Diocese of BayombongEducational System

St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.

Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER
Name of Student: Year and Section:
Week No.:1 and 2 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies

Content Standard
for a better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning Differentiates language used in academic text from various
Competencies (MELCs) disciplines
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 1 and 2: A GLIMPSE AT THE WORLD OF WRITING

Week 1 Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
and 2 Score
Define academic writing and distinguish it from other
Lesson 1
kinds of writing.
Identify the purpose, audience, language, and style of
Lesson 2
academic writing (Formality and Objectivity, Explicitness)
Identify the purpose, audience, language, and style of
Lesson 3
academic writing ( Caution, Structure)
Analyse sample texts using the standards of academic
Lesson 4
writing
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 English for the Globalized Classroom Series of Paolo Niño Valdez, PhD. (Page 1-16)
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 1-12)

NATURE OF
ACADEMIC TEXT

Lesson 1: Define academic writing and distinguish it from other kinds of writing.
What is an  Relating to schools, colleges and universities, or connected with
Academic? studying and thinking, not with practical skills:
-academic subjects/ qualifications/books
-an academic institution
-academic standards
Noun: used to describe someone who is intelligent and enjoys studying
What is a Text?  a book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content
rather than its physical form. E.g. "A text that explores pain and grief"
 the main body of a book or other piece of writing, as distinct from other
material such as notes, appendices, and illustrations. "The pictures are
1
 clear and relate well to the text"
What is Academic  Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written
Text? by experts or professionals in a given field using formal language.
 Academic texts are objective. This means that they are based on facts
with solid basis.
What is Academic  Academic writing is a core subject in the academe.
writing?  Academic writing is a particular style used in formal essays and other
assessments for the course. It requires formal language, a logical
structure and is supported by evidence/s.
 Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, structured and backed up by
evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding. It has a formal
tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require the use of long
sentences and complicated vocabulary.
 Academic writing refers to a style of expression that researchers use to
define the intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and their specific
areas of expertise.
What is Academic  Academic reading differs from reading for pleasure. You will often not
Reading? read every word, and you are reading for a specific purpose rather than
enjoyment. This page explains different types of purpose and how the
purpose affects how you read, as well as suggesting a general approach
to reading academic texts.
 Academic and nonacademic texts are also typically written for a
particular audience. While nonacademic texts are intended more for
mass, public consumption than scholarly or academic texts, they may be
targeted towards special interests or occupations in society.
What is Academic  Academic language is the language needed by students to do the work in
Language? schools.
 It includes, for example, discipline-specific vocabulary, grammar and
punctuation, and applications of rhetorical conventions and devices that
are typical for a content area (e.g., essays, lab reports, discussions of a
controversial issue.)

Directions: Read and understand the texts then answer the questions below.
Text 1
Panic attacks are a specific and severe form of anxiety disorder, typified by the sudden
overwhelming anxiety that presents with a variety of physical symptoms such as palpitations,
shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea, and may involve fear of ‘going crazy’ or of impending
doom or death (Ohman, 2000). The prevalence of panic attacks more than doubled in the population
of the United States from 5.3% in 1980, to 12% in 1995 (Goodwin, 2003).
Panic attacks occur in many anxiety disorders and may be associated with specific events or
situations. However, panic attacks as a central feature of panic disorder (PD) generally occur ‘out-of-
the-blue’ (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The prevalence of the PD appears to be
relatively consistent across cultures at between 1% and 3% (Weissman et al., 1997).

Text 2
Infection after consumption of fresh duck blood and undercooked poultry products has been
suspected in some cases of illness. Indeed, transmission to felids was observed after experimental
feeding of infected chickens to domestic cats, and feeding tigers raw infected chickens to domestic
cats, and feeding tigers raw infected chicken led o outbreaks of illness in Thai Zoos, in which felid-to-
felid transmissions were also implicated. Infected birds shed high concentrations of virus in feces.
Direct intranasal or conjunctival inoculation while swimming in contaminated water or, perhaps,
inhalation or ingestion of water could have been potential modes of transmission to some H5N1-
infected patients. As for human influenza, hand contamination from fomites and self- inoculation into
the eye or upper respiratory tract remain possible modes.
2
 ACTIVITY
Keep your answer short but meaningful and write legibly.
1. In general, what can you say about the two text? Differentiate the sample of text being given.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. According to its structure, what did you observe? Which is more believable, the first text or the
second text and why?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY

In this activity, you will be able to discriminate the following Kinds of Text in Academic Writing.
A. Directions: Read and analyse each statement in column A and choose the answer in column B. Write
the letter of your answer on the space provided before the number.
A B

1. This is a good place to start your research A. Textbooks

2. Access these to find out about writing in your discipline. B. Reports
3. These could be 80,000 words long for PhD students C. Shorter student
texts: essays
4. These are written for readers who have expert knowledge of a topic. D. Case studies
5. These describe changes or developments, e.g. within a company or E. Longer student
social group. texts: dissertations
and theses
6. These show the importance of a piece of research. F. Research articles
g. Journal

ACTIVITY

In this activity, you will be able to know and understand the Features of an Academic Text
B. Directions: Read and comprehend logically the following statements below. If the statement is
correct, write “ACADEMIC”, and if it is false, underline the word that makes it incorrect, then write
the correct answer on the blank provided before the number. Write legibly.
1. These are written by professionals in a given field.

3
 2. They are edited by the authors' peers and often take days to publish.
3. Their language is formal and will contain words and terms typical to the
field.
4. The authors name will not be present, as well their credentials.
5. There will be a list of references that indicate where the author obtained the
information s/he is using in the articles.
*Academic articles can be found in periodicals similar to the Journal of Psychology, Childhood
Education or The American Journal of Public Health.

Read me!
Non-Academic Text
 Written for the mass public.
 They are published quickly and can be written by anyone.
 Their language is informal, casual and may contain slang.
 The author may not be provided and will not have any credentials listed. There will be no
reference list.
 Non-Academic articles can be found in periodicals similar to Time, Newsweek or Rolling
Stone.

*As a general rule religious texts and newspapers are not considered academic sources. Do not use
Wikipedia for an academic source. This website can be altered by anyone and so any information
found within its pages cannot be considered credible or academic.
Lesson 2: Identify the purpose, audience, language, and style of academic writing (Formality and
Objectivity, Explicitness)
Academic writing requires sophisticated use of language. Since your task as a student includes
writing for assignments, exams and reports, there is an expected quality in your use of language and
structuring of texts. There are four important features of language use that you need to know about:

Formality, Objectivity, Explicitness, and Caution.

1. Formality
 Reflects your dignified stance in your writing as a member of the academic community. This
means that since your audience are fellow members of the academic community, the language
you use requires precision to make it a “legitimate” piece of academic piece of academic writing.
It can be achieved through the following ways:
 Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms. Such as using cannot instead of can’t,
do not instead of don’t.
 Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs, such as damage instead of mess up.
 Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents, such as soon as possible instead of
ASAP.
 Avoiding colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions, such as “kind of like”, “as a matter of fact”, “I
need to go to John”

ACTIVITY

A. Direction: Underline the words or expression considered as colloquial.

1. With the growing number of health conscious articles, a lot of young professionals are becoming
serious about maintaining a healthy life-style.
2. It is a bit improper to assume that the plan does not work.

B. Direction: Rewrite the following sentences to observe a more formal tone.

3. Writing can’t be done effectively if you don’t burn the midnight oil.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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 4. Parenting is a 24/7 job.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

C. Direction: Substitute the single-word verb for the two-word verb in the following sentences.
5. The class carried out a research on the frequency of using SMS.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Oil price has gone up.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

2. Objectivity
 Academic writing requires special knowledge and use of more complex language and
objectivity. This means that the writing must be impersonal and maintain a certain level of social
distance.
It can be achieved by:
1. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you and I, and we.
Poor Example: You need to conduct the experiment.
Improved version: The researchers need to conduct the experiment.
2. Avoiding rhetorical questions as it marks “closeness” with the reader, and constantly seeks
his/her attention.
Poor Example: How can these problems be solved?
Improved version: Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems.
3. Avoiding emotive language that shows biases and lessens objectivity.
Poor Example: The investigators were very shocked to see the outcome of the tests.
Improved version: The investigators did not expect the results.

In general, academic writing is objective. This means it is unbiased, based on facts and evidence and is
not influenced by personal feelings. When personal beliefs or emotions influence our writing it
is subjective and thus less convincing.
Another aspect of writing objectively is to avoid emotive language.
ACTIVITY

Directions: Read the passage below from a student's essay on the media and the representation of
women's sport. Underline the emotive words or phrases.
...Mikosa found similar results in her study for Womensport Australia, where she found that journalists
discussed the female athletes' "elegance" or referred to women as "blonde girl(s)" and a journalist even
wrote about one athlete's "domestic routine of cooking" (1998). With this in mind, I was absolutely
appalled to hear an Australian television commentator’s reference to the women's Dutch hockey team
when they won a bronze medal on the 29/9/2000. When the team stood on the dais to receive their
medal, the male commentator’s sole comment was "Ahh look at the pretty little Dutch girls", without
any mention whatsoever of their athleticism or sporting ability. It was a sad moment for Australian
commentating and strengthens the arguments of Philips and Mikoza regarding the language the media
uses to portray sports women and women's sport alike.
3. Explicitness
 Academic writing demands the use of signposts that allow readers to trace the relationships in
the parts of a study.

5
 If you intend to show a change in your line of argument make it clear by using however.
Example: it is apparent that the government hopes to provide assistance to the poor. However
giving dole outs to the “poorest of the poor” does not work in the long term.

The following phrases maybe useful in making ideas explicit:

1. This is due to the…
A number of MERALCO consumers trooped to the city hall to claim a PHP 500 cash incentive.
This is due to the Supreme Court ruling that overcharges must be returned to the end of users whose
electric consumption for the April-May period was below 100 kw/hr.

2. This resulted in …
With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return overcharges to the end users, government
offices have been tapped to operate as claim centres. This resulted in a number or MERALCO
consumers trooping to the city hall to claim the PHP 500. 00 cash incentive

 When two ideas seem the same, express each one clearly.
The study showed that eighty percent of the 200 participants involved in the study were dissatisfied
with the operations of MERALCO. Similarly, the data revealed that the majority of the participants were
not aware of the changes imposed on them by MERALCO.

 If you intend to give extra information in your sentence, make it clear by writing “in addition…”
MERALCO has been operating as a business conglomerate involving foreign stakeholders and
independent power producers or IPP. In addition, MERALCO owns major IPPs operating in the region.

 If you are giving examples, do so explicitly by writing “For example…”

The MERALCO issue has led to disputes between opposition and administration senators. For
example, those who have been labeled as against the president considered the issue as the
administration’s way of avoiding the NBN-ZTE scandal.

ACTIVITY

Based on the examples given, write a sentence for each of the following expressions that would
make your idea explicit. Use one topic for 1-4.

1. However
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. Similarly
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

6
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show The sentences show too
and Content communicate the intended some lapses in the use of many lapses in the use of
meaning through the use of some expressions that some expressions that show
expressions that show show explicitness but explicitness but they could
explicitness. they could still be still be understood.
understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few There are too many
errors and a formal grammatical errors and grammatical errors and
academic writing style is lapses in the academic lapses in the academic
used. writing style are writing style are observed.
observed.

Lesson 3: Identify the purpose, audience, language, and style of academic writing (Caution,
Structure)

4. Caution
 Academic writing requires care since knowledge is built from proven theories and concepts.
Therefore, caution is needed to avoid sweeping generalizations. Consider the following example:

Poor Statement: Government official are corrupt.

 The statement is not completely true and the rhetorical impact of the statement may be
misleading. The statement can be improved through the use of devices such as modal verbs,
adverbs, or verbs.

Improved Statements:
Some government officials may be corrupt. (Modal Verb)
Corruption is commonly linked to some key government officials. (Adverb)
A number of government officials tend to be linked with cases of corruption. (Verb)

 In academic writing, caution needs to be observed in the following parts of your paper:
1. When a hypothesis needs to be tested
2. Drawing conclusions or predictions from your predictions that may generalize certain matters
or may not be conclusive.
3. Referencing others work to build on your own paper.

Below are some forms that you may use in observing caution in writing.

 Verbs indicating caution: tends; suggests, appear to be, think, believe, doubt, indicate
Example:
The findings of the survey suggests that students who use the social networking in their academic
work tend to be more updated on recent developments in their respective subjects.

 Modal verbs: will, must, would, may, can, might, could

Example:
The observations of students’ use of social networking sites may lead to the different behaviors that
manifest in real-life communication.

 Adverbs of frequency: often, sometimes, and usually high.

Since academic writing draws on previous writing done related to your topic (in the case of research
writing), it is important that creating knowledge is expressed through means that do not lead to sweeping
generalizations that may directly attack the writer’s point of view.

7
If your results show something different from another author’s ideas, there are possible ways in
writing these points:
1. The results contradict Meyer’s Findings
2. The results appear to be different from Meyer’s findings

Explanation: While both sentences essentially mean the same thing, sentences 1 expresses an
explicit difference between your findings and of Meyer’s. This may be interpreted by readers as attempt
to highlight your findings as superior compared to Meyer. On the other hand, sentence 2 shows that you
are distancing yourself from work (basing conclusions on what is observed) and comparing it to the
previous works done by other researchers relating your contributions to the other ideas in the
discipline. Remember that in academic writing, since you are part of community, it is important that you
express ideas with openness, striking a balance between being concise and cautious.

ACTIVITY
A. Direction: Examine the following expressions and think of ways to reduce the impact of utterances.

Direct Expressions Statement using Caution/Hedging

You need to eat this to be healthy.

The different steps taken led to

their future.

5. Structure
 Aside from language, sentences need to be constructed in such a way that they show a level of
complexity that reflects the sophistication of an academic writer. Combining ideas effectively,
nominalization and passivation are some ways to achieve structure fit for academic writing.

 In combining ideas effectively, you will need to avoid redundancy and at the same time, make
sure that ideas are packed effectively.
Consider the following examples:
a) The earthquake caused loss of life.
b) The earthquake caused massive property damage.
c) The earthquake changed the landscape of the village.

 Though these sentences are grammatically correct, they do not possess the sophistication of
academic writing. They can be improved by continuing similar ideas expressing them through a
more complex construction.
Hence, they can be written this way:
-The earthquake was a disaster that caused loss of life, property damage, and permanent changes in
the landscape.

6. In nominalization, the verbs are made central as they denote action. Transforming verbs into
nouns helps reader focus on the action and not on the doer of the action.
Examples:
The company created a software to manage the transaction successfully.
Nominalization: The creation of software to manage transaction was a success.
The President announced a three day holiday this September.

8
 Nominalization: The President’s announcement of a three day holiday for September was
released
The mall distributed several free items to consumers in the hope to boost sales.
Nominalization: Distribution of free items for consumers was done in the hope to boost sales.

7. Passive construction, the results of action are highlighted. In academic writing, sine the writer of
the paper presumed to have done the collection and analysis of data, it is understood that all
results of the action are a product of the writer’s work.
Examples:
The researcher conducted experiments to validate the hypothesis.
Passivation: Experiments were conducted to validate the hypothesis.
An engineer built a saltwater lamp to help communities with no electricity.
Passivation: A software lamp was built to help the communities with no electricity.
Several scientist conducted experiment to examine the effects of algae in biodiversity.
Passivation: An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of algae on biodiversity.

ACTIVITY

A. Directions: Combine the sentences to make their structure complex and better fit for the academic
writing.
The government’s deal with the public transport company will result in unsatisfied citizens.
The government’s deal with the public transport company will cause delays in projects.
The government’s deal with the public transport company will in unsatisfied citizens.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

B. Directions: Restructure the sentences using nominalization.

1. The project was implemented to make sure that services are not delayed.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. The investigators established a time to determine the chain of events relating to the crime.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

C. Directions: Restructure the sentences using Passivization

1. The children gave several inputs to improve the operations of the facility.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Nurses conducted workshops for those in far flung areas on health and sanction.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

9
Lesson 4: Analyse sample texts using the standards of academic writing

ACTIVITY

Directions: Rewrite the paragraph below to make its language sound more academic. Take into
consideration the kind of language required for research writing. Use the lines provided.
The rice shortage that recently affected a number of countries in the Asian region showed how
unpredictable can be if we continue being apathetic about improving rice production. Call it the calm
before the storm, we see now a lot of people queuing for a bag or two of NFA rice. Worse, for some,
observing a full square meal a day is no longer possible. This leads us to reflect on how we can help to
counter this strongly felt this problem. At restaurants, we see a lot of leftover serving of rice knowing
that hungry tummies in the resettlement areas exist. On my way to school, I witness families sheltered in
shanties at the town pulling through lunch with mere kropek and noodles at hand. Along the area, I see
youngsters satisfying themselves with least modest skewers sold by hawkers. Yet at the square canteen,
I see the trade off- students disregarding the value of rice serving and modest viands were plates are left
on the table just that.

SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)

3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences show too
and Content communicate the intended lapses in the use of some many lapses in the use of
meaning through the use of expressions that show some expressions that show
expressions that show explicitness but they could still explicitness but they could
explicitness. be understood. still be understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical errors There are few grammatical There are too many
and a formal academic writing errors and lapses in the grammatical errors and
style is used. academic writing style are lapses in the academic
observed. writing style are observed.

10
 Diocese of Bayombong Educational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 3 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies

Content Standard
for a better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning
Use knowledge of structure to glean the information he/she needs
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 3: CRITICAL READING

Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 3
Score
Lesson 1 Explain what critical reading is
Annotate, outline, summarize, and question the writer’s
Lesson 2
claim in a text
Lesson 3 Define fallacy and identify the kinds of fallacy
Lesson 4 Differentiating facts, Opinions, and Incorrect Information
TOTAL
11
A. Printed:
 English for the Globalized Classroom Series of Paolo Niño Valdez, PhD. (Page 1-16)
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 1-
12)

Lesson 1: Explain what critical reading is

What is a Critical Reading?

Imagine that you are reading a magazine and you see the following statements:
 Girls are most likely to do well in academics during high school years but boys get ahead of them in
college.
 Female teenagers are more concerned with their physical appearance than male teenagers

Would you believe and agree with the statements by asking the person to give their basis for his/her
assertion, then you are one step closer in becoming a critical reader.

 Critical reading involves scrutinizing any information you read or hear, just like what you did
in the two statements above. Critical reading means not believing information offered to you by a
text. “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe or taken for granted; nor to find talk and
discourse; but to weigh and consider” as Francis Bacon stated in The Essays.

 Critical reading is an active process of discovery because when you read critically, you are not
receiving information but also making an interaction with the writer. The interaction happens
when you question the writer’s claim and assertion and when you comment on the writer’s ideas.

Lesson 2: Annotate, outline, summarize, and question the writer’s claim in a text

The following are some suggested ways to help you become a critical reader:
Annotate what you read.
 One of the ways to interact with the writer is to write in the text. You can underline, circle,
or highlight words, phrases or sentences that contain important details, or you can write
marginal notes asking questions or commenting on the ideas of the writer.
 There are no clear and definite guidelines to annotating a text; you can create your own
style. For instance, you can circle unfamiliar words or underline ideas that you think are
questionable.
Apply your understanding in this text.

12
13
1. Outline the text.
 In order to fully engage with the dialogue with the text or with the writer of the text, you
need to identify the main points of the writer and list them down so you can also identify the
ideas that the writer has raised to support his/her stand. You don’t necessarily have to write a
structured sentence or topic outline for this purpose; you can just write in bullet or in
numbers. Look at the sample below.

Thesis Statement:
Supporting Details:
Point 1:
Point 2:
Point 3:

ACTIVITY

Directions: Briefly outline the article “Why do we say that our English is Bad?”

Thesis Statement: The concept of Standard English is problematic because there is no clear definition
of what standard is.
Supporting Details:
Point 1: The author gives a scenario in the Philippine classrooms in which English teachers get
frustrated because of students’ grammatical errors.
Point 2:
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________
Point 3:
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

3. Summarize the Text.

 Aside from outlining, you can also get the main point from the text you are writing and write
the gist in your own words. This will test how much you have understood the text and will
help you evaluate critically. A summary is usually one long paragraph.
4. Evaluate the Text.
 The most challenging part of critical reading is the process of what you are reading. This is
the point where other techniques--annotating, outlining, and summarizing-- will be helpful
as well. When you evaluate a text, you questions the author’s purpose and intentions, as well
as his/her assumptions in the claims. You also check if the arguments are supported by
evidence and if the evidence are valid and are from credible sources.
Lesson 3: Define fallacy and identify the kinds of fallacy
Read the text below and study the types of fallacies present in the text.
Max Shulman: Love is a Fallacy
Cool was I and logical. Keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute and astute—I was all of these. My brain was as
powerful as a dynamo, precise as a chemist’s scales, as penetrating as a scalpel. And—think of it!—I only
eighteen.

14
It is not often that one so young has such a giant intellect. Take, for example, Petey Bellows, my roommate at the
university. Same age, same background, but dumb as an ox. A nice enough fellow, you understand, but nothing
upstairs. Emotional type. Unstable. Impressionable. Worst of all, a faddist. Fads, I submit, are the very negation of
reason. To be swept up in every new craze that comes along, to surrender oneself to idiocy just because
everybody else is doing it—this, to me, is the acme of mindlessness. Not, however, to Petey.
One afternoon I found Petey lying on his bed with an expression of such distress on his face that I immediately
diagnosed appendicitis. “Don’t move,” I said, “Don’t take a laxative. I’ll get a doctor.”
“Raccoon,” he mumbled thickly.
“Raccoon?” I said, pausing in my flight.
“I want a raccoon coat,” he wailed.
I perceived that his trouble was not physical, but mental. “Why do you want a raccoon coat?”
“I should have known it,” he cried, pounding his temples. “I should have known they’d come back when the
Charleston came back. Like a fool I spent all my money for textbooks, and now I can’t get a raccoon coat.”
“Can you mean,” I said incredulously, “that people are actually wearing raccoon coats again?”
“All the Big Men on Campus are wearing them. Where’ve you been?”
“In the library,” I said, naming a place not frequented by Big Men on Campus.
He leaped from the bed and paced the room. “I’ve got to have a raccoon coat,” he said passionately. “I’ve got to!”
“Petey, why? Look at it rationally. Raccoon coats are unsanitary. They shed. They smell bad. They weigh too
much. They’re unsightly. They—”
“You don’t understand,” he interrupted impatiently. “It’s the thing to do. Don’t you want to be in the swim?”
“No,” I said truthfully.
“Well, I do,” he declared. “I’d give anything for a raccoon coat. Anything!”
My brain, that precision instrument, slipped into high gear. “Anything?” I asked, looking at him narrowly.
“Anything,” he affirmed in ringing tones.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully. It so happened that I knew where to get my hands on a raccoon coat. My father
had had one in his undergraduate days; it lay now in a trunk in the attic back home. It also happened that Petey
had something I wanted. He didn’t have it exactly, but at least he had first rights on it. I refer to his girl, Polly
Espy.
I had long coveted Polly Espy. Let me emphasize that my desire for this young woman was not emotional in
nature. She was, to be sure, a girl who excited the emotions, but I was not one to let my heart rule my head. I
wanted Polly for a shrewdly calculated, entirely cerebral reason. I was a freshman in law school. In a few years I
would be out in practice. I was well aware of the importance of the right kind of wife in furthering a lawyer’s
career. The successful lawyers I had observed were, almost without exception, married to beautiful, gracious,
intelligent women. With one omission, Polly fitted these specifications perfectly.
Beautiful she was. She was not yet of pin-up proportions, but I felt that time would supply the lack. She already
had the makings. Gracious she was. By gracious I mean full of graces. She had an erectness of carriage, an ease of
bearing, a poise that clearly indicated the best of breeding. At table her manners were exquisite. I had seen her at
the Kozy Kampus Korner eating the specialty of the house—a sandwich that contained scraps of pot roast, gravy,
chopped nuts, and a dipper of sauerkraut— without even getting her fingers moist.
Intelligent she was not. In fact, she veered in the opposite direction. But I believed that under my guidance she
would smarten up. At any rate, it was worth a try. It is, after all, easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart than to
make an ugly smart girl beautiful.
“Petey,” I said, “are you in love with Polly Espy?”
“I think she’s a keen kid,” he replied, “but I don’t know if you’d call it love. Why?”
“Do you,” I asked, “have any kind of formal arrangement with her? I mean are you going steady or anything like
that?”
“No. We see each other quite a bit, but we both have other dates. Why?”
15
“Is there,” I asked, “any other man for whom she has a particular fondness?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
I nodded with satisfaction. “In other words, if you were out of the picture, the field would be open. Is that right?”
“I guess so. What are you getting at?”
“Nothing, nothing,” I said innocently, and took my suitcase out the closet.
“Where are you going?” asked Petey.
“Home for weekend.” I threw a few things into the bag.
“Listen,” he said, clutching my arm eagerly, “while you’re home, you couldn’t get some money from your old
man, could you, and lend it to me so I can buy a raccoon coat?”
“I may do better than that,” I said with a mysterious wink and closed my bag and left.
“Look,” I said to Petey when I got back Monday morning. I threw open the suitcase and revealed the huge, hairy,
gamy object that my father had worn in his Stutz Bearcat in 1925. “Holy Toledo!” said Petey reverently. He
plunged his hands into the raccoon coat and then his face.
“Holy Toledo!” he repeated fifteen or twenty times.
“Would you like it?” I asked.
“Oh yes!” he cried, clutching the greasy pelt to him. Then a canny look came into his eyes. “What do you want
for it?”
“Your girl.” I said, mincing no words.
“Polly?” he said in a horrified whisper. “You want Polly?”
“That’s right.”
He flung the coat from him. “Never,” he said stoutly.
I shrugged.
“Okay. If you don’t want to be in the swim, I guess it’s your business.”
I sat down in a chair and pretended to read a book, but out of the corner of my eye I kept watching Petey. He was
a torn man. First he looked at the coat with the expression of a waif at a bakery window. Then he turned away and
set his jaw resolutely. Then he looked back at the coat, with even more longing in his face. Then he turned away,
but with not so much resolution this time. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire waxing, resolution waning.
Finally he didn’t turn away at all; he just stood and stared with mad lust at the coat.
“It isn’t as though I was in love with Polly,” he said thickly. “Or going steady or anything like that.”
“That’s right,” I murmured.
“What’s Polly to me, or me to Polly?”
“Not a thing,” said I.
“It’s just been a casual kick—just a few laughs, that’s all.”
“Try on the coat,” said I.
He complied. The coat bunched high over his ears and dropped all the way down to his shoe tops. He looked like
a mound of dead raccoons. “Fits fine,” he said happily.
I rose from my chair. “Is it a deal?” I asked, extending my hand.
He swallowed. “It’s a deal,” he said and shook my hand.
I had my first date with Polly the following evening. This was in the nature of a survey; I wanted to find out just
how much work I had to do to get her mind up to the standard I required. I took her first to dinner. “Gee, that was
a delish dinner,” she said as we left the restaurant. Then I took her to a movie. “Gee, that was a marvy movie,”
she said as we left the theatre. And then I took her home. “Gee, I had a sensational time,” she said as she bade me
good night.

16
I went back to my room with a heavy heart. I had gravely underestimated the size of my task. This girl’s lack of
information was terrifying. Nor would it be enough merely to supply her with information. First she had to be
taught to think. This loomed as a project of no small dimensions, and at first I was tempted to give her back to
Petey. But then I got to thinking about her abundant physical charms and about the way she entered a room and
the way she handled a knife and fork, and I decided to make an effort. I went about it, as in all things,
systematically. I gave her a course in logic. It happened that I, as a law student, was taking a course in logic
myself, so I had all the facts at my fingertips.
“Poll’,” I said to her when I picked her up on our next date, “tonight we are going over to the Knoll and talk.”
“Oh, terrif,” she replied. One thing I will say for this girl: you would go far to find another so agreeable. We went
to the Knoll, the campus trysting place, and we sat down under an old oak, and she looked at me expectantly.
“What are we going to talk about?” she asked.
“Logic.”
She thought this over for a minute and decided she liked it. “Magnif,” she said. “Logic,” I said, clearing my
throat, “is the science of thinking. Before we can think correctly, we must first learn to recognize the common
fallacies of logic. These we will take up tonight.”
“Wow-dow!” she cried, clapping her hands delightedly.
I winced, but went bravely on. “First let us examine the fallacy called Dicto Simpliciter.”
“By all means,” she urged, batting her lashes eagerly.
“Dicto Simpliciter means an argument based on an unqualified generalization. For example: Exercise is good.
Therefore everybody should exercise.”
“I agree,” said Polly earnestly. “I mean exercise is wonderful. I mean it builds the body and everything.”
“Polly,” I said gently, “the argument is a fallacy. Exercise is good is an unqualified generalization. For instance, if
you have heart disease, exercise is bad, not good. Many people are ordered by their doctors not to exercise. You
must qualify the generalization. You must say exercise is usually good, or exercise is good for most people.
Otherwise you have committed a Dicto Simpliciter. Do you see?”
“No,” she confessed. “But this is marvy. Do more! Do more!” “It will be better if you stop tugging at my sleeve,”
I told her, and when she desisted, I continued.
“Next we take up a fallacy called Hasty Generalization. Listen carefully: You can’t speak French. Petey Bellows
can’t speak French. I must therefore conclude that nobody at the University of Minnesota can speak French.”
“Really?” said Polly, amazed. “Nobody?”
I hid my exasperation. “Polly, it’s a fallacy. The generalization is reached too hastily. There are too few instances
to support such a conclusion.”
“Know any more fallacies?” she asked breathlessly. “This is more fun than dancing even.”
I fought off a wave of despair. I was getting nowhere with this girl, absolutely nowhere. Still, I am nothing if not
persistent. I continued. “Next comes Post Hoc. Listen to this: Let’s not take Bill on our picnic. Every time we take
him out with us, it rains.”
“I know somebody just like that,” she exclaimed. “A girl back home—Eula Becker, her name is. It never fails.
Every single time we take her on a picnic—”
“Polly,” I said sharply, “it’s a fallacy. Eula Becker doesn’t cause the rain. She has no connection with the rain.
You are guilty of Post Hoc if you blame Eula Becker.”
“I’ll never do it again,” she promised contritely. “Are you mad at me?”
I sighed. “No, Polly, I’m not mad.”
“Then tell me some more fallacies.”
“All right. Let’s try Contradictory Premises.”
“Yes, let’s,” she chirped, blinking her eyes happily.
I frowned, but plunged ahead. “Here’s an example of Contradictory Premises:

17
“Tell me more of this keen stuff,” she said eagerly.
I consulted my watch. “I think we’d better call it a night. I’ll take you home now, and you go over all the things
you’ve learned. We’ll have another session tomorrow night.” If God can do anything, can He make a stone so
heavy that He won’t be able to lift it?”
“Of course,” she replied promptly.
“But if He can do anything, He can lift the stone,” I pointed out.
“Yeah,” she said thoughtfully. “Well, then I guess He can’t make the stone.”
“But He can do anything,” I reminded her.
She scratched her pretty, empty head. “I’m all confused,” she admitted.
“Of course you are. Because when the premises of an argument contradict each other, there can be no argument.
If there is an irresistible force, there can be no immovable object. If there is an immovable object, there can be no
irresistible force. Get it?”
I deposited her at the girls’ dormitory, where she assured me that she had had a perfectly terrif evening, and I
went glumly home to my room. Petey lay snoring in his bed, the raccoon coat huddled like a great hairy beast at
his feet. For a moment I considered waking him and telling him that he could have his girl back. It seemed clear
that my project was doomed to failure. The girl simply had a logic-proof head.
But then I reconsidered. I had wasted one evening; I might as well waste another. Who knew? Maybe somewhere
in the extinct crater of her mind a few members still smoldered. Maybe somehow I could fan them into flame.
Admittedly it was not a prospect fraught with hope, but I decided to give it one more try.
Seated under the oak the next evening I said, “Our first fallacy tonight is called Ad Misericordiam.”
She quivered with delight.
“Listen closely,” I said. “A man applies for a job. When the boss asks him what his qualifications are, he replies
that he has a wife and six children at home, the wife is a helpless cripple, the children have nothing to eat, no
clothes to wear, no shoes on their feet, there are no beds in the house, no coal in the cellar, and winter is coming.”
A tear rolled down each of Polly’s pink cheeks. “Oh, this is awful, awful,” she sobbed.
“Yes, it’s awful,” I agreed, “but it’s no argument. The man never answered the boss’s question about his
qualifications. Instead he appealed to the boss’s sympathy. He committed the fallacy of Ad Misericordiam. Do
you understand?”
“Have you got a handkerchief?” she blubbered.
I handed her a handkerchief and tried to keep from screaming while she wiped her eyes. “Next,” I said in a
carefully controlled tone, “we will discuss False Analogy. Here is an example: Students should be allowed to look
at their textbooks during examinations. After all, surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation,
lawyers have briefs to guide them during a trial, carpenters have blueprints to guide them when they are building
a house. Why, then, shouldn’t students be allowed to look at their textbooks during an examination?”
“There now,” she said enthusiastically, “is the most marvy idea I’ve heard in years.”
“Polly,” I said testily, “the argument is all wrong. Doctors, lawyers, and carpenters aren’t taking a test to see how
much they have learned, but students are. The situations are altogether different, and you can’t make an analogy
between them.”
“I still think it’s a good idea,” said Polly.
“Nuts,” I muttered. Doggedly I pressed on. “Next we’ll try Hypothesis Contrary to Fact.”
“Sounds yummy,” was Polly’s reaction.
“Listen: If Madame Curie had not happened to leave a photographic plate in a drawer with a chunk of
pitchblende, the world today would not know about radium.”
“True, true,” said Polly, nodding her head “Did you see the movie? Oh, it just knocked me out. That Walter
Pidgeon is so dreamy. I mean he fractures me.”
“If you can forget Mr. Pidgeon for a moment,” I said coldly, “I would like to point out that statement is a fallacy.
Maybe Madame Curie would have discovered radium at some later date. Maybe somebody else would have
18
discovered it. Maybe any number of things would have happened. You can’t start with a hypothesis that is not
true and then draw any supportable conclusions from it.”
“They ought to put Walter Pidgeon in more pictures,” said Polly, “I hardly ever see him any more.”
One more chance, I decided. But just one more. There is a limit to what flesh and blood can bear. “The next
fallacy is called Poisoning the Well.”
“How cute!” she gurgled.
“Two men are having a debate. The first one gets up and says, ‘My opponent is a notorious liar. You can’t believe
a word that he is going to say.’ … Now, Polly, think. Think hard. What’s wrong?”
I watched her closely as she knit her creamy brow in concentration. Suddenly a glimmer of intelligence—the first
I had seen—came into her eyes. “It’s not fair,” she said with indignation. “It’s not a bit fair. What chance has the
second man got if the first man calls him a liar before he even begins talking?”
“Right!” I cried exultantly. “One hundred per cent right. It’s not fair. The first man has poisoned the well before
anybody could drink from it. He has hamstrung his opponent before he could even start … Polly, I’m proud of
you.”
“Pshaws,” she murmured, blushing with pleasure.
“You see, my dear, these things aren’t so hard. All you have to do is concentrate. Think— examine—evaluate.
Come now, let’s review everything we have learned.”
“Fire away,” she said with an airy wave of her hand.
Heartened by the knowledge that Polly was not altogether a cretin, I began a long, patient review of all I had told
her. Over and over and over again I cited instances, pointed out flaws, kept hammering away without letup. It was
like digging a tunnel. At first, everything was work, sweat, and darkness. I had no idea when I would reach the
light, or even if I would. But I persisted. I pounded and clawed and scraped, and finally I was rewarded. I saw a
chink of light. And then the chink got bigger and the sun came pouring in and all was bright.
Five grueling nights with this took, but it was worth it. I had made a logician out of Polly; I had taught her to
think. My job was done. She was worthy of me, at last. She was a fit wife for me, a proper hostess for my many
mansions, a suitable mother for my well-heeled children.
It must not be thought that I was without love for this girl. Quite the contrary. Just as Pygmalion loved the perfect
woman he had fashioned, so I loved mine. I decided to acquaint her with my feelings at our very next meeting.
The time had come to change our relationship from academic to romantic.
“Polly,” I said when next we sat beneath our oak, “tonight we will not discuss fallacies.”
“Aw, gee,” she said, disappointed.
“My dear,” I said, favoring her with a smile, “we have now spent five evenings together. We have gotten along
splendidly. It is clear that we are well matched.”
“Hasty Generalization,” said Polly brightly. “I beg your pardon,” said I.
“Hasty Generalization,” she repeated. “How can you say that we are well matched on the basis of only five
dates?”
I chuckled with amusement. The dear child had learned her lessons well. “My dear,” I said, patting her hand in a
tolerant manner, “five dates is plenty. After all, you don’t have to eat a whole cake to know that it’s good.”
“False Analogy,” said Polly promptly. “I’m not a cake. I’m a girl.”
I chuckled with somewhat less amusement. The dear child had learned her lessons perhaps too well. I decided to
change tactics. Obviously the best approach was a simple, strong, direct declaration of love. I paused for a
moment while my massive brain chose the proper word. Then I began:
“Polly, I love you. You are the whole world to me, the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space.
Please, my darling, say that you will go steady with me, for if you will not, life will be meaningless. I will
languish. I will refuse my meals. I will wander the face of the earth, a shambling, hollow-eyed hulk.”
There, I thought, folding my arms, that ought to do it.
“Ad Misericordiam,” said Polly.

19
I ground my teeth. I was not Pygmalion; I was Frankenstein, and my monster had me by the throat. Frantically I
fought back the tide of panic surging through me; at all costs I had to keep cool.
“Well, Polly,” I said, forcing a smile, “you certainly have learned your fallacies.”
“You’re darn right,” she said with a vigorous nod.
“And who taught them to you, Polly?” “You did.” “That’s right. So you do owe me something, don’t you, my
dear?
If I hadn’t come along you never would have learned about fallacies.”
“Hypothesis Contrary to Fact,” she said instantly.
I dashed perspiration from my brow. “Polly,” I croaked, “you mustn’t take all these things so literally. I mean this
is just classroom stuff. You know that the things you learn in school don’t have anything to do with life.”
“Dicto Simpliciter,” she said, wagging her finger at me playfully.
That did it. I leaped to my feet, bellowing like a bull. “Will you or will you not go steady with me?”
“I will not,” she replied.
“Why not?” I demanded. “Because this afternoon I promised Petey Bellows that I would go steady with him.”
I reeled back, overcome with the infamy of it. After he promised, after he made a deal, after he shook my hand!
“The rat!” I shrieked, kicking up great chunks of turf. “You can’t go with him, Polly. He’s a liar. He’s a cheat.
He’s a rat.”
“Poisoning the Well ,” said Polly, “and stop shouting. I think shouting must be a fallacy too.”
With an immense effort of will, I modulated my voice. “All right,” I said. “You’re a logician. Let’s look at this
thing logically. How could you choose Petey Bellows over me? Look at me—a brilliant student, a tremendous
intellectual, a man with an assured future. Look at Petey—a knothead, a jitterbug, a guy who’ll never know where
his next meal is coming from. Can you give me one logical reason why you should go steady with Petey
Bellows?”
“I certainly can,” declared Polly. “He’s got a raccoon coat.”

