You are on page 1of 156

LEARNING COMPETENCY: The learner determines the structure of a specific

academic text (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-1).

OBJECTIVE: The leaner is expected to state definition of Academic Text and to


familiarize its different structures.

PRE-ASSESSMENT

Find my place!
Direction: Find from the pool of words below the correct word being described by each
statement.

______________ 1. It is an act or process of telling a story or describing what happens.


______________ 2. A statement that tells you how something or someone looks, sounds, etc.
______________ 3. It is a statement that requires proper sequence of events.
______________ 4. A text structure that arranges information from the most essential to least essential
or vice versa.
______________ 5. The act of causing people to do or believe something.
______________ 6. It is a writing strategy which arranges the ideas from the discussion of the problem
of concern to the outlining of the solutions.
______________ 7. It states the reason of certain thing as to why it happens and its result.
______________ 8. A sentence that states the similarities and differences of two objects.
______________ 9. It is a text structure wherein it separates and combined things depending on its
distinct characteristics. Classification
______________ 10. An explanation of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc.

Description Classification Chronological Order Narration

Order of Importance Persuasion Problem and Solution Cause and Effect

Comparison and Contrast Definition

1
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LECTURE
Academic Text it has specific structure and language compared with texts across
disciplines.

Text Structure refers to how information is organized in a passage. The structure


of a text can change many times in a work and even within a paragraph. Also,
understanding text structures can help students make and interpret arguments. For
these reasons it is important that students are exposed to rhe various patterns of
organization.

Types of Text Structures

It is a basic strategy used by the writers for presenting action. It is used for a variety of
purposes: to illustrate and support ideas with anecdotes, entertain the readers with stories,
predict what will happen with scenarios, and explain how something happens ( should
happen) with process narratives.
In usually contains characters (the creatures-human or not- that are involved in the
story), setting (the time and place the story happened), plot (series of events) and point-of-
view ( the standpoint or the viewpoint the writer takes in telling the story).

The paragraph below employs narration as the technique for development.


I was walking along on what used-to-be an undeveloped road in the province with her- my auntie Rose
one late afternoon. She was from her teaching. I was from my grade school classes. I was barely eight years old
then. She requested me to accompany her to the house of her brother-my uncle Feliciano for something she
would then be getting from him. After almost an hour in my uncle’s house, she bade them goodbye and we
headed home. Home was like more than a hundred meters from uncle’s place. It was almost six in the evening
already. I felt a tinge of fear but I erased it because, I had companion. In the middle of our walk, we met the
town’s only photographer.
Finding the site where we were standing a nice picture background, he requested my auntie to pose for
some pictures to be taken. My auntie agreed. She let me hold her teaching stuffs and proceeded to the pose.
The photographer thanked us as we also thanked him. We got the biggest surprise in our lives when we saw the
finished picture the following days. While my auntie posed like she walking and looked so cute on a wide
pavement background, a strange image was at her back.
At her back was a hill with coconut trees planted in alignment and a man- a big man standing behind
her- a big and dark man whose broad shoulders framed five coconut trees on his chest alone. Two coconut tree
on his arms-left and right, one on his left chest, one on his right chest and one in mid chest. Yes, the man was so
huge. He was a giant. The whole town was on the front page of the local newspaper then. Photography exports
from the city said that there was no accident with picture. It was authentic. Yes, the hill was real but the man
was not. Who was that man? They said, he was one of my auntie’s admirers- a supernatural.

Questions:

1. What is the setting of the selection?


2. Who are the characters in the selection?
3. What is the point of view?
4. Give the conflict in the story and how was it resolved? 2
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
It is the pattern of a narrative development that presents a word picture of a thing,
person, situation, or a series of events. It does not depend on an extensive knowledge about
life. It just demands that we can hear, see, taste, touch and smell. Then, we can put our
sensory impression into a comprehensible paragraph.

The Beauty of the Mesopotamia

The new name of Mesopotamia is Iraq. It is an Arab sate at the top of the Persian Gulf. It is one of
the continents oil-rich countries. In the west and southwest are wide expanses of desert .The only people
who live there are Bedouins who live by moving their camels between oases fringed with date palms. In
the northeast are rugged mountains form the border with Iran and Turkey. This region also provides scrubby
pature for goats and sheep. The foothills of these mountains are home to many Kurds. They are semi-
nomadic people who make up about 20% of Iraq’s population.

At the heart of the country lies the capital city of Baghdad, which is one of the largest cities in the
Middle East. South of Baghdad, a green and fertile plain opens up between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It is
part of an area once called Mesopotamia, meaning “the land between the rivers.” The world’s earliest
known civilization, ancient Sumer, developed there about 3500 B.C. At present, most of Iraq’s population
lives on plain, which has become the center of the ountry’s agriculture and industry. There are oil and
sugar refineries, tanneries, and factories producing cotton and cement. In the southeast and wetlands, a
haven for kingfishers, storks, wild boars, and ibis. For at least 5,000 years, this wetland region has been home
to people called Marsh Arabs, who fish and farm using complicated systems of irrigation and drainage.

Questions:

1.What is the subject of the paragraph?

2. How is the description of Iraq organized?

3. What are the senses referred to in the description?

4. Discuss the historical development of Iraq.

5. Enumerate the descriptive words and phrases.

It is used in explaining unfamiliar terms with them two major purposes: to explain or to
convince. Definition can b formal or informal. Formal definition strictly adheres to the specific
form.. It consists of the following parts:

1. The term – the word or phrase to be defined


2. The class or genus- the family or category to which the term belongs
3. The differentia – the distinctive characteristics of the term which distinguishes it from
other members of the same class.

3
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
On the other hand, an informal definition does not observe any particular for but gives
an explanation that depends on how the writer views the object to be defined. This type of
definition is not only the appropriate exposition of what the object is, but it is also a freer,
more personal explanation.

This is an example of formal definition:

Term Class or Genus Differentiate


Exposition is a form of writing or talking whose purpose is to explain or inform
Advertising is a selling process intended to aid directly or indirectly
the sale of the commodity
Computer is an electronic device that accepts and stores data,
accesses and retrieves information,
performs certain operations and
presents the results of those
operations
Ecumenism is any movement which promotes better
understanding among differing
religions
Resistance is any force that leads to oppose or delay motion

This is a text structure which groups objects, items or ideas into categories, classes or
groups such as types, fsctors, chsracteristics, and other classes and divisions. It is a text
structure that helps the mind handle several unrelated ideas because they heave been
organized into some kind of order. In writing, the task of classifying is complex but the task
may actually provide new insights that you may not have thought of.

A farmer who decides to concentrate on viable products can choose from four general types of
plants: edible, ornamental, raw-material or shades. Edible plants include grains like rice and corn, fruits
like santol and mango, vegetables such as pechay or cabbage or spices like pepper. On the other
hand, ornamentals are all kinds of flowering and non-flowering plants used for decoration and
landscaping. There are also plants that provide raw materials for other products. Examples of this type
are rubber, palm, abaca, maguey, and ramie. The coconut may also belong to this type although the
fruit is edible. To the last types are shade trees, grown primarily to reforest barren areas of mountains.
However, some of them are used as ornamentals.Ipil-ipil and narra are the most common shade trees.
All these types of plants can be grown profitably depending upon the soil and climate found in the
area.

Questions:

1. What are the four general types of plants?


2. What are the kinds of edible plants? What are the kinds of ornamental plants?
What are raw material plants? What plants are considered shades?
3. How can all these plants help man?

4
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Comparison is used to see how two objects or items are alike while contrast is to
identify their differences.This is basically descriptive and the comparison is literal not
figurative.Then, points of similarity or difference can be presented in the alternating and
opposing patterns.

There are similarities and differences in the Pkilippines and American good manners. Both
types of behavior aim to put them at ease. Both intend to show sincerity and goodwill. However,
the Amercans are frank, open and straightforward while the Filipinos are timid, verboseand over
polite. The Americans consider loud laughing and vigorous hand shaking but Filipinos consider
these actions as a breach of etiquette. The Filipino offers his guests the most delicious food at the
best accommodation at home. The Filipinos are well known for their hospitality. They display their
simplicity and humility in action and speech.

Questions:

1. Describe the manners of the Americans

2. Describe the manners of the Filipinos

3. Can you identify events that wuld justify the differences between the manners of Americans
and the Filipinos?

It states or explains reasons why things happen or explains the results of certain
phenomena. In writing cause-and-effect paragraphs basically answers why-questions. This is
writing about why something happened, why certain conditions occurred or why things
resulted into another thing.

The organization of the paragraph of this sort depends on the topic and the purpose
for writing. If the focus is on explaining the effects of an event such as the passage of a law,
it would be best to first state the cause and then explain the effects. However, at certain
times, stating the effects first before examining the causes is better, like for example the
closing of a factory. Sometimes, you’ll want to describe a chain of cause-and-effect
relationships to explore a topic such as the disappearance of tropical rainforests or the
development of home computers.

This text structure illustrates that for every cause there is an effect. In this pattern, the
writer may take two directions: from cause to effect or discussing from effects to the
identification of the cause.

5
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth’s population lives in
urban areas. There are several reasons for this occurrence. First, the increasing industrialization of the nineteenth
century resulted in the creation of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities. These jobs, with their
promise of a better material life, attracted many people from rural areas. Second, there were many schools
established to educate the children of the new factory laborers. The promise of a better education persuaded
many families to leave farming communities and move to the cities. Finally, as the cities grew, people
established places of leisure, entertainment, and culture, such as sports stadiums, theaters, and museums. For
many people, these facilities made city life appear more interesting than life on the farm, and therefore drew
them away from rural communities.

Questions:

1. What is the subject of the paragraph?

2. What creates many job opportunities in the city?

3. Why do students love to study in the cities?

It is a text structure which arranges the ideas from the discussion of the problem of
concern to the outlining of the solutions.

Order of Importance is a text structure which arranges ideas from the most important
to the least important or vice versa.

It is a text structure which arranges ideas from the most important to the least
important or vice versa.

Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date. First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny
and laugh really hard to yourself. This will make you look bad. Worse though, you could offend your date. One
bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the engagement. But the worst thing that

6
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
you can do is to appear slovenly. By not showering and properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this
is the worst thing that yu can do.

It is a writing strategy that explains an information using the time order.

Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came
tumbling after.

ASSESSMENT
Direction: Make an essay about the following topics. You will be rated depeding on the
rubrics below.

7
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
1. Narration. Narrate your unforgettable moments with your family. Don’t forget to write
the title and the elements of Narration.

2. Cause and Effect. Write a paragraph developed thru cause and effect about
“Unemployment.”

3. Classification. Write an essay about “ Types of Music” using classification as a text


structure.

4. Description. Write a descriptive essay about your favorite food. Don’t neglect to describe
the aroma, how it looks like, how it sounds as you eat it, etc.

5. Chronological Order. Write an essay on how does COVID-19 spread in the Philippines.
Present your data chronologically.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES
A. Write the term defined by each of the following sentences.
Example: It is anything that occupies space and has mass. - Matter
1. This is a piece of jewelry that is worn around the neck. -
2. This is the fundamental law of the land. -
3. It is the study of life or living things. -
4. It is a lyric poem which has an exact structure of fourteen lines. -
5. It is that measures body temperature. –
B. Match Column I with Column II after determining the cause and effect of each of the
following. Write the letter of your answer on the space provided.

