Guide to Language B in the DP

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  10. Individual oral activity (SL)

Individual oral activity (SL)

For the IOA, SL students analyze a visual stimulus while making links to the language B themes. Developing a thorough understanding of how students need to approach the IOA can go a long way in supporting student success. Let’s begin by taking a look at the IOA structure.

Structuring the SL IOA

The IOA consists of 3 parts as illustrated below:

Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 1.47.39 PM.png

For students, approaching part 1 (presentation) can often be confusing. In the illustration below, you will find a suggested structure that you may like to share with your students to help them break down their presentation into simpler parts. This will help them make a more coherent presentation based on the visual stimulus.

Here is a template you can share with your students to help them scaffold their presentations.

Help students learn how to analyze visuals for the SL IOA

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Selecting a visual stimulus

The first step for a teacher during the SL IOA process is to choose a visual stimulus. This can be a fun exercise as teachers have the freedom to choose stimuli from different types of sources like photographs, comics, illustrations, and or an ad.  Just a word of caution though, while the chosen image can have minimal words, it should not have any captions. You can use the illustration below as a checklist of things to keep in mind while selecting the stimuli.

Screenshot 2022-10-12 at 5.58.49 PM.png

Analyzing visuals

Now that you know how to choose the visual stimulus, let’s take a look at how you can ensure that your selected visuals are appropriate for the assessment. Consider the following pictures, focusing on the theme of ‘Human Ingenuity’ and review their suitability.

Visual 1: Source
Visual 2: Source

Although both pictures are related to the theme of human ingenuity, it is evident that visual 2 offers more opportunities for students to be able to do the following:

  • describe the picture
  • pay more attention to detail
  • make inferences
  • engage in relevant conversations with the teacher on the theme and beyond

However, a key aspect that is missing or not so evident is: “Relevance to the target culture.” Visual 2 could have been taken in many places, but there is no unique connection to the target culture. This does not mean you cannot use the visual; however, you must train students to come up with this connection even when it is not so evident. Let us consider two more examples, this time considering the theme of ‘Sharing for the Planet’.

Visual 3: Source
Visual 4: Source

Not only is the theme evident in the visuals, but there are also certain elements that make them easy to relate to the target culture. The mention of ‘Trump’ in visual 4 and the lady dressed as the Statue of Liberty in visual 3 both indicate the USA as a setting with English as the target language. These elements make it easier for the students to focus on an aspect of the target culture and language. Visual 5 below, while allowing students to talk through the picture and the possibility of focusing on different descriptive items, does not make the link to the target culture very evident – it could be practically any English-speaking country. You need to train students to find the connections between the visual stimulus and the materials seen in class, even when it’s not that evident.

Visual 5: Source
Disclaimer: This guide has been produced independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle’s resources seek to encourage sharing of perspectives and innovative ideas for classroom teaching & learning. They are not intended to be replacements for official IB guides and publications. Views and opinions expressed by the authors of these resources are personal and should not be construed as official guidance by the IB. Please seek assistance from your school’s IB coordinator and/or refer to official IB documents before implementing ideas and strategies shared within these resources in your classroom.