Explicit examples of logical fallacies in Love is a Fallacy

by Max Shulman
Foundations – Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool
1. Dicto Simpliciter - an argument based on an unqualified generalization
 The example given in the story is: Exercise is good. Therefore everybody should exercise.

2. Hasty generalization (or "fallacy of insufficient sample")

 Example given in the story is “You can speak French, I can't speak French, Petey Burch can't
speak French. I must therefore conclude that nobody at the University of Minnesota can speak
French.”
 If most of the people the author (Dobie Gillis) knows cannot speak French he concludes that no
one at the college can speak French. OR "My dear," I said, favoring her with a smile, "we have
now spent five evenings together. We have gotten along, splendidly. It is clear that we are well
matched."

3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc ("after it, therefore because of it", or "confusing coincidental relationships
with cause")
 The example given from the story: “Let's not take Bill on our picnic. Every time we take him out
with us, it rains.”

4. Contradictory Premises ("self-contradiction")

 The example given from the story: If God can do anything, can He make a stone so heavy that
He won’t be able to lift it?”
“Of course,” she replied promptly.
“But if He can do anything, He can lift the stone,” I pointed out.
“Yeah,” she said thoughtfully. “Well, then I guess He can’t make the stone.”
20
“But He can do anything,” I reminded her.
She scratched her pretty, empty head. “I’m all confused,” she admitted.
“Of course you are. Because when the premises of an argument contradict each other, there can be no
argument. If there is an irresistible force, there can be no immovable object. If there is an immovable
object, there can be no irresistible force. Get it?”
5. Ad Misericordiam ("appeal to pity")
 Example given in the story: "A man applies for a job. When the boss asks him what his
qualifications are, he replies the he has wife and six children at home, the wife is a helpless
cripple, the children have nothing to eat, no clothes to wear, no shoes on their feet, there are no
beds in the house, no coal in the cellar, and winter is coming." OR “Polly, I love you. You are
the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space. Please,
my darling, say that you will go steady with me, for if you will not, life will be meaningless. I will
languish. I will refuse my meals. I will wander the face of the earth, a shambling, hollow-eyed
hulk."
6. False Analogy
 Example from the text: “Students should be allowed to look at their textbooks during
examinations. After all, surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation, lawyers have
briefs to guide them during a trial, and carpenters have blueprints to guide them when they are
building a house. Why then, shouldn't students be allowed to look at their textbooks during an
examination?" OR "My dear," I said, patting her hand in a tolerant manner, "five dates is plenty.
After all, you don't have to eat a whole cake to know it's good."
7. Argumentum ad speculum ("hypothesis contrary to fact")
 From the text: “If Madame Curie had not happened to leave a photographic plate in a drawer
with a chunk of pitchblende, the world today would not know about radium." OR “If I hadn't
come along you never would have learned about fallacies." This the author (Dobie Gillis) says to
Polly.
8. Poisoning the Well - (a specialization of ad hominem)
 From the story: "Two men are having a debate. The first one gets up and says, 'My opponent is a
notorious liar. You can't believe a word that he is going to say.” OR "You can't go with him,
Polly. He's a liar. He's a cheat. He's a rat."

Implicit Fallacies
9. Red herring ("wild goose chase")
 From the text (hint: Look to the story for the chase, but what at the end makes it a “wild goose”
chase):
The author (Dobie Gillis) wants to change Polly so she is an acceptable mate for him. Therefore he
spends five dates training her and then expresses his love for her. However, from the beginning of the
story the author gives his roommate, Petey, a raccoon coat, which in the end is what attracts Polly to
Petey. The author (Dobie Gillis) never had a chance with Polly from the beginning. (This is an example
of a wild goose chase but a Red Herring is actually a change of subject within an argument).

10. False premise

 For this fallacy, we must look to the tale itself. (hint: How does the narrator make an initial
logical fallacy in his pursuit of Polly?) The author (Dobie Gillis) assumes that any woman would
want a man like him; “a brilliant student, a tremendous intellectual, a man with an assured
future”. However, Polly only wants a man with a raccoon coat and therefore she chooses Petey
even though she did not know she was presented with a choice from the beginning. He assumes
that love is logical when, in fact, it is not.

ACTIVITY

The short story, however, only mentioned eight fallacies. There are more fallacies that will be
helpful in your journey as a critical reader, but for your task is to give at least 1 example in each of the
mentioned fallacies in the story.
1. Dicto Simpliciter
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
21
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Hasty generalization
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Post hoc ergo propter hoc
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Contradictory Premises
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Ad Misericordiam
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. False Analogy
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 4: Differentiating facts, Opinions, and Incorrect Information

Differentiating facts, Opinions, and Incorrect Information

1. Fact – it is objective. It is not influenced by personal feelings or judgment.
2. Opinion – it is subjective. It is based on or influenced by personal beliefs or feelings.
3. Incorrect Information – the opposite of fact.

Identifying Statements of Fact

 Statements of fact are verifiable statements based on an objective viewpoint and sourced
from credible websites and learning resources. Statements of fact are written in a
straightforward manner, often in the declarative mode. Stated in an objective manner, a fact
cannot be altered by personal feelings and judgment.

When making statement of fact:

- Do your research.
- Get your information from as many sources as possible and compare.
- Retain that which is credible and useful and delete those that are not.
- Be able to cite your source/s of information.
- Be mindful of your tone.

Identifying Statements of Opinion

 Statements of opinion reflect the person’s perspective and judgment about issues of a
subjective nature. Because people have different opinions, even the least controversial issue
can generate multiple viewpoints, based on people’s interpretation.
 Some topics such as same-sex marriage, religion, political parties are more contentious than
others, and people regard these issues based on their beliefs.

22
When making statements of opinion:
- Ask yourself if your opinion is the result of someone else’s influence; if so, be able to defend
it.
- Be able to express your opinion clearly.
- Be mindful of the tone you use in your writing.
- Be able to support your opinion with credible facts, statistics and reliable argument.

Certain words and expressions convey opinion. Here are some examples.
In my opinion…….
I feel that……….
I believe that……….
If you ask me………
I guess…………
Based on what I know……..
I would estimate that………

Identifying Incorrect Information

 In academic writing, erroneous information is taboo. Unfortunately, these kinds of
statements still find their way into academic writing, especially if the writer is not quick to
see these errors. Often the errors consist of erroneous information as a result of careless
writing, lazy editing, or sheer ignorance.
 The more unacceptable error consists of flaws on the basis of faulty judgment or out of
insincere motives such as attempts to sidetrack people and manipulate them, as what
happens during political rallies. This kind of manipulation is also present in certain forms of
advertisement in print, radio and TV advertisements.
 In our “media-saturated world” you need to be on the lookout for erroneous information. It
would be wise not to believe everything you hear, read, and see. Be ready to get at the
bottom of things, to investigate if necessary. In this age where pictures can be digitally
enhanced and news can be tweaked and passed off as real, it would be wise to do some fact-
checking to be sure about the authenticity of information.

Common Logical Fallacies

 In academic writing, fallacies are frowned upon because they are ill-substantiated statements.
Unlike incorrect information that can be easily corrected, logical fallacies involve flawed
arguments where the premises have not been fully supported, leading to weak and faulty
conclusion.
 Academic writing requires carful writing using a language that is logical – that is, free from bias
and properly supported by solid facts and well-researched evidence. A knowledge of the
common fallacies will help you avoid making flawed arguments.

The following list is neither complete nor an extensive philosophical discourse, but it will
help you recognize the common errors in reasoning.
1. Ad hominem – literally, this fallacy means “to the person.” This is the equivalent of character
assassination and attacks a person’s character instead of focusing on his/her performance.
Example: I wonder why she was given that post. A girl who used to be a member of a sexy girls
group surely does not have enough training to be a government official.

2. Appeal to Flattery – this argument uses compliments and praise (often insincere) to win the
argument.
Example: I’ve always thought of myself as a true-blooded Bicolano. The Bicolanos have always
been my favorite constituents. This coming election, vote for me, your fellow Bicolano.

3. Appeal to Force – also called argumentum ad baculum, this argument uses force to win the
argument.
Example: If you don’t sign up now, you could lose your scholarship.

4. Appeal to Pity – this argument capitalizes on the fact that people easily fall prey to their
emotion and sentimentality. In the following example, the fundraisers could be unscrupulous con
artists out to fool unsuspecting victims.
23
Example: Donate now. Give to our Foundation because we support the orphaned children of
Marawi.

5. Bandwagon – this fallacy appeals to one’s need to be part of the group, to be “in” and stems
from the assumption that just because the majority approves of something, it must be good for
the individual, too.
Example: Majority of the Bicolanos have signified support for our candidate, so you must vote for
him, too.

6. Begging the Question – this fallacy uses circular argument – arguing without sufficiently
explaining why the argument has to be accepted.
Example: Open pit mining is bad because mining is not acceptable.

7. Either/or – this fallacy offers only two alternatives and nothing else, leading to weak correlates.
Example: The antibiotics did not work. It is either expired or fake.

8. False cause – this fallacy arises when a misleading correlation was drawn between two events,
ending in a questionable conclusion.
Example: A large percentage of voters under 25 voted for the president. In the event that he won in
the 2016 elections, it is safe to assume that he’s popular with the under-25 population.

9. False analogy – this kind of fallacy happens when the debater uses ideas that have similarities
but doesn’t consider that the analogy has been overextended, and no longer applies.
Example: The presidential campaign is so much like a sales campaign.

10. Hasty generalization – this fallacy uses an isolated experience as basis for a general statement.
Example: I’ve had spicy food for breakfast and lunch this day. All the dishes in this town are spicy
indeed.

11. Non sequitur – this argument literally means “it doesn’t follow” and contains a weak conclusion
from a set of premises.
Example: If we offer a 10% discount to all students who dine in our restaurant, all students will
choose to dine here.

12. Oversimplification – this argument happens when the correlation between events is hastily
concluded without sufficient reason or explanation and so much has been attributed to the
conclusion being the result of the cause.

Example: Meat contains carcinogens. Meat eaters will ultimately have cancer.

13. Red herring – this fallacy is used by debaters when they try to distract their opponent away
from the real issue and onto something irrelevant. It is also a common ploy committed by the
government to veer the public’s attention away from more pressing concerns by focusing on
something less pressing.
Example: (When a politician is asked about the recent sex scandal against him) Oh that? It’s just
locker room talk. Have you seen my latest advertisement on TV?

14. Slippery slope – this erroneous argument happens out of fear that once an action has been taken,
a series of actions (often negative) will happen as a result of the previous action.
Example: if we legalize the use of marijuana or cannabis, then we can no longer control this illicit
drug and every single soul in this land will use it; maybe even their dogs will.

15. Straw man- when the debater caricaturizes or trivializes another person’s argument to refute it,
the debater has committed the straw man fallacy.
Example: Your argument is so old school. The millennials will not fall for it.

ACTIVITY

24
I. Read the following statements and identify the statement of fact (F); the statement of
opinion (O); and the incorrect information (I).

_____ 1. The Philippines is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
_____ 2. The US is eager to assert its supremacy over the member-nations of the ASEAN.
_____ 3. France is a member of the Group of Eight (G8).
_____ 4. In my developing nations, rapid population growth threatens food supply.
_____ 5. If left unchecked, the problem of teenage pregnancy in our country will even be worse than
that of other developing nations.

II. Write one (1) fact and one (1) opinion for each topic.

1. Education in the Philippines

Fact: _________________________________________________________________________
Opinion: ______________________________________________________________________

2. Filipino Food
Fact: _________________________________________________________________________
Opinion: ______________________________________________________________________
3. COVID-19
Fact: _________________________________________________________________________
Opinion: ______________________________________________________________________

III. Identify the fallacies in the following arguments and decide how you can improve them.

1. Sales people should be allowed to use unconventional selling tactics. Otherwise, they will not
meet their quota and they might lose their jobs.

Fallacy: ____________________________________________________
Improved premise and/or conclusion:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. People should not be faulted for littering on the street. If they don’t litter, what else is there to do
for the street sweepers who are paid to keep the streets clean?

Fallacy: ____________________________________________________
Improved premise and/or conclusion:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

25
26
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 4 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies

Content Standard
for a better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning
Uses various techniques in summarizing a variety of texts
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 4: ILLUSTRATE WRITING PROCESS

Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 4
Score
Lesson 1 Illustrate writing process
Distinguish between paraphrasing and summarizing and
Lesson 2
use them appropriately
Illustrate that writing is a process and that rewriting is part
Lesson 3
of the process
Lesson 4 Write an academic paper following the writing process
TOTAL

A. Printed:
English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 31-51 )
Lesson 1: Illustrate writing process
Content Discussion:
The Pre-Writing Process
What are your thoughts about writing? Try to look back and think of all the writing assignments that you
did then answer the following questions:
 Do you find writing easy or hard? What makes writing easy? What makes it hard?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

27
Steps in Choosing a Topic
1. Brainstorming.
 When you responded with ideas and concepts related to the broad concept that your teacher
gave you, you were already generating possible topics for your paper. The activity aims to
generate as many topics as you can in 10 to 15 minutes so that these random topics can be
made into focus topic later on.
Here are possible topics that you may generate out of the topic your teacher provided.
Double standards for women
Discrimination against gay and lesbians
Marital rape
Homosexuality
Gender biased and stereotypes

2. Freewriting.
 Aside from brainstorming, you can also use free writing to generate ideas. Free writing is
similar to brainstorming in that you just write any idea that comes into your mind. The idea
is to put down into writing the ideas and narrow them down into a single topic for your
paper.
 For example, you want to write about gender biased and stereotypes, which is still a very
broad topic. You can free write and come up with something like this.

We are born to perform roles. As early as infancy, there are already stereotypes that our associated
with our sexes. For instance, the color pink is for the baby girls and the color blue is for baby boys.
As boys and girls, there are again expectations--boys should play with toy and guns or trucks and
girls should play with doll or toy pans. How do these stereotypes affect the behavior of girls and
boys? Do they affect the behavior of women and men that those girls and boys would eventually
become? I suppose that stereotypes are the reasons that there is bias and double standards. Because
of this certain expectations, we are condition to think that we are confined to our roles. Who
determines these roles? Who determines these rules? Who says that we have follow them? Is there a
punishment that we have to follow those roles or the ones who imposed them?

3. Clustering.
 Or ballooning or mapping, this technique provides a graphic representation of your ideas,
allowing you to visualize the connections and/or relationships of your ideas. Write your
main topic at the center of your paper then circle or box it. Think of subtopics and place
them around the center circle until you have that you have developed all the subtopics fully.
 The next step is to make sure it is make sure that you focus on one idea that you are going to
discuss thoroughly in your paper. For example, the topic, gender stereotypes and bias is a
broad topic since there are a lot of issues that can be subsumed in that topic. You can narrow
it down by focusing in an aspect of gender stereotypes and biased that you are interested in
developing in your paper.
 Once you have narrowed down your topic, you ponder on the reason why you are writing.
Or better yet, you understand what the writing assignment is for. Understanding the
assignment is important because it will help you focus your ideas on the assigned task.
 The last step in pre-writing is one of the most crucial steps, knowing your purpose and
identifying your reader and audience. Determining your purpose will help you communicate
clearly your ideas to your readers, which is the goal of writing. Once you have determined
your purpose, knowing your audience comes next. Why is it important to know your readers
or your audience? The knowledge, interests, attitudes, and needs of your reader will give you
an idea as to how you will organize your points and claims in such a way that you can
establish a common ground with your readers.

28
Lesson 2: Distinguish between paraphrasing and summarizing and use them appropriately

Summarizing VS. Paraphrasing

 Summarizing is a short statement of the main idea of the text. Ideally, it is a third of your
original text of your paper. For developing your summary, the following tips may be helpful.
1. Make sure to read the text thoroughly and highlight the important details in the text. Bear in mind
that certain details have relationships (cause and effect for example) and these need to be noted as
well.
2. After getting the main idea/s, use your own words in your summary. Make sure to check the
relationships of the ideas are established.
3. When done with summary, recheck your output with the original to see if your output does not
stray from the original text. You may seek your teacher’s or peer’s feedback to be sure.

 Paraphrasing is a restatement in your own words of the main idea and supporting the
details of the text. A paraphrase may match the length of the original work.
 Though paraphrasing may be considered more challenging than summarizing, paraphrasing
allows little opportunities for misinterpretation on the part of the reader as you account for
both major and minor points.

Consider the following tips in crafting your paraphrases.

1. Read the text thoroughly, nothing both main ideas and supporting details. If confronted with a
long text, you may outline these ideas to distinguish the major points from minor ones.
2. After identifying these, carefully state the major and the minor points in your own words, making
sure that the relationship between and among these ideas are observed.
3. Finally, the paraphrase is done, compare your original work to make sure that the original
intentions of the author are not changed.

The following are also several ways in paraphrasing:

1. Literal paraphrasing
This type only replaces the vocabulary terms from the original text.
2. Structural paraphrasing
This type changes the structure as well as the word class of key words of the original text.
3. Alternative paraphrasing
In this type, the writer first poses questions about the text such as what the text is about, how the
main idea is supported, and the stand of the author about the topic. Then, the writer answers these
questions using his/her own words after reading the text; make sure that all ideas are connected.

Consider the following text and the corresponding phrase and summary:
Mobile and computer technology may also affect children’s sociability. The use of this technology may
take away hours from children’s social and playing time. Yet from another perspective, it can help
cultivate their communicative and social skills through using different social media platforms and
sharing apps with friends. (Subia and Tatel, 2014).

Summary Paraphrase

Subia and Tatel (2014) view Subia and Tatel (2014) points out that through technology may
technology as something that may have a negative impact in children’s ability to socialize and it
affect the social lives of children in minimizes chances of real life interaction with others, they
negative and positive way. believe that through interactive features of technology such as
sharing apps and varying platforms for exchange, technology
van enhance social skills among its young users.

29
 ACTIVITY

Read the following text.

Filipino children use mobile and computer technology in their daily lives for numerous activities,
including surfing the net, playing computer games, logging in social networking sites, and doing
homework, the question of how can these affect their well-being and lifestyle become more relevant in
the present time. This study aims to identify the positive and negative effects that could possibly arise
from the early exposure of Filipino children to these new technologies in the three areas: (1)
physically, (2) socially, and (3) educationally. This article finishes with an evaluation of the
advantages and disadvantages of computer exposure tackled and a recommended use of such devices.
More often than not, positive effects on physical well-being associated with mobile and computer
technology are not direct results of their actual use, but are brought about when these gadgets are
utilized as an actual use, but are brought about when these gadgets are utilized as a medium by
programs and software dedicated to promoting overall physical wellness. Examples of which are
activity-promoting gaming systems and mobile games that promote healthy eating (Suibia and Tatel,
2014)

Complete the notes of the key points of the text.

1. Filipino children use mobile technology for

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Using technology does not directly lead to positive effects but rather
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. The present investigation aims to examine
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Day 3: Illustrate that writing is a process and that rewriting is part of the process

Writing and Re Writing

Certainly you are now to ready to write, you have learned how to gather and cite sources to avoid
plagiarism. You have also learned to paraphrase and quote directly from an original text. With that, you
can start working on the next step in the process, which is the writing of an essay.

THE WRITING PROCESS

Developing your Thesis

 What you have read in the after reading part in the earlier activity could be developed as
your thesis statement. A thesis statement is the claim or stand that you will develop in your
paper. It is the controlling idea of your essay. It gives your idea of what your paper is all
about.

30
Ponder on this statements:
 Which do you think is the more interesting thesis statement? What makes it interesting?
 Which thesis statement is stronger? Why?

 A strong thesis statement usually contain an element of uncertainty, risk or challenge

(Ramage, Bean, Johnson 2006: 34).
 This means that your thesis statement should offer a debatable claim that you can prove or
disprove in your essay. The claim should be debatable enough to let you readers agree or
disagree with you.
Organizing your paper
 Your next task as a writer is to support your thesis statement with sufficient evidence, data and
examples. Some people think that this is where the “real” writing begins because this is where
will you support your thesis statement and expound on it as well.
 As a writer, your main aim is to organize your ideas in a logical order. Organize your ideas
means finding the connections of one point to another and establishing a link from one idea to
another. The challenge for you as a writer is to be able to “weave back and forth between
generalizations and specific” (Ramage, Bean, Johnson 2006: 40).

Lesson 4: Write an academic paper following the writing process

To further expand your knowledge on how to write an effective essay, read Paul Roberts’ essay,
How to Say nothing in 500 in Words. This essay was written in 1950’s but the tips that he gave are still
relevant, especially to young writers like you.
Ponder on this question: What are your common writing practices? Are they effective? Why or why
not?
How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul McHenry Roberts
It's Friday afternoon, and you have almost survived another week of classes. You are just looking
forward dreamily to the weekend when the English instructor says: “For Monday you will turn in a five
hundred-word composition on college football.” Well, that puts a good hole in the weekend. You don't
have any strong views on college football one way or the other. You get rather excited during the season
and go to all the home games and find it rather more fun than not. On the other hand, the class has been
reading Robert Hutchins in the anthology and perhaps Shaw's “Eighty-Yard Run,” and from the class
discussion you have got the idea that the instructor thinks college football is for the birds. You are no
fool. You can figure out what side to take. After dinner you get out the portable typewriter that you got
for high school graduation. You might as well get it over with and enjoy Saturday and Sunday. Five
hundred words is about two double-spaced pages with normal margins. You put in a sheet of paper,
think up a title, and you're off:

Article: WHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL SHOULD BE ABOLISHED

In my opinion, it seems to me that college football should be abolished. The reason why I think this to
be true is because I feel that football is bad for the colleges in nearly every respect. As Robert Hutchins
says in his article in our anthology in which he discusses college football, it would be better if the
colleges had race horses and had races with one another, because then the horses would not have to
attend classes. I firmly agree with Mr. Hutchins on this point, and I am sure that many other students
would agree too.
One reason why it seems to me that college football is bad is that it has become too commercial. In the
olden times when people played football just for the fun of it, maybe college football was all right, but
they do not play college football just for the fun of it now as they used to in the old days. Nowadays
college football is what you might call a big business. Maybe 2/9 this is not true at all schools, and I
don't think it is especially true here at State, but certainly this is the case at most colleges and
universities in America nowadays, as Mr. Hutchins points out in his very interesting article. Actually the
coaches and alumni go around to the high schools and offer the high school stars large salaries to come
to their colleges and play football for them. There was one case where a high school star was offered a
convertible if he would play football for a certain college.

31
Another reason for abolishing college football is that it is bad for the players. They do not have time to
get a college education, because they are so busy playing football. A football player has to practice
every afternoon from three to six and then he is so tired that he can't concentrate on his studies. He just
feels like dropping off to sleep after dinner, and then the next day he goes to his classes without having
studied and maybe he fails the test.
(Good ripe stuff so far, but you're still a hundred and fifty-one words from home. One more push.)
Also I think college football is bad for the colleges and the universities because not very many students
get to participate in it. Out of a college of ten thousand students only seventy five or a hundred play
football, if that many. Football is what you might call a spectator sport. That means that most people go
to watch it but do not play it themselves.
(Four hundred and fifteen. Well, you still have the conclusion, and when you retype it, you can make the
margins a little wider.)
These are the reasons why I agree with Mr. Hutchins that college football should be abolished in
American colleges and universities.
On Monday you turn it in, moderately hopeful, and on Friday it comes back marked “weak in content”
and sporting a big “D.” This essay is exaggerated a little, not much. The English instructor will
recognize it as reasonably typical of what an assignment on college football will bring in. He knows that
nearly half of the class will contrive in five hundred words to say that college football is too commercial
and bad for the players. Most of the other half will inform him that college football builds character and
prepares one for life and brings prestige to the school. As he reads paper after paper all saying the same
thing in almost the same words, all bloodless, five hundred words dripping out of nothing, he wonders
how he allowed himself to get trapped into teaching English when he might have had a happy and
interesting life as an electrician or a confidence man.
Well, you may ask, what can you do about it? The subject is one on which you have few convictions and
little information. Can you be expected to make a dull subject interesting? As a matter of fact, this is
precisely what you are expected to do. This is the writer's essential task. All subjects, except sex, are dull
until somebody makes them interesting. The writer's job is to find the argument, the approach, the angle,
the wording that will take the reader with him. This is seldom easy, and it is particularly hard in subjects
that have been much discussed: College Football, Fraternities, Popular Music, Is Chivalry Dead? and the
like. You will feel that there is nothing you can do with such subjects except repeat the old bromides.
But there are some things you can do which will make your papers, if not 3/9 throbbingly alive, at least
less insufferably tedious than they might otherwise be.
Guidelines in Writing an Academic Writing
1. AVOID THE OBVIOUS CONTENT
 Say the assignment is college football. Say that you've decided to be against it. Begin by
putting down the arguments that come to your mind: it is too commercial, it takes the
students' minds off their studies, it is hard on the players, it makes the university a kind of
circus instead of an intellectual center, for most schools it is financially ruinous. Can you
think of any more arguments, just off hand?
 Be against college football for some reason or reasons of your own. If they are keen and
perceptive ones, that's splendid. But even if they are trivial or foolish or indefensible, you
are still ahead so long as they are not everybody else's reasons too. Be against it because the
colleges don't spend enough money on it to make it worthwhile, because it is bad for the
characters of the spectators, because the players are forced to attend classes, because the
football stars hog all the beautiful women, because it competes with baseball and is therefore
un-American and possibly Communist-inspired. There are lots of more or less unused
reasons for being against college football.
2. TAKE THE LESS USUAL SIDE
 One rather simple way of getting into your paper is to take the side of the argument that most of
the citizens will want to avoid. If the assignment is an essay on dogs, you can, if you choose,
explain that dogs are faithful and lovable companions, intelligent, useful as guardians of the
house and protectors of children, indispensable in police work — in short, when all is said and
done, man's best friends.

32
  Or you can suggest that those big brown eyes conceal, more often than not, a vacuity of mind
and an inconstancy of purpose; that the dogs you have known most intimately have been mangy,
ill-tempered brutes, incapable of instruction; and that only your nobility of mind and fear of
arrest prevent you from kicking the flea-ridden animals when you pass them on the street.
 Always take what looks to you hardest, least defensible. It will almost always turn out to be
easier to write interestingly on that side.

3. SLIP OUT OF ABSTRACTION

 If you will study the essay on college football [near the beginning of this essay], you will
perceive that one reason for its appalling dullness is that it never gets down to particulars. It is
just a series of not very glittering generalities: “football is bad for the colleges,” “it has become
too commercial,” “football is big business,” “it is bad for the players,” and so on. Such round
phrases thudding against the reader's brain are unlikely to convince him, though they may well
render him unconscious.
 If you want the reader to believe that college football is bad for the players, you have to do more
than say so. You have to display the evil.
 Take your roommate, Alfred Simkins, the second-string center. Picture poor old Alfy coming
home from football practice every evening, bruised and aching, agonizingly tired, scarcely able
to shovel the mashed potatoes into his mouth. Let us see him staggering up to the room, getting
out his econ textbook, peering desperately at it with his good eye, falling asleep and failing the
test in the morning. Let us share his unbearable tension as Saturday draws near. Will he fail, be
demoted, lose his monthly allowance, be forced to return to the coal mines? And if he succeeds,
what will be his reward? Perhaps a slight ripple of applause when the thirdstring center replaces
him, a moment of elation in the locker room if the team wins, of despair if it loses. What will he
look back on when he graduates from college?
4. GET RID OF OBVIOUS PADDING
 The student toiling away at his weekly English theme is too often tormented by a figure: five
hundred words. How, he asks himself, is he to achieve this staggering total? Obviously by never
using one word when he can somehow work in ten. He is therefore seldom content with a plain
statement like “Fast driving is dangerous.” This has only four words in it. He takes thought, and
the sentence becomes: In my opinion, fast driving is dangerous. Better, but he can do better still:
In my opinion, fast driving would seem to be rather dangerous.
 If he is really adept, it may come out: In my humble opinion. though I do not claim to be an
expert on this complicated subject, test driving, in most circumstances, would seem to be rather
dangerous in many respects, or at least so it would seem to me. Thus, four words have been
turned into forty, and not an iota of content has been added. Now this is a way to go about
reaching five hundred words, and if you are content with a “D” grade, it is as good a way as any.
But if you aim higher, you must work differently. Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw,
you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough.
 You dig up more real content. Instead of taking a couple of obvious points off the surface of the
topic and then circling warily around them for six paragraphs, you work in and explore, figure
out the details. You illustrate.
 Example: You say that fast driving is dangerous, and then you prove it. How long does it take to
stop a car at forty and at eighty? How far can you see at night? What happens when a tire blows?
What happens in a head-on collision at fifty miles an hour? Pretty soon your paper will be full of
broken glass and blood and headless torsos, and reaching five hundred words will not really be a
problem.
5. CALL A FOOL A FOOL
 Some of the padding in freshman themes is to be blamed not on anxiety about the word
minimum but on excessive timidity. The student writes, “In my opinion, the principal of my high
school acted in ways that I believe every unbiased person would have to call foolish.” This isn't
exactly what he means. What he means is, “My high school principal was a fool.” If he was a
fool, call him a fool. Hedging the thing about with “inmy-opinion's” and “it-seems-to-me's” and
“as-I-see-it's” and “at-least-from-my-point-of-view's” gains you nothing.

33
  One is what we call euphemism. This is the tendency to call a spade “a certain garden
implement” or women's underwear “unmentionables.” It is stronger in some eras than others and
in some people than others but it always operates more or less in subjects that are touchy or
taboo: death, sex, madness, and so on.
 Example: Thus we shrink from saying “He died last night” but say instead “passed away,” “left
us,” “joined his Maker,” “went to his reward.” Or we try to take off the tension with a lighter
cliché: “kicked the bucket,” “cashed in his chips,” “handed in his dinner pail.” We have found all
sorts of ways to avoid saying mad: “mentally ill,” “touched,” “not quite right upstairs,”
“feebleminded,” 7/9 “innocent,” “simple,” “off his trolley,” “not in his right mind.” Even such a
now plain word as insane began as a euphemism with the meaning “not healthy.”
6. BEWARE OF PAT EXPRESSIONS
 Other things being equal, avoid phrases like “other things being equal.” Those sentences that
come to you whole, or in two or three doughy lumps, are sure to be bad sentences. They are no
creation of yours but pieces of common thought floating in the community soup. Pat expressions
are hard, often impossible, to avoid, because they come too easily to be noticed and seem too
necessary to be dispensed with.
 No writer avoids them altogether, but good writers avoid them more often than poor writers.
 Examples: By “pat expressions” we mean such tags as “to all practical intents and purposes,”
“the pure and simple truth,” “from where I sit,” “the time of his life,” “to the ends of the earth,”
“in the twinkling of an eye,” “as sure as you're born,” “over my dead body,” “under cover of
darkness,” “took the easy way out,” “when all is said and done,” “told him time and time again,”
“parted the best of friends,” “stand up and be counted,” “gave him the best years of her life,”
“worked her fingers to the bone.” Now we should use them only when we can't possibly think of
anything else.
7. COLORFUL WORDS
 The writer builds with words, and no builder uses a raw material more slippery and elusive and
treacherous. A writer's work is a constant struggle to get the right word in the right place, to find
that particular word that will convey his meaning exactly, that will persuade the reader or soothe
him or startle or amuse him. He never succeeds altogether — sometimes he feels that he scarcely
succeeds at all — but such successes as he has are what make the thing worth doing. There is no
book of rules for this game.
 One progresses through everlasting experiment on the basis of ever-widening experience. There
are few useful generalizations that one can make about words as words, but there are perhaps a
few. Some words are what we call “colorful.” By this we mean that they are calculated to
produce a picture or induce an emotion. They are dressy instead of plain, specific instead of
general, loud instead of soft.
 Example: Thus, in place of “Her heart beat,” we may write, “her heart pounded, throbbed,
fluttered, danced.” Instead of “He sat in his chair,” we may say, “he lounged, sprawled, coiled.”
Instead of “It was hot,” we may say, “It was blistering, sultry, muggy, suffocating, steamy,
wilting.” However, it should not be supposed that the fancy word is always better. Often it is as
well to write “Her heart beat” or “It was hot” if that is all it did or all it was.
8. COLORED WORDS
 Some words we would call not so much colorful as colored — that is, loaded with associations,
good or bad. All words — except perhaps structure words — have associations of some sort. We
have said that the meaning of a word is the sum of the contexts in which it occurs. When we hear
a word, we hear with it an echo of all the situations in which we have heard it before. In some
words, these echoes are obvious and discussible. The word mother, for example, has, for most
people, agreeable associations. When you hear mother you probably think of home, safety, love,
food, and various other pleasant things. If one writes, “She was like a mother to me,” he gets an
effect which he would not get in “She was like an aunt to me.” The advertiser makes use of the
associations of mother by working it in when he talks about his product.
 Conversely, some words have bad associations.
 Example: Mother suggests pleasant things, but mother-in-law does not. Many mothers-in-law
are heroically lovable and some mothers drink gin all day and beat their children insensible, but
these facts of life are beside the point. The point is that mother sounds good and mother-in-law
does not. Or consider the word intellectual. This would seem to be a complimentary term, but in

34
 point of fact it is not, for it has picked up associations of impracticality and ineffectuality and
general dopiness.
9. COLORLESS WORDS
 But probably most student writers come to grief not with words that are colorful or those that are
colored but with those that have no color at all. A pet example is nice, a word we would find it
hard to dispense with in casual conversation but which is no longer capable of adding much to a
description.
 Colorless words are those of such general meaning that in a particular sentence they mean
nothing. Slang adjectives like cool (“That's real cool”) tend to explode all over the language.
They are applied to everything, lose their original force, and quickly die. Beware also of nouns
of very general meaning, like circumstances, cases, instances, aspects, factors, relationships,
attitudes, eventualities, etc.

ACTIVITY

Directions: The text was written decades ago and in a western context.
Guide questions: Are the points given in the text still relevant in today’s time? Why or why not? Do you
think that there are tips that are not useful anymore? Why do you say so?
Using your answer to question mentioned above, make an essay with 2-3 paragraph. Follow the
writing process you have learned. Consider the rubric below in finalizing your writing.
Answer sheet
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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35
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)

3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show The sentences show too
communicate the some lapses in the use of many lapses in the use of
intended meaning some expressions that some expressions that
through the use of show explicitness but show explicitness but they
expressions that show they could still be could still be understood.
explicitness. understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few There are too many
errors and a formal grammatical errors and grammatical errors and
academic writing style is lapses in the academic lapses in the academic
used. writing style are writing style are observed.
observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is not
presented with more than presented with sufficient presented with sufficient
sufficient amount of amount of ideas amount of ideas
ideas.

36
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 5-6 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies

Content Standard
for a better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning
State the thesis statement of an academic text
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 5-6: DEFINE THESIS STATEMENT

Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 5-6
Score
Lesson 1 Define Thesis Statement
Lesson 2 Explain in the importance of research in daily life
Lesson 3 Describe the types and processes
Lesson 4 Writing an essay
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 English for the Globalized Classroom Series of Paolo Niño Valdez, PhD. (Page 46-64)
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 55-
78 )
Lesson 1: Define Thesis Statement
Content Discussion:
Writing is an activity that requires organization. Although it sometimes starts as a chaotic process,
much preparation is needed. Therefore, as ideas arise there are two important components to consider--
the thesis statement and the outline.

 The thesis statement is the overall idea or argument of your work. It is a general statement
that presents essential points that leads the reader to the right direction. Your thesis
statement makes all part of your work stick together.
 A good thesis statements should be focused and succinct, and must be framed as declarative
sentence. Ideally, the statement should have at least three ideas that will be developed in
succeeding sections of the work.

37
 Consider the example below:

Example: The ASEAN region is a dynamic system because it capitalizes on cultural diversity,
rich resources, and a variety of perspectives.

Explanation: This thesis statement contains the main idea that the ASEAN region is a dynamic
system. In order to support this, there are three points that needs elaboration-- cultural diversity,
resources, and a variety of perspectives. These three points will then be developed in each paragraph in
order to make the main idea a well elaborated one.

ACTIVITY
Directions: Craft a suitable statement for the following words and supporting points to develop.
1. Recyclable Bags-Problematic Production- Added Resources Needed- Increased Cost
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Political Dynasties- Stifles Development- Monopolizes Resources- Limits People’s Choices
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Cycling- Cheap Method on Travel- Sustainable Transport- Health Benefits
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

A thesis statement is different from a topic sentence in two aspects.

 First, the thesis statement is the main idea of an essay. This means that since an essay has
several paragraphs, the thesis statement covers the main idea of the essay. On the other hand, a
topic sentence serves as the main idea of a paragraph.
 Second, the thesis statement contains at least two supporting points which are developed in
succeeding paragraphs. A topic sentence usually has just one supporting point.

ACTIVITY

A. Directions: Read the following statements and write Ths on the line if the sentence is a thesis
statement and ToS if the sentence is a topic sentence.
_____1. Automated elections should be improved to minimize fraud, facilitate faster turnout and
maximize voter participation.
_____2. The lakes of Laguna are grand spectacles worth seeing.
_____3. Creating comics involves several steps.
_____4. Despite some risks, online businesses can be sustainable models for doing business since they
minimize operating costs and provide greater options for consumers.
_____5. Writing requires careful planning.

Lesson 2: Explain in the importance of research in daily life

A good thesis statement has several qualities:

1. A thesis statement is always framed as a declarative statement.

Poor example: What is plagiarism?
Improved version: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural and socio-political perspectives.

38
2. A good thesis statement is focused, meaning it provides supporting points that strengthen the main
claim.
Poor example: An effective local government unit should have good communication facilities
and efficient resource management programs since these initiatives will be beneficial for its
citizens.
Improved example: Effective dissemination of information and efficient resource management
are indicators of effective local governance.
3. A good thesis statement has clear boundaries.
Meaning, it sets limits to what the essay intends to explore.
Poor example: Guitar playing skills can be improved if the player is dedicated and there are
sessions devoted to technique and investments on good equipment must be considered since
these will be influential in performing in front of an audience.
Improved version: Excellent guitar requires countless hours of practice, strategic decisions in
purchasing equipment and tireless dedication.

Lesson 3: Describe the types and processes

Together with the thesis statement, the outline is a helpful tool for organizing your work. Set as a
series of input, the outline shows the logical arrangement of ideas to be included in your essay.

In preparing your outline, there are two things to remember-- outline format and principles.
With regard to format, there are two types: Traditional and Standard.
Traditional- uses roman numerals, letters and numbers
Standard system- uses numbers.

Consider the following examples.

