FOA+Topics

=Further Oral Activities: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T?=

Please add your ideas to this page, especially if you disagree with a statement!
The idea here is for teachers (you!) to add to the descriptions below in either column - or add entirely new examples, or your own reasoning if you feel something on the page is in error. Especially see if you can add to the Acceptable column to show how an unacceptable idea can be made workable.

THE IB SAYS According to IB materials, the FOA must meet a number of criteria.


 * 1) First, the student must show understanding of the content of the text or topic they are presenting.
 * 2) They must also show an understanding of the way language is used to create meaning and an appreciation of how language and style are used for effect in a text or surrounding a topic. This includes showing understanding of the medium through which communication takes place.
 * 3) They should show intercultural understanding: an awareness of the interrelationship between language, meaning and cultural context(s) of their topic [and the contexts of production and reception of their texts]. //Does anyone think this is NOT an expectation of the FOA?//
 * 4) The topic must also satisfy one of the learning outcomes for the Part you are teaching, so the topic may be a bit limited, as well.

In the Oxford textbook book (we call it the Philpot text), the author recommends EVERY Further Oral be centered around a particular text so that criterion B can be addressed. Indeed, we can get a sense this is true reading the FAQ on the Further Orals in the IB's Teacher Support Materials, where it reads:
 * //Students should analyse texts, exploring the ways in which the circumstances of production and reception affect the meaning of those texts. They may then choose a task, relating it to their study of texts and topics from parts 1 or 2. They should reveal their understanding of these factors by using a register appropriate to the task; there should be a clear sense of structure to the analysis.//

One IB workshop packet listed the following:

Assessment
 * Knowledge and Understanding: Students are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of texts studied in parts 1 and 2 and the implications of the language used.
 * Application and Analysis: Students are required to analyse texts, exploring the ways in which the circumstances of production and reception affect the meaning of texts.
 * Synthesis and Evaluation: Students are required to analyse texts in a way that evaluates conflicting viewpoints within and about a text.
 * Selection and use of appropriate presentation and language skills: Students are required to choose a style and a register that are appropriate to the task. There should be a clear sense of structure.

How can topics be set up to meet the demands of the FOA rubric, especially criterion B? PLEASE ADD OR CHANGE THE INFORMATION IN THIS CHART or add new ideas to help create a list for teachers and students that helps reveal the characteristics of acceptable oral tasks. If you find one that should be in the other column, feel free to move it -- or make one acceptable and then place the fixed version on the right. Finally, please put your initials after your comments, if you wish. (Note Brad Philpot's suggestion is to take each sample and see how it fulfills each of four criteria: learning outcomes, topics, format and criteria, all as described in various places in the A1 Lang and Lit documentation.)


 * I should point out that for simplicity, since the creative formats the students were choosing sometimes thoroughly hindered their meeting the various criteria, I now ask students to do a presentation, rather than holding an interesting interview or debate of what-have-you. I had too many students do something fun that simply wasted their FOA effort or made assessment very challenging. Sad, no?**


