READING AND WRITING SKILLS

Name of Learner: _____________________________Grade Level: _____________

Section: ____________________________________ Score: __________________

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

QUARTER 4 WEEK 4

DETERMINING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE TO VALIDATE ASSERTIONS

AND COUNTERCLAIMS ABOUT A TEXT READ

Background Information for Learners

Textual evidence refers to the evidence gathered from the original source or other texts,
that supports an argument or thesis statement.

Using textual evidence, or specific quotations and examples from a text that directly relate
to your point, is essential for supporting your argument, particularly in academic writing.

To better evaluate the author’s argument, a reader should be able to determine the evidence
from the text. This allows him or her to validate the assertions of the author and his or her own
counterclaims as a response to reading. The evidence provided by the writer substantiates the
text. It reveals and builds on the position of the writer and makes the reading more interesting.
Evidence is crucial for the author to sway the reader to his or her side. A jury or judge, for
example, relies on the evidence presented by a lawyer before he/she makes a decision regarding
a case.

The following are the characteristics of a good evidence:

1. unified;
2. relevant to the central point;
3. specific and concrete;
4. accurate; and
5. representative or typical

Four Types of Textual Evidence

1. Statistical Evidence
The strongest type of evidence in formal writing is statistical evidence. This ranges from
true, hard data presented as a percentage or number, to survey-type data. For example,
statistical evidence could be:
 ● 3 out of 5 doctors claim that...
● 90% of women in the Philippines...
● 8 members of the committee were present during...
Statistical evidence can be proven as fact. You can actually go out and find hard information
to prove your particular claim.
2. Testimonial Evidence
The use of celebrities as credible evidence can be considered testimonial in nature. Many
people look up to celebrities as role models in their lives. Good or bad, when a person chooses
a life-path that takes him/her into public light, there will be many others out there who want to
emulate the celebrity. These celebrity endorsements provide the second-strongest type of
evidence found in formal arguments.
Testimonial evidence can also be collected from experts and authorities in a given field.
Doctors, dentists, lawyers often provide expert testimonials. Their authority is not often
questioned for they are expected to "know their stuff."
3. Anecdotal Evidence
When storytelling is involved as evidence, anecdotal evidence is being used. Due to its less
objective nature, anecdotal evidence is not extremely strong. When coupled with statistical or
testimonial evidence, anecdotal evidence can be highly effective in determining credibility or
proof.
Storytelling, although based on fact, can include quite a bit of opinion, thus making it less
objective. Usually, eyewitnesses are used as providers of anecdotal evidence. They saw or
experienced the phenomenon at hand, telling their version or side of the story.
4. Analogical Evidence
When information is scarce about something and little is known, analogical evidence is often
used in a formal argument to increase credibility of the proof. If the phenomenon in question
is new and little is known about it, analogical evidence that pulls in known factors about a
similar phenomenon to show parallels can be an effective way to provide proof.
Due to limited knowledge about the phenomenon, in this situation, analogical evidence can be
regarded as the weakest type of evidence used in formal arguments. One can only imagine and
hope that the comparison-phenomenon is close enough that the results can be applied to the
new phenomenon.
Assertions are statements that claim that something is true about something else.
Counterclaims are claims that made to rebut a previous claim.
Learning Competency with Code

MELC: The learner determines textual evidence to validate assertions and counterclaims made
about a text read. (S2Q4-EN11/12RWS-IVac-10)

CG: The learner determines textual evidence to validate assertions and counterclaims made
about a text read. (EN11/12RWS-IVac-10)

Directions and Instructions:

Hello, dear learner! As a youth, you can take part to be a Health Ambassador in the
midst of this pandemic. This is your time to be a Covid-warrior. In order to become one, you
need to combat all the obstacles set in this Learning Activity Sheet in order to reach for the 5
KEYS of success. You have to pass all the challenges as you take your five-stage adventure
(1-Load, 2-Engage, 3-Advance, 4-Refine, 5-Nurture) on the topic, Determining Textual
Evidence to Validate Assertion. Before you proceed with the journey, dress-up dear warrior.
After that, write your name below your preferred warrior, then sign the learning agreement.
Warrior…Move…

Place two illustrations here of a male and a female hero

__________________________________ __________________________________

(Name) (Name)

LEARNING CONTRACT

AGREEMENT: By signing the contract, you are hereby accepting the responsibility to
finish the activity package and submit it to your teacher (____________________) on
(____________________).
LEVEL 1: LOAD
Load up your knowledge in determining textual evidence to validate assertions and
counterclaims about a text read.

In order to win the first key, recall the different concepts related to the topic in determining
textual evidence. Find and encircle eight (8) words in the maze then write them on the designed
pathways. A letter is given as a clue for each word.

B V B N H J T K C O N C R E T E L M A N

H J J J T F E H J K L C V B N M A L Y D

R Y U I E E S H K L P R T S D F A W W L

T Y U I S P T B N M O P E R T G N D S A

V B S H T Y I T P S G H E V I D E N C E

T Y T I O P M E Y S D V B N M A C Q H C

B R A W Y U O O P M V U B C D W D H G C

X T T Y U I N L B N O N C F G R O W Q B

T T I Q S C I S T A T I S T I C T L C V

R G S U T T A U I O P F I E J T A R E W

G B T I E C L F G H J I Y A W Q L V X Z

F U I E X D F G H T E E S T L C X Z G R

V R C T T T Y U I O Q D C G D S A H C B

A N A N A L O G I C A L H J J U D H S X

N E L G F E W T Y L S A D V E W X S H T
 T

Congratulations, you have won the first ! Now open the to enter the 2nd door.

LEVEL 2: ENGAGE
Engage yourself in unlocking the concepts in determining textual evidence to validate assertions
and counterclaims.

To harvest the second key, answer the crossword puzzle below using the words you
identified in the first activity.

HORIZONTAL

1. evidence derived from experts

2. the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or
proposition is true or valid.
3. the main body of matter in a manuscript, book, or newspaper
4. weakest type of evidence
VERTICAL

5. hard data presented as evidence

 6. make or become united
7. not abstract
8. evidence collected in a casual or informal manner

1 8

Congratulations, you have won your second ! Now open the to enter the 2nd door.
Level 3: ADVANCE
Advance your knowledge of the topic.

To gain the third key, you must have to hurdle the obstacles in this activity. Read the
following texts and identify the type of textual evidence used. Use the following codes for your
answers: A-statistical, B-testimonial, C-analogical, D- Anecdotal

_____1. My name is John Charles Quimba. I am 19 years old, Grade 12, and I am supposed to
have my graduation now. Instead of celebrating another milestone of my academic student life,
COVID-19 changed everything. There are no graduation ceremonies and classes are suspended.
Our country was put into comprehensive community lock down due to rising cases of COVID-19
infections. It’s only a matter of days and statistics of those who died rose up. The virus is like a
huge wing that swifts above everyone. Nobody was prepared for it.

_____2. We’ve also brought in external support through our Global Outbreak Alert and Response
Network – GOARN – and specialist Emergency Medical Teams, or EMTs. In addition to
supporting countries, we also track progress globally. Among countries that have reported data to
WHO,78% have a preparedness and response plan in place; 76% have surveillance systems in
place to detect cases; and 91% have laboratory testing capacity for COVID-19. But we still see
many gaps around the world. Only 66% of countries have a clinical referral system in place to care
for COVID-19 patients; only 48% have a community engagement plan; and only 48% have an
infection prevention and control programme and standards for water, sanitation and hygiene in
health facilities. In other words, there are still many gaps in the world’s defenses, and no single
country has everything in place (Excerpt from WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom’s speech)

_____3. British ear, nose and throat doctors, citing reports from colleagues around the world,
called on adults who lose their senses of smell to isolate themselves for seven days, even if they
have no other symptoms, to slow the disease’s spread. The published data is limited, but doctors
are concerned enough to raise warnings. “We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of
infection and that anyone who develops loss of sense of smell should self-isolate,” Prof. Claire
Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society, wrote in an email. “It could contribute to
slowing transmission and save lives.” The British physicians cited reports from other countries
indicating that significant numbers of coronavirus patients experienced anosmia.

_____4. If we practice proper hygiene and social distancing, we help flatten the curve of the
COVID-19 pandemic.

_____5. The coronavirus affects the world economy: money isn’t made, stock markets go down.
Parents worry. They call it “social isolation” and “flattening of the curve” to make sure that virus
transmission slows down. This is to help hospitals handle the number of sick patients better. But
those terms are not what this feels like. Washing your hands until your skin cracks and bleeds,
wearing masks, elbow bumps instead of handshakes. I’ve never been part of a pandemic this bad,
this scary. Such a small substance that we can’t even see causes our world to crumble- Sofie
Dardzinski
_____6. Researchers found high levels of concern about the dangers posed by the respiratory virus,
which has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization and is
officially named COVID-19.

_____7. Based on observations on COVID-19 patients, the common symptoms are high fever and
cough.

_____8. Our estimates are based on tentative assumptions and represent a wide range of outcomes.
Nonetheless, they show that, if routine health care is disrupted and access to food is decreased (as
a result of unavoidable shocks, health system collapse, or intentional choices made in responding
to the pandemic), the increase in child and maternal deaths will be devastating.

_____9. SARS (November 2002 to July 2003): was a coronavirus that originated from Beijing,
China, spread to 29 countries, and resulted in 8,096 people infected with 774 deaths (fatality rate
of 9.6%). Considering that SARS ended up infecting 5,237 people in mainland China, Wuhan
Coronavirus surpassed SARS on January 29, 2020, when Chinese officials confirmed 5,974 cases
of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). One day later, on January 30, 2020 the novel coronavirus
cases surpassed even the 8,096 cases worldwide which were the final SARS count in 2003.

_____10. COVID-19 could be fatal, but this happens rarely. According to WHO, 82% of infected
patients will have mild presentations, 15% will have severe manifestations, and only 3% will be
critical. As mentioned before, older people, people with compromised immune systems, and
people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, are more prone to
fall severely ill with the virus. Around 2% of people infected with the disease have died.

Congratulations, you have won the third ! Now open the to enter the 4th door.

LEVEL 4: REFINE

Refine your skills in determining text evidence to validate assertions made by the author.

Dear warrior, you are almost at the end of your journey. In order to harvest the fourth key,
read the selection below then answer the questions that follow.

SUBJECT IN FOCUS: Origin of the severe acute respiratory syndrome

coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19
(https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200423-sitrep-94-
covid-19.pdf)

The first human cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus
causing COVID-19, subsequently named SARS-CoV-2 were first reported by officials
in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. Retrospective investigations by Chinese
authorities have identified human cases with onset of symptoms in early December 2019.
While some of the earliest known cases had a link to a wholesale food market in Wuhan,
some did not. Many of the initial patients were either stall owners, market employees, or
regular visitors to this market. Environmental samples taken from this market in
December 2019 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, further suggesting that the market in
Wuhan City was the source of this outbreak or played a role in the initial amplification
of the outbreak. The market was closed on 1 January 2020.

SARS-CoV-2 was identified in early January and its genetic sequence shared publicly
on 11-12 January. The full genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 from the early human cases
and the sequences of many other viruses isolated from human cases from China and all
over the world since then show that SARS-CoV-2 has an ecological origin in bat
populations. All available evidence to date suggests that the virus has a natural animal
origin and is not a manipulated or constructed virus. Many researchers have been able to
look at the genomic features of SARS-CoV-2 and have found that evidence does not
support that SARS-CoV-2 is a laboratory construct. If it were a constructed virus, its
genomic sequence would show a mix of known elements. This is not the case.

Another coronavirus, SARS-CoV-1, the cause of the Severe Acute Respiratory

Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, was also closely related to other coronaviruses
isolated from bats. These close genetic relations of SARS-CoV-1, SARSCoV-2 and
other coronaviruses, suggest that they all have their ecological origin in bat populations.
Many of these coronaviruses can also infect several animal species. For example, SARS-
CoV-1 infected civet cats and then humans, while the virus causing the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) is found in dromedary camels, and has continued
to infect humans since 2012.

All available evidence for COVID-19 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 has a zoonotic
source. Since there is usually limited close contact between humans and bats, it is more
likely that transmission of the virus to humans happened through another animal species,
one that is more likely to be handled by humans. This intermediate animal host or
zoonotic source could be a domestic animal, a wild animal, or a domesticated wild
animal and, as of yet, has not been identified.

All the published genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from human cases are
very similar. This suggests that the start of the outbreak resulted from a single point
introduction in the human population around the time that the virus was first reported in
humans in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
 A number of investigations to better understand the source of the outbreak in China
are currently underway or planned, including investigations of human cases with
symptom onset in and around Wuhan in late 2019, environmental sampling from markets
and farms in areas where the first human cases were identified, and detailed records on
the source and type of wildlife species and farmed animals sold in these markets.

Results from these studies are essential to preventing further zoonotic introductions
of SARS-CoV-2 into the human population. WHO continues to collaborate with animal
health and human health experts, Member States, and other partners to identify gaps and
research priorities for the control of COVID-19, including the eventual identification of
the source of the virus in China.
that transmission of the virus to humans happened

QUESTIONS:

1. What does SARS-CoV-2 mean?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

2. How is SARS-CoV-1 related to SARS-CoV-2?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

3. How did the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak start?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

4. What did the environmental samples taken from Wuhan market in December
2019 suggest?
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

5. If coronaviruses originated from bats and man has a limited contact with bats,
how did the transmission of the virus to humans happen?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Congratulations, you have won the fourth ! Now open the to enter
the last door.

LEVEL 5: NURTURE
Nurture your learnings of making counterclaims to given assertions.

Dear warrior, you are at the last lap of your journey. The fifth key determines your success.
Complete the table below by drawing possible counterclaims to the following statements. Cite
evidences to prove your claims.

COMPLETE ME

CLAIMS COUNTERCLAIMS EVIDENCES

1. SARS-Cov-2 is not
laboratory construct.

2. Coronaviruses all have their

ecological origin in bat
populations.
Congratulations, you finally have the five s to fully become a Covid-warrior. You are now a
certified SURVIVOR! As the Ambassador of Health, do your best to help others win the battle
against this pandemic. Now, it’s time for you to write your commitment.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key
Level 1: Load

B V B N H J T K C O N C R E T E L M A N

H J J J T F E H J K L C V B N M A L Y D

R Y U I E E S H K L P R T S D F A W W L

T Y U I S P T B N M O P E R T G N D S A

V B S H T Y I T P S G H E V I D E N C E

T Y T I O P M E Y S D V B N M A C Q H C

B R A W Y U O O P M V U B C D W D H G C

X T T Y U I N L B N O N C F G R O W Q B

T T I Q S C I S T A T I S T I C T L C V

R G S U T T A U I O P F I E J T A R E W

G B T I E C L F G H J I Y A W Q L V X Z

F U I E X D F G H T E E S T L C X Z G R

V R C T T T Y U I O Q D C G D S A H C B

A N A N A L O G I C A L H J J U D H S X

N E L G F E W T Y L S A D V E W X S H T
Level 3: Advance

1. B 6. B
2. A 7. D
3. B 8. D
4. C 9. A
5. D 10. A

Level 4: Refine

1. What does SARS-CoV-2 mean?

SARS-CoV-2 means severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2.
 2. How is SARS-Cov-1 related to SARS-CoV-2?
SARS-CoV-1, SARSCoV-2 and other coronaviruses, suggest that they all
have their ecological origin in bat populations.
3. How did the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak start?
Officials in Wuhan City, China identified human cases with onset of symptoms in
early December 2019 where many of the initial patients were either stall owners,
market employees, or regular visitors to Wuhan market.
4. What did the environmental samples taken from Wuhan market in December
2019 suggest?
Environmental samples taken from Wuhan Market in December 2019
suggest that the market in Wuhan City was the source of the outbreak or played a
role in the initial amplification of the outbreak.

5. If coronaviruses originated from bats and man has a limited contact with bats,
how did the transmission of the virus to humans happen?
Since there is usually limited close contact between humans and bats, it is more
likely that transmission of the virus to humans happened through another animal
species, one that is more likely to be handled by humans. This intermediate
animal host or zoonotic source could be a domestic animal, a wild animal, or a
domesticated wild animal and, as of yet, has not been identified.

Level 5: Nurture
Answers may vary

ANGELICA BRISTOL BENIGNO

Writer

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