TRADITIONAL STANDARD

Title of work: Units of a Research University Title of work: Units of a Research University

I. College of Medicine 1.0 College of Medicine

A. Community Medicine 1.1.Community Medicine
B. Pathology 1.2 Pathology

II. College of Engineering 2.0 College of Engineering

A. Industrial Engineering 2.1 Industrial Engineering
B. Chemical Engineering 2.2 Chemical Engineering
C. Mechanical Engineering 2.3 Mechanical Engineering

III. School of Fine Arts 3.0 School of Fine Arts

A. Painting 3.1 Painting
B. Sculpture 3.2 Sculpture

IV. College of Liberal Arts 4.0 College of Liberal Arts

A. Political Sciences 4.1 Political Sciences
B. History 4.2 History
C. Literature 4.3 Literature

For principles, consider the following:

 Parallelism- Entries should observe the same language structure (e.g., words, phrases, sentences).
 Coordination- Entries should observe levels of importance. In the example above, note that
colleges are labeled as major ideas because they carry the same level of significance in the research
university
39
 Subordination- Entries should observe differences of importance (which ideas should be classified
as minor or major ideas). In the example, the different units under colleges are labeled as minor
ideas since they differ in scope from the colleges
 Division- Entries should at least be two to be sure that supporting points of a major idea are
adequate.

Like thesis statements and outlines, writing essays requires preparatory steps. An essay is similar to
research in that requires planning and execution.

Presented are some Steps for Planning an Essay

1. Determine the topic, purpose, role, and audience for the work.
To help you in understanding these three aspects, you must constantly ask these questions:
A. What am I writing about? How long will the piece be?
B. Why am I doing this piece? Is it to inform? Persuade? Or argue a position?
C. Who am I writing this for? Is there a specific type of knowledge my readers need to
understand the piece?
D. What role am I taking in writing this piece? As an expert? A friend? A member of the
community?
2. Expanding subtopics. This requires determining the scope of the work
3. Collecting resources and making notes. In this part of the process, selection of sources
materials and identification of important excerpts are crucial
4. Brainstorming and creating a plan. This means jotting down important ideas and organizing
them into an outline and thesis statement.
5. Drafting. In this step, parts of the outline are written. With the use of notes in your thesis
statement are elaborated on
6. Peer evaluation and revision. In keeping with the notion that writing is a social process,
seeking another readers’ feedback is essential.

1.0 Introduction
1.1 What is the topic about?
1.2 What is the purpose?
1.3 What is covered in the essay?
1.4 What is the thesis statement?
2. 0 Body
2.1 What is the first major topic?
2.1.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.1.2 What is the second supporting idea?
2.2 What is the second major topic?
2.2.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.2.2 What is the second supporting idea?
2.3 What is the third major topic?
2.3.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.3.2 What is the second supporting idea?
3.0 Conclusion
3.1 What are the main points of my essay?
3.2 What course of action would I like my readers to make?

40
Day 4: Writing an essay

ACTIVITY

Direction: Using the table below, compose an essay about any social issue that you know. (examples:
Corruption, LGBTQ+, Dolomite dumping, Poverty, Economy of the Philippines)
Part of the Guide questions Ideas
outline
Introduction 1.1 What is the topic
about?
1.2 What is the purpose of
the essay?
1.3 What is covered in the
essay/
1.4 What is the thesis
statement?

Body 2.1 What is the first major

topic? What supporting
details can be put under
this heading?
2.2 What is the second
major topic? What
supporting details can be
put under this heading?
2.3 What is the third major
topic? What supporting
details can be put under
this heading?

Conclusion 3.1 What are the main

points of my essay?
3.2 What course of action
would I like my readers to
take?

41
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINT 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences show too
communicate the intended lapses in the use of some many lapses in the use
meaning through the use of expressions that show of some expressions
expressions that show explicitness but they that show explicitness
explicitness. could still be understood. but they could still be
understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few There are too many
errors and a formal academic grammatical errors and grammatical errors and
writing style is used. lapses in the academic lapses in the academic
writing style are observed. writing style are
observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is
presented with more than presented with sufficient not presented with
sufficient amount of ideas. amount of ideas sufficient amount of
ideas

42
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 7 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies

Content Standard
for a better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning
Outlines reading texts in various disciplines
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 7: CRAFTSMANSHIP OF WRITING A CRITIQUE

Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 7
Score
Lesson 1 Appreciate the craftsmanship of writing a critique
Lesson 2 Identify the content and structure of a critique
Lesson 3 Construct a critique statement
Lesson 4 Construct a critique statement
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 English for the Globalized Classroom Series of Paolo Niño Valdez, PhD. (Page 18-29)
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 13-29 )

Lesson 1: Appreciate the craftsmanship of writing a critique

Structure and Language of Critique

Critiques are an important rhetorical pattern in academic writing as they present a balanced view of
things. Critiques, however, are based not only on personal perspective but should be grounded on actual
observations. Here are some tips in developing your critique.
1. Remember that the critique should be accessible to the audience.
2. Relating your critique to greater realities will also help as you ground your critique on the wider
scheme of things.
Critique should be organized in the following manner:
1. Provide readers a sense of the ideas you want to tackle.
2. Provide a summary of the concept

43
3. Strengths and weaknesses should be a part of the critique. Remember that this is challenging and
requires tact.
Illustrating Strengths
Given its features, X may be the best among the competition…
X does not only provide (enumerate common features found in other counterparts) but also
(enumerate unique features)…

Illustrating Weaknesses

However, X may not be a wise choice if you intend to…(cite specific activities or features
needed by a specific user or audience)

In certain cases, X lacks some interesting points such as …(Cite specific qualities or features)

X may not appeal to certain users or audiences as it… (Cite specific features or qualities)

In certain cases, X may not be a good investment of you time as it… (Cite specific features of
qualities)

Though there are positive points for X, certain improvements can be made.

4. Final recommendation of the author.

Lesson 2: Identify the content and structure of a critique

Jumpstart: Do a product review presentation in class. It could be gadget, clothing or items used
popularly.
Guide questions:
1. Introduction-What is the product about? What are its features?
Name of the product: Features of the product:

2. Review-How does the product compare with its counterparts or other parts?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
3. Recommendation-Will you recommend consumers to purchase the item? Why or why not?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________

44
  The critique should provide background information for the reader to grasp the issue raised in
your piece. For instance, to introduce the topic, include current problems or information that will
helpful for making your critique accessible to your readers.
 A major part of a critique is a brief summary of the event, book, concept, or object being
critiqued. In this part, specific description are needed for the reader to have an overview of the
central features of the topic.
 It is important to provide informed insights on these features. For instance, weaknesses or
strengths should be based on what is observable and comparable to other items of the same class.

Consider the following statements:

Sample 1:
The smartphone has an eight megapixel camera supported by both Bluetooth technology and wireless
applications. These features are standards among modern phones, so that the higher price is not
justified.
Sample 2: The movie is worth seeing because it features not only talented actors but also tells an
excellent story filled with unexpected twists.
ACTIVITY:
Prepare the body of the review with the guide questions in the table below. Then, write your draft.
Guide questions Responses
What are the essential features?

What are the strengths of these features?

What are the weaknesses of these features?

Lesson 3: Construct a critique statement

 The evaluation of the final section should summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the
subject to be critiqued. This includes points for readers to consider before reading the book,
watching the film, attending the event or purchasing the item.
 Among the different sections of the critique, two important points should stand out. First,
recommendations must be backed up from sources to strengthen your claims. Second, a
negative appraisal must be expressed with tact.
Sample 1:
Taken as a whole, the book can be a helpful resources for teachers planning to integrate technology in
their classrooms. In addition, the sample lessons provided in the appendices consider different material
conditions of schools which may be a reality in some settings. Since Estacio (2009) views that
technology use in education may depend on the conditions of educational institutions, the lessons in the
book are a welcome addition to the growing number of resources in different contexts for teachers.
Explanation: In this sample, the underlined citation helps strengthen the positive appraisal of the book.
This also serves as means for the reviewer to relate the book to other sources that deal with same topic.

45
Sample 2:
Considering the pros and cons of the computer system, users may want to check other options that bear
the same features, as other companies provide top of the line features for their premium offerings but
with lower price points.
Explanation: In this sample, the underlined statement opens opportunities for users to check options and
allow them to make decisions to buy the computer system or not.
Lesson 4: Construct a critique statement
ACTIVITY:
Given the following ideas, write a sentence that uses a citation to strengthen specific claims.
1. Claim: The movie is good for younger audiences.
Cited information: Torres (1990) emphasized positive values as an indicator of favorable
viewership for younger audiences.
Revised sentence:

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________.
2. Claim: The car can sustain higher speeds for several hours.
Cited information: As seen in several lab tests, the car is not only efficient in fuel consumption
but is quite fast compared to its competitors (Santos, 2009)
Revised sentence:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________.
ACTIVITY:
Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow.
The book is a valuable resource as it provides interesting theoretical and methodological means for
analyzing the combination of images and texts allows greater understanding of values encoded in the
news. In addition, the book adequately discusses means for addressing methodological problems in
analyzing data in different forms of media.
Moreover, since the book draws on different perspectives, readers will find a range of options to work
with when confronting their own data. To illustrate, news may not only be seen on the
national/international scene but also in specific locales. Therefore, this can help in making sense of
one’s data through adequate examples.
The book is intended as a suitable introduction for graduate students and researchers interested in
exploring the complexities of news discourse, as it provides input, a list of readings and additional
activities for research. It also integrates several theoretical and methodological perspectives, giving
readers a free hand on deciding which approach to employ in analyzing their on data. Overall, this book,
which is part o the Continuum series of books covering areas of discourse, is a valuable contribution for
the enrichment of scholarship concerning news discourse (Valdez, 2014)
Guide questions:
1. Is the recommendation of the book positive or negative? Cite specific information.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
46
____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. What considerations did the author mention for readers to consider in reading the book?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY:
Prepare a draft for the conclusion of your review. Fill out the table below to help in writing your draft.
POINTS FOR RECOMMENDATION RESPONSES

1. What are the positive and negative features of

the item?

2. What background knowledge is needed for

users to fully maximize the use of the item or
enjoy the event/movie?

3. Would you recommend this to other people?

Why yes and why no.

47
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

FIRST QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 8 Inclusive Dates:

Content Standard The learner understands the principles and uses of reaction
paper/review/ critique paper.
Performance Standard The learner produces an objective assessment of an event, a person, a
place or a thing and writes a comprehensive review or reaction paper
 Performance Arts, Play, Dance, Sports, etc.
 Film
 Participation in a religious or community festival
 Art exhibit
 Design as industrial design objects or craft objects, furniture,
fashion designs based on a set criteria
 graphic design communication materials such as posters,
billboards, commercial, digital
Most Essential Learning  Use appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism,
Competencies (MELCs) feminism, etc.
21st Century Learning Skills Communication, Critical Thinking, Literacy
Core Values Critical Thinking, Linguistic Competence

MODULE 8: THE CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION OF CRTIQUES AND REACTION

PAPER
Week 8 Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Score
Lesson 1 Describe the content and structure of a critique or
reaction paper
Lesson 2 Define the context for a reaction paper or critique paper
Lesson 3 Identify appropriate critical approaches in writing critique
such as formalism and feminism.
Lesson 4 Write a reaction or critique paper objectively.
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 Miciano, Mishima and Miciano, Remedios (2016). Enhanced English Engagements: English for
Academic and Professional Purposes, First Edition, Don Bosco Press Inc. pp.81-88.
 Barrot, J. and Sipascio, P. (2016). English for Academic and Professional Purposes for Senior High
School, C & E Publishing Inc. pp.136-151.
 Go, R., Mondez, R., Purpura, J.(2019(. DIWA Senior High School Series: English for Academic and
Professional Purposes, Second Edition, DIWA Learning System INC. pp. 142-148.
B. Online:
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/1/

48
Lesson 1: Define Criticism
Content Discussion:
 In recent decades, theory and criticism have grown ever more prominent in literary and
cultural studies, treated less as aids to the study of literature and culture than as ends
themselves. This means that the course of the 20th century the history of criticism and theory
increasingly provides the general framework for studying literature and culture in colleges
and universities.

Literary Criticism
1. The Relationship of Literature to Literary Theory
 Traditionally, literature is regarded as homogenous body of works and similar characteristics
which are read in similar ways by undifferentiated audience.
 Literature, as body of writing together with its moral and aesthetic qualities, can be seen as
site of struggle where meanings are contested rather than regarded as something possessing
timeless and universal values and truths.
 Literary theories can offer various ways of reading, interpreting, and analysing literature, but
they do not offer any easy solutions as what literature is, or what its study should be.

FORMALIST AND FEMINISM

1. Formalist Analysis/Structuralism
 A formalist analysis of a text focuses on symbolism, metaphor, imagery, characterization, and
so on.
 Formalism ignores the author’s biography and focuses only on the interaction of literary
elements within the text.

A checklist for Formalist Critical Questions

 What is the work’s plot? How is it related to its structure? What is the relationship of each other
part of the work to the work as a whole? How are the parts related to one another?
 Who is narrating or telling what happens in the work? How is the narrator, speaker, or character
revealed to readers? How do we come to know and understand this figure?
 Who are the major and minor characters, what do they represent, and how do they relate to one
another?
 What is the setting and how does it relate to what we know of the characters and their action?
To what extent is the setting is symbolic?
 What kind of language does the author use to describe, narrate the literary work? What images,
similes, metaphors symbols appear in the work? What is their function? What meanings do they
convey? (DiYanni 1562).

2. Feminist Criticism
 An approach seeks to discover awareness, consciousness, an re-evaluation of women-their roles
in life and their consciousness in literature.
 Feminist critics see males as dominant force, with women relegated to the role of defining
object for men.

Feminist critics holds three assumptions:

 Our civilization is pervasively patriarchal.
 Concepts of gender are overwhelmingly cultural constructs affected by patriarchal biases.
 The patriarchal ideology also pervades those literature. Such works lack-autonomous female
role models, are implicitly addressed to male readers, and leave the woman reader an alien
outsider or else solicit her to identify against herself by assuming male values and ways of
perceiving, feeling and acting.

A checklist for Feminist Critical Questions

 What awareness or consciousness of womanhood or feminist roles occurs to the characters in
the literature being concerned?
 What patterns of implied male authority/oppression/superiority are found in the poem or story,
or play?
49
  What modes of male-female differences are built into the work?

Feminism and Current Works

1. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hermione is initially unattractive, both physically and
socially. Would the smart young wizard get the same treatment? Why is the most evil instructor
in Hogwarts a woman? (Professor Umbridge)
2. In the Hunger Games, although Katniss is very strong, her mother’s weakness after her father’s
death brings the family to poverty. Although strong, she would initially be described as
masculine (a good-hunter, a risk taker) and struggles to be feminine (she is afraid to twirl in a
dress).

CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

 There are various ways or standpoints by which you can analyze and critique a certain
material. You can critique a material based on its technical aspects, its approach to gender,
your reaction as the audience, or through its portrayal of class struggle and social structure.

The following are the different approaches in writing a critique:

1. Formalist
 This approach regards literature as “a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be
examined on its own terms.” All the elements necessary for understanding the work are
contained within the work itself. Of particular interest to the formalist critic are the elements
of form—style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.— that are found within the text.
 A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together with
the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.

Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

A. How is the work’s structure unified?

B. How do various elements of the work reinforce its meaning?
C. What recurring patterns (repeated or related words, images, etc.) can you find?
D. What is the effect of these patterns or motifs?
E. How does repetition reinforce the theme(s)?
F. How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the work’s meaning?
G. What is the effect of the plot, and what parts specifically produce that effect?
H. What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.)
I. Note the writer’s use of paradox, irony, symbol, plot, characterization, and style of narration.
J. What effects are produced? Do any of these relate to one another or to the theme?
K. Is there a relationship between the beginning and the end of the story?
L. What tone and mood are created at various parts of the work?
M. How does the author create tone and mood? What relationship is there between tone and mood
and the effect of the story?
N. How do the various elements interact to create a unified whole?

Following are the common aspects looked into formalism:

 Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within the work
 Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work
 Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its aesthetic quality
 Contribution of rhymes and rhythms to the meaning or effect of the work
 Relationship of the form and the content
 Use of imagery to develop the symbols used in the work.
 Interconnectedness of various parts of the work
 Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work
 Unity in the work

50
 A Rose for Emily: A Formalist Approach

 Using a formalist approach to critiquing this story gave me a different way of reading “A
Rose for Emily.” I went into reading this piece with the decision already made that I
would use a formalist approach. The narration of “A Rose for Emily” is written in first
person, or as a member of the community. Using phrases such as, “we did not say she
was crazy then” (86) made the story believable, as if it actually happened, rather than a
third person narrative most fiction stories use.

 The imagery Faulkner presents in this story gives off a setting in the old south. Words
such as “tradition,” (93) “generation” (93), and “sort of hereditary obligation” (93)
contribute to an old southern feel. Even though the story is written as if it were told by a
member of the community, the imagery is fitting since Faulkner himself is from
Mississippi during the Civil War (83). The old feel of the story is suitable, since “A Rose
for Emily” begin and ends with her death. The old-timey feel aids the reader in realizing
that they are reading a story which switches back and forth over the main character’s life.

 The plot of “A Rose for Emily” jumps back and forth in non-chronological order. This
method of storytelling delivers an immense element of surprise at the end of the story.
The narration also ties into the element of surprise at the end of the story. Since the story
is read as if a member of society were writing it in present tense, there is very little way
the reader could predict the end of the story until further down.

 For example, in the story Emily purchases poison and the members of the community
were certain “she will kill herself” (88). Later, Emily’s cousins report to the community
“that she had bought a complete outfit of men’s clothing, including a nightshirt” (88).
However, if the events of the story were reversed in order, it would be easier for the
reader to conclude what actually happened – that Emily murdered Herbert with rat
poison. Part of using a formalist approach is deciding whether or not a story can be
considered a piece of art.

 In my opinion, I think that “A Rose for Emily” can be considered a piece of art. Faulkner
won a Nobel Peace Prize in literature, and I can certainly see why. The story was at first
slightly confusing as far as the plot goes, but as the story developed the plot became more
apparent. Even if the plot were understood from the beginning, Faulkner has a strong
command of English, creating wonderful scenes of imagery and I was able see everything
that was being described in the story vividly.

Read a sample formalist critique of Dead Stars, a classic Filipino short story by Paz Marquez
Benitez:
 The title of the work already gives an idea as to what it means. In physics, it is stated that the
light and energy of the stars have to travel light years to reach us. Since they are millions of
miles away and light has to travel this large distance, it is highly possible that the star has already
exploded while its light is still travelling towards us. Therefore it is possible that the bright light
we see at night actually comes from a dead star. In the story, this metaphor is used to refer to
Alfredo’s love for Julia, a woman he meets and falls for one fateful summer. Not only is the title
an indicator of what is to come, even the fate of the characters in the story can already be seen
through their names. Alfredo’s name means counselor of elves in Spanish and suggests someone
who is wise. In the story, it is indicated that Alfredo is a lawyer, a person who counsels. Still, his
name denotes a certain irony; despite his supposed wisdom. Alfredo’s actions, especially his
covert courtship with Julia while being engaged to another, are anything but sensible. Julia’s
name on the other hand, refers to someone who is youthful, which is how Alfredo sees her for
eight years until he is confronted by reality.

2. Feminist Criticism or Feminism

51
  This focuses on how literature presents women as subjects of socio-political, psychological, and
economic oppression. It also reveals how aspects of our culture are patriarchal, i.e., how our
culture views men as superior and women as inferior. The common aspects looked into when
using feminism are as follows:

 How culture determines gender

 How gender equality (or lack of it) presented in the text
 How gender issues are presented in the literary works and other aspects of human production and
daily life
 How women are socially, politically, psychologically, and economically oppressed by patriarchy
 How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence

Moreover, feminist criticism examines images of women and concepts of the feminine in myth
and literature; uses the psychological, archetypal, and sociological approaches; often focuses on
female characters who have been neglected in previous criticism. Feminist critics attempt to correct
or supplement what they regard as a predominantly male-dominated critical perspective.

