passage has a structure of multiple parts (e.g.,

“the first part of the extract describes one of the so-called ‘pilgrims’ while the second part describes the natives’), start with “The passage is divided into N parts; the 1st part …, etc.)• You don’t have to maintain the same organization

within the discussion of each part, only if it’s logical (e.g., if the tone changes between parts)

Organization of the body (general)• Good to talk about tone and mood first: immediately gets

into language• PEE: Illustrate every point with examples from the text (use

line numbers!)• Explain the effect on the reader: how does the example

achieve it.• Other possible organizational points:

• Diction• Symbols and metaphors• Specific poetic devices: “the use of …” (e.g., alliteration,

assonance, anaphora, etc.)

DOs and DON’Ts• AIM FOR 10 MINUTES• REMEMBER TO SIGNPOST WHEN YOU SWITCH TOPICS• DO NOT USE “LANGUAGE” or “STYLISTIC DEVICES” or

“LITERARY FEATURES” AS ONE OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL POINTS; THE ENTIRE IOC IS ABOUT THIS.• DO NOT MAKE A CONCLUSION OR SUMMARY; JUST

WHEN YOU GET TO YOUR LAST POINT, SIGNPOST WITH “In closing”, or “In conclusion” or “To conclude” or “Finally”, SO WE KNOW WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS