English for Academic and

Professional Purposes
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Writing Various Kinds of
Position Paper
English for Academic and Professional Purposes– Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 3: Writing Various Kinds of Position Paper
First Edition, 2020

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English for Academic
and Professional
Purposes
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Writing Various Kinds of
Position Paper
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to English for Academic and Professional Purposes– Grade 11

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Writing Various Kinds of Position Paper!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or
facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum
while overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also
aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

1
For the learner:

Welcome to the English for Academic and Professional Purposes– Grade 11

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Writing Various Kinds of Position Paper!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often
used to depict skill, action, and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create
and accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies
and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link

the current lesson with the previous one.

What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be

introduced to you in various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the

lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will

help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
into real life situations or concerns.

2
 Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your
level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given

to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing

this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Do not forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

3
 What I Need to Know

In this module, you will be writing various types of position paper. This will
help you to be aware of the different issues and problems that we encounter in our
world today. This will also allow you to share your ideas, thoughts, and arguments.

The most essential learning competency covered in this module is to write

various kinds of position papers (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d-5)

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. define a position paper;
2. identify situations for position paper writing;
3. gather and analyze arguments; and
4. defend a stand on an issue; and
5. write various kinds of position paper.

4
 What I Know

To test what you already know about position paper, answer the pretest below.
Take note of the items that you did not correctly answer and discover the right
answer as you go through this module.

Read the questions carefully and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What part of the essay do we restate the argument of the paper?

a. Body
b. Conclusion
c. Introduction

2. How can you make your position paper strong?

a. Be sure to annotate your paper
b. Record your observations and past them in YouTube
c. Give an educated and informed opinion with supporting evidences
d. Apply citations and references in the introductory part of the paper

3. What is the ideal minimum number of paragraphs in a position paper?

a. Three paragraphs
b. Five paragraphs
c. Four paragraphs
d. Two paragraphs

4. Which of the following is not included in the position paper?

a. Counter-argument
b. Importance of the topic
c. Background of the topic
d. Thesis of the position paper

5. How many main points can be written in the body of the position paper?
a. One main point
a. Two main points
b. Three main points
c. Four main points

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 Lesson
Writing Various Kinds of
1 Position Paper

What’s In

Think of three (3) problems that we encounter in the Philippine society today.
Enumerate these problems on the space provided on the left side of the chart below.
Write your opinion about each of them on the right side of the chart. Do this in a
whole sheet of paper.

ISSUES/PROBLEMS YOUR OPINION

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

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 What’s New

A. Arrange the letters to form words. Hint: Problems and Issues in the Society

1. VRTOEPY ______________________

2. LICAUIDJ INLIKGL _______________________

3. LUIPOTLON _______________________

4. AMIANL YBA IEALNTBRIAHITO _______________________

5. ESX DATUNEICO _______________________

B. Read the article below and fill-in the chart that comes after it.

“Energy Use and Climate Change -Perspectives for sustainable growth?!”

The past decade of the 21stst century has witness earth-shaking changes in
technology development and scientific progress, yet the increasing energy use and
degrading of environment have posed a great threat to human race. Wildfires destroy
property and harvest in Australia, melting polar ice caps cause sea level rise which
threatens the existing of small islands, storms and floods cause million dollar
damages in Central America and South East Asia, and serious droughts drive
millions of Africans into famines, which can lead to economy instability and social
unrest in these less developed countries. As a responsible member of the African
Union and a country with global consciousness, Angola shows deep concerns toward
this issue and believes progress can be made with joint efforts.

The problem of energy consumption and its induced climate change has been
a global headache, towards which Angola has shown great concern. Recognizing the
appreciable contribution made by The Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC)and the Kyoto Protocol in tackling global warming and sea-level rising,
Angola would be willing to join hands with the global community in face of
environmental disasters. Moreover, since petroleum is one of the pillar industries of
Angola, who is also an active member of OPEC, tangible progress, namely advanced
technology, and improved energy efficiency, in energy use will prove to be evolutional.

Confronted with the global climate degradation, Angola suggests that a stable
and reliable outline can be set to describe an outlook of the new millennium to solve
the energy problem (i.e. scarcity of non-renewable energy and extraction of new

7
energy). The harsh status quo involves in all the stake holders and Angola suggest
that the following approaches can be of significance.

First group would be representing developed, resources importing regions like

the European Union and Japan where either climate change has been granted great
attention or which depend on energy imports and therefore try to reduce costs by
using non-renewable energy more efficient or gain independence by subsidizing
renewable, innovative energy generation e.g. hydro wind power. This group is the
main driver of climate conferences like Kyoto in 1997 and Doha in 2012.