Questions to be asked for Feministic Approach

A. How are women’s lives portrayed in the work?

B. Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer’s gender?
C. How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these relationships sources of
conflict? Are these conflicts resolved? D. Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of
women?
D. How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal social forces that have impeded
women’s efforts to achieve full equality with men?
E. What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations
have?
F. What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations
have?
G. If a female character were male, how would the story be different (and vice versa)?
H. How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or happiness?

Sample feminist critique of Dead Stars

 The story is a study of power imbalance brought by gender. In the beginning, Dead Stars already
clearly illustrates the gender roles ingrained in Filipino society: Don Julian and the judge are
portrayed as the male leaders of the household, taking up lofty professions such as business and
law while the mean are portrayed accomplishing domestic tasks such as tending to children and
preparing food. The most note-worthy display of imbalance in power, however, lies on the
central theme of Alfredo’s love for Julia as simply a dead star. Eight years after their forbidden
love and after getting married to another woman, Alfredo still holds Julia as an object of
affection, thus creating a distance between him and his wife, Esperanza. In their relationship as a
wedded couple, the power lies in Alfredo, not only because patriarchal society designates him as
the head of the household but also because he remains unreachable to his wife by harboring
feelings for another woman. This gender imbalance leads to a tragic epiphany for the characters
but is also a reflection of how men are viewed to dominate not only in the household but also in
their relationship with women.

3. Reader Response Criticism

 This approach is concerned with the reviewers’ reaction as an audience of a work. This approach
claims that the reader’s role cannot be separated from understanding of the work; a text does not
have meaning until the reader reads it and interprets it. Readers are therefore not passive and
distant, but are active consumers of the materials presented to them. The common aspects looked
into when using reading criticism as follows:

 Interaction between the reader and the text in creating meaning

 The impact of reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals on enhancing and changing meaning
52
Sample reader response critique of Dead Stars
 Despite being limited in length, Dead Stars manages to evoke various feelings which ultimately
build up the ending. While Alfredo is the center of the story, as a woman reader it is hard not to
feel greatly for Esperanza. Esperanza can only be seen through the perspective of Alfredo. This
does a disservice to her, as we can only know her through the description of someone who does
not love her anymore. Still, it is also through Alfredo’s descriptions and his unfaithfulness that
Esperanza gains sympathy from the reader. During all the moments when Alfredo and Julia are
together, the thought of Esperanza looms in the background-does she know? How will she react?
What will happen now? The sympathy only increases when they get married, for it is clear that
Alfredo is detached from her and is still harboring feelings for Julia. While the end certainly
evokes a feeling of loss at Alfredo’s epiphany, it is the feeling of betrayal for Esperanza that’s
stays.

4. Marxist Criticism
 This approach is concerned with differences between economic classes and implications of
capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between the working class and the elite.
Hence, it attempts to reveal the ultimate source of people’s experience is the socioeconomic
system. The common aspect looked into when using Marxist criticism are as follows:

 Social class as represented in the work

 Social class of the writer/creator
 Social class of the characters
 Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

In addition, it is also viewed as it focuses on how literary works are products of the economic and
ideological determinants specific to that era. Critics examine the relationship of a literary product to the
actual economic and social reality of its time and place (Class stratification, class relations, and
dominant ideology).

Marxist critics generally work in areas covered by the following questions.

Typical questions:

 Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is accepted/successful/believed, etc.?

 What is the social class of the author?
 Which class does the work claim to represent?
 What values does it reinforce?
 What values does it subvert?
 What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and those it portrays?
 What social classes do the characters represent?
 How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?

Sample Marxist criticism of Dead Stars

 The imbalanced societal power play is evident in the short story in the form of the treatment of
the characters based on their class. This is most easily evident in the conversation between
Alfredo and his fiancée, Esperanza, about Calixta, their note-carrier who grew up in the latter’s
family. The scene depicts a parallelism in the circumstance of Alfredo and his new love, Julia,
and Calixta and her live-in partner. However, while no one blatantly frowns upon the budding
relationship between Alfredo and Julia, except for some whispered rumors that reach Esperanza,
Calixta is dubbed “ungrateful” to her master for doing such an act. Alfredo does not have to
answer to anyone for his unfaithfulness, but Calixta is responsible not only for what her family
might think, but also for the members of her master’s family. Despite the same circumstances,
the two people are regarded differently based on their positions in life.

Structure of Reaction Paper and Critique Paper

53
 You have to follow the logical organization and structure for your reaction paper or review to be
able to present your critical evaluation effectively.

I. Introduction
 Basic details about the material, such as its title, director or artist, name of exhibition/event
and the like
 Main assessment of the materials (for films and performances)

II. Plot Summary/Description

 Gist/Plot
 Simple description of the artwork

III. Analysis/Interpretation
 Discussion and analysis of the work (you may employ the critical approach here)
 It is best to ask the following questions during this part.
 What aspects of the work make you think it is a successful or failure?
 Were there unanswered questions or plot lines? If yes, how did they affect the story?
 Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced through analogies,
metaphors, or other figurative devices? How does this contribute to the meaning?
 How does the work relate to other ideas or events in the world and/or in your other
studies?
 What stood out while you were watching film of performance?

IV. Conclusion/ Evaluation

 Reinforcement of main assessment
 Comparison to similar work
 Recommendation of the material (if you liked it)

Now, you have learned the basic principles of writing criticisms. Let’s apply our skill by doing
these activities.

ACTIVITY 1

Directions: Summarize what you have read by completing the table with what you understood.
Write your answers on the space provided.
APPROACHES IN
LITERARY WHAT IT IS DEFINED HOW IT IS DONE (TECHNIQUE IN
CRITICISM (DEFINITION) WRITING)
FORMALISM

FEMINISM

READER
RESPONSE

MARXIST
CRITICISM

54
 ACTIVITY 2

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING

Write T if the statement is true and F it is false.

______ 1. A review or reaction paper involves higher order thinking skills.

______ 2. A reaction paper, review paper and critique generally use the same organization of ideas.
______ 3. A review must always be organized using a structure.
______ 4. Feminist criticism relates to conflicts between classes.
______ 5. Marxist Criticism involves the analysis of the intrinsic features of a text.
______ 6. More than half of a review or critique should be devoted to the summary.
______ 7. The name of an author and title of the reviewed article are placed at the end of the review
or critique.
______ 8. The reviewer’s overall impression of the material being reviewed should be placed in the
introduction.
______ 9. When writing a review, reaction paper, or critique, only one perspective should be used.
______ 10. Writing a reaction paper, review or critique is exclusive for scholars.

You have just been given several approaches in literary criticism that you can use when you
make your own review or critique. You can use this in the following activities. Just remember to
apply which is easy for you to do and follow the techniques in using it.

ACTIVITY 3

Recall a story or a movie that shows feminism. Follow the Structure of Reaction Paper and Critique
Paper. Follow the logical organization and structure for your reaction paper or review to be able to
present your critical evaluation effectively.

55
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINT 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences show too
communicate the intended lapses in the use of some many lapses in the use
meaning through the use of expressions that show of some expressions
expressions that show explicitness but they that show explicitness
explicitness. could still be understood. but they could still be
understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few There are too many
errors and a formal academic grammatical errors and grammatical errors and
writing style is used. lapses in the academic lapses in the academic
writing style are observed. writing style are
observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is
presented with more than presented with sufficient not presented with
sufficient amount of ideas. amount of ideas sufficient amount of
ideas

56
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

SECOND QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 1-2 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies for a

Content Standard better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art,
Competencies (MELCs) an event or a program
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 1-2: IDENTIFY THE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF A CONCEPT PAPER

Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 1-2
Score
Identify the content and structure of a concept paper using
Lesson 1
sample paragraph essays
Enhancing critical thinking abilities in evaluating the
Lesson 2
content and structure of a concept paper
Enhancing critical thinking abilities in evaluating the
Lesson 3
content and structure of a concept paper
Lesson 4 Writes own concept paper given a specific context
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 English for the Globalized Classroom Series of Paolo Niño Valdez, PhD. (Page 56-64)
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 79-
93)

Lesson 1: Identify the content and structure of a concept paper using sample paragraph essays
Content Discussion:

DEVELOPING CONCEPTS
 Definitions are essential in schoolwork as they serve as a frame of reference for discussions. For
instance, concepts in your respective subjects are understood because terms are used in a specific
concept or process.

57
TASK 1. Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow:

Social business is an emerging trend in the business world today. According to Social Business
Forum.com, it is a recent trend that is transformational, making the companies function and generate
value for all the constituents. In the past, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, wrote the
books “Creating a World without poverty-Social Business” and “The Future of Capitalism and Building
Social Business”, which first defined what social business is.

According to these, it is a way of expanding the companies’ capabilities, improving the product and
services provided, and promoting its social mission. Many organizations were influenced by Yunus such
as Grameen Danone Foods, a social business enterprise in Bangladesh, and Grameen bank, a community
development bank. As a result, these companies were able to promote and develop social businesses
among their organizations successfully.

At present, social business is practiced in different companies to uplift the social welfare in the
marketplace. It also reinforces the idea of profitable and social responsibility in business. Social business
has its main objectives that are attained, once it is implemented. These are to provide a profit-oriented
business and to have more effective products and services. Also, it aims to practice a social objective
rather than a financial one. (Abuso, 2010)

ACTIVITY 1

Guide questions: Answer academically and truthfully. Write legibly.

1. What is the paragraph about?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the term social business defined?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Central to developing concept papers is writing definitions. Definitions are used to provide the
meaning of a particular word or term. Definitions may be formal, informal, or extended.

Formal sentence definitions include the term, class and distinguishing features.
The term is the word to be defined, class is the group where the term belongs, and distinguishing
features are the qualities that make the term unique.
Example:
Term Class Distinguishing Features.
Bicycle Is a mode of transport That has two wheels and is
powered through the peddling
effort of the rider.

Informal definitions, on the other hand, do not include distinguishing features.

Term Class
Chair Is a piece of furniture.

 On the other hand, extended definitions are essay length texts that use different rhetorical pattern
to show a meaning of a particular term or concept. Usually, extended definition essays or
58
 concept papers do not just define but describe, compare and contrast, show cause and effect
relationships to provide the reader a holistic definition of a term.

ACTIVITY 2

Write a formal definition of the following terms:

1. Smartphone
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Blog
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 2: Enhancing critical thinking abilities in evaluating the content and structure of a concept
paper
In order to clearly define your concept, remember these following tips:
1. In formal definitions, avoid using the same term to be defined
(A cellphone is a phone…)
2. In writing definitions, observe the concept of mutual exclusivity. Meaning, make sure that the
features of the term do not overlap with other similar concepts of the same class.
(A skateboard is a mode of transport that has four wheels)

ACTIVITY 3

Rewrite the following formal definition to make them clearer.

1. A guitar is a musical instrument that uses string to produce sound.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the processes of industry.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 3: Enhancing critical thinking abilities in evaluating the content and structure of a concept
paper

ACTIVITY 4

With the emergence of social media, the hash tag (#) has become a popular feature to highlight
keywords which make events, concepts, and even people easier to find the Web. Your task is to find the
popular hash tag phrases and explain why these have become popular.
#__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
______

59
  Concepts may be explained through different modes or patterns. Aside from definition, other
ways such as explication and explanation can be used to elucidate on a concept.
 A concept can be developed through explanation by providing examples or situations.

TASK: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow:

Every Filipina is a source of endless possibilities. Her person embraces the roles of responsible
daughter, steadfast sister, generous aunt, indifferent employee, consistent ex-lover, bill-setter, a person
who knows exactly how to uncomplicated matters for each member of the family; yet, she knows not
how to identify what she has long wanted for herself. She may have won the battle against equal
opportunity; but she has lost and forgotten the spirit that drove her to win the battle. She can hardly
recognize herself, perhaps who she had been, as an individual who once had an underrated self-image.
But declining economy remains clear to her.
Now, her true objective in her display of deliberate obsession to fair in the formerly man’s world
then needs disambiguation. Did she fight for self-actualization because she wanted to pursue a career in
the field of her choice or, did she fight for the inadequacies of men in her family that cripples its
function? Her present seemingly prove her presence for the latter. Perhaps she thinks of herself as
messiah, and uses the same strength and freedom that she has acquired from her battle for equality to
save and rescue her family. She has become indifferent to her needs again-caged, caged in her pretense.
She flaunts her strength, her talents, her unwavering confidence; she uses her resources and takes
responsibility for her family; she exercises her freedom to penetrate fields she can be good at; she works
hard for others and forgets her own self, again. She has turned into an unimaginable powerful person
who does everything she can possibly think of and defies anyone who challenges her otherwise. She is
the spirit who overshadows even the real person within herself. She has enough compassion for her
family; yet, she has not left any for herself.

ACTIVITY 5

Guide questions:
1. What concept is being explained in this piece?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. What examples are given to explain the concept?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Day 4: Writes own concept paper given a specific context

Given the references, highlight particular portions of the text needed to develop the introduction.
Write or paste these portions in the appropriate column below. Then process these by using appropriate
note-taking techniques to make sure they are not plagiarized. Include citations of our work. Use
additional pages if necessary.

60
 Guide framework:
Lifted portion needed for introduction Processed text (include citation and page
numbers)

Note: After preparing the notes needed, write the introduction on a clean sheet of paper. Make sure to
refer the thesis statement and outline.
FOCUS 2:
The body of the essay is the main section of the concept paper. In this part, elaborate on the specific
claims made in the thesis statement. To make the work manageable, consider developing topic sentences
for each supporting point from the thesis statement. These topic sentences will then be used as the main
idea of each paragraph to make up the body of the essay.
Example:
Thesis Statement: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural, political and educational
perspectives.
Note that the three supporting claims in the thesis statement are cultural, political and educational
perspectives. One example for a topic sentence can be:
In some cultures, plagiarism is no found to be offensive practice since communities are not very
particular with individual contributions to group work.

Write appropriate topic sentences for the body of the concept paper. From there, consolidate notes by
writing down or pasting portions of text from the reference. In the third column, process these notes
using the appropriate note-taking techniques.
Guide framework:
Topic Sentences for the Body Lifted portions needed for Processed text (include citation
Body of the Essay and page numbers)

Note: Now that notes are prepared, write the body of the concept paper on a clean sheet of paper. Make
sure that you refer on the thesis statement and outline.

 On the other hand, explication employs a critical interpretation of a concept. Referring to

short passages from another source, explication provides another perspective of a concept
paper.

Explication
61
 <

 An explication interprets another work by examining the concept/s presented. Through a

critical analysis of the points raised in the text, a richer explanation of the concept is given to
the readers. This may be done through comparison and contrast, description, cause and
effect and other rhetorical modes.

Analysis: The 21st century Filipina no longer portrays the madwoman in the attic since she has
finally acknowledge her worth as an individual.
She is now instead the image of the 21st century Filipina, in authentic human flesh and disguised as
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), executive in the industry, public official, or in occupation/field where
she receives compensation used to be atypical to and denied of the former homemaker, domesticated
wife, fragile daughter, the second class citizen, the inferior sex: The madwoman from the attic.

Pegina’s definition of the 21st Century Filipino woman is not confined to merely describe what a
Filipina is or does but she cleverly relates the woman in relation to her role in contemporary society.
Through the distinction of the madwoman in and from the attic, the author shows that the woman is not
merely confined anymore with domesticated roles which have conveniently marginalized them. In fact,
several descriptions are mentioned which show the woman’s multifaceted roles in society.

Further, she uses the metaphor “madwoman from the attic” because she believes that the Filipino
woman has extended her role in different aspects of social life. However, the use of “madwoman”
reveals that despite the liberation of women, they remain marginalized.
For instance, the rise of Filipino women working abroad but are delegated in roles caring for others
(nurses, domestic helpers/maids, caregivers) shows marginalization of women in a globalized setting.

The conclusion of the concept paper

 reemphasizes the thesis statement, provides a summary of the body of the paper, and relates
the importance of the concept in a specific field or the world in general. In terms of
difficulty, the conclusion is the easiest to write since you will be referring to the previous
parts you drafted.
Guide framework:
Features of the Concept Yes No Areas for improvement.
Paper
The introduction covers
the background for the
concept and the thesis
statement.

The paragraphs of the

body explain, explicate
or define the concepts
thoroughly.

Each paragraph uses at

least two supporting
details to clarify the
concept.

The conclusion presents

the summary of the
concept paper and
restates the thesis.

62
 Adequate transitions
make sure that
paragraphs and ideas in
the sentences are
connected and organized.

The language used in the

piece can be easily
understood by the
intended audience of the
work

The essay is free of

grammatical errors and
all sources were listed in
the reference list.

Note: After preparing the notes, write the conclusion on a clean sheet of paper. Make sure to refer to the
thesis statement and the outline.
GUIDE FRAMEWORK
PARTS QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER EXAMPLE
1. Citing the What is being defined or Pegina’s definition of the 21st Century
concept being described? What concept? Who Filipino woman is not confined to merely
defined/described. is/are the author or authors that describe what a Filipina is or does but she
claim this definition? cleverly relates the woman in relation to
her role in contemporary society.

2. Relating the What other things are used to Through the distinction of the madwoman
concept to other describe the concept? Are there in and from the attic, the author shows that
concepts. images or familiar experiences the woman is not merely confined anymore
which may help in the definition? with domesticated roles which have
conveniently marginalized them. In fact,
several descriptions are mentioned which
show the woman’s multifaceted roles in
society. Further, she uses the metaphor
“madwoman from the attic” because she
believes that the Filipino woman has
extended her role in different aspects of
social life.
3. Problematizing Are there conflicting definitions However, the use of “madwoman” reveals
the concept or descriptions of the concept? that despite the liberation of women, they
How are these seen in the work? remain marginalized.
Why did the author use this
technique?
4. Providing What examples are used to For instance, the rise of Filipino women
examples to illustrate the working abroad but are delegated in roles
clarify the description/definition of the caring for others (nurses, domestic
concepts. concept? helpers/maids, caregivers) shows
marginalization of women in a globalized
setting.

63
 Diocese of BayombongEducational System
St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Teacher:_________________________

SECOND QUARTER

Name of Student: Year and Section:

Week No.: 3-4 Inclusive Dates:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies for a

Content Standard better understanding of academic texts.
The learner produces a detailed abstract information gathered from
Performance Standard
the various academic texts read.
Most Essential Learning Determines the way a writer can elucidate on a concept by
Competencies (MELCs) definition, explication, and clarification
21st Century Learning Skills Creative and Critical Thinking
Core Values
Excellence, Social Responsibility

MODULE 3-4: THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES OF DEFINING TO EXPAND THE

MEANING OF A CONCEPT
Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks Activity
Week 3-4
Score
Use the definition and the different techniques of defining
Lesson 1
to expand the meaning of a concept
Lesson 2 Identifying techniques from the given texts
Lesson 3 Identifying concepts form the text
Lesson 4 Writes a concept paper
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes of Saqueton, G M. and Uychoco MT A. (Page 91-
95 )
Lesson 1: Use the definition and the different techniques of defining to expand the meaning of a
concept

Try defining these words: Table, definition, love.

Table-______________________________________________________________________________
Definition-___________________________________________________________________________
Love-_______________________________________________________________________________

The Art of Defining

Definition is a mode of paragraph development that answers the questions:

1. What is it?
2. What is it mean?
3. What does it mean?
4. What are its special features?

64
  The word to be defined may be an object, a concept, a person, a place or phenomenon. It is
also important because it clarifies the meaning of the word or a concept and it also limits the
scope of that particular word or concept.
Different Techniques of Defining

1. Formal Definition- the most common one, in which you are given a term to be defined and you
define the term by giving the class where the word/term belongs (the genus) and the characteristics that
distinguish the term from other terms, known as the differentia

For example:
TERM = genus +differentia
DEFINITION = a mode of paragraph development +that answers the questions: what is it, what
does it mean, or what is its special features.

