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1. Note down on your schedule: DATE: DAY: TIME: READING ROOM: RECORDING/EXAM ROOM: 2. Present your permission slip to your subject teacher at the start of your class. Make sure to give yourself 5 minutes to get to the reading room. 3. When you reach the recording room, you will choose a number from a box that will correspond to an envelope with your IOC text - which will be printed on an A3 sized sheet. 4. Read your text and write your notes on the A3 sheet paper. It has been printed on A3 so you won!t have to ip from page to page. 5. When you write your notes, REMEMBER: a. Write down only what you can actually explain and point out as evident in the text. i. Review your notes on Macbeth and Robert Frost!s poems thoroughly - it is very obvious if you are not familiar with a text! ii. Always P.E.E. - POINT, EVIDENCE, EXPLANATION - you will not receive marks for identifying literary devices or giving only the meaning of a text. iii. Practice, practice, practice - record yourself using your past commentary texts iv. YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE TEXT ITSELF ONLY b. Begin with T.A.G.T.T. i. Title - in a poem, how does the title create meaning? ii. Author - gives the context of the text, the author himself creates meaning. iii. Genre - relate how the genre creates meaning iv. Theme - what is the key idea of the text itself? v. Tone - what is the attitude of the persona or the character/s? How does it create meaning? c. Be prepared to receive an excerpt i. If it is an excerpt from Macbeth, you will need to BRIEFLY explain which part of the play this text comes from and how that creates meaning. ii. You may receive an excerpt from a long Robert Frost poem - make sure to explain BRIEFLY what the full poem is about to contextualize your excerpt.

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d. Read the guiding questions i. You are NOT required to answer these, if you a strong idea about how to comment on the text, go with that rst of all. ii. The guiding questions are there to help you cover the most important ideas -so keep them in mind. e. Make sure to note down HOW the following creates meaning: i. Literary devices ii. Interesting words iii. Interesting sounds iv. Structure v. Context of the text f. Organize your commentary: Write a DETAILED OUTLINE i. Introduction - tell them what you are about to comment on ii. Body - comment on the text in detail, YOU MUST CITE LINES AND GIVE EXAMPLES. DO NOT GIVE ONLY A GENERAL COMMENTARY iii. Conclusion - recap and summarize iv. NEVER ENTER THE RECORDING ROOM WITH ONLY ANNOTATIONS ON YOUR TEXT, I will collect your envelope and A3 paper with your planning at the end of your recording and these could help decide your nal marks. 6. When you enter the recording room, place all your materials on the desk and do not start until you are absolutely ready. 7. Remember to begin your commentary with: My name is ________ from the Overseas Family School. The text for my individual oral commentary is (title) by (author). 8. Look at the timer on the recorder and MAKE SURE TO SPEAK FOR 10 MINUTES. a. You will be given a YELLOW POST IT NOTE when you reach 5 minutes. b. You will be given a PINK POST IT NOTE when you have reached 8 minutes. 9. When you are done with your commentary, remember to say: THAT IS THE END OF MY COMMENTARY. 10. When you are done with your commentary, Ms. Wiseman will ask you some questions: a. These questions are meant to HELP you: i. If you are told that you need to explain something further, do so in greater detail as these will secure important marks. ii. If you are asked something from the guiding questions, make sure to answer it, with detail as this may mean you missed an important idea.

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11. Never, EVER, EVER, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD: a. Make a wild, unsubstantiated guess - there is no way for you or the teacher to walk it back if it is wildly off topic, and it will spin your commentary out of track. b. Confuse your genres/terminologies i. Macbeth is a PLAY - not a BOOK ii. Poems have STANZAS and LINES - not PARAGRAPHS or SENTENCES c. Use past tense to discuss a piece of literature: Shakespeare USES Banquo as a foil ... NOT Shakespeare USED Banquo as a foil... Also: Lady Macbeth INFLUENCES Macbeth... NOT Lady Macbeth INFLUENCED Macbeth... d. Say that Shakespeare or Robert Frost means for you to read the text literally. If I have to explain this point, you are in the wrong course. 12. For bonus marks: a. Organize your commentary in a sophisticated manner i. Have an interesting introduction ii. Make your ideas build on each other, rather than just making a grocery list of ideas iii. End with an interesting, memorable sentence (that SEALS your commentary NOT undo it) b. Make connections - Does this Frost poem remind you of another poem of his? Does this excerpt from Macbeth have an important link to another part of the play? c. Choose the very best examples from the text that helps serve your commentary, don!t just make a list of features. d. Read your IBS1 Lang and Lit text book for examples of good commentaries. 13. CALM DOWN AND RELAX. 14. STUDY WELL. DO YOUR BEST.