The second group is represented by North America and developing countries

including BRICS, which priority is to meet national demand first to promote further
growth/ development and regards anti climate change action as a subordinate
necessity. There are several developed countries e.g. U.S., Canada and China in this
group who are big greenhouse emitters but omit the Kyoto Protocol. This group didn’t
ratify, renounced the Kyoto Protocol or simply didn’t agree to binding targets. The
third group is mostly constituted by energy producing and exporting countries,
including many oil and gas rich African countries like Libya, Nigeria and Angola.
Their main interest is exploiting national resources to export them at high price.
Although the energy demand in those countries is rising as well, compared to trading
resources, national energy security is a fairly sub orientated topic.

Angola agrees that efficient energy use and renewable energies are crucial to
limit the effects of climate change and supports international efforts as long as they
do merits to Angola’s’ economic benefit and the global coprosperity as a whole.
Therefore, Angola is member to many multilateral organizations and convention e.g.
Angola is signatory to a number of UN conventions on environmental protection and
conversation. Angola believes that before signing conditional pledges for emission
values or certain restriction, countries causing significantly more greenhouse gas
and has not ratified international agreements yet, should be involved first.

ISSUES PRESENTED SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

1.

2.

3.

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 What is It

How to Write a Position Paper

What is a position paper?

Before you get to writing a position paper, it is good to understand vividly how
to define a position paper. Many individuals confuse a position paper for being just
a report like any other whereas a position paper entails the writer lying on one side
of the issue under discussion.

While writing a position paper, you need to give your position on the issue at
hand. A position paper can be written in different incidents such as in a discussion
of international challenges affecting different nations and formulation of policies to
curb the issues.

In the case of the formulation of international policies, you can even be

required by the members of the conference to forward your paper even before the
meeting so that the direction of the debate can be determined and set at an early
stage. A position paper can also be written in the case of institutions’ meetings while
addressing different issues affecting the organization.

How to write a position paper

After getting the meaning of a position paper, we can now proceed on how to
go about in writing a position paper.

Below are some of the guide before writing your paper:

• Understanding the topic given- in most cases you will be given the topic that
you are supposed to discuss, and it is your responsibility as a participant to
understand the topic first before you take a position on the matter. When you
fail to understand the topic well, you may end up giving points that do not
display your position. In the understanding of the topic, you can go ahead and
conduct some research on the topic just to be certain of the points that you
will come up with.

• Ensure your topic can easily be arguable- in some incidents, you may be asked
to pick on a topic to write on for your position paper. Many topics can be used
for argument purposes especially current trends and issues affecting the
society today. You should be able to go for a topic that has points and can
bring contradiction to arise argument. When you go for a common topic where
most people would lie on one side of your stand then that is not a good topic,

9
 a good topic should have almost similar points on both sides of the argument
to bring a healthy conversation of the parties involved.

• List the advantages and disadvantages for both sides of the argument- when
you list the advantages and disadvantages of two different sides of the
argument you will be able to pick the best position that you can confidently
argue.

• Pick your position and formulate your points- in a position paper you have to
take a position in the argument. Ensure that you have sufficient points to
support your position.

• Understand your audience position on the matter- it is also good to

understand where your audience is placed in the argument so that you can
design your arguments to satisfy them on the points you try to bring out.

To make your paper outstand you should:

• Design an official look for your paper- in being official you only need to be
realistic in your arguments so that the readers can easily be convinced with
your points without much questioning.

• Make it as simple as possible- in a presentation of your claims you should

ensure that you are direct to the point and avoid unclear explanations because
it makes your work tiresome to read. Be clear by using simple, understandable
language, avoid too much use of vocabulary in your work.

• Be organized in the presentation of your points- you should be able to know

which point comes first and ensure each idea is placed in its paragraph. This
will also help your paper have an official look.

• Put references for your points- citing your sources is very key as it gives your
points a higher hand over the rest given that it can be refereed hence valid.

• Go through your paper after completing- it is good to proofread your work as

it will enable you to see some common mistakes made and you can also
change the flow of points to be persuasive to your audience.

Position Paper Outline

How to organize your position paper? Follow these easy steps to develop your
position paper. This outline helps you organize your paper as easy as 123.

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 1. Introduction

Present your topic. Say why it is worth discussing, its history. Dwell on its
controversies. Make a thesis statement that would express your opinion in one
sentence.