 In the example, definition, the term to be defined, belongs to the genus mode of paragraph
development. What distinguishes it from other modes of paragraph development like
narration, description, etc. is that it answers the specific questions: What is it? What is it
mean? What does it mean? What are its special features?

*however not all words or concepts can be defined using the formal definition. For instance, words
like love, equality, democracy cannot be defined y giving their genus and differentia.
You cannot say that love is an emotion that all human being feels because that definition would be
too vague

2. Extended Definition- this needs to define abstract concepts. It allows you to broaden your
definition by using analogy, metaphors, comparison and contrast, descriptions and analysis, functions
etymology, and semantic origin.
Below is a sample definition of democracy. Notice how the formal definition is first used and expanded
with the use of different techniques defining.

1. “Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally--either directly
or through elected representatives-- in the proposal, development, and creation of laws.”

2. It encompasses social, economic, and cultural conditions that enable free and equal practice of
political self-determination.
3. The term originates from the Greek (demokratia) “rule of the people,” which was coined from
(demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems
then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens.

4. The term is an antonym to (aristokratia) “rule of an elite”

5. While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred
historically.

6. The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite class
of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation.

7. In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic
citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most
modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

8. The English word dates to the 16 th century, from the older middle French and Middle Latin
equivalents.

9. Democracy contrasts with forms of government where power is either held by one person, as in a
monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in an oligarchy.
65
10. Nevertheless, these oppositions, inherited from Greek Philosophy, are now ambiguous because
contemporary governments have mixed democratic, oligarchic, and monarchic elements.

11. Karl Popper defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny, thus focusing on opportunities
for the people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for revolution” (Project
Gutenberg Self Publishing Press)

 Democracy was first given a formal definition--a term that belongs to the class “form of
government.” What distinguishes it from other forms of government is that “all eligible
citizens participate equally-- either directly or elected representatives in the proposal,
development, and creation of laws.” The definition was further extended by using analysis
by saying that “democracy encompasses social, economic, and cultural conditions that
enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.”

 Aside from formal definition, you have added definition by etymology, definition by
analysis, and definition by example to your reservoir of knowledge.

 Other techniques of definition include definition by synonym (using a similar word or

phrase t define a word);definition by function (stating what the term is for); definition by
analogy (comparing the term to another object/concept/idea that share the same
characteristic as the term is being defined; definition by comparison and contrast; and
definition by negation (defining the term by stating what it is not). these other techniques
will be explored in the simple essay in the next reading text.

Lesson 2: Identifying techniques from the given texts

Try identify the different techniques in defining as used in each sample below. Write your answers on a
piece of paper. Discuss your answers in class afterwards.

1. “Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is a curriculum and a teaching

methodology that enables learners to participate well in education through the use of first language.
MTB-MLE provides a strong foundation in the learners’ first language (L1), enabling them to build
on the knowledge and experiences they bring to the classroom. MTB-MLE also provides a good
bridge to listening, speaking, reading, and writing the second languages (L2, L3) of the classroom
using the other languages for lifelong learning.” (Dekker, 2010:23)

Term to be defined Technique used in the defining

1.

2. Another way to grasp the concept of animatism is to differentiate the Cebuano terms gahum and
kusog. Gahum comes closer to the tagalog galing, acquired power or skill as in the case of politics,
while kusog comes closer to the tagalog lakas, an almost innate power with connotations and
dynamism and energy. Kusog and Lasag are also adjectives that are used in other contexts as in
voice projection, where it means loud and heavy. Lakas or kusog is a closer approximation of a
powerful mystical force which is an important attribute of health itself, as reflected in malakas ang
katawan, “the body is strong.” (Tan 2008:31)

Term to be defined Technique used in the defining

2.

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 3. Earth science literacy is one of the types defined for earth systems; the qualities of earth science
literate person are the representative of qualities for all the Earth system literacy definitions.
According to the Earth Science Literacy Initiative, an Earth-science-literate person:
 Understand the fundamental concepts of Earth’s many systems;
 Knows how to find and assess scientifically credible information about earth;
 Communicates about earth science in meaningful way; and
 Is able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the earth and its resources.

Term to be defined Technique used in the defining

3.

 It is good to know that you have a grasped the techniques in defining a term, an idea, or a
concept. Again, defining is important to make sure that common understanding is shared and
ensured that communication is effective.

Lesson 3: Identifying concepts form the text

In this lesson, you will learn that when you define a concept, you are dealing not just with
definitions but with explanations and examples, as well. You will find out more about this in the essay
that you will read later.
Think about this question: Who do you think is more masculine, your class nerd or your basketball
star? Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions based on your answers and description:
1. What are your ideas on manhood/manliness?
____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What is/are the dominant notion(s) of manliness/manliness? Why do you think so?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Hold on to your thoughts on manhood/manliness as you read the first sample essay. Find out how your
ideas match Paul Theroux’s. Annotate the text as you read. Circle the words and/or concepts that are not
familiar to you, especially those that have references to American culture. Write your questions and/or
comments on the margins, too.
BEING A MAN
Paul Theroux
There is a pathetic sentence in the chapter "Fetishism" in Dr. Norman Cameron's book Personality
Development and Psychopathology. It goes, "Fetishists are nearly always men; and their commonest
fetish is a woman's shoe." I cannot read that sentence without thinking that it is just one more awful
thing about being a man—and perhaps it is an important thing to know about us.
I have always disliked being a man. The whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful, in my opinion.
This version of masculinity is a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one's entire life (by
contrast, I imagine femininity to be an oppressive sense of nakedness). Even the expression "Be a man!"
strikes me as insulting and abusive. It means: Be stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly and stop
67
thinking. Man means "manly"—how can one think about men without considering the terrible ambition
of manliness? And yet it is part of every man's life. It is a hideous and crippling lie; it not only insists on
difference and connives at superiority, it is also by its very nature destructive—emotionally damaging
and socially harmful.
The youth who is subverted, as most are, into believing in the masculine ideal is effectively separated
from women and he spends the rest of his life finding women a riddle and a nuisance. Of course, there is
a female version of this male affliction. It begins with mothers encouraging little girls to say (to other
adults) "Do you like my new dress?" In a sense, little girls are traditionally urged to please adults with a
kind of coquettishness, while boys are enjoined to behave like monkeys towards each other. The nine-
year-old coquette proceeds to become womanish in a subtle power game in which she learns to be
sexually indispensable, socially decorative and always alert to a man's sense of inadequacy.
Femininity—being lady-like—implies needing a man as witness and seducer; but masculinity celebrates
the exclusive company of men. That is why it is so grotesque; and that is also why there is no manliness
without inadequacy—because it denies men the natural friendship of women.
It is very hard to imagine any concept of manliness that does not belittle women, and it begins very
early. At an age when I wanted to meet girls—let's say the treacherous years of thirteen to sixteen—I
was told to take up a sport, get more fresh air, join the Boy Scouts, and I was urged not to read so much.
It was the 1950s and if you asked too many questions about sex you were sent to camp—boy's camp, of
course: the nightmare. Nothing is more unnatural or prison-like than a boy's camp, but if it were not for
them we would have no Elks' Lodges, no pool rooms, no boxing matches, no Marines.
And perhaps no sports as we know them. Everyone is aware of how few in number are the athletes who
behave like gentlemen. Just as high school basketball teaches you how to be a poor loser, the manly
attitude towards sports seems to be little more than a recipe for creating bad marriages, social misfits,
moral degenerates, sadists, latent rapists and just plain louts. I regard high school sports as a drug far
worse than marijuana, and it is the reason that the average tennis champion, say, is a pathetic oaf.
Any objective study would find the quest for manliness essentially right-wing, puritanical, cowardly,
neurotic and fueled largely by a fear of women. It is also certainly philistine. There is no book-hater like
a Little League coach. But indeed all the creative arts are obnoxious to the manly ideal, because at their
best the arts are pursued by uncompetitive and essentially solitary people. It makes it very hard for a
creative youngster, for any boy who expresses the desire to be alone seems to be saying that there is
something wrong with him.
It ought to be clear by now that I have something of an objection to the way we turn boys into men. It
does not surprise me that when the President of the United States has his customary weekend off he
dresses like a cowboy—it is both a measure of his insecurity and his willingness to please. In many
ways, American culture does little more for a man than prepare him for modeling clothes in the L. L.
Bean catalogue. I take this as a personal insult because for many years I found it impossible to admit to
myself that I wanted to be a writer. It was my guilty secret, because being a writer was incompatible
with being a man.
There are people who might deny this, but that is because the American writer, typically, has been so at
pains to prove his manliness that we have come to see literariness and manliness as mingled qualities.
But first there was a fear that writing was not a manly profession— indeed, not a profession at all. (The
paradox in American letters is that it has always been easier for a woman to write and for a man to be
published.)
Growing up, I had thought of sports as wasteful and humiliating, and the idea of manliness was a bore.
My wanting to become a writer was not a flight from that oppressive role-playing, but I quickly saw that
it was at odds with it. Everything in stereotyped manliness goes against the life of the mind. The
Hemingway personality is too tedious to go into here, and in any case his exertions are well-known, but
certainly it was not until this aberrant behavior was examined by feminists in the 1960s that any male
writer dared question the pugnacity in Hemingway's fiction. All the bullfighting and arm wrestling and
elephant shooting diminished Hemingway as a writer, but it is consistent with a prevailing attitude in
American writing: one cannot be a male writer without first proving that one is a man.

68
It is normal in America for a man to be dismissive or even somewhat apologetic about being a writer.
Various factors make it easier. There is a heartiness about journalism that makes it acceptable—
journalism is the manliest form of American writing and, therefore, the profession the most independent-
minded women seek (yes, it is an illusion, but that is my point). Fiction-writing is equated with a kind of
dispirited failure and is only manly when it produces wealth—money is masculinity. So is drinking.
Being a drunkard is another assertion, if misplaced, of manliness. The American male writer is
traditionally proud of his heavy drinking. But we are also a very literal-minded people. A man proves
his manhood in America in old-fashioned ways. He kills lions, like Hemingway; or he hunts ducks, like
Nathanael West; or he makes pronouncements like, "A man should carry enough knife to defend himself
with," as James Jones once said to a Life interviewer. Or he says he can drink you under the table. But
even tiny drunken William Faulkner loved to mount a horse and go fox hunting, and Jack Kerouac
roistered up and down Manhattan in a lumberjack shirt (and spent every night of The Subterraneans with
his mother in Queens). And we are familiar with the lengths to which Norman Mailer is 3 prepared, in
his endearing way, to prove that he is just as much a monster as the next man.
When the novelist John Irving was revealed as a wrestler, people took him to be a very serious writer;
and even a bubble reputation like Eric (Love Story) Segal's was enhanced by the news that he ran the
marathon in a respectable time. How surprised we would be if Joyce Carol Oates were revealed as a
sumo wrestler or Joan Didion active in pumping iron. "Lives in New York City with her three children"
is the typical woman writer's biographical note, for just as the male writer must prove he has achieved a
sort of muscular manhood, the woman writer—or rather her publicists—must prove her motherhood.
There would be no point in saying any of this if it were not generally accepted that to be a man is
somehow—even now in feminist-influenced America—a privilege. It is on the contrary an unmerciful
and punishing burden. Being a man is bad enough; being manly is appalling (in this sense, women's lib
has done much more for men than for women). It is the sinister silliness of men's fashions, and a clubby
attitude in the arts. It is the subversion of good students. It is the so-called "Dress Code" of the Ritz-
Carlton Hotel in Boston, and it is the institutionalized cheating in college sports. It is the most primitive
insecurity.
And this is also why men often object to feminism but are afraid to explain why: of course women have
a justified grievance, but most men believe—and with reason—that their lives are just as bad.

ACTIVITY

Directions: The students in this activity will identify what technique of definition are the following they
listed.
Were you able to identify the different techniques of defining as used in the essay? Write in the
table below the definitions that can be found in Paul Theroux’s essay.

Definitions Techniques Used

69
Lesson 4: Writes a concept paper
Defining a Concept Paper
The concept paper defines an idea or a concept and explains its essence in order to clarify the
‘whatness’ of the idea or a concept.

It answers the questions: (Dadulfaza 1996: 183)

1. What is it?
2. What about it?
A concept paper starts with definition, either formal or informal of the term of the concepts or
proceeds with an expanded definition and an analytic description of the aspects of the concept.

 For instance, in Paul Theroux’s essay, he started by giving his own definition of manhood in
America by using analogy. He then expanded his main definition by citing different
examples and by providing some historical background. Take note, however, that his
definitions on manhood are mostly based on the stereotypes of manhood during that time in
the context of America. His references, especially to the male American writers, are limiting
in such a way that other people who may not be familiar with his context will not understand
them.
 That is another purpose of a concept-- to stipulate the meaning of a term by limiting,
expanding, or redirecting the reference or sense in which the term is commonly understood
or to use in special way a term borrowed from another field in which it is made to apply
(Dadulfaza 1996:184). In this sense, a concept paper may be subjective because the writer
can choose what areas to emphasize, what explanations and analyzes to include and exclude,
and what complex ideas to be simplified
 You have to remember, however, that in the earlier lesson, we said that a clear definition of
words and ideas is important to make sense of language in order to address the differences in
the perception of people, especially in dealing with abstract concepts. Thus, even if the
concept paper tends to be subjective, the writer still has to make sure the concepts are
clarified and explained in such a way that a readers can understand and make sense of the
connections.

70
Guide in writing an outline for a concept paper. Outlining can help you come up with a definition or
an explanation of what a concept paper is.
Thesis Statement:
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
I.__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
A.______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
B.______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
II.__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
A.______________________________________________________________________________
1.___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
B. _____________________________________________________________________________
C. _____________________________________________________________________________

Ponder on this:
The article was written in 1985 and in American context.
ACTIVITY: Write a one-page critical reaction to Paul Theroux’s essay using the questions below
as your guide questions. Consider the rubric for scoring in finalizing your output.
Guide questions:
 What does the article say about the gender differences in 1985 and in the earlier years?
 Do Theroux’s claims still hold true up to now?
 Are his ideas also applicable in the Philippine setting? Cite instances that support your
answer.
 What are the gender-related issues that are still prevalent in the Philippine nowadays?
 Did you have an interesting discussion of the essay? Did your earlier notions of manhood
and masculinity match with Paul Theroux’s idea of manhood?

71
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences show too many
communicate the intended lapses in the use of some lapses in the use of some
meaning through the use of expressions that show expressions that show
expressions that show explicitness but they could explicitness but they could
explicitness. still be understood. still be understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few grammatical There are too many
errors and a formal academic errors and lapses in the grammatical errors and lapses
writing style is used. academic writing style are in the academic writing style
observed. are observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is not
presented with more than presented with sufficient presented with sufficient
sufficient amount of ideas. amount of ideas amount of ideas

Diocese of Bayombong Educational System

St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]
72
 SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE
Subject: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Teacher: _________________________

SECOND QUARTER

Name of Student: ____________________________ Year and Section: _______________

Week No: 5 Inclusive Dates: ________________

The learner understands the principles and uses of surveys,

Content Standard
experiments and scientific observations.
Performance Standard The learner produces a well-written report of various disciplines.
Determines the objectives and structures of various kinds of
reports.
Most Essential Learning
Designs, tests and revises survey questionnaires.
Competencies (MELCs)
Conducts surveys, experiments, and observations.
Gathers information from surveys, experiments, or observations.
21st Century Learning Skills Critical Thinking, Communication, Productivity
Core Values Academically Excellent, Operatively Engaged

MODULE 5: WRITING REPORTS

Activity
Week 5 Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks
Score
Lesson 1 Define survey report.
Lesson 2 Know the parts of a survey report.
Lesson 3 Determine the guidelines for writing a survey report.
Lesson 4 Answer the given questions applying all their learnings.
TOTAL

A. Printed:

a. Go, R. S. (2019). English for Academic and Professional Purposes, 2nd Edition. 4/F SEDCCO 1
Bldng. 120 Thailand corner Legazpi Streets Legazpi Village, 1229 Makati City Philippines: DIWA
LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. pp. 160-166.
b. Billanes, Lorna A. (2019). English for Academic and professional Purposes: Skills and Strategies for
Academic Discourse. 101 V. Luna Road Extension Sikatuna Village, Quezon City 1101 Philippines.
TechFactors Inc. pp 131-156.

Lesson 1

Content Discussion:
Survey Report Defined

73
  A survey report is a type of academic writing that uses research to provide information about a
topic. It involved questions that are formulated based on the research objective, to be answered
by respondents and later analyzed using appropriate data analysis method. Survey reports
involve report writing which is a very important element of the survey research process.

 To be able to disseminate the information from the survey, you need to have good writing skills.
Without good writing skills, the survey report is at risk of being misrepresented or not explained
well. When this happens, the objective of the survey is not achieved, for it is the aim of survey
reports to present the survey data in a manner that is engaging and understandable to various
readers.

Survey Questionnaires

 Survey questionnaires are the basic tool of survey reports. They are the forms containing the
questions that the researcher will ask during the survey. Just as the objectives of survey reports
vary, so do the types of questionnaires that you need to formulate.

 The kind of questionnaire you will use depends on your research objective. Questionnaires may
range from the most basic – the yes or no type, which requires respondents to tick off appropriate
boxes containing the given responses – to the more complex; close-ended, which requires
respondents to choose from among given options; and open-ended, which requires respondents
to provide answers to thought-provoking questions.

 While survey questionnaires have often used the pen and paper as main instruments in
conducting a survey in the past, the advent of the Internet has made it possible to resort to using
web-based questionnaires, which is actually more convenient as it requires less time and
resources in gathering data.

 Another way of conducting a survey is through interviews. While it requires basically the same
types of structured questions as the questionnaire, the face-to-face interaction between the
researcher and respondents in an interview give more opportunity for in-depth discussion of
open-ended questions, thus allowing better understanding of the respondent’s answers.

Lesson 2

Parts of a Survey Report

Just like other forms of academic writing, the survey report contains these basic parts: introduction,
body, and conclusion.

Introduction
 This part of the survey report contains the information regarding the writer/researcher’s
purpose for conducting the survey and the time and manner of gathering the data. The
introduction should answer why the survey was conducted; who were involved in the study;
who conducted the survey; when it was carried out; and how it was carried out. All of this
information is summed up in the introductory statement. For example:

In the summer of academic year 2017-2018, 899 respondents were involved in the survey using a
questionnaire to determine their academic consultation habits and practices, as well as their insights
about the current academic consultation practice as MC University.

Here are some typical phrases and expressions found in the introduction of most survey reports:

The purpose of this survey report is to identify the causes of depression among selected senior
high school students.

It is the aim of the survey report to ………

This survey report hopes to ……….

74
 This survey was carried out to identify the reasons why incidents of juvenile delinquency are high
among selected senior high school students.

This survey was conducted by means of the questionnaire to find answers to this question: what
are the most popular apps used by millenials?

Main Body

 The body of the survey report contains all the information collected during the survey
research process which has been tabulated, analyzed, and explained.

 When you write survey reports, you are required to classify your data to make sense of them.
In analyzing the data, you might wish to classify and divide them according to age, gender,
and academic track. In your questionnaire includes information about the respondents’
hobbies or interests, you might wish to trace the correlation between their frequency of
Internet use and their interests or hobbies.

 When you include this information, use subheadings and separate tables to explain each set
of findings. Well-formulated tables help in presenting your findings more efficiently and
clearly. Graphs are also very useful in simplifying and effectively communicating statistical
information in pictorial form.

