Popular Post Daedalus Posted July 29, 2010 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Here are some tips and suggestions for reading books (for A1 languages ) during IB. Not comprehensive; all suggestions and additions appreciated!1. Read the books early.If possible don't leave the book reading too late... i.e. preferably before you begin working on it in school, and the first time (more about this later) if possible before the start of the school year/term. This takes some of the load off of you during the school year, when you will have homework and other time-erasing responsibilities.2. Read the books often.In the simplest terms, more is better. There's no universally accepted 'magic number': you can read the books as many times as you want. But I'd suggest at least one preliminary reading to get an idea of the plot, characters, and general development of the novel, then a second reading (if available, while reading the Sparknotes as you go along). If you are doing a book in an exam, it is a good idea to read it a final time as late as possible before the exam - if you have several books here, work smart. It is easier to read the Great Gatsby than Anna Karenina, so if you 'get' the book - or at least like it - then it might be better to focus on re-reading the shorter books.3. Use available resources!Some teachers - most teachers, I'd hazard - don't like Sparknotes. Mainly because students tend to rely on it too much, especially when writing essays. But the thing about Sparknotes is that the chapter summaries, for example, are really useful in jogging your memory. The quotes section often helps clarify obscure or confusing fragments. I would read the entire Sparknotes for a book more than once, particularly to try to keep a large number of events and characters in mind. The fundamental edge you need when it comes to novels is to know them backwards - and Sparknotes is useful! Just close it when you start writing...4. Read novels in as short a time as possible.This is mostly my own opinion... the thing is, it's easier to get through a novel, especially something like Madame Bovary, Catch-22 or War and Peace, chapter-by-chapter. It's tempting to read a little bit at the end of the day, and pretty much forget the book otherwise. But this sort of reading doesn't really exercise your mind, since you're sleepy as you do it.. a small test: when you open up the book the next day, check back and see how much you remember. When I read before going to sleep I found that the last few pages were increasingly hazy; I could barely remember what had happened and none of the specifics of the language. This is up to you, but I'd suggest reading the book in as few chunks as possible: this enables you to see connection, patterns, motifs, etc. The more you stretch the reading the less complete your understanding of the novel will be.5. Take notes.As you go through the book during the more thorough reading, it's useful to make your own notes in some sort of structural pattern (i.e. chapter-by-chapter, organized by section, and so on). This helps you use certain sections of your mind that aren't employed during just passive reading, and makes it much easier to remember the actual storyline, etc. Also you should try to select important passages and quotes - the perfect exam essay includes specific quotes, and the best way to learn them is to write them down repeatedly. The earlier you identify them, the better. Some specific passages you should always be especially aware of: the opening/introductory passage, the climax, the end of the book, long monologues or soliloquy, and I guess moments when somebody dies (i.e. in Madame Bovary when Emma commits suicide). But there are usually lots more too.6. Create lists.This is book-specific, so use your own good sense to decide when it's necessary. For some books like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, it's really helpful to create lists of foreign words with definitions. Or sometimes, as with Joyce's Portrait, a lot of very specific vocabulary will be used, in this case to do with religion and churches, and if you've been secularly raised (like me) these may be confusing or, at the far end of the spectrum, completely meaningless. Lists and definitions are good because you can fold them and keep them as a bookmark in the book, and refer to them whenever you need to (or add to them) during subsequent readings, or even later in the book.7. Write Journal entries.This is a bit of a personal choice as well. I've seen it suggested several times but I've never done it myself in so many words, but it sounds helpful: writing occasional informal journal entries about specific scenes or passages. These can be pretty individual, spontaneous and unstructured. It has to do with the active thinking principle and also finding a personal response to books.. for example, you could even write about what you like and don't like in a book. Making neural connections is good, because it helps you remember things, and active thinking builds neural networks.8. Pay Attention to Specific Features of Novels.I could write a lot here, probably too much, so I'm just going to try to make a short list with some notes of the specific features of books it's a good idea to pay attention to, because they come up often in essays. A really useful reference book here is The Art of Fiction by David Lodge, which you can probably order on Amazon to arrive tomorrow, and lists 50 of these with examples and notes. But basically narrators are important, and the narrative 'tense' (is that the right word?) is very important. For example, first person narrators tend to be more personal than third person narrators, and that has an effect on the reader's perception of the story, how closely we identify with the characters, etc. Stream-of-consciousness is a particularly 'close' form of narration, but also look out for free indirect discourse, when the third person narrator takes on the speech mannerisms and opinions of a certain character. Setting/weather/landscape is also important; in some books it has symbolic importance, in others weather closely mirrors character's thoughts/emotions (look also for the pathetic fallacy) and time is significant too. Some books take place in twenty-four hours, others over years or even decades, and authors use these for specific reasons I guess. Also very significant are changes in any of these, like a sudden change in setting. And many, many books have changes in the passage of time - for example in Johnny Got His Gun, the first section is very specific and seems to take place over a few days or weeks, while the second suddenly leaps out to the scale of months and years. Changes in the passage of time, for example, often mirror other underlying shifts in the story, and I guess are good indicators of an important change.Also finally I've included a list of books that may be useful for studying novels, in the form of an attachment of a screenshot from the Oxford Study Courses guide. This can be purchase for something like 20 pounds and shipped to wherever you are, and might be a good investment by the way, even if you're good at your A1 Language.Good luck! 29 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbird Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 I think these are great tips. However, I'd like to add on about Sparknotes. I suggest not reading the analysis. It's generally more superficial than the kind of analysis IB wants. So if you get it in your brain, you're training yourself to work below IB level. It can also subconsciously stop you from thinking criticially about say, a metaphor, because hey, Sparknotes already explained it. Plus, my teacher says she reads Sparknotes for all the books we read so she can catch people relying on it to write a commentary or something. But, if you're confused about what's going on in a book because you totally hate it or are pressed for time, summaries are a good crutch. I'm speaking from experience here; I HATED One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, but Sparknotes summaries helped me sound intelligent in class until I could get a handle on interpreting the book.I agree that journal entries are good. First semester of English A1 HL, first year, we had to write a journal entry about every chapter of every book. It helped me get in the habit of truly analyzing early on. And it makes great material to build on for a commenary or presentation. But, with all the other IB stuff to do, it's not always practical.I'd also like to add to pay attention to syntax, alliteration, rhythm, the way sentences look and sound. Not a lot of people focus on those things in essays and presentations, so if you do, you'll sound extra smart and get points for "close reading". It's not the kind of thing you're likely to remember afterwards, so watch out for the way the author could be using those tools to highlight the theme while you're reading. 4 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Useful tips! Just two things to comment on -- firstly, that the Oxford Study Guide for Languages A1 is, in my opinion, mildly useful for the right person, but definitely not worth £20. I'd advise anybody to check it out before buying it (if possible) to see if it's something they think would help them instead of doing what I did and just buying it with the belief it would shed useful light on something I was hoping for some advice about WL essay formats in it and I don't think I ever read it after buying it and having a quick flick through! So check before getting it, in case it turns out to be a bit of a dud relative to what you were looking for.Secondly that I'd also suggest you know exactly what the book is for before you read it, because it'll change a lot about how you treat the book. For instance, if it's for the Oral Presentation you're going to give to the class, the fact is that you study at least 4 books (for HL anyway, fewer for SL) and will only ever use one. So instantly you know that you're basically looking for a single theme which interests you within the text (and one of your own choice, because you get to pick your topic!) and also that if the whole thing doesn't grab you, it's not necessarily worth your time provided you reckon one of the other texts for this section will grab you.If it's for the Oral Commentary, this is a different kettle of fish and you should know absolutely everything and anything about it, from the timeline to a good knowledge of each of the characters, even the minor ones. If somebody gave you an unknown extract, you should be able to place it with reasonable accuracy within the context of the plot. So you'd be well advised to even perhaps go to the extreme of making notes on each chapter as you do them so you don't have to re-read ALL of your novels/whatever to review them right before your exam (bad experience, trust me ).Texts for the exam, just know themes, characters, beginnings/endings, setting, stage directions (if there are any), author's style, pick out some important quotes as you go along and generally you want to have a reasonably good general knowledge of the book, but mostly just a lot of knowledge about themes. Like the Oral Commentary, you have to know all of your texts very well, and can't drop any (unlike the Oral Presentation).Books for your WL tasks, concentrate on themes, setting and characters in Book 1 and once you've figured out what's similar in Book 2 (i.e. what you can write a comparative essay about), settle on the theme you like best and want to compare and look mostly at that. It's safe to gloss over the rest to some extent.I think how well you go through the novels/texts is really important for A1. If your teacher is excellent at picking out the right things and guiding you through analysing the books in lessons, A1 becomes extremely simple. If they take you down the garden path and fail to concentrate on the important bits, you end up in a real pickle! 5 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulcheno Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 An other method to study is seen videos, Example you can inform you about the live of the writir seen his live! so you could write somethings. Thanx for your Tipps really helpfull Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Polaris Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 It's strange though. I seem to not be able to analyze books without the help of peers or teachers. I may read the book 10 times, but still analyze it poorly. But if the teacher gives me hints, I can write essays quite easily. So how can I improve analyzing on my own? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuka Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 I think these are great tips. However, I'd like to add on about Sparknotes. I suggest not reading the analysis. It's generally more superficial than the kind of analysis IB wants. So if you get it in your brain, you're training yourself to work below IB level. It can also subconsciously stop you from thinking criticially about say, a metaphor, because hey, Sparknotes already explained it. Plus, my teacher says she reads Sparknotes for all the books we read so she can catch people relying on it to write a commentary or something. But, if you're confused about what's going on in a book because you totally hate it or are pressed for time, summaries are a good crutch. I'm speaking from experience here; I HATED One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, but Sparknotes summaries helped me sound intelligent in class until I could get a handle on interpreting the book.I agree that journal entries are good. First semester of English A1 HL, first year, we had to write a journal entry about every chapter of every book. It helped me get in the habit of truly analyzing early on. And it makes great material to build on for a commenary or presentation. But, with all the other IB stuff to do, it's not always practical.I'd also like to add to pay attention to syntax, alliteration, rhythm, the way sentences look and sound. Not a lot of people focus on those things in essays and presentations, so if you do, you'll sound extra smart and get points for "close reading". It's not the kind of thing you're likely to remember afterwards, so watch out for the way the author could be using those tools to highlight the theme while you're reading.I agree! one day in the life of ivan denisovich is terrible!how did you even get through the book!? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellwo Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Dr. Polaris- I also have trouble with analyzing on my own. For me reading the book out loud helps. Talking with peers lets you have discussion about the book leading to analysis, so try to notice the things you would tell others about and look at your perception of the story from a different angle. Be the devil's advocate and ask why for example you think a certain character is cruel, and how its possible that another person could get a different stance from the same text. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salve Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 um i do not know what ib lit class i am in. i have done a op on fiela's child. a link essay on survival of austiwitz and black rain and fiela's child on a key passage. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classof2013 Posted June 18, 2011 Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thanks for these great tips! I'm currently reading my books for Y1 and its the summer before. There are some great ideas here to get me started on the analysing and remembering before the help of the teacher and peers is available. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anima Vilis Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 at my school that would have no point, as when we start talking about a book, each person has to prepare one chapter [or 2,3, depending on how long is the book] and then describe what happens there and explain all symbols etc. Therefore after doing all the book this way, chapter by chapter, we're kind of discouraged to reading the books or making any notes Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cancan Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 awesome stuff Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunstorm Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 appreciated, unfortunatly ive set my mind into the state of where i have read it once i wont read it again, or it will be too dull and boring- bleh.. But it has to be done, buckle up and go! I've always struggled with biblio's- cheers! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatebrownie Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Thanks for the helpful tips~ Especially for people like me, who are just about to begin their IB journeys. Kudos! ^^ Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky26 Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Something I found useful when reading Shakespeare was to know the story prior to reading the play. This way I could concentrate more on analysis, rather than figuring out the story. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kemo Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 great advicei would add two websites, spark note and shmoop.I myself have this habit now of downloading the e-book in a PDF formate. its reall more organized. i can easily add note and highlight what i want on the PDF... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Byrne Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) These are good tips and I wish I wouldve seen them earlier in the year. I sort of blew off Madame Bovary and didnt read it completely, so now I'm going to have to go back a re-read it. Also, annotations of important quotes and plot elements really help with the test. Edited February 10, 2012 by James Byrne Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananya.agrawal95 Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Still not started my IB, but for the IGCSE our teacher gave us a worksheet with the mnemonic CATSDRIFT. It can be used to analyze a text and to cover all the key points like Content, aim, theme, syntax etc. It usually fetches a few extra marks in the IGCSE, and I was told it is also used extensively while analyzing ib texts. The worksheet is here: Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Your tips are SO useful! I wish my school was a bit more organised. It's like we didn't have a teacher till the end of 1st year for english. So yeah, we're screwed. We don't even have a syllabus yet :'( Oh, Spark Note and Shmoop are really helpful. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
liina111 Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 nice! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbo Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 One thing I've found useful while reading the books was taking notes in the book or highlighting different motifs along the story line- that is, if the book is yours. It really helps when you read it over to see what your first impression was and what you notice through further examination. And the color marking makes the text all the more attractive and makes recurring elements way easier to identify and make sense of in the plot. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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