2. Body

Present a prevailing opinion on the issue, main arguments, what they are based
on.

Counter the arguments with your own opinion, backed up by reliable data you
have found during the preliminary research. Keep in mind that you should present
as many counter-arguments as there are pro-arguments. So, if you have 3
statements that support an idea you disagree with, you should provide three
opposing statements and prove why they are worth considering.

3. Conclusion

Restate both opinions. Give a summary of what you argue for. Provide a strategy
that would help resolve the issue.

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 What’s More

Bed-Books and Night-Lights

By H. M. Tomlinson

The rain flashed across the midnight window with a myriad feet. There was a
groan in outer darkness, the voice of all nameless dreads. The nervous candle-flame
shuddered by my bedside. The groaning rose to a shriek, and the little flame jumped
in a panic, and nearly left its white column. Out of the corners of the room swarmed
the released shadows. Black specters danced in ecstasy over my bed. I love fresh air,
but I cannot allow it to slay the shining and delicate body of my little friend the
candle-flame, the comrade who ventures with me into the solitudes beyond midnight.
I shut the window.
They talk of the candle-power of an electric bulb. What do they mean? It
cannot have the faintest glimmer of the real power of my candle. It would be as right
to express, in the same inverted and foolish comparison, the worth of “those delicate
sisters, the Pleiades.” That pinch of star dust, the Pleiades, exquisitely remote in
deepest night, in the profound where light all but fails, has not the power of a sulphur
match; yet, still apprehensive to the mind though tremulous on the limit of vision,
and sometimes even vanishing, it brings into distinction those distant and difficult
hints—hidden far behind all our verified thoughts—which we rarely properly view. I
should like to know of any great arc-lamp which could do that. So the star-like candle
for me. No other light follows so intimately an author’s most ghostly suggestion. We
sit, the candle and I, in the midst of the shades we are conquering, and sometimes
look up from the lucent page to contemplate the dark hosts of the enemy with a smile
before they overwhelm us; as they will, of course. Like me, the candle is mortal; it
will burn out.
As the bed-book itself should be a sort of night-light, to assist its illumination,
coarse lamps are useless. They would douse the book. The light for such a book must
accord with it. It must be, like the book, a limited, personal, mellow, and
companionable glow; the solitary taper beside the only worshiper in a sanctuary.
That is why nothing can compare with the intimacy of candle-light for a bed-book. It
is a living heart, bright and warm in central night, burning for us alone, holding the
gaunt and towering shadows at bay. There the monstrous specters stand in our mid-
night room, the advance guard of the darkness of the world, held off by our valiant
little glim, but ready to flood instantly and founder us in original gloom.
The wind moans without; ancient evils are at large and wandering in torment.
The rain shrieks across the window. For a moment, for just a moment, the sentinel
candle is shaken, and burns blue with terror. The shadows leap out instantly. The
little flame recovers, and merely looks at its foe the darkness, and back to its own
place goes the old enemy of light and man. The candle for me, tiny, mortal, warm,
and brave, a golden lily on a silver stem!