Column I Column II

____ 1. denuded forests a. poverty


____ 2. graft and corruption b. economic crisis
____ 3. failure to study hard c. job promotion
____ 4. excellent performance d. street children
____ 5. reckless driving e. suspension of classes
____ 6. inflation f. flash floods
____ 7. irresponsible parents g. unsatisfactory grades
____ 8. improper garbage disposal h. diseases
____ 9. too much sugar in the blood i. diabetes
j. mental illness
____ 10. drug addiction
k. vehicular accidents

8
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY:
a. The learner differentiates language used in academic texts from various disciplines
( CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-2)
b. The learner uses knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-4)

OBJECTIVE:
a. Differentiates language used in Academic text from various discipline.
b. Explains the specific idea contained in various Academic texts.
c. Show the importance of Academic text by identifying the language used and how it is
constructed.

LECTURE
LANGUAGE USE

A well-written text uses an appropriate language and words in delivering the


message. It has to be appropriate to the topic. The choice of the topic should
be suited to the reader.
The Subjective Tone of Writing uses the writer’s personal biases and judgment.
The Objective Tone of Writing, on the other hand, uses factual information and
arguments.
The writer has to decide the language and tone depending on the purpose of
the writing.
Avoidable Language in Academic Writing
1. Do not use contractions and abbreviations
- Contractions are words written in short version such as can’t for cannot in full
form, doesn’t for does not in full form and shouldn’t for should not in full form.
- Abbreviations such as etc. must not be used in academic writing.
Furthermore, you must use the full forms of words. For instance, rather than
using TV, memo, or quote. You must use Television, memorandum or
quotation.

9
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. Avoid using informal English language
- Do not write your essay in point or bullet form, numbering or sub-headings,
these are expected in your research or observation reports.
- Do not use colloquial words or slang expressions such as thing, cool, kid, a lot
of, stuff and sort of.
- Avoid double words such as what’s up, put off, bring up, get away with but
instead, use words equivalent to these phrasal verbs.

TASK 1 Digging deeper


Direction: Read the questions carefully. Then, supply it with the correct answer.
1. What were your misconceptions about the topic prior to taking up this
lesson?

2. What is the importance of knowing the specific idea presented in the


academic text?

3. What are the main points that must be remembered on the use of
language in academic writing?

4. Does academic writing require concentration and comprehension?


Explain.

5. Does one should identify his/her purpose before reading? Explain.

10
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 2 I got a feeling!
Direction: Read and analyze the following sentences. Put if the statement
is true and if it is false.

_____1. Authors of the academic texts usually present facts to support their main
argument.
_____2. Authors do not usually state critical questions and ideas.
_____3. Academic writers list references.

_____4. Academic writers take a subjective point of view.


_____5. Writers also consider opinions and non-facts basis in their writings.

TASK 3 Read it!


Direction: The following texts are from different academic disciplines. Read it
comprehensibly, then, supply each question with the correct answer.

1. 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 chicken led to 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.

1. Which discipline do you think it was written for?

2. What do you think it is about?

11
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. As a learner-centered process approach to second language (L2) writing, peer
response has been widely adopted and studied since the 1990’s (Hyland & Hyland,
2006). The dialogic nature of peer response seems to foster multiple support systems
(Hyland, 2000) and communicative behaviors (Villamil & de Guerrero, 1996). L2
research has shown that peer response can increase chances for meaning
negotiation and language practice (Lockhart & Ng, 1995; Mendonca & Johnson,
1994), encourage collaborative reading and writing (Tsui & Ng, 2000), and promote
writing revisions (Berg, 1999; Mendonca & Johnson, 1994; Min, 2006, 2008; Stanley,
1992). These interactive practices appear to draw upon and enhance interactional
and writing skills.

1. Which discipline do you think it was written for?

2. What do you think it is about?

3. Panic attacts are a specific and severe form of anxiety disorder, typified by the
sudden onset of overwhelming anxiety that presents with a variety of physical
symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea, and may
involve fears of ‘going crazy’ or impending doom or death (Ohman, 2000). The
prevalence of panic attacts more than doubled in the population of the United
States from 5.3 % in 1980, to 12.7% 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 PD
appears to be relatively consistent across cultures at between 1% and 3% (Weissman
et al., 1997).

1. Which discipline do you think it was written for?

2. What do you think it is about?

12
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Banning Handguns is not the Answer
Handguns can be easily concealed, so they are the weapon of choice for people
who choose to use them for self-defense. Unfortunately, they are also the weapon of choice
for criminals. Since handguns are easy for criminals to steal, handguns are readily available on
the black market; this makes handguns an attractive choice for criminals. The majority of
crimes involving firearms are committed with the use of a handgun; this is a serious problem in
America today. Although most would agree that something must be done, no one seems to
have the answer at this point. Some gun control supporters believe that completely banning
handguns is the best way to protect citizens. However, banning handguns fails to protect
people because the laws are ineffective, banning handguns prevents people from an
effective means of self-defense, and the laws do not solve the real problem, which is the gun
owner.

Simply banning handguns all together is ineffective, and that is the first reason why
banning handguns is not an effective way to protect citizens. There are several cities that have
employed handgun bans in the past, and the results were not promising. On September 24,
1976, Washington, D.C. placed a ban on all handguns; the ban was later overturned on June
26, 2008. Under the regulations of this law, no one other than a police officer was permitted to
own a handgun. Authors Agresti and Smith (2010) state that “during the years in which the
D.C. handgun ban and trigger lock law were in effect, the Washington, D.C. murder rate
averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law, while the U.S. murder rate averaged
11% lower.” Clearly, banning handguns in D.C. did not reduce the amount of murders and
crimes that were committed, and the number of murders actually increased drastically. Gun
control supporters would argue this information by saying that the statistics are misleading,
and that it is necessary to consider other factors such as the changing of times as well as the
rise of drug and gang violence. They may have a point, but as Washington, D.C.’s murder rate
increased by 73%, the rest of the United States as a whole experienced an 11% decrease in
murders (Agresti & Smith, 2010). This is difficult for them to explain. A second illustration of the
ineffectiveness of banning handguns is that of Chicago, Illinois. In 1982, Chicago passed a ban
on all handguns, expect for those that were pre-registered with the police department prior
to the ban. Author David Peterson (2010) describes the situation in Chicago, during the ban:
The percentage of murders committed with handguns in Chicago varied between roughly
40 percent and 55 percent each year the pre-ban period of 1965-1981. In recent years, while the
handgun ban was in place, the percentage committed with handguns has consistently been 70
percent or more.

In regard to the Chicago case, Agresti and Smith (2010) state that “in 2005, 96% of
the firearm murder victims were killed with handguns.” Chicago overturned this law in June of
2010. Once again we see how ineffective handgun bans are. These laws made it illegal to

13
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
own handguns, but that did not stop murders from happening nor did it protect people in any
way.

Handgun bans fail to protect people, and in fact, may put people in greater danger
because they prevent from using handguns as an effective means of self-defense. When an
individual is responsible and trained properly, handguns are easily the most effective form of
self-defense, and a handgun ban takes this option away from them. John Stossel (2008), who
is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, as well as a journalist and a reporter for Fox
News Channel, explains that laws against guns are really laws against self-defense, and
mandatory gun-free zones are in actuality free zones. Handgun bans will not stop criminals
from acquiring guns; they will, however, prevent a law abiding citizen from buying a gun for
self-defense. While he may be a little extreme in stating that laws against guns are laws against
self-defense, he does make a good point.
Banning handguns leaves citizens with less self-defense options. When people are
stripped of the most effective form of self-defense, they are vulnerable, and this is a serious
problem. Stossel (2008) is right about gun bans preventing law abiding citizens from using guns
in self-defense, and this gives the advantage to the criminal. A law abiding citizen will not
break the law and own a handgun if they are banned, but a criminal will. If an individual
desires to rob a bank or murder someone, he or she is not going to be worried about breaking
a gun ordinance. Handgun bans remove an extremely valuable self-defense method from
citizens, which leaves them even more vulnerable. It is possible that in banning we are missing
the real point.
Another reason why handgun bans fail to protect people is because they do not
deal with the real issue. The real issue behind handgun crimes and violence is not the handgun
itself, but rather the owner of the gun. According to surveys, as of 2010, there were roughly
300 million firearms owned by citizens in the United States. Of those 300 million, approximately
100 million were handguns, and 67% of those gun owners said they had guns for self-defense,
66% said they used their guns for hunting, and 41% for target shooting (Agresti & Smith,
2010).During the year 2008, approximately 436,000 violent crimes were committed by an
assailant who was visibly carrying a gun (Agresti & Smith, 2010). A study conducted during the
year 2000 showed that U.S. citizens use guns to defend themselves roughly 989,983 times a
year (Agresti & Smith, 2010). These statistics show several different uses for guns, and that guns
can be used for negative or positive reasons. It is the operator of the handgun who determines
whether it will be used as recreation, such as target shooting and hunting or as a murder
weapon or as self-defense. It is sad to see the way society views handguns as an awful
epidemic, but laws banning handguns are missing the point. Laws cannot make the decision
of how the handgun will be used for the owner of a handgun. It still comes down to the person
holding the gun, and that is something a ban cannot change.
Most people understand that something is wrong, and that turning a blind eye to the
violence involving handguns is not the answer, but neither is banning them. Handgun bans
are ineffective, they prevent a citizen from the most effective means of self-defense, and they

14
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
do not solve the real problem, which is the person who owns the gun. It comes down to
responsibility. Each person who chooses to own a handgun must be personally responsible for
the ways the gun is used. The government is responsible to protect its citizen; no one has the
perfect answer for the handgun violence problem, but the one certain things is that banning
handguns is not the answer.

TASK 4 You can do it!


After reading the passage, answer the questions that follow:

1. What issue is the writer focusing on?

2. Does the writer take a clear stand on the issue?

3. What is the writer’s purpose for writing?

4. Who is the audience for this writing?

5. What is the writer’s tone? Why do you think he/she writes with this tone?

6. Does the writer seem to assume readers will agree with his/her position?

7. What evidence does the writer use to support the essay’s thesis/central
argument? Does the writer include enough evidence?

8. Does the writer consider, address and/or refute opposing arguments?

9. Do you understand the vocabulary? If not, look the words up.

10. Do you understand the writer’s references/citations? If not, look them up.

11. Do you agree with the points the writer makes? Why/why not?

12. What connections can you make this article and others you have read?

15
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY:
a. The learner uses various techniques in summarizing a variety of academic texts
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-5).
b. The learner summarizes the content of an academic text
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-9).

OBJECTIVE:
a. Distinguish various techniques in summarizing academic text.
b. Show the importance of Summarizing skills through an individual writing activity.
c. Define the different structures of Academic text using one’s own word.

LECTURE
SUMMARY SKILLS

A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points, especially as a


conclusion to a work or a chapter.
Writing a good summary demonstrates that you clearly understand a text and
that you can make your readers understand what you are trying to say.
A summary can be tough to write at first as you might include too much or too
little information. However, with the help of this 8-step method, you will be able
to summarize texts quickly and successfully for any class or subject.