Some typical phrases and expressions found in the main body of survey reports include:

On the whole, this survey involves 60% of the entire senior high school graduating class.

In practice, researchers have sought to determine if a correlation exists between two variables –
in this case between the respondents; hobbies and Internet use.

Conclusion

 The concluding part of the survey report is where all the collected information is summed up
and further analyzed and discussed. In addition, a recommendation may be added to enhance
the worth of the survey report and to address the implications cited in the survey report.

Here are some typical phrases that you may use in your conclusion:

To sum up, this survey shows that it’s not only genetic predisposition that causes millenials to be
vulnerable to depression.
It is clear that juvenile delinquency is on the rise, and will continue to rise with the advent of
modernization and all its attendant ills.
If any conclusion may be drawn from the data, it is to point to the fundamental role of parents in
the rearing of their children.
The survey indicates that Internet use among millenials will continue both in frequency and
intensity in the coming years.

For a clearer example, read the following survey report:

A Survey of Internet Use among Selected Senior High School Students

A team of English faculty from MC University conducted a survey among selected Senior High
School students during the special term of academic year 2017-2018. The aim of the survey was to
determine aspects pertaining to their Internet use.

The questionnaire was used to conduct the survey which consisted of two parts: the first part
consisted of questions about the respondents’ demographics including age, gender, academic track; the
second part consisted of questions about the number of years spent as Internet user; reasons for using the
Internet, preferred location for Internet use; web browser, type of Internet connection, and apps that they
frequently use.
75
 The survey yielded the followed results: one-third of all respondents, or 33.3% used the Internet
less than 9 hours per week, while two-thirds, or 67% used it more than 9 hours per week. The survey
also revealed that while one-third of the respondents or 33.3% still use dial up, broadband is the typical
connectivity mode. The survey also revealed that Internet usage was male-dominated, with 61% of the
male respondents using it more frequently than the female students, who registered a 39% Internet
usage.

If any conclusions may be drawn from the data, they are as follows: The use of the Internet will
continue to be strong among these groups even after senior high school as broadband and Internet
connectivity improve. It is safe to presume that the heavy usage from the STEM and HUMSS tracks also
correlates with their Research subject; users with two years of research courses were on the Internet
more frequently than their other counterparts.

Lesson 3

Guidelines for Writing Survey Reports

1. Always use the present tense.

Example: This survey indicates that no disparity exists between males and females regarding
Internet use.

2. Use reported speech, not direct quotation.

Acceptable: The respondents claim that their frequency of Internet use is due to its popularity
and entertainment value.

Unacceptable: according to respondents: “We use the Internet because it is popular and provides
entertainment.”

3. The formal, straightforward and impersonal style is preferred.

Acceptable: nothing in the data suggests that this trend will be reversed in the future.

Unacceptable: I have seen nothing in the survey to suggest that they will be able to reverse this
trend in the short medium term.

4. Use reporting verb such as claim, argue, cite, state, report, agree, complain, suggest, points
out, opine.

Example: This survey suggests that a correlation exists between frequency of cellphone use and
incidents of clinical depression among selected senior high school students.

5. Make your survey report more exact by using percentages and proportions.

Example: 75% of 375 of the 500 respondents were surveyed; of the 9, 545 senior high school
students, only 75% or 7, 159 of the total population were involved in this survey.

These exact quantifiers are more concise than the following vague expressions: a majority of the
respondents; a large number of people; a significant proportion of those involved in the survey. Avoid
using these phrases as they do not contribute to the clarity and accuracy of your survey report.

Lesson 4

1. Refer to the survey report entitles “A Survey of Internet Use among Selected Senior High
School Students” and create your own conclusion using the information and findings stated
in it.
76
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. How important is it to draft the most precise questions when making a survey? How should
one avoid formulating confusing questions that might muddle the result of the survey?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why are survey reports important?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY

Directions: Based on the national news (Rappler, ABS-CBN news, GMA news, Inquirer, Philippine
Star, CNN), write a survey report about COVID-19. Follow the guidelines in writing a survey report.

77
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINT 1 POINT
Organization The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences
communicate the intended lapses in the use of some show too many
meaning through the use of expressions that show lapses in the use of
expressions that show explicitness but they some expressions
explicitness. could still be understood. that show
explicitness but
they could still be
understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few There are too
errors and a formal academic grammatical errors and many grammatical
writing style is used. lapses in the academic errors and lapses in
writing style are observed. the academic
writing style are
observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of
presented with more than presented with sufficient discussion is not
sufficient amount of ideas. amount of ideas presented with
sufficient amount
of ideas

Diocese of Bayombong Educational System

St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
Email: [email protected]
78
 SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE
Subject: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Teacher: _________________________

SECOND QUARTER

Name of Student: ____________________________ Year and Section: _______________

Week No: 6 Inclusive Dates: ________________

The learner understands the principles and uses of a position

Content Standard
paper.
The learner presents a convincing position paper based on properly
cited factual evidence; produces an insightful statement of
Performance Standard
principles and reasons for establishing a student organization,
coming up with a group exhibit of creative works, etc.
Most Essential Learning
Analyze the arguments used by the writer/s in manifestoes.
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Critical Thinking, Communication, Productivity
Core Values Academically Excellent, Operatively Engaged

MODULE 6: EVALUATING THE AUTHOR’S ARGUMENTS

Activity
Week 6 Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks
Score
 Name the factors to consider when investigating the
source/s of data or information.
Lesson 1
 Explain why support materials are important to validate
an argument.
 Identify support materials that can be used to validate an
argument.
Lesson 2
 Evaluate the relevance of a set of data to the claims of the
author’s arguments.
 Raise legitimate, contrary views in an appropriate manner.
Lesson 3
 Cite specific sources to support claims.
Lesson 4  Present ideas convincingly.
TOTAL

A. Printed:
 Go, R. S. (2019). English for Academic and Professional Purposes, 2nd Edition. 4/F SEDCCO 1
Bldng. 120 Thailand corner Legazpi Streets Legazpi Village, 1229 Makati City Philippines: DIWA
LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. pp. 47-54.

Lesson 1 & 2

Introduction
With the advent of technology comes the explosion
79 of information. Information has never
been as available and as accessible as before. People can now share information, and they can
access information anywhere and anytime. It is no wonder that people today are said to be living
in an information age.
While you enjoy the benefits of having accessible information at the click of your fingertips,
 Activity 1. Motivational Activity

Assess Yourself: Answer the table below. Check whether you agree or not with the following
statements.

Statement Yes No
1. I’m careful in clicking links that my friends share on social media.
2. I get updated news about sports, politics, weather, entertainment, and global
affairs through what my friends share on social media.
3. I have a favorite website that I open regularly to read about current events.
4. I don’t depend on social media for news.
5. I believe everything I read or watch on the Internet.
6. I don’t check the name of the website when I read articles online as long as the
topic interests me.

 Because of social media, the reading habits of many people have changed. If people used to
rely on newspapers or magazines foe news on current events, a lot of people nowadays
depend on social media for updated information. And when you say updated information,
you mean a minute by minute, instant, or real time update. Before, a piece of day-old news
was the “updated” current event. However, because of social media, an instant update every
minute can happen. Not being able to check one’s social media accounts even for just one
night can make one lose a lot of information.

 If you have answered yes to number 1-3, then good for you!

 First, you should remember not every link shared on social media is safe. There were
many instances in the past that some of these links lead to malicious sites, and they
are automatically reposted on your wall or even shared on your friends’ walls. Look
at the name of the link first and decide whether it is a reputable website or not.
 Second, there’s nothing wrong with being an active social media user especially if
this is where you get updates on current events. In fact, a lot of updates do happen on
social media faster than on other news sites.
 Last, it is also good if you have the habit of going to a reliable news site to read and
learn information and not just rely on social media for it. In turn, you should also
repost and share links to good information.

 Numbers 4-6 should have been answered with a big NO. Some people are still pessimistic
on the use of social media. If you have this attitude, think again and see the benefits you’re
missing just because you don’t have one. Part of social media literacy as a 21 st century skill
is the wisdom to discern valid and accurate information on the website. Not everything on
the internet is true; sometimes, it is not easy to tell the truth apart from the lies. One of the
solutions where the information has been posted.

Sources of Data or Information

 If a classmate who is always absent in class will send you a private message at night and tell you
that there are no classes the next day due to inclement weather, would you believe him or her?
Most probably you would not, would you? But if the message comes from the school principal,
80
 would you believe that message then? Yes, you would most probably believe the message. Why
is this the case? What’s the difference between the two messages? The difference lies I the
source of the information. The source of the first one may not be reliable, especially if it comes
from a classmate that has a bad reputation of being always absent in class. In the second
example, the source is reliable because it comes from a figure of authority.

When reading or searching for information, always remember to investigate the source. There are
three main things that you should keep in mind when investigating sources of information.
1. The author
 Who is the author of that source of information? Check the background of the author. Is the
author an expert on that subject matter? What is the purpose of the author? Sometimes, a
persuasive text is suspicious if, at the end of the article, the author will persuade you to buy a
certain product pertaining to the content of the article.
 You should also recognize the fallibility even of experts. Neither a graduate degree nor an
affiliation with a credible organization or university is an assurance that the author is not capable
of making mistakes.
2. The pieces of evidence to the claims of the author
 What pieces of evidence does the author present for his or her claims? The supporting
pieces of evidence the author presents should be of high-quality information that are
factual, reliable, updated, unbiased, and comprehensive. It is perfectly acceptable to play
the devil’s advocate and probe for erroneous data.
 Widen your horizons and examine opposing viewpoints. Evidence should not be based on
anecdotes, testimonials, and personal opinions alone. Do not believe one source of
information only. Look for other sources and compare what each has to say. Look for
research or scientific findings.
3. The publisher or sponsor/s
 Also, when investigating a piece of information, find out the publisher and/or sponsor of
a particular claim. Do not be misled by impressive names of organizations or advocacy
campaigns.

Again, evaluate the source when reading information: investigate the author’s background,
examine the evidence, and check the background of the publisher or sponsor.

Anecdotes, testimonials,
and personal opinions
alone do not guarantee
the reliability of
information.

Internet Sources
 The internet is a massive and comprehensive source of information. In fact, you can also
download e-books and e-journals from different online sources. These electronic reading
materials make the generation of today feel less inclined to buy hard copies of books and/or
journals. When looking at internet sources, the first thing to look at is the domain name. The
domain name can give you a clue regarding the site’s motivation and objectives.

The different domain names:

1. .com – means that the domain name is owned by a company. This is the most common of all.
Because the website is owned by a company, keep in mind that there is a business aspect to the
website.
2. .edu – it should be more reliable because it means that the website is under an educational
institution. However, this may not always be the case. Some research studies published on
educational websites can also be funded by outside sponsors that have vested interests.
3. .gov – government owned websites
4. .net – those owned by a network
81
 5. .org – those owned by organizations.

Always be skeptical and investigate carefully the motivation and the objectives of a website.

Lesson 3 & 4

Activity 2. Reflect Upon

Rubric/s: Organization of ides – 2 pts. Content – 3 pts.

1. Should students be prohibited from using social media in school? Why do you think so?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you prefer online sources of information to printed materials? Why?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Are printed sources of information more reliable than those found online? Why do you
think so?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2. What Have I learned So Far?

1. What determines the reliability of sources of data?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why should you consider the author and the purpose of the author in investigating sources
of information?
82
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why should you investigate the domain name of online sources?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

ESSENTIAL LEARNING

In this module, you have learned how to evaluate an author’s argument by first
looking at the source/s of information. You investigated the author’s background, the
pieces of evidence presented, as well as the publisher or the sponsor/s for such information
to be published and widely disseminated. You have also acknowledged the fact that the
internet contains a lot of information. While you enjoy the vast information available and
accessible to you, you should not forget to be skeptical and challenge the information by
examining its opposing viewpoints and questioning the validity of the sources.

Diocese of Bayombong Educational System

St. Louis School of Solano, Inc.
Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
Telefax # (078) 326-7548
83
 Email: [email protected]

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

Subject: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Teacher: _________________________

SECOND QUARTER

Name of Student: ____________________________ Year and Section: _______________

Week No: 7-8 Inclusive Dates: ________________
The learner understands the principles and uses of a position
Content Standard
paper.
The learner presents a convincing position paper based on properly
cited factual evidence; produces an insightful statement of
Performance Standard
principles and reasons for establishing a student organization,
coming up with a group exhibit of creative works, etc.
Most Essential Learning
Writes various kinds of position papers.
Competencies (MELCs)
21st Century Learning Skills Critical Thinking, Communication, Productivity
Core Values Academically Excellent, Operatively Engaged

MODULE 7-8: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

Activity
Week 7-8 Learning Targets/ Specific Objectives Remarks
Score
Lesson 1 Define what a position is, its purpose, structure, and format.
Identify the situations in which a position paper may be
Lesson 2
effectively used in our present society.
Gather manifestoes and analyze the arguments used by the
Lesson 3
writer.
Lesson 4 Apply the learnings in answering the questions given.
TOTAL

Printed
a. Go, R. S. (2019). English for Academic and Professional Purposes, 2nd Edition. 4/F SEDCCO 1
Bldng. 120 Thailand corner Legazpi Streets Legazpi Village, 1229 Makati City Philippines:
DIWA LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. pp. 155-158.
b. Billanes, Lorna A. (2019). English for Academic and professional Purposes: Skills and Strategies for
Academic Discourse. 101 V. Luna Road Extension Sikatuna Village, Quezon City 1101 Philippines.
TechFactors Inc. pp 97-104.

Definition and Purpose

 A position paper is more complex version of persuasive essay. A persuasive essay is a
position on a certain issue, and it is presented in paragraph forms. However, a position paper
is not an essay, but it has various parts just like the concept paper. A position paper can be
likened to a debate, but you are presenting your arguments in a written form. Presenting an
argument implies that you are favoring one side of the issue.

 The primary goal of a position paper is to declare a “position” on a certain matter or an

issue. Its secondary goal is to convince or persuade others to take that side of an issue or
matter.

 In writing a position paper, the principles of argumentative writing should be followed.

Remember that you are declaring your own thoughts and beliefs; hence, the skills for
argumentation should be used.
84
Principles of Argumentative Writing
 Writing a position paper will be discussed according to the principles of argumentative
writing, so that you can easily connect the ideas together.

1. Audience – consider your audience. What is the best possible way to communicate to them?
How can you convince them to side with you in case they have a different stand?
2. Viewpoint – you have to know the issue and the side that you have chosen. To do so, you should
do basic research to gain knowledgeable information about the issue. Follow the ideas suggested
about gathering data, you should ask yourself questions such as the following:
a. Is the issue worth pursuing?
b. What is my position or stand on this issue?
c. What support do I have (from books, Internet, and field research)?

 You may need to research for information regarding an issue to define your position. You
must make sure that you can back up your position with supporting information from
secondary sources such as books, journals, and the Internet. Your position should not be
merely a reflection of personal preference, but it should be a personal preference
strengthened by credible and reliable support.

3. Organization – organize your arguments in the most persuasive or convincing manner.

Remember to save the best for last! Here is a suggested outline of presentation.

a. Introduction – your introduction should present the topic and the issue at hand. It
should also be very clear from the beginning what your position is. Provide a
background on the issue or the matter. Highlight your personal stand in a clear thesis
statement. Your introduction should also clearly show the importance or significance
of your position to the readers. In short, tell why it is worth reading all the way.
b. Opposite Arguments – present the strongest arguments of the opposition. Choose at
least three of their strongest arguments. You may use other data such as statistics,
illustrations, and figures from your sources.
c. Your Arguments – assert your arguments to counter the opposition. You should also
think of at least three arguments that would counter the argument of the opposition
that you have previously presented. Again, you may use data from another sources to
support your arguments.
d. Conclusion – restate your position. Summarize your main points. Conclude your
paper with a resounding statement that will definitely bring the opposition down.

4. Writing Style – in argumentative writing, you should also choose your words carefully and
write with style and clarity. Choose strong words and vary them. Use synonyms so that you don’t
have to repeat a terminology again and again. Your arguments should be separated in small
chunks so that it is easier for the reader to understand and remember them. Remember to use
transition words effectively so that you can move from one thought or idea seamlessly and
smoothly.

Format
The format of your position paper is the same as your critique and concept paper.
1. Paper size: 8.5” x 11” (latter size)
2. Spacing: Double-spaced
3. Font: Times new Roman
4. Font size: 12 points
5. Margins: 1 inch on all sides
6. Footer: page number (page ___ of ___)
7. Header: School logo (left side), your name (right side)

Cover Page
 The cover page should contain the title of your paper, your name, the name of your teacher,
the date you have submitted the paper, your section/year, and the name of your school.
(Your teacher may also opt to require you to use the APA format.)

85
Uses of a Position Paper
 When you write a position paper, your aim is to inform others about your stance, position, or
conviction about a certain issue. It reflects what you know about the topic, exposing your
belief about it. Although it is a statement of your strong belief and opinion, you must
combine it with valid and verifiable facts.
 Position papers are used not only in schools but also in government and corporate officers.
In academic settings, position papers are an expression of an individual’s claim, written
without the academic rigor of conducting a full-blown research. In government and politics,
position papers are often a prelude to a debate. In corporate offices, position papers are an
expression of an employee’s definitive position about issues that are crucial to both the
company and its employees.

Lesson 3 & 4

Note the following example of an outline of a position paper.

Introduction

The Department of Health is overseeing issues concerning the health and eating habits of school
children.

Thesis Statement

Stricter regulations should be imposed on the selling of junk food in school cafeteria.

Supporting Statements for the Topic

1. Junk foods contain harmful fats and additives that jeopardize the health of individuals.
2. Studies have proven that test results improved when children refrained from eating junk
foods.
3. The school cafeteria has to set a good example of health eating habits among students.

Counterarguments

1. Other factors such as genetics and environmental toxins also do harm to individuals.
2. The high test scores could have been due to other factors such as positive reinforcement from
their parents.
3. The school cafeteria administrators cannot always monitor what students eat outside the
school.

Supporting details to validate or oppose counterargument

1. Genetics and the environment are certainly factors to consider, but poor eating habits and
unhealthy food choices only aggravate the problem.
2. Conclusive studies have pointed to a positive correlation between healthy eating habits and
high IQ.
3. School officials can implement stricter policies granting school cafeteria administrators such
authority.

Summary

Banning junk foods in school cafeterias across the country will ensure the health of school children,
thereby paving the way towards a healthier nation composed of physically and mentally capable
citizens.

86
Activity 1. What Have I Learned So Far?
 A. Think of controversial issues that you feel strongly about and list your argument/s for or against
it.

Controversial Topic My main argument for or against it

1.

2.

3.

B. Choose from one of the controversial topics you wrote in the table above and write an outline of
a position paper on the said topic with the following elements. (Refer to the example given
above)

Introduction

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Thesis Statement

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Supporting statements for the topic

1. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Counterarguments
87
 1. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting details to validate or oppose counterargument

1. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Summary

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

88
 SCORING RUBRIC (analytical)
3 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS 1 POINT
Organizatio The sentences effectively The sentences show some The sentences show too
n communicate the intended lapses in the use of some many lapses in the use of
meaning through the use of expressions that show some expressions that
expressions that show explicitness but they could show explicitness but they
explicitness. still be understood. could still be understood.
Grammar There are no grammatical There are few grammatical There are too many
errors and a formal errors and lapses in the grammatical errors and
academic writing style is academic writing style are lapses in the academic
used. observed. writing style are observed.
Content Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is Depth of discussion is not
presented with more than presented with sufficient presented with sufficient
sufficient amount of ideas. amount of ideas amount of ideas

89
90