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 “Almost any book does for a bed-book,” a woman once said to me. I nearly
replied in a hurry that almost any woman would do for a wife; but that is not the way
to bring people to conviction of sin. Her idea was that the bed-book is soporific, and
for that reason she even advocated the reading of political speeches. That would be
a dissolute act. Certainly you would go to sleep; but in what a frame of mind! You
would enter into sleep with your eyes shut. It would be like dying, not only unshriven,
but in the act of guilt.
What book shall it shine upon? Think of Plato, or Dante, or Tolstoy, or a Blue
Book for such an occasion! I cannot. They will not do—they are no good to me. I am
not writing about you. I know those men I have named are transcendent, the greater
lights. But I am bound to confess at times they bore me. Though their feet are clay
and on earth, just as ours, their stellar brows are sometimes dim in remote clouds.
For my part, they are too big for bed-fellows. I cannot see myself, carrying my feeble
and restricted glim, following (in pajamas) the statuesque figure of the Florentine
where it stalks, aloof in its garb of austere pity, the sonorous deeps of Hades. Hades!
Not for me; not after midnight! Let those go who like it.
As for the Russian, vast and disquieting, I refuse to leave all, including the
blankets and the pillow, to follow him into the gelid tranquillity of the upper air,
where even the colors are prismatic spicules of ice, to brood upon the erratic orbit of
the poor mud-ball below called earth. I know it is my world also; but I cannot help
that. It is too late, after a busy day, and at that hour, to begin overtime on fashioning
a new and better planet out of cosmic dust. By breakfast-time, nothing useful would
have been accomplished. We should all be where we were the night before. The job
is far too long, once the pillow is nicely set.
For the truth is, there are times when we are too weary to remain attentive
and thankful under the improving eye, kindly but severe, of the seers. There are
times when we do not wish to be any better than we are. We do not wish to be elevated
and improved. At midnight, away with such books! As for the literary pundits, the
high priests of the Temple of Letters, it is interesting and helpful occasionally for an
acolyte to swing them a good hard one with an incense-burner, and cut and run, for
a change, to something outside the rubrics. Midnight is the time when one can recall,
with ribald delight, the names of all the Great Works which every gentleman ought
to have read, but which some of us have not. For there is almost as much clotted
nonsense written about literature as there is about theology.
There are few books which go with midnight, solitude, and a candle. It is much
easier to say what does not please us then than what is exactly right. The book must
be, anyhow, something benedictory by a sinning fellow-man. Cleverness would be
repellent at such an hour. Cleverness, anyhow, is the level of mediocrity to-day; we
are all too infernally clever. The first witty and perverse paradox blows out the candle.
Only the sick in mind crave cleverness, as a morbid body turns to drink. The late
candle throws its beams a great distance; and its rays make transparent much that
seemed massy and important. The mind at rest beside that light, when the house is
asleep, and the consequential affairs of the urgent world have diminished to their
right proportions because we see them distantly from another and a more tranquil
place in the heavens where duty, honor, witty arguments, controversial logic on great
questions, appear such as will leave hardly a trace of fossil in the indurated mud
which presently will cover them—the mind then certainly smiles at cleverness

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 For though at that hour the body may be dog-tired, the mind is white and
lucid, like that of a man from whom a fever has abated. It is bare of illusions. It has
a sharp focus, small and starlike, as a clear and lonely flame left burning by the altar
of a shrine from which all have gone but one. A book which approaches that light in
the privacy of that place must come, as it were, with honest and open pages.
I like Heine then, though. High mockery of the grave and great, in those
sentences which are as brave as pennants in a breeze, is comfortable and sedative.
One’s own secret and awkward convictions, never expressed because not lawful and
because it is hard to get words to bear them lightly, seem then to be heard aloud in
the mild, easy, and confident diction of an immortal whose voice has the blitheness
of one who was watched, amused and irreverent, the high gods in eager and secret
debate on the best way to keep the gilt and trappings on the body of the evil they
have created.
That first-rate explorer, Gulliver, is also fine in the light of the intimate candle.
Have you read lately again his Voyage to the Houyhnhnms? Try it alone again in
quite. Swift knew all about our contemporary troubles. He has got it all down. Why
was he called a misanthrope? Reading that last voyage of Gulliver in the select
intimacy of midnight I am forced to wonder, not at Swift’s hatred of mankind, not at
his satire of his fellows, not at the strange and terrible nature of this genius who
thought that much of us, but how it is that after such a wise and sorrowful revealing
of the things we insist on doing, and our reasons for doing them, and what happens
after we have done them, men do not change. It does seem impossible that society
could remain unaltered, after the surprise its appearance should have caused it as
it saw its face in that ruthless mirror. We point instead to the fact that Swift lost his
mind in the end. Well, that is not a matter for surprise.
Such books, and France’s “Isle of Penguins,” are not disturbing as bed-books.
they resolve one’s agitated and outraged soul, relieving it with some free expression
for the accusing and questioning thoughts engendered by the day’s affairs. But they
do not rest immediately to hand in the book-shelf by the bed. They depend on the
kind of day one has had. Sterne is closer. One would rather be transported as far as
possible from all the disturbances of earth’s envelope of clouds, and “Tristram
Shandy” is sure to be found in the sun.
But best of all books for midnight are travel books. Once I was lost every night
for months with Doughty In the “Arabia Deserta.” He is a craggy author. A long
course of the ordinary facile stuff, such as one gets in the Press every day, thinking
it is English, sends one thoughtless and headlong among the bitter herbs and stark
boulders of Doughty’s burning and spacious expanse; only to get bewildered, and the
shins broken, and a great fatigue at first, in a strange land of fierce sun, hunger,
glittering spar, ancient plutonic rock, and very Adam himself. But once you are
acclimatized, and know the language—it takes time—there is no more London after
dark, till, a wanderer returned from a forgotten hand, you emerge from the interior
of Arabia on the Red Sea coast again, feeling as though you had lost touch with the
world you used to know. And if that doesn’t mean good writing I know of no other
test.
Because once there was a father whose habit it was to read with boys nightly
some chapters of the Bible—and cordially they hated that habit of his—I have that
Book too; though I fear I have it for no reason that he, the rigid old faithful, would be