STEPS TO SUMMARIZE INFORMATION:

Step 1: Break Down & Digest


First, skim through the text you are required to summarize and divide it into
sections. Be sure to focus on any headings and subheadings. Also, you should

16
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
take note of terms in bold and make sure you understand them before you
read.

Step 2: Read
Read straight through. At this point of time, you do not need to stop to
look up anything that gives you trouble-just get a feel for the author’s tone,
style, and main idea.

Step 3: Re-Reading
Rereading should be active reading. Make sure that you underline. Topic
sentences and key facts. Label areas that you want to refer to as you write
your summary. Also, label areas that should be avoided because the details
– although they may be interesting – are too specific or unrelated. Identify
areas that you do not understand and try to clarify those points.

Step 4: One Sentence at a Time


You should now have a firm grasp on the text that you will be
summarizing. Write down the main idea of each section in one well-
developed sentence. Make sure that what you include in your sentences are
key points, not minor details.

Step 5: Write a Thesis Statement [Hypothesis]


This is the key to any well-written summary. Review the sentences that you
wrote in STEP 4. From the sentences, you should be able to create a thesis
statement that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to
achieve.

Step 6: Ready to Write


You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your
summary, and your other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that
they are in order. Add some transition words (for example: then, however,
also, moreover) that help with the over-all structure and flow of the
summary.Once you start writing, take note of these points:

 Write in the present or past tense, depending on the context of the


question (i.e., how the question is phrased) and what tense the first
few words that are given to help you gegin are in.
 Make sure to include the author and title of the work.
 Be concise: a summary should not be equal in length to the original
text.

17
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 If you must use the words of the author, cite them. Otherwise, USE
YOUR OWN WORDS ( for example, instead of “in actual fact,” write
“actually”).

 Do not add in your own opinions, ideas, or interpretations into the


summary.The purpose of writing a summary is to accurately represent
what the author wanted to say, not to provide a critique.

Step 7: Check for Accuracy

Re-read your summary and make sure that you have accurately
represented the author’s ideas and key points. Be sure that you have correctly
cited anything directly quoted from the text.

Step 8: Revise
Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should ( as with
any piece of writing) revise it for style, grammar, and punctuation. You should
be able to understand the main text based on your summary alone. If you do
not, you may have focused too much on one area of the piece and not
enough on the author’s main idea.

Guidelines in Summarizing
1) Clarify your pupose before you read, read the text and understand the
meaning
2) Select and underline the key ideas and phrase while reading
3) Identify the connections of these key ideas and phrases using concept
map and list your ideas in sentence form.
4) Combine the sentences into paragraphs. Use appropriate transitional
devices to improve cohesion.
5) Ensure that you do not copy a single sentence from the original text to
avoid plagiarism.

TASK 1
1) What is the difference of Academic Text and informal texts?

18
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2) What is the importance of Academic Text?

TASK 2
Direction: Summarize the following passages:
1) When one hears the term “reality” applied to a television show, one might
expect that the events occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted, but this
is not always the case. Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented
mansions occupied by film crews. These living environments do not reflect what most
people understand to be “reality.” Worse, there have been accusations that events
not captured on film were later restaged by producers. Worse still, some people
involved in the production of “reality” television claim that the participants were
urged to act out story lines premeditated by producers. With such accusations
floating around, it’s no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as
the sitcom.

Summary:________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________.

2) There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no
stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous
mammals. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that paralyzes victims
with excruciating pain. Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses
electroreception. What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the
electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey. The platypus neither
sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through
electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs
rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an odd creature indeed.
Summary:________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________.

19
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
3) Yellowstone National Park is mainly located in Wyoming, although three percent
is located in the state of Montana. The Continental Divide of North America runs
diagonally through the southwestern part of the park. The park sits on the
Yellowstone Plateau, which is an average elevation of 8,000 feet above sea
level. This plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by mountain ranges. There are
290 waterfalls that are at least fifteen feet in the park, the highest being
the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, which falls 308 feet.

Summary:_______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________.

4.) Screech! When a driver pushes on the brake pedal, it initiates a process that
causes the vehicle to stop in motion. You literally trust automotive braking systems
with your life every time you get into a vehicle or cross at a busy intersection, but
how does this process work? It begins when the pedal is pushed. At this moment
brake fluid is released into the area where the breaking mechanisms are. As the
fluid collects, this creates a leverage, which causes a friction to be applied. If the
breaking system is functioning properly, this friction will create a force that will
cause the wheels to stop and allow you to reach your destination safely.

Summary:_______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

20
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY: The learner states the thesis statement of an
academic text (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Ia-c-6).

OBJECTIVE:
a. Define what thesis statement is.
b. Cite the importance of writing the thesis statement of an academic text.
c. Identify the thesis statement of an academic text.

LECTURE

THESIS STATEMENT
A thesis statement is one sentence that expresses the main idea of a research paper
or essay, such as an expository essay or argumentative essay. It makes a claim, directly
answering a question. The following are the characteristics of a thesis statement:

1. Covers exactly the topic you want to talk about, no more and no less.
2. Let your reader know what to expect.
3. Usually appears in your paper’s introductory paragraph.
4. Helps you better organize and develop the contents of your paper.

As you can see in the thesis statement examples below, you must be very specific,
summarizing points that are about to be made in your paper, and supported by specific
evidence. Generally, your thesis statement can be the last line of the first paragraph in
your research paper or essay.

It's worth reiterating that a strong thesis statement is specific. If you find yourself using general
words like "good," then you're not digging deep enough.

21
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
For example, saying " Asian travel is a good way to spend your summer," is not specific
enough. Why is Asian travel good? Further examine the heart of your topic and focus on very
specific areas of Asian travel that you can realistically cover and support with solid
evidence.

"Solo Asian travel requires independence which, in the end, bolsters personal confidence."
This is much more specific and targeted. Now, you can hone in your research on solo travel
through Asia, the need for independence, and its positive effect on personal confidence.

Thesis Statement Examples: Bad vs. Good


BAD GOOD

Everyone should exercise. Filipinos should add exercise to their daily


morning routine because it not only keeps
their bodies at a healthy weight but also
reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
High levels of alcohol consumption are bad High levels of alcohol consumption have
for you. detrimental effects on your personal health,
such as weight gain, heart disease, and liver
complications.

Reading can develop a child's analytical Reading develops a child's mind by


mind. fostering comprehension skills, increasing
vocabulary, and exposing them to new
worlds they might not otherwise encounter.

All retirees should relocate to Retirees should relocate to Buhi,Camarines


Buhi,Camarines Sur. Sur, where 75% of Americans choose to
settle, because you will afford yourself the
opportunity to develop a wide array of
friendships.

22
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
The internet has improved the lives of many. The internet serves as a means of
expediently connecting people across the
globe, fostering new friendships and an
exchange of ideas that wouldn't have
occurred prior to its inception.

FINDING YOUR POINT OF VIEW

A good thesis statement is developed from the point of view of the reader. Be very careful
you're not developing a topic that is of interest to you alone. This is a harsh yet necessary question to
ask yourself: will my readers have any reason to care about what I'm writing?

In the example about Asian travel above, readers might be interested in travel around Europe
but will they be interested in solo travel, and greater independence and confidence? Hopefully, the
answer is yes. Just make sure you examine all viewpoints before investing your valuable time in a
well-written piece.

A thesis statement is powerful on two fronts. First, it allows the reader to get excited about
what, specifically, is coming their way. Second, it stands as the point of reference for your entire
paper.

Think of it as a loving mother steering her children away from danger. Essay writers run the
risk of getting off track and wandering into thickly wooded forests of needless tangents. (This is also
why a well-planned outline is essential.) However, a solid thesis statement will help keep you in
check. Refer back to it and ask have you wandered off topic?

When searching for a new home, realtors will tell you there are three important factors:
location, location, and location. When developing your one-sentence thesis statement, it is important
for you to be: specific, specific, specific. Write your thesis statement once and then rewrite it again
with greater specificity.

Also, make sure your audience will want to learn these new facts and possibly embrace these new
opinions. Now, you have a compass for your entire paper, keeping you safely on course.

23
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Answer the following question.
1) What were your misconceptions about the topic prior to taking up this lesson?

2) What is the importance of knowing the specific idea presented in the academic
text?

3) What are the main points that must be remembered on the use of language in
Academic writing?

TASK 2

Direction: Choose a subject from the topics listed below and compose a thesis
statement.
1. My favorite teacher
2. My failures/Disappointment
3. My family
4. My hopes and fears

24
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 2
Direction: Read and analyzed the academic text entitled “Competition and
Cooperation” and write a thesis statement based on the content of the text.

Cooperation and Competition


By Morton Deutsch
This Article Summary written by: Conflict Research Consortium Staff

Citation: Morton Deutsch. "Cooperation and Competition." Morton Deutsch and Peter T.
Coleman, eds., The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice San Francisco:
Jossey-Bas Publishers, 2000, pp. 21-40.

Most conflicts involve a mix of cooperative and competitive motives, and so Deutsch
develops a theory of cooperation and competition in order to better understand conflict
processes and resolutions.
A key element in understanding cooperation/competition is the type of goal
interdependence found between the involved parties. Parties goals' may be negatively
interdependent--one party's success correlating with the other's failure. Such situations tend to
yield competitive relationships with a win-lose orientation. Parties' goals may be positively
interdependent--success correlating with success, or failure with failure. These situations tend to
yield cooperative relationships where the parties have a win-win orientation.
Cooperative relationships display a number of positive characteristics, including more
effective communication and coordination, open and friendly attitudes, a sense of mutuality
and a willingness to increase the other's power. Competitive processes tend to yield the
inverse, negative effects: obstructed communication, inability to coordinate activities,
suspicion and a lack of self-confidence, desire to reduce the other's power and to dominate
them.
Deutsch's research "suggests that constructive processes of conflict resolution are similar
to cooperative processes of problem solving, and destructive processes of conflict resolution
are similar to competitive processes."(p. 27) A key question then is how to foster cooperative
relationships. In response Deutsch offers his eponymous Crude Law of Social Relations: "The
characteristic processes and effects elicited by a given type of social relationship also tend to
elicit that type of social relationship."(p. 29) Friendly, empowering gestures tend to evoke
cooperative responses. Suspicious, domineering attitudes tend to provoke competitive
responses.

25
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Deutsch identifies some of the implications that this theory of cooperation and
competition has for our understanding of conflict, for our practice of conflict management,
and for training in conflict resolution. A cooperative orientation on the part of the parties will
facilitate constructive resolution of conflict. Social support is key to creating and maintaining
such a cooperative orientation. Constructive resolution is also more likely when the parties
can reframe their understanding of their goals and conflict, coming to see their respective
goals as positively interdependent and the conflict as a joint problem.

This initial reframing, and so constructive resolutions, will be facilitated by the parties'
adherence to the norms of cooperation. These norms include honesty, respect,
responsiveness, acknowledging responsibility and extending forgiveness, emphasizing the
positive and seeking common ground. Constructive conflict resolution rests on the very basic
values of reciprocity, human equality, human fallibility, shared community, and nonviolence.
These values are widely shared, and can provide common ground between otherwise
starkly opposed parties.

In addition to these attitudes and values, effective conflict management requires skills
and knowledge. First are the skills required to establish and maintain effective working
relationships between the various parties and third parties to a conflict. Second are the skills
needed to sustain a cooperative conflict resolution process over the course of the conflict.
Third are the skills for developing effective group problem-solving and decision-making
processes.

These theoretical insights also have implications for practitioner training. The teaching
methods and the learning context itself should embody the cooperative, constructive
problem-solving orientation. Practitioners will also need access to a supportive environment,
if they are to maintain their own cooperative attitudes in the face of unfavorable or even
hostile conflict situations. Finally, Deutsch emphasizes the need for practitioners to reflect
upon their own practice and their own frameworks for conflict resolution, so that they may
both learn from and contribute to the growing understanding of conflict and its resolution.

26
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY: The learner paraphrases/explains a text using one’s
own words (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Ia-c-7).

OBJECTIVES:
a. Define paraphrasing
b. Recognize the importance of paraphrasing through varied activities
c. States the paraphrased form of an academic text

LECTURE
PARAPHRASING
A paraphrase is…

important skill that you have to learn in reading. This is the retaining the meaning
of a given text. Its purpose is to express meaning of a complicated material in
simpler language by using your word.
your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone
elase, presented in a new form.
one legitimate way ( whe accompanied by accurate documentation) to
borrow from a source.
a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a
single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because…


it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
it helps you control the temptation to quote too much
the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the
full meaning of the original.

27
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1) Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2) Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.

3) Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you
envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or
phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
4) Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately
expresses all the essential information in a new form.
5) Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have
borrowed exactly from the source.
6) Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can
credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Example #1:
Given Text:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they
overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final
manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to
limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester,
James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976):46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted
material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note
taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:
Students should take few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize
the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

28
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Example #2:
Given Text:

Perhaps the greatest factor that will determine your success will be your
willingness to undertake, your willingness to risk. If you have that, you will inevitably
succeed. It is only a matter of time.

Paraphrased:

Your success may depend to someextent on your careful and voluntary


disposition towards taking risks and your willingness to commit yourself to excellence. If
you possess these traits, you will surely succeed in any undertaking in due time.

Example #3:
Given Text:
Falling in love demands a certain level of emotional maturity, normally reached
in teenage. It should not be confused with “infatuation” which is ann immature and
overpowering feeling for someone, which can lead to extravagant and ill-judged
actions. True love puts the other person first, and treats them with care and respect.

Paraphrased:
Teenagers who start to love the opposite needs emotional preparedness. This is
because teenagers who are on their way to maturity should know the difference
between true love and infatuation.

Summarizing Paraphrasing
Does not match the source word for Does not match the source word for
word word
Involves putting the main idea into your Changes the words or phrasing of a
own words, but including only the main passage, but retains and fully
points. communicates the original meaning
Presents a broad overview, so is usually Changes the word or phrasing of a
much shorter than the original text passage, but retains and fully
communicates the original meaning
Must be attributed to the original source Must be attributed to the original source

29
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Encircle the letter of the statement that best paraphrases each of the given
sentences.

1. Work spares from the great evils, boredom, vice and need.

a. If we keep ourselves busy we will never get bored, worried and sinful

b. If we are workaholics, we will never have time to get involved in


unwholesome activities and wickedness.

c. Work prevents us from doing three bad things: lack of concern, wickedness
and a craving for wordly things.

2. Poor physical home conditions appear to be statistically related to behavioral


difference such as a tendency to play truant frequently.

a. Poor physical conditions are related to poor performances in math and


history examinations.

b. Home conditions greatly affect the children’s personality and performance in


the school.

c. Behavioral problems such as the love of the children to play truant, are
related to poor physical home environment.

3. Sunlight is a clean source of inexhaustible energy.

a. Sunlight is the main source of solar energy.

b. Rays of sun are the primary source of energy but they are limited.

c. Sunlight- is the unpolluted source of energy which is virtually unlimited.

30
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 2
Direction: Paraphrase the following statement.

1. To a busy man, a day is twenty-four hours short.


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Trials are the soil in which faith can flourish.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

3. Ethics is what you do when no one is looking.


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

4. Language is the dress of thought. -Samuel Johnson


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

5. The gem cannot be polished without friction, man perfected without trials.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

6. Forgiveness is the glue that repairs broken relationships.


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

7. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. -Og Mandino
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

31
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
8. Good fences make good neighbors. – Robert Frost
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

9. A good example has twice the value of good advice.


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

10. The world needs millions of acts of forgiveness and repentance to flush out hate,
resentment and bitterness.
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.

32
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY: The learner outlines reading texts in various
disciplines (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Ia-c-8).

OBJECTIVES:
a. Define what is an outline
b. Differentiate Topic Outline fom Sentence Outline
c. Create an example of Topic Outline and sentence Outline

LECTURE
OUTLINE
Allows a writer to categorize the main points, to organize the paragraphs into an
order that makes sense, and to make sure that each paragraph/idea can be
fully developed
Helps prevent a writer from gettingstuck when performing the actual writing of
the essay
A well-developed outline will show what the thesis of the essay is, what the main
idea of each paragraph is, and the evidence/support that will be offered in
each paragraph to substantiate the main points
The objective of outlining is to simplify a complicated material for a clearer
presentation and better understanding and comprehension
Guides for Outlining

1) Before you start to outline, read the selection carefully, observe the headings,
titles and topic sentences.
2) While reading, consider the following steps:

2.1. Outline the main ideas in the selection.


2.2. Take note of the subordinate details that develop the main ideas.

33
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2.3. If necessary, list the topics that develop the subordinate details.

2.4. Explain the ideas in parallel construction.


2.5. An outline should never have single sub-head.

Benefits of Outline Making:


An outline of an essay can be very helpful for two reasons:

1. An outline will help make your essay more organized. A careful plan will
help your body paragraphs stay focused on the ideas in your thesis
statement.
2. An outline saves time for writers.

How to make an Outline:

•Identify the topic. The topic of your paper is important. Try to sum
up the point of your paper in one sentence or phrase.
1

•Identify the main categories. What main points will you cover?
The introduction usually introduces all of your main points, then
2 the rest of paper can be spent developing those points.

•Create the first category. What is the first point you want to
cover? If the paper centers around a complicated term, a
definition is often a good place to start. For a paper about a
3 particular theory, giving the general background on the theory
can be a good place to begin.

•Create subcategories. After you have the mainoutline, create


points under it that provide support for the mainpoint. The
number of categories that you use depends on the amount of
4 information that you are going to cover; there is no right or wrong
number o use.

34
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
OUTLINE FORMAT. In a formal outline, Roman numerals can be used to represent
paragraphs. Capital letters can be used to represent supporting details for the
paragraphs.

TOPIC SENTENCE. For each body of the paragraph should support the thesis
statement. The topic sentences need to agree with the main idea or subpoints
in the thesis statement;otherwise, the essay could be confusing.

SUPPORTING DETAILS. Under the topic sentence for each paragraph, list some of
th supporting details, examples, or ideas you want to include in each
paragraph.

OUTLINE FORMAT

I. Introduction Thesis: _________


II. Body Paragraph #1- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
III. Body Paragraph #2- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
IV. Body Paragraph #3- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
V. Conclusion

Two (2) Major Kinds of Outline


The two outline styles are the number-letter system and the decimal system. They
can either be topic outline using words or phrases or a sentence outline using
sentences.

1. TOPIC OUTLINE (Number-Letter System)- arranges your ideas hierarchically


(showing which are main and which are subpoints), in the sequence you want,
and shows what you will talk about. As the name implies, it identifies all the little
mini-topics that your paper will comprise, and shows how they relate.

35
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline:

1) Recall that all headings and subheadings must be words or phrases, not
sentences.

2) The wordings within each division must be parallel.

3) A division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part; therefore, if there


is an “A” there must be a “B,” and if there is a “1” there must be a “2.”

Example of Topic Outline

History of the Philippines

I. The Philippines Before World War II


A. The Rebellion Against Spain
1. Filipino Heroes
2. Great Writings of the Time
B. The American Regime
C. The Commonwealth Period

II. World War II


A. The Fall of Bataan and Corregidor
B. The Death March
1. The Weeping Families
2. Deaths on the Road
C. The Black Years of the Filipino People

III. The Post War Era


A. The Philippine Independence
B. Martial Law Regime
1. The Dictator’s Mandate
2. The Loss of Freedom and Life
C. Post Martial Law

36
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. SENTENCE OUTLINE (Decimal System)
A sentence outline should be assigned as the second part of the sequence
leading to the completion of the research report.
This outline should be used to develop the major divisions of the long report.
It will help the students to get the content of the report solidified before the
draft of the report is written.
This outline should be written after or at the same time that the student is
turning in note cards.
Example of Sentence Outline:
The Traffic Problems in Metro Manila

1. There are many running vehicles in Metro Manila


1.1 Jeeps have increased unabatedly
1.2 The number of buses keeps on increasing every year
1.2.1 Buses for North Luzon
1.2.2 Buses along Manila’s thoroughfares
1.2.3 Buses for South Luzon

1.3 Trailers and cargo trucks aggravate traffic problems


1.4 Private cars keep increasing in number
1.5 Tricycles gather on busy street stations

2. The streets are narrow and often blocked


2.1 Narrow streets prevent the rapid movement of vehicles
2.1.1 Vehicles are packed on narrow streets
2.1.2 Two-way flow of vehicles even on city roads
2.2 Deep holes in the streets slow down the movement of vehicles
2.3 Illegal parking especially on narrow streets compress the movement of vehicles
2.4 Slated vehicles due to mechanical problems and accidents block the traffic

3. Many drivers are discourteous and undisciplined


3.1 Many drivers love to take the wrong side of the street
3.2 Many drivers load or unload passengers in unauthorized areas
3.2.1 Bus drivers unload in wrong places
3.2.2 Jeepney drivers pick up passengers anywhere

3.3 Many drivers violate double-parking regulations


3.4 Rude drivers block the right way of the others
3.5 Rude drivers also obstruct intersections

37
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Read and analyzed the following sentence. Check (/) the box for CORRECT
if the statement is true but if the statement is false check (/) the box for WRONG.

CORRECT WRONG STATEMENT


Outline allows the writer to categorize the main points of the paragraph.
Sentence outline is used in Informal Writings like Research.
Outline often list supporting details and sub-category details.
Two benefits of outline making is it helps in organizing the ideas and it
helps to save the time of the writer.
Outline is considered the draft and map of a paper/passage.

TASK 2
Direction: Answer the following questions.

1) What is a good outline looks like?

2) What is the purpose of making an outline?

3) Why do we use an outline?

4) In your own view, what is the importance of making an outline?

38
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 3
Direction: Read the following selection and do the set of activities that follow.

Turning Movie-maker Video into a DVD

A DVD movie can be created from an editedMovie Maker 2 Project. Movies


on DVD are good because they are played on high-resolution on television
screens. The portable discs allow you to share videos with relatives and friends. It is
also less expensive because DVD media itself is much more stable than magnetic
tapes. If your video lasts longer, this means less frequency of purchase-meaning
lesser expedintures.
The first thing to do is to Choose a Writer. The DVD format has Competing
Writing formats to choose from.These are DVD-R, DVD+R and DVD-RAM which is
especially used by Panasonic.Each of these has its own advantages and
capability aspects.DVD-R and DVD+R play normally on home video players.
Then, Choose the media. All DVD disc media are not equally created.They
have different compatibilities with different desktop players. Compatibility can be
used only through Verbatim DVD-RS program to have the highest compatibility on
many DVD discs tested. There are cheap DVDs but sometimes, they give you
trouble.