 * ~ == Category== ||~ == Not acceptable== ||~ == Acceptable - - - - - How language creates meaning== ||
 * Mass Comm: Social networks || Presentation on how Facebook is changing social interaction || * Examination of the language used by Facebook users and how this impacts social interaction, through direct examples from Facebook or using secondary research on the topic
 * “Role-play” of social interaction before and after Facebook, focusing on the language used, followed by discussion
 * ??? || Presentation on global climate change (GCC) || Investigation of how language is implicated in the debate about GCC:
 * Example: Analyze an editorial on GCC in relation to its rhetorical structures or use of imagery or compare two editorials from both sides of the issue.
 * Present research on secondary reading about the issue of language use in the GCC debate
 * Mock debate that purposefully demonstrates varieties of language use, e.g., using particular metaphors on both sides ||
 * Lang and Gender/ Mass Comm: Gender portrayals in adv'ing || Presentation on sexism in advertising, focusing on topics brought up in Killing Us Softly || * Show understanding of the content and intent of the film
 * Focus on the language of the advertising that is being examined, both visual and textual
 * Understanding of the use of language in the film or the use of language in general ||
 * Mass Comm: News Trends || Debate about media consolidation’s effects on news || * Debate that makes use of language as seen in the real-world debate on the topic, or possibly debates in general (?) ||
 * || (From Oxford's L&L guide): A consideration of the way children are presented in the films Stand By Me and Home Alone ||  ||
 * || (From Oxford's L&L guide): An exploration of the lyrics in the songs used in the musical Fela!, also in relation to the presentation through dance and costume. ||  ||
 * || As per Jo: Writing and performing a scene concerning an issue encountered in the study of Part 1 or Part 2 of the course; example: a scene in which a couple reveal gender stereotypes ||  ||
 * || As per Jo: Re-enacting a particular cultural or historical moment with a different focus or interpretation in mind; example: ??? ||  ||
 * Language and Gender: Portrayals in the Media || My students tried: Presentation on gender roles as presented in modern song lyrics. Students showed clips of various songs, as well as transcribed lyrics, and talked about how each song did or did not express stereotypical views of women and men. Includes class discussion to identify typical stereotypes in song. [AS] || HOW'S THIS? Presentation on gender roles with analysis of several songs' lyrics to identify particular ways the song did or did not adhere to stereotypes for both men and woman (e.g., a song by a male rapper might be about women but contain references that are stereotypical of male rappers). This includes close reading of selected lyrics. This is augmented by analysis of both changes in stereotypes and portrayals of gender in song lyrics from various eras (e.g., The Sinatra vs. current hip-hop). Presentation could look not only at the language of lyrics, but also at the way the "message" is delivered in visual language (for songs with videos) and even analyze how these work together or against each other. [AS] ||
 * || Here are some from a workshop and then a book by Brad Philpot. Are they in the correct column? ||  ||
 * ||  || One student pretends to be a radio talk-show host (NPR), interviewing the project manager of Google Translate. The student explains the mechanics of this translation machine and how it will change the world of international communications. [Thus showing knowledge of both interviews and the translation machine. -AS] ||
 * ||  || The year is 1980. One student is Fela Kuli, a songwriter from Nigeria. The other is Bob Marley, a songwriter from Jamaica. Both artists are enjoying fame for their songs; Kuti for “Colonial Mentality” and Marley for “Redemption song.” Both songs seem to be about similar themes. The teacher is a journalist who interviews both artists about their successful hits, the meanings behind their lyrics and the language that they use to express their respective identities. ||
 * ||  || The student is Barack Obama's speechwriter, Jon Favreau, who tells an interviewer (the teacher) about how he was inspired to write Obama's famous 2008 victory speech by MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. Besides comparing and contrasting both speeches, the student explains how he, as a young white male, writes his speeches for a prominant African American. ||
 * ||  || A student describes what she has learned about Indian culture through reading Indian matrimonial ads. In a presentation she describes to her classmates how certain ads raised certain questions. She analyzes the language of several ads in the context of Indian marriage customs, which she has had to research. [Any thoughts on what the class topic would be to which this might link? How about Language and Social Relations, I suppose, in Part I, or advertising in Part II.] ||
 * ||  || Four students hold a debate entitled, "The UK's Best Newspaper." They comment on what it means to be "the best" newspaper. They explore four different newspapers' use of headlines, mastheads, columns, and general practice of journalism. The teacher leads the debate. [Should the teacher really lead the debate, or is this the responsibility of the students being assessed? -AS] ||
 * || On a talk show in the U.S., several guests are invited to talk about the success of the TV show America's Next Top Model (ANTM). On this panel is ANTM's host, Tyra Banks, a critic, Jennifer Romolini, someone from the fashion industry and a former participant in ANTM (perhaps the plus-size model who won in cycle 10). The students explore the use of camera angle, the language used on the show, the "unscripted" responses of this reality show, and the effects the show has on young women in America. || [Seems like far too many topics to me, and the celebrity angle doesn't necessarily lead to a strong examination of language... I had students try to do a "celebrity interview" and was not sure if speaking in modern teeny-bopper slang (and bad grammar, etc.) was my student or the part they were playing. -AS] ||
 * || Two students pretend to be two mothers complaining to each other about their daughters' use of English, which seems to be corrupted by chatting on the computer and texting on their phones. || [What is the text type, first of all? How do mothers use language to communicate and how do I assess this? Is this even important to the assessment? Might this work depending on the identification of the mothers involved, e.g., are they from a particular culture or class? -AS] ||
 * ||  || Conversation between two influential people who may or may not have lived in the same time period. What is Naomi Klein had had a conversation with Eddie Bernays? What if media tycoon Rupert Murdoch could talk with Marshall McLuhan? They could talk about how the media have changed over the years for better or worse. Be sure these people discuss a particular text, such as a news report or an advertisement. [from Philpot 116] ||
 * ||  || Watch several documentaries, then base a task around an interview with the producer of one of these documentaries. Perpare a list of questions to be asked, adn give it to your teacher or antoher student, then engage in a dialogue about the documentary. [Philpot 116] ||
 * ||  || A group of students create a court scene in whcih culture jammers like Adbusters are being sued by a large corporation for mashing-up or manipulating one or several of their ads. Persent both sides of the discussion. [Philpot 116] ||
 * ||  || Watch several documentaries, then base a task around an interview with the producer of one of these documentaries. Perpare a list of questions to be asked, adn give it to your teacher or antoher student, then engage in a dialogue about the documentary. [Philpot 116] ||
 * ||  || A group of students create a court scene in whcih culture jammers like Adbusters are being sued by a large corporation for mashing-up or manipulating one or several of their ads. Persent both sides of the discussion. [Philpot 116] ||