14
pleased to hear about. He thought of the future when he read the Bible; I read it for
the past. The familiar names, the familiar rhythm of its words, its wonderful well-
remembered stories of things long past—like that of Esther, one of the best in
English—the eloquent anger of the prophets for the people then who looked as
though they were alive, but were really dead at heart, all is solace and home to me.
And now I think of it, it is our home and solace that we want in a bed-book.

Guide Questions:

1. What is the opinion of the writer about the use of candle-light instead of electric
light when reading a book?

(State the writer’s position)

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2. Do you agree with the writer? Why? Why not?

(Helpful Tip: Useful Expression in agreeing or disagreeing with the views of others. I
agree with the writer’s claim that… I do not agree with the authors
ideas/thoughts…because…)

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__________________________________________________________________________________

3. State the first argument of the writer.

The first argument of the writer is

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4. What is the conclusion of the writer?

(Helpful Tip: Useful Expression in Drawing Conclusion Using the Work of Others. Based
on the Writer, a connection can be made between…or As a conclusion…)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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5. If you were to write a position paper, what will be your stance about reading books
before you sleep?

(Helpful Tip: Useful Expression in presenting your own point of view… I strongly
believe that... I think/contend that…)
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16
 What I Have Learned

Assess your learning progress by completing the following statements.

GETTING DEEPER!
Lesson:
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What I want to say about the lesson:

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What I found out:

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17
 What I Can Do

A. Write a three-paragraph essay stating your position on the rehabilitation of

Manila Bay. Will you consider it as a boon or bane?

________________________________
(Write your own title)

Introduction: (In the introduction part you should capture the reader’s
attention, define the issue given and state your claim.)
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Body: (State three arguments then cite the evidence supporting your
arguments)_______________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: (This part includes restating your claim, summarizing reasons and
explaining why your stand/ claim is worthy to
read)_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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B. Stating your claims
Do you agree or disagree in legalizing the use of marijuana in our country?
Why? Why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Assessment

A. There are many issues today that remain unresolved, and many topics are
open to debate. Choose one issue that you are interested in and choose your position.
You cannot choose to be in the middle; you must be either be for or against a side in
a certain policy, belief, or idea. Write a position paper about the chosen topic.

Physical punishment Homosexual marriage

for children should should be legalized
be considered a crime

Arranged marriages Uniforms should no

are better than longer be a
romantic marriage requirement in the
school

Legalization of Sex education in the

divorce school

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B. Read the following questions/statements and answer the questions.

1. The following are essential in writing the position paper, except

a. Assert the thesis
b. Introduce the topic
c. Provide explanation but not the evidence
d. Provide background on the topic to explain why it is important

2. The following are asked to present a strong argument, except

a. Is this a lengthy issue?
b. Can you identify at least two distinctive positions?
c. Is it a real issue, with genuine controversy and uncertainty?
d. Are you personally interested in advocating one of these positions?

3. Which argument would be a good topic for a position paper?

a. Stealing should be a crime.
b. Gambling should be legalized.
c. Children should eat vegetables.
d. Clean air is beneficial to the environment.

4. You are writing a position paper which argues that the legislature should force
companies to pay heftier fines when they pollute. Which option would work as
evidence for a counter-argument?
a. A study that shows companies pollute more wherever fines don’t exist.
b. A claim that if the legislature passes new fines, companies will move
elsewhere.
c. A news report on companies that have shut down in areas where
environmentalist legislation has been enacted.
d. All of the above.

5. You are writing a position paper which argues that countries should pass more
stringent laws criminalizing the poaching of endangered animals. You cite the
following fact about endangered animals: “As many as 30% to 50% of all species are
heading toward extinction by 2050.” Which option is the best commentary sentence
for this evidence?
a. “An extinction rate of 50% is unacceptably high.”
b. “30% is the low end of the estimate, and 50% is the high end.”
c. “A species is declared extinct after several years of not being seen.”
d. “Scientists estimate we’re losing species at 1,000 times the natural
extinction rate.”