After this, build your DVD within your Creation Software. There are various
programs that allow you to input your DVD video, created menus and write your
finished DVD to your burner.

You can now choose your DVD Creation Software among Sonic My DVD for
quick DVDs to make, DVD Complete which has more options to customize
however does not compare with MY DVD as far as convenience is
concerned.Then there is the Sonic DVD it RE which is very customizable and is used
to create professional DVDs. This program allows the user to create and import
their new backgrounds, buttons and graphics.The last option is Nero & Ultra edition
which include full video editing. DVD playbacks, slide shows created with audio
backdrop with multiple nodes and Start Smart Project launcher.

Finally, you can now write your DVD. The writing process takes time due to the
lengthy encoding steps involved. If you are writing an hour-length video, expect
your computer to take at least that long to convert and write that data possibly
with much longer time needed.

De Vera

39
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
After reading the passage, kindly do the following tasks:

1. Identify the topic sentence of each paragraph.

2. Convert the topic sentence into a phrase.

3. Determine the supporting details of each paragraph.

4. Construct a topic outline presenting the topics in parallel construction.

5. Construct a sentence outline presenting the topics in parallel construction.

40
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner uses appropriate language for a specific discipline
(CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f-14).

The learner raises legitimate, contrary views in an appropriate manner


(CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f-15).

LECTURE
REACTION PAPER
A reaction paper is a type of written assignment, which requires personal opinion and
conclusions on a given article or abstract. Unlike a summary, a reaction paper should
contain your own thoughts on the problem, discussed in the original text. It aims to
show professor how deep your understanding of the situation is and how well you can
use your analytical skills.

It is a form of paper writing in which the writer expresses his ideas and opinions about
what has been read or seen. Reaction paper is evaluated due to the writer's
communication skills and only then due the unique ideas and the content. This paper
writing may be informal, two pages long. As all essays, a reaction paper comprises
introduction, body, and conclusion. In introduction the writers states the main premise,
in a body he expresses his ideas and in conclusion summarizes the results. The reaction
paper is not a summary of the article although information should be included.

A reaction paper is mainly based on response towards certain deeds in a story. Before
getting to the reaction paper, one has to analyze the subject under investigation and
acquire all the useful information before providing a critique on the matter.

41
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Students often confuse the reaction paper with other essay types trying to reach the
required number of words and not really caring about the peculiarities of writing. But even if
they do get it right, this task still remains complicated and is based on the same mistakes all
young people do when they have no experience. To make it clearer for you and easier to
write, we decided to create this quick guide where we will share information on definition,
logical structure, format and style of this paper and also include some good writing tips that
will help you deliver a great essay and receive a high score.
The paper and its components

A basic reaction paper is an essay that is 300-500 words long and contains a thorough
review of the examined topic and describes your reaction to this topic (it can be an
object, literature piece, movie, article, book, etc.). This academic piece requires from you a
thorough understanding of the object as well as providing several strong arguments based
on relevant facts and evidence. In order to come up with the essay, you have to first deeply
analyze the information you find in credible sources and then introduce it to the audience
by structuring it logically and supporting with your comments and opinion.

Actually, your personal opinion is the top element of the reaction paper as you not only
refer your paper upon but also provide the readers with updated information on the topic,
profound analysis and supporting arguments thus building their understanding and opinion on
this. Your main goal is to persuade the audience to agree with your point of view so clear and
logical content is a must.

A reaction paper adopts different formats depending on the instructions given. A


reaction paper is divided into several parts. To organize your work, you have to understand
every part of the essay and what it entails. In a reaction paper, just like in any other essay
format, there is the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Besides the three main parts,
a reaction paper constitutes the citation list.

1. The introduction – the introduction is the face of your paper and therefore as a writer
you have to make sure that it looks attractive and increases the urgency of the reader
to proceed to your body paragraphs. In the introduction, you have to give a small
description of the author and the main problems and ideas on the story. It should not
be too long, as it will be boring to the reader; a good introduction should have three
to four sentences. Immediately after the introduction, you should write a thesis
statement which should be clear and brief.

42
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. The body is the main section, where all the ideas for your essay are explained. In your
body paragraphs, you should start each one with a topic sentence. The topic
sentence should reflect the idea to be described in the section. You should include
appropriate sources to back up your opinions. In the body, you can add theoretical
evidence to support your statement.

3. The conclusion – in writing your conclusion you should link your thesis statement with a
summary of the ideas in the body paragraphs. A good way of encrypting your
conclusion is by touching on the major points in summary then wrapping up everything
by clarifying your opinion.

4. List of citations – while writing a reaction paper you have to include the citation for the
sources you have used within your paper. The sources used should be credible and
scholarly so that they can persuade the reader.

HERE IS WHAT WE CAN SUGGEST TO START YOUR REACTION PAPER:

1. Understand what feelings you have about the analyzed object and the intentions of the
author. Context is necessary for good understanding;

2. You have to provide the readers with a good background and descriptive information
as well as examples from the book/article/movie;

3. Explain the need in your opinion. Usually it`s included to the introduction part where you
provide a hook to keep reading and some thesis that should be proved at the end;

4. Your paper should be based on details which make the overall picture of your essay. You
have to highlight every point of the analyzed piece;

5. Plan and structure. We recommend starting an essay with an outline: this is your little plan
that you will follow step by step and not miss a single important idea. An outline will help you
see the overall structure, divide ideas into paragraphs and connect them logically;

6. Depending on your teacher`s instructions, a typical reaction paper has all the parts of a
standard essay: introduction, the main body and conclusion followed by a list of references.

43
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
You start with some background information and catch the attention, then smoothly go to
the main part where you give all the arguments and evidence. Describe your first reaction
and then your reaction after reading/watching the piece a few times. What has changed?
Finish with restating your thesis and summing up the main ideas. Don`t forget to use only
relevant and updated sources with credible information for citing;

7. Just like any other essay, the reaction paper can be ruined with typos, repetitions,
grammar and stylistic mistakes and other things you missed not editing. Make sure everything
is fine or let someone double check this.

Reaction or response papers are usually requested by teachers so that you'll consider
carefully what you think or feel about something you've read. The following guidelines are
intended to be used for reacting to a reading although they could easily be used for
reactions to films too. Read whatever you've been asked to respond to, and while reading,
think about the following questions.

 How do you feel about what you are reading?


 What do you agree or disagree with?
 Can you identify with the situation?
 What would be the best way to evaluate the story?

Keeping your responses to these questions in mind, follow the following prewriting steps.

Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper

The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as many


statements as possible, from the list below, about what you just read.

My Reaction to What I Just Read Is That . . .

I think that

I see that

I feel that

It seems that

In my opinion,

Because

44
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A good quote is

In addition,

For example,

Moreover,

However,

Consequently,

Finally,

In conclusion,

What you've done in completing these statements is written a very rough reaction/response
paper. Now it needs to be organized. Move ahead to the next section.

Organizing Your Reaction Paper

A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

 The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.

This sentence should give the title, author, and publication you
Sentence 1:
read.

Sentence 2, 3, and These sentences give a brief summary of what you


sometimes 4: read (nutshell)

This sentence is your thesis statement. You agree, disagree,


Sentence 5:
identify, or evaluate.

45
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Your introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the
focused statement of your reaction/response. More information on thesis statements is
available.
 The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each
paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and
the final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph.
 The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a
comment which focuses your overall reaction. Finally, it can be a prediction of the
effects of what you're reacting to. Note: your conclusion should include no new
information.

Summary

 Prewriting
o Read the article and jot down ideas.
o How do you feel about what was said?
o Do you agree or disagree with the author?
o Have you had any applicable experience?
o Have you read or heard anything that applies to this what the writer said in the
article or book?
o Does the evidence in the article support the statements the writer made?

 Organizing
o Write the thesis statement first.
o Decide on the key points that will focus your ideas. These will be your topic
sentences.
o Develop your ideas by adding examples, quotations, and details to your
paragraphs.
o Make sure the last sentence of each paragraph leads into the next paragraph.
o Check your thesis and make sure the topic sentence of each paragraph
supports it.

46
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
(A REACTION PAPER FOR SHIRLEY JACKSON’S SHORT STORY “THE LOTTERY”)

It’s just the simple act of picking one of the many pieces of paper from a black box,
one of which contains the dot that speaks of its drawer’s destiny…

Question is, is it an act or a choice—or, if it were possible, destiny itself?

But if one would stop and think—and lay aside the ironies of a tragic death through a
single tragic mistake—and look into—and, similarly, look through—the eyes of Tessie
Hutchinson, her husband Bill, her son Davy, and all the other people in their town, one would
stop short to have found out that their minds are a clear mirror of one’s own. Clearly, the
story is but a simple twist in the nature of man that man himself has tried to magnify.
In the beginning, the characters in the story are we, the bored, uninteresting people walking
around and talking and showing up for a yearly event with nary a care in the world. Their
eyes have seen people die, as we find out in the end—their eyes have seen their own wives
and husbands and children slaughtered through pain, but their hearts only remember, but
do not feel. And when the moment of truth comes out—as it always does—the bored
people become aggressive, the seemingly unstained—but otherwise—hands take on an evil
stance, the wives and husbands and children turn into something less than a stranger, and
the pain and slaughter begins.

In the beginning, the characters are we.

Also in the end.

It is, perhaps, an unexplainable terror to face head-on the inhabitants of the


ordinary—not only is it ordinary as it seems, but also as what it really is—town and see them
as our own flesh and blood, our own savage, twisted selves. But it only takes a little listening
to the desires of our hearts and the dreams of our souls to unmask the truth that is clearly
shown in the story, the truth that also rules our existence today. They are we. We are
they. We are one with them—and they are one with us.

We walk around and talk and go about our chores and go through the same routine
over and over—we, the unsuspecting—and at the same time, the unsuspicious—with nary a
care in the world. It is a routine that we go through that who could have thought would
come out the way it always does, a routine with an end of which we have often seen with
our own eyes, but would also shock the undiscerning. And then the end nears…and we still
don’t care. We draw our lot, and it is clean—as if our own souls are, that is—big deal, we put
the piece of paper in our pocket and it is immediately forgotten. And then the end springs
at us…we look the person who’s drawn the dotted lot—look him as if our own souls are
anything but the piece of paper he has picked—with stranger’s eyes. We stone him to

47
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
death, we forget who he is—friend, family member, father, son, husband…and he dies. We
go about our chores again and walk and talk as if our civil hands were clean and leave the
slaughtered lamb with a triumphant smile because we have won again, we did not draw
the cursed lot, he did. It doesn’t matter who ‘he’ is—as long as it’s not we. Our own eyes
have beheld the same old scene, but the heart only remembers—and doesn’t feel. We do
not care if it would be we who would die next year, as long as we are left living today. We
see not nor expect the time of our own downfall—we caused the downfall of another one
today and it’s what matters at the moment.

But time will come that we will be the center of the tragedy, too, and we will be
looked on with hostile strangers’ eyes by our own friend, father, son, husband. Time will
come that it is our own downfall with which they will stain their civil hands with blood. And
their heart will not feel, only remember…and you will no longer see yourself in them but in
that which you had killed, that which had died in your own savage folly. Amidst the pain
you will be crying out, “Wait—it’s not fair! It’s not fair…!”

And then you die.

And it’s just the simple act of picking one of the many pieces of paper from a box, one
of which contains the dot that speaks of its drawer’s destiny.

Question is, is it an act or a choice—or destiny itself?

It’s human nature in its purest form.

TASK 1

Direction: Read the passage new article entitled “Duterte urged: Appoint healthcare
financing expert as PhilHealth caretaker.” After reading, write your reaction paper on your
notebook, make sure that you will follow the proper format.

Duterte urged: Appoint healthcare financing expert as PhilHealth


caretaker
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 11 2020 07:49 AM | Updated as of Aug 11 2020 08:02 AM
MANILA — A workers union of the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on
Tuesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint a caretaker for PhilHealth as its top
officials fought accusations of corruption.

48
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales and Executive Vice President Arnel De Jesus
had filed medical leaves and sought to skip the continuation of a Senate inquiry where
whistleblowers accused officials of pocketing at least P15 billion in public funds.

“Who is now left to manage the organization?” asked PhilHealth Workers for Hope, Integrity,
Transparency, and Empowerment (PhilHealth-WHITE) president Ma. Fe Francisco.

"We call on President Digong to put in charge a caretaker who is an expert in the field of
healthcare financing, expert in the field of healthcare insurance with proven integrity and
incorruptibility, someone with no vested interest in running the corporation,” she added.

PhilHealth WHITE, which has some 7,000 members, disagrees with the “very irresponsible”
statement of an official during the last Senate hearing that the agency might run out of
funds and collapse in 2022, said Francisco.

“Kahit kami nagugulat bakit ganoon ang statements during the investigation when in fact,
we are working hard to make the program afloat. We feel betrayed with that statement
also,” she said.

(We, too, were surprised about why their statements during the investigation were like that.)

“Hindi po kami naniniwala. The organization is robust dahil kami, nagtatrabaho kami nang
maayos even sa ganitong panahon na may pandemic,” she added.

(We don’t believe it. The organization is robust because we are working well even during this
pandemic.)

Duterte said Monday he would hold erring PhilHealth officials responsible. He has also
created an inter-agency task force to investigate anomalies in PhilHealth.

Duterte refuses to fire Morales unless there is evidence against him, Malacañang earlier said

49
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 2
Direction: Observe the image carefully. Then, make a reaction paper about it.

50
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
References:

https://kingessays.com/reactionpaper.php#:~:text=A%20reaction%20paper%20is%20a,discus
sed%20in%20the%20original%20text., Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://www.bestessays.com/glossary/reaction_paper.php, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://ozzz.org/reaction-paper/, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reaction-Paper, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://missorpi.wordpress.com/1999/06/01/a-twist-of-human-nature/, Accessed 12 August


2020.

https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-reaction-paper.html, Accessed 12 August 2020.

51
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner uses appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism, feminism,
etc. (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f -16).
Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or a
program (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f -18).

LECTURE
CRITIQUE
Critique is a literary technique that means to critically evaluate a piece of literary work,
or a political or philosophical theory in detail. A critique could be a critical essay, an article
evaluating a literary piece, or a review. It may be just like a summary that identifies the
central issue, raises questions, takes notice of theoretical and experimental approaches, and
reviews the significance of the results. Apart from that, its purpose is to highlight both the
shortcomings as well as strengths of a literary piece or a work of art. Moreover, critical
evaluation or assessment requires sufficient knowledge about the subject matter.

A critique is a formal analysis and evaluation of a text, production, or performance—


either one's own (a self-critique) or someone else's. In composition, a critique is sometimes
called a response paper. When written by another expert in the field, a critique can also be
called a peer review. Peer reviews are done to decide whether to accept an article for
publication in a scholarly journal or, in an education setting, can be done in groups of
students who offer feedback to each other on their papers (peer response).

Critiques differ from reviews (these are also different from peer reviews) in that critiques
offer more depth to their analysis. Think of the difference between a scholarly article
examining a work of literature in a journal (critique) and the kinds of topics that would be
covered there vs. a few-hundred-word review of a book in a newspaper or magazine for the
lay audience, for readers to decide whether they should purchase it.

52
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarises and critically evaluates a
work or concept. Critiques can be used to carefully analyse a variety of works such as:
 Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry
 Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories
 Media – news reports, feature articles
Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that
is, an introduction, body and conclusion. However, the body of a critique includes a
summary of the work and a detailed evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge
the usefulness or impact of a work in a particular field.

Why do we write critiques?


Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop:
 A knowledge of the work’s subject area or related works.
 An understanding of the work’s purpose, intended audience, development of argument,
structure of evidence or creative style.
 A recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

How to write a critique

Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that
will be critiqued.

 Study the work under discussion.


 Make notes on key parts of the work.
 Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.
 Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

Checklist for a critique

Have I:
 Mentioned the name of the work, the date of its creation and the name of the creator?
 Accurately summarised the work being critiqued?
 Mainly focused on the critical evaluation of the work?
 Systematically outlined an evaluation of each element of the work to achieve the overall
purpose?
 used evidence, from the work itself as well as other sources, to back and illustrate my
assessment of elements of of the work?
 formed an overall evaluation of the work, based on critical reading?
 used a well structured introduction, body and conclusion?
 used correct grammar, spelling and punctuation; clear presentation; and ap propriate
referencing style?

53
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Types of critique

Article or book review assignment in an academic class

Text: Article or book that has already been published


Audience: Professors
Purpose:

 to demonstrate your skills for close reading and analysis


 to show that you understand key concepts in your field
 to learn how to review a manuscript for your future professional work

Published book review

Text: Book that has already been published


Audience: Disciplinary colleagues
Purpose:

 to describe the book’s contents


 to summarize the book’s strengths and weaknesses
 to provide a reliable recommendation to read (or not read) the book

Manuscript review

Text: Manuscript that has been submitted but has not been published yet
Audience: Journal editor and manuscript authors
Purpose:

 to provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscript


 to recommend to the editor that the article be published, revised, or rejected
 to provide the authors with constructive feedback and reasonable suggestions for
revision

54
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Critical Approaches to Literature

Described below are nine common literary criticisms:

Formalist Criticism: 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.

Biographical Criticism: This approach “begins with the simple but central insight that
literature is written by actual people and that understanding an author’s life can help
readers more thoroughly comprehend the work.” Hence, it often affords a practical
method by which readers can better understand a text. However, a biographical
critic must be careful not to take the biographical facts of a writer’s life too far in
criticizing the works of that writer: the biographical critic “focuses on explicating the
literary work by using the insight provided by knowledge of the author’s life....
[B]iographical data should amplify the meaning of the text, not drown it out with
irrelevant material.”

Historical Criticism: This approach “seeks to understand a literary work by


investigatingthe social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it—a context
that necessarily includes the artist’s biography and milieu.” A key goal for historical
critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its original readers.

Gender Criticism: This approach “examines how sexual identity influences the creation
and reception of literary works.” Originally an offshoot of feminist movements, gender
criticism today includes a number of approaches, including the so-called “masculinist”
approach recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism,
however, is feminist and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal attitudes that
have dominated western thought have resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in
literature “full of unexamined ‘male-produced’ assumptions.” Feminist criticism
attempts to correct this imbalance by analyzing and combatting such attitudes—by
questioning, for example, why none of the characters in Shakespeare’s
play Othello ever challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife accused of
adultery. Other goals of feminist critics include “analyzing how sexual identity
influences the reader of a text” and “examin[ing] how the images of men and women
in imaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have historically kept the
sexes from achieving total equality.”

55
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Psychological Criticism: This approach reflects the effect that modern psychology has
had upon both literature and literary criticism. Fundamental figures in psychological
criticism include Sigmund Freud, whose “psychoanalytic theories changed our notions
of human behavior by exploring new or controversial areas like wish-fulfillment,
sexuality, the unconscious, and repression” as well as expanding our understanding of
how “language and symbols operate by demonstrating their ability to reflect
unconscious fears or desires”; and Carl Jung, whose theories about the unconscious
are also a key foundation of Mythological Criticism. Psychological criticism has a
number of approaches, but in general, it usually employs one (or more) of three
approaches:

1. An investigation of “the creative process of the artist: what is the nature of


literary genius and how does it relate to normal mental functions?”
2. The psychological study of a particular artist, usually noting how an author’s
biographical circumstances affect or influence their motivations and/or
behavior.
3. The analysis of fictional characters using the language and methods of
psychology.

Sociological Criticism: This approach “examines literature in the cultural, economic


and political context in which it is written or received,” exploring the relationships
between the artist and society. Sometimes it examines the artist’s society to better
understand the author’s literary works; other times, it may examine the representation of
such societal elements within the literature itself. One influential type of sociological
criticism is Marxist criticism, which focuses on the economic and political elements of art,
often emphasizing the ideological content of literature; because Marxist criticism often
argues that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by silence) the status quo, it
is frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency that “can lead to reductive judgment,
as when Soviet critics rated Jack London better than William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway,
Edith Wharton, and Henry James, because he illustrated the principles of class struggle
more clearly.” Nonetheless, Marxist criticism “can illuminate political and economic
dimensions of literature other approaches overlook.”

Mythological Criticism: This approach emphasizes “the recurrent universal patterns


underlying most literary works.” Combining the insights from anthropology, psychology,
history, and comparative religion, mythological criticism “explores the artist’s common
humanity by tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and symbols common to
different cultures and epochs.” One key concept in mythlogical criticism is the archetype, “a
symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response,” which
entered literary criticism from Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. According to Jung, all

56
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
individuals share a “‘collective unconscious,’ a set of primal memories common to the
human race, existing below each person’s conscious mind”—often deriving from primordial
phenomena such as the sun, moon, fire, night, and blood, archetypes according to Jung
“trigger the collective unconscious.” Another critic, Northrop Frye, defined archetypes in a
more limited way as “a symbol, usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to
be recognizable as an element of one’s literary experience as a whole.” Regardless of the
definition of archetype they use, mythological critics tend to view literary works in the
broader context of works sharing a similar pattern.

Reader-Response Criticism: This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that “literature”


exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text
and the mind of a reader. It attempts “to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while
interpreting a text” and reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process. According to
reader-response critics, literary texts do not “contain” a meaning; meanings derive only
from the act of individual readings. Hence, two different readers may derive completely
different interpretations of the same literary text; likewise, a reader who re-reads a work
years later may find the work shockingly different. Reader-response criticism, then,
emphasizes how “religious, cultural, and social values affect readings; it also overlaps with
gender criticism in exploring how men and women read the same text with different
assumptions.” Though this approach rejects the notion that a single “correct” reading exists
for a literary work, it does not consider all readings permissible: “Each text creates limits to
its possible interpretations.”