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 Additional Activities

A. From the issues below, choose one and defend your stand by writing a position
paper with the intention of convincing your reader to support your stand.
(The assessment rubric was given in the previous activity)

• Smartphones should not be allowed in school

• The state should censor the internet

• Discrimination Against Homosexual

• The reproductive health law should be implemented

• Religious institutions should pay taxes in the Philippines

B. Reading

The Importance of Being Persuasive

Marikit Tara Alto Uychoco

The world we live in is filled with people, products, and movements that aim to
persuade individuals and groups toward their own ends. This is seen in television
commercials, political speeches, election campaigns, and homilies in church. This
is done even in the institutions that are closest to us, such as the school and the
family. Everywhere, everyone wants us to do something, whether it is to follow the
Ten Commandments, to buy the latest gadget, or to go against an ideology.
The truth is, many of the arguments and positions that we are given can be
unreasonable, deceitful, or just plain wrong. Sometimes, we can have the uneasy
feeling that we are being forced into believing or doing something that isn't right,
and many times that feeling would be proven to be true. It is important to be able to
fully articulate the articulate the problems and concerns one may have when it
comes to grappling with several positions to discover their societal and political
significance and to be able to use this skill in every instance of our lives. According
to Walter Lipman, we need to hear the opinion of others, since "freedom of discussion
improves our own opinions" (Malaya and Uychoco 1999:8).

You are at the point in your life where your parents can no longer shelter you
from the evils of this world, and the best weapon you have in this competitive and
chaotic society is Your mind. The ability to appreciate and create sophisticated

22
positions in this world is one that will guide you in every endeavor, whether it is in
choosing the right university profession, and later marriage partner.

One does not have to be a lawyer or a politician to be able to analyze arguments

and positions These skills regarding argumentation and persuasion have been put
to use by parents, teachers, priests, reporters, writers, and businessmen; in short,
anyone who wants to persuade, influence, or control anyone else. Among the Greeks,
the art of argumentation, rhetorike, was an essential part of a liberal education.

As citizens of the nation, it is imperative that we are equipped with the skills
necessary in understanding, analyzing, and constructing these different positions.
This is an academic exercise that, when acquired correctly, should be applicable to
your understanding of the world. According to former US President Bill Clinton, "For
any country to succeed in the long term, it is imperative that citizens understand
the workings of government and also become active participants in it... We must take
every opportunity to examine our political life and to debate the grand issues of our
time (qtd. in Malaya and Uychoco 1999:13)".

Comprehension Questions

1. Do you agree with the essay? Why or why not?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are the instances when you felt you were doing or believing something
wrong, but was not able to fully explain or say why you felt that way?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

3. What issues do you think are important in your life? Why is it important to
analyze them?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is it important for citizens of the nation to be able to analyze an

argument?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

23
 24
Additional Activities:
A. Answers may vary
B. Answers may vary
What I Can Do:
A. Answers may vary
B. What I Can Do:
1. b What’s More:
2. c A. Answers may
3. c vary Answers may
4. b B. Answers may vary
5. d vary
What New:
A.
1. POVERTY
2. JUDICIAL KILLING
3. POLLUTION What I Know:
4. MANILA BAY
What’s In: 1. b
REHABILITATION
2. c
5. SEX EDUCATION Answers may
3. d
vary
4. a
B.
5. c
Answers may vary
Answer Key
References
https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-a-position-paper.html

https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-a-position-paper.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Position-Paper

https://papersowl.com/blog/position-paper-outline

https://quizizz.com/join/game/U2FsdGVkX1%252BjcFS9asnt0I6Sa%252F7HBYn
ojQkuAHE9daVTYJT1xAnyMcyRcSBcC5P1?gameType=solo

https://versozanelson.blogspot.com/2017/08/position-paper.html

file:///C:/Users/End%20User/Downloads/dokumen.site_week-11-14-writing-
position-papers.pdf

https://www.bartleby.com/237/19.html

https://rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/analysis-bad-economics-dumping-
fake-white-sand-manila-bay

https://assets2.rappler.com/2020/09/1599795231-fake-white-sand-September-
11-2020.jpg

https://eng.ucmerced.edu/people/awesterling/SPR2016.ESS141/Assignments/ru
bric2.pdf

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi

Saqueton, Grace M. and Uychoco Marikit Tara A. (2016). English for Academic and
Professional Purposes. Manila, Philippines. Rex Book Store

25
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region III,

Schools Division of Bataan - Curriculum Implementation Division
Learning Resources Management and Development Section (LRMDS)

Provincial Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan

Telefax: (047) 237-2102

Email Address: bataan@deped.gov.ph

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