Deconstructionist Criticism: This approach “rejects the traditional assumption that


language can accurately represent reality.” Deconstructionist critics regard language as a
fundamentally unstable medium—the words “tree” or “dog,” for instance, undoubtedly
conjure up different mental images for different people—and therefore, because literature
is made up of words, literature possesses no fixed, single meaning. According to critic Paul
de Man, deconstructionists insist on “the impossibility of making the actual expression
coincide with what has to be expressed, of making the actual signs [i.e., words] coincide
with what is signified.” As a result, deconstructionist critics tend to emphasize not what is
being said but how language is used in a text. The methods of this approach tend to
resemble those of formalist criticism, but whereas formalists’ primary goal is to locate
unity within a text, “how the diverse elements of a text cohere into meaning,”
deconstructionists try to show how the text “deconstructs,” “how it can be broken down ...
into mutually irreconcilable positions.” Other goals of deconstructionists include (1)
challenging the notion of authors’ “ownership” of texts they create (and their ability to
control the meaning of their texts) and (2) focusing on how language is used to achieve

57
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
power, as when they try to understand how a some interpretations of a literary work come
to be regarded as “truth.”

Examples of Critique in Literature

Example #1: The Guardian (By Philip Hope-Wallace)

In The Guardian, critic Philip Hope-Wallace has portrayed Beckett’s play, Waiting for
Godot, as “inexplicit and deliberately fatuous.” He also claimed this play to have “bored
some people acutely. [while] Others found it a witty and poetic conundrum.” Godot would
possibly be a God, and the dresses of tramps are like Chaplinesque zanies in a circus. Both
speak futile cross talks like music hall exchanges. This play bored audience acutely, while
others consider it as a poetic and witty conundrum. Finally, he calls the play a dramatic
vacuum. It is without any plot, climax, denouement, beginning, middle and end.

Example #2: The Washington Post (By The Washington Post)

A famous writer, Jonathan Yardley, gives a complete analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s


popular novel, The Great Gatsby in The Washington Post. He calls the novel an enormous
achievement in Fitzgerald’s career. It is his masterwork and seems that no other American
novel could ever come close to its literary artistry.

This novel is very popular, and its every passage is famous, thus there is no need to retrace its
details and familiar background. Fitzgerald has written it with unusual subtlety and sustained
that tone in the entire novel. In the end, he says that this novel is “the most beautiful,
compelling and true in all of American literature.” Then he says, “If from all of our country’s
books I could have only one, The Great Gatsby, would be it.”

Example #3: Hamlet: Poem Unlimited (By Harold Bloom)

In his book, Hamlet: Poem Unlimited, Harold Bloom declares William Shakespeare’s Hamlet as
“unlimited,” coming “of no genre,” because its greatness “… competes only with the world’s
scriptures.” This amazing significance cannot emerge from a work, which is about
tendentious and politicized things.

Bloom abandons the idea that Prince Hamlet’s double shock of his father’s death and his
mother’s second marriage has brought a drastic change in Hamlet. The truth, however, is
that “Something in Hamlet dies before the play opens.” In fact, the theme or central idea of
this play is “Hamlet’s consciousness of his own consciousness, unlimited yet at war with itself.”
Thus, the play is about awakening of self-awareness, and Hamlet fights with “his desire to
come to an end of play acting.”

58
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Example #4: The Daily Telegraph (By Victoria Lambert)

Victoria Lambert, in The Daily Telegraph, writes her critical reviews on Jane Austen’s
novel, Pride and Prejudice. She describes the novel as surprisingly comforting as much as
iconoclastic. It is a great story that challenges the people’s perceptions, and also draws a
line through their thoughts and female history.

Certainly, there is an enjoyment of the Georgian grace, a world where we can solve
problems by a ball invitation, a new gown, and scrumptious gossip. The social life at
Hampshire Vicarage, its complex social mores, obsessions with money and class, its picnics
and parities, draw the readers – especially females – to a point of obsession. The critics
appreciate Austen’s overall depiction of the way money rules a society. She also admits
Austen’s ability to describe the human heart in detail, setting her literary pulse racing.

Function of Critique

Critiques vary widely, ranging from giving reviews of books, as these reviews might
determine whether a book is going to be popular or not, to rhetorical analysis of articles and
pieces of artwork. Its advantage is that, despite negative criticism and reviews, many books
win commercial success. Sometimes a critic serves as a scholarly detective, authenticating
unknown books and unearthing master pieces. Thus, obscure scholarly skills could work as a
most basic criticism, bringing literary pieces to public attention.

Besides, a critique may antagonize the author. Many authors do not feel that literature
needs investigators, and advocates are not happy when they hear that their works are
imitative, incomplete, or have unintended meanings. However, most critiques are useful, as
they help improve the works of authors.

Writing a Critique on Art

An art critique is a detailed analysis and evaluation of a work of art. While no two
people will experience the same reaction to a work of art, or interpret it the same way, there
are a few basic guidelines you can follow to achieve a thoughtful, thorough critique. The
basic elements of an art critique are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.

1.) Gather basic information about the work. This is the sort of thing you’d find on a museum or
gallery label, or in the caption in an art book. Knowing the background of a piece can
make a big difference in how you interpret and understand it. Start your critique by
providing the following information:

59
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Title of the work
 Artist’s name
 When the piece was created
 Where it was made
 The types of media used to create the work (e.g., oil paint on canvas)
 The exact size of the work

2.) Describe what you see. Using neutral terms, describe the artwork. Your description
should include things like the form and scale of the work. If the art depicts figures or
objects rather than abstract shapes, describe what is represented.

 For example, you might say, “This is a small-scale portrait painting of a young woman,
shown from the mid-torso up, against a dark background. She is clasping her hands in
front of her chest and looking up and slightly to the viewer’s right. She wears a pink
dress, and a long veil that falls behind her head.”
 Avoid using terms like “beautiful,” “ugly,” “good,” or “bad.” At this point, you’re just
talking about what you see, not judging the art!
3.) Discuss the elements of the work. Now describe the work in more detail. Talk about the
way the art uses these five basic elements of art and design: line, color, space, light, and
shape.

4.) Describe the use of line. Lines in a work of art can be either literal or implied. Different
types of lines can create different moods or effects. For example:

 Curved lines can create a calming effect, while jagged lines might feel harsher and
wild, or create a sense of energy.
 Rough, sketchy lines create a sense of movement and freedom, while smooth, solid
lines feel more still and carefully planned.
 A line of sight or action might be suggested by the arrangement of figures and
objects within a scene. For example, a group of figures all looking or pointing the
same way can create an implied line that draws your eye through the work in a
particular direction.

60
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
5.) Talk about how color is used in the work. Make note of characteristics like hue (red, green,
blue, etc.), value (lightness or darkness), and intensity. Look at overall color schemes, and
think about how the colors work together.

 For example, do the colors clash, or are they harmonious? Does the work use a
variety of colors, or is it monochromatic (all shades of blue, for example)?

6.) Describe the use of space in the work. “Space” refers to the areas around and between
objects in a work. When talking about space, focus on things like depth and perspective,
overlapping of objects, and the use of empty space versus space crowded with details.

 If you are describing a two-dimensional work of art, like a painting, talk about
whether or not the work creates the illusion of three-dimensional space and depth.

7.) Describe the use of light in the work. Light in a work of art can look warm or cool, bright or
dim, natural or artificial. Take a little time to talk about the role of light and shadow in the
work.

 If you’re talking about a two-dimensional work, like a painting, your focus might be on
how the artist creates the illusion of light.
 For a three-dimensional work, like a sculpture, you could discuss how actual light
interacts with the work. For example, is the surface reflective? Does the sculpture cast
interesting shadows? Are some parts of the sculpture more shadowed or well-lit than
others?

8.) Make note of the way shape is used in the work. Are the shapes in the work geometric,
with straight lines and perfect curves, or are they more natural? Is the work dominated by
any one particular type of shape, or do you see a variety of different shapes?

 Shapes play an important role in both abstract and representative works. For
instance, in a portrait of a bride by James Sant, there are notable triangle shapes
made by the drape of the bride’s veil around her shoulders and the clasped hands in
front of her chest.
 Once you notice one shape in a painting, look to see if it is repeated anywhere else.

61
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Analyzing the Work

1.) Discuss how the work uses the principles of composition. Once you have described
the work, it’s time to analyze it, or discuss how it all comes together. Start by talking
about how the work is composed, keeping a few basic ideas in mind. For example:
 Balance: How do the colors, shapes, and textures in the piece work together? Do they
create a balanced or harmonious effect, or is the piece imbalanced in some way?

 Contrast: Does the work make use of contrasting colors, textures, or lighting? Contrast
can also be found in the use of different shapes or contours, like jagged versus
curved lines, or geometric versus natural shapes.
 Movement: How does the work create a sense of movement? Is your eye drawn
through the composition in a particular way?
 Proportion: Do the sizes of the different elements in the work appear the way you
would expect, or are they surprising? For example, if the work shows a group of
people, do any of the figures look larger or smaller than they would in real life?

2.) Identify the point(s) of focus of the work. Most works of art have one or more points
that are designed catch your attention and draw your eye. In a portrait, this may be
the face or eyes of the subject. In a still-life, it could be a centrally-placed or well-lit
object. Try to identify which parts of the work are emphasized.

 Look at the work and make note of which feature(s) jump out at you right away, or
keep drawing your eye back to them.
 Ask yourself why your eye is attracted to the feature(s) in question. For example, if you
find yourself fixating on one figure in a group, is it because that figure is larger than
the others? Are they closer to the viewer? More brightly lit?

3.) Look for themes in the work. Identify a few key themes, and discuss how the artist used
the elements of design (color, light, space, shape, and line) to express these
themes. Themes might include things like:

 The use of a color scheme to give the work a particular mood or meaning. See, for
example, the paintings of Picasso’s Blue Period.
 Symbolism and religious or mythological imagery. For example, look at the use of
figures and symbols from classical mythology in Renaissance works like Botticelli’s
“Birth of Venus.”

62
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Repeating images or motifs within a work or group of works. For a good example
of this, look at how plants and flowers are used in many of the paintings of Frida Kahlo.

Interpreting the Work


1.) Try to identify the purpose of the work. In other words, what do you think the artist
was trying to say with the work? Why did they create the work? Try to summarize the
overall meaning of the work, as you see it.

2.) Describe your own reaction to the work. Now it’s time to get a little more subjective.
Think about how you feel while looking at the work. What do you think is the overall
mood of the work? Does it remind you of anything (ideas, experiences, other works of
art)?

 Use expressive language to talk about your reaction to the work. For example, is
the mood of the work sad? Hopeful? Peaceful? Would you describe the work as
beautiful, or ugly?

3.) Back up your interpretation with examples. Use examples from your description and
analysis of the work to explain why you think and feel the way you do about the
piece.

 For example, “I believe that James Sant’s portrait of a young bride is intended to
give a sense of the bride’s spiritual devotion. This is indicated by the line of the
composition, which draws the viewer’s eye upward, following the upward gaze
of the subject. It is also suggested by warm light, coming from a source
somewhere above the young woman.”

Judging the Work


1.) Decide whether you think the work is successful or not. Your goal here isn’t
necessarily to decide whether the art is “good” or “bad.” Instead, focus on whether
you think the work is “successful.” For example, think about the following:

 Do you think the work says what the artist wanted it to say?
 Did the artist use their tools and techniques well?
 Is the art original, or does it imitate other works?

63
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2.) Explain how you are judging the work. Once you have decided on a few aspects of the
work to judge, clearly state the focus of your evaluation. For example, you might say that
you are judging the piece on how well organized it is, how well done it is technically, and
how successfully it portrays the intended mood or themes.

3.) Summarize why you think the work is successful or unsuccessful. In a few sentences,
explain your judgment of the work. Give specific reasons for your judgment, using your
interpretation and analysis of the work.

 For example, “I believe this work is successful because the use of light, shape, gesture,
and line all work together harmoniously to portray the mood of the subject.”

Writing an Analysis of an event or program

An event critique or analysis is to assess the over-all success of the event or program
itself. The following are the elements for analysis:

1) Audience. The success of an event or program is an assessment on how well it


was ended. Give the description on the volume of the audiene.
2) Problems/ Emergencies. Discuss how the host or event planner handled the
problems and emergencies, if there was any. Describe the provision to address
possible emergencies/problems.
3) Program Emcee/Host. Indicate how the emcee did his/her job and
maintained a lively and engaging atmosphere. Also mention how the host
hendled problem or emergencies, if there was any.
4) Food. If food was provided to the participants, it is noteworthy to provide an
assessment for it. Indicate the satisfaction rate of the participants. Make a
review of the quanlity of food.
5) Venue. Describe the venue of the event or program. Be able to include your
assessment on the seating arrangement, its proximity, the convenience of the
participants in going to the places.

64
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1

Direction: Look carefully the images about the “Peñafrancia Festival” celebrated
every September in Naga City, Bicol to honor Inang Peñafrancia. Then, write a critique
paper about it. Make sure that you will follow the proper format.You will be graded
based on the rubrics below:

RUBRICS:
Correct Format 50%
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling 30%
Impact of the critique paper to the reader 20%
TOTAL 100%

65
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
References:
https://literarydevices.net/critique/,Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/pdf/critique.pdf, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/spring97/litcrit.html, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/critique.jsp, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.wikihow.com/Critique-Artwork, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=4s1P1A6YtwwVjM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.
https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=aOPUbhwgJB-FsM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.

https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=sqb0APmufLHCuM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.
https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-
G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=sqb0APmufLHCuM&imgdii=vgTV8vdzWDrF
vM, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

66
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Concept Paper
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner defines what a concept paper is (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j -19).

The learner determines the ways a writer can elucidate on a concept


by definition, explication and clarification (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j-20).

LECTURE

CONCEPT PAPER

A concept paper is a document which summarizes what your project is


about, why it is important, and how you intend to carry it out. It consists of
the topic under research, the hypothesis that you seek to approve or
disprove, research questions, data required, and methods of obtaining it.
It is sometimes known as a proposal or an abstract. The latter two are
usually more detailed than a concept paper but often serve the same
purpose, that is, to convince the party evaluating it that the research
project is worthwhile.

Depending on the research you are carrying out, your concept paper
can range from 2-3 pages for a small research project to up to 20 pages
for massive research projects. As for the formatting, the spacing should be
double, the font size should be 12, and the font style should preferably be
Times New Roman.

If you refer to any sources while drafting your concept paper, it is


important that you cite them at the end of your document or whenever
the citation may be necessary for the process of concept paper writing.

67
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
An academic concept paper is a brief summary of a research project
written by a university student who is about to conduct a certain research.
It outlines the project in around 2-3 pages and its purpose is to give the
department an idea of what the research is about, why the research is
important, and how it will be carried out.

A concept paper is an in-depth analysis of any idea, situation, or


practice. It can be on anything that you find significant.

A concept paper examines the ‘what-ness’ or nature of something.

A concept paper is fundamentally different from a concept


paper/project proposal in terms of its ultimate objective.

A concept paper/project proposal seeks to present an idea for


consideration by others, possibly for funding or support.

Hence, a concept paper also entails a persuasive intent.

A concept paper goes beyond definition to convince the reader to


implement or support the proposed concept or project.

THE CONCEPT PAPER AS EXTENDED DEFINITION


A concept paper can be purely an explanation of an idea or concept or as an initial
outline of a project proposal. A combination of several rhetorical strategies is used
to extend a definition. The following strategies can be done:

Comparison and Contrast


It can also be done. This is advisable when the term is not too familiar or popular
with the audience. What you can do is compare and contrast with something
popular or familiar
Giving details
Through description is another strategy: you can physically describe something
by giving its dimensions, parts, and functions, as in defining what an ATM is.
Non-physical description can be done by giving characteristics to define
something.to your audience.
Giving historical
background may also enlighten the audience about the meaning of a
concept.This strategy is particularly useful when a concept’s definition has gone
through changes in time.

68
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Analysis
to extend a definition can be done by discussing the idea’s components
and/or its implications. Implications are the far-reaching consequences of a
concept.

In terms of style, a definition may be formal or informal, or technical or popular.


In a formal definition
it is a concept is defined by first giving the class to which the term belongs and
then proceeding to a discussion of the characteristics that make the term
different from other related terms. In science, this approach is called
genus-et-differentia- uses research-based information.

Informal definition
it may be just based on a person’s personal views.

Technical definition
as term says, makes use of technical language or specialized vocabulary of a
field, which is why it is not easily understood by a person who lacks the
necessary background or training.- often a formal definition.

Popular definition
in contrast, makes use of layman’s language and is thus easy to understand.

THE CONCEPT PAPER AS EXPLICATION


The process by which abstract concepts are linked to their real world
variations so that they can be observed by appropriate methods. Logically, it
involves both deductive and inductive reasoning. It can be further divided into
meaning analysis and empirical analysis.

1. Preliminary Identification of the Concept. Identify and name each concept your
group is interested in examining. Questions to asked and answered:
Is each concept a variable concept, and if so on what qualities does it vary?
What is the unit of analysis for this concept?
How does the concept fit into the research problem?
For each concept, ask and answer the questions before your literature search.

2. Literature Research. Use various library resources to locate how previous


researchers have used the concept. Do this for each concept you have identified.
Once you have collected the literature, organize and structure it. Questions to
asked and answered:
What are the different conceptual meanings that have been assigned to
the concept?

69
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
What operational definitions have been used?
What are the different labels under which the concept has been studied?
Which of the various usages of the concept is most promising for your study?
For each concept, produce a half page summary of the results of your
literature search.

3. Empirical description. Go back into the most promising studies and examine the
properties of the operational definitions of the selected concept. Questions to
asked and answered:
What are the characteristics of the operationalization of the concept such
as the mean, median, and mode and the range of variation?
What antecedents and consequences of the concept have been
observed in previous studies?
For each concept, explain how you think it relates to the other concepts
you plan to study.
4. Develop a tentative conceptual definition. Use the literature search and your
synthesis of the empirical description to develop a tentative conceptual
definition of each concept. Questions to asked and answered:

What are each concepts essential elements?


What lower-order (less abstract) dimensions does this general concept
subsume?
What are instances or examples that could be developed into indicators
of the concept?
From the conceptual definition we should understand the boundaries of
the concept and the conditions for observation. Recognize that much
trial-and-error and revision of definition are involved here.
5. Develop a tentative operational definition. Each dimension of the concept should
be capable of direct observation. If possible, each dimension would have more
than one empirical indicator (items or instances). The operational definition should
include: the conditions of observation; details of question wording, rating scale,
manipulation procedures etc.; and analysis procedures and statistical operations
implied. Go into the codebook and select the items that you think best represent
the concept.
6. Data gathering. The concept and its operational definition then should be
included in actual data collection. The data will be used in the second major phase
of the explication process, empirical analysis. Associations or correlations among the
indicators of the dimensions are studied along with the empirical relationships of the

70
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
focal concept to other concepts. This final step will be conducted later in the
semester.

Writing a concept paper


A winning concept paper will capture the attention of whoever is reading
it and get you the results you need. Below are the steps you need to follow to
ensure that your concept paper will get a smile and a nod from the reader.

1. Come up with a research topic that genuinely interests you The research
topic should span areas that interest you as an individual and are still
relevant to your area of study or course. How do you come up with a
research topic? How to come up with a research topic. As you studied
throughout your junior classes, you may have encountered certain concepts
that awoke your curiosity. These may give you ideas of what your research
could be about. Alternatively, while randomly reading a newspaper,
watching TV, reading books, and so on, you may have come across ideas or
concepts that aroused your interests. These can serve as research topics you
may consider pursuing. Personal experiences can also be good starting
points when you are searching for a topic to write about. List all the ideas
you can remember or think of that you would be interested in doing a
research on. Afterward, choose the area that interests you most in the list
you made as the one in which you will carry out your research. Ensure it is a
topic that is academically relevant and researchable.

2. Write down the research questions you need to research on depending on


the idea you have chosen. You can come up with as many questions as
possible. The more the questions, the longer your research paper will be, as it
will seek to answer to each of them. The questions can range from:
Exploratory questions, where you want to find out more about the topic
under study, Explanatory question, where your aim is to explore the
relationship or lack thereof between two or more variables, and Descriptive
questions such as determining the averages, means, and modes of a
variable or variables in the topic under study.

3. Develop a research hypothesis from each of the research questions that you
have listed a hypothesis, also known as a thesis or theses in plural, is a
tentative, usually informed or educated guess about a certain scenario. It is
referred to as ‘an educated or informed guess’ as it is based on some prior
knowledge about the topic either by some pre-known theory, or a previous
research you may have carried out. The hypothesis is what you will either

71
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
prove or disprove when the research is done and therefore, be able to draw
your conclusion.

4. Identify the kind of data you need to answer these hypothetical questions
and how you will gather the data Depending on the type of research you
are carrying out, data that you may need may include actual numbers,
averages, and so on. Data can either be primary or secondary, qualitative
or quantitative. Primary data is first-hand information obtained from the
ground, for example, by carrying out interviews and site visits. Secondary
data is second-hand information obtained from reading books, watching
news, videos, the internet, and other already documented material.
Qualitative data is based on subjective factors such as people’s opinions,
while quantitative data is based on actual numbers and is, therefore, more
objective.

5. Identify how you will analyze, interpret, and present the data Come up with
conclusive and tangible evidence to prove or disprove all the hypotheses
you had stated earlier. Methods of data analysis include the use of statistical
analysis such as mean, totals, income, or the general relationship between
variables which can be enhanced by the use of graphical methods where
possible. Having developed all the above, you are now ready to come up
with your concept paper, which will detail each of the steps outlined.

Major elements of a concept paper format:


1. The title page. You should begin with a title that fully summarizes what the
project you are carrying out is about. Avoid being wordy and stick to the main
point.
2. Introduction and statement of the problem. This serves as the most important
part of the concept paper. You must be seeking to add value and convince
the reader that you are doing so. For example, your research should seek to
solve an existing problem or provide further insights into a scarcely researched
topic. The problem should be clear. Why would you want to investigate the
topic under study, and how your research will be helpful in achieving this?
Herein, you need to provide the evidence that the research you need to carry
out is necessary in that it has not been carried out before or has not been
adequately done. Here are some questions that may help you nail this element:

72
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
What is the problem? Why do you feel that it is important? How does your study
relate to or add to research that has already been done?
3. Value of the study. Outline specific groups of people who the study may
benefit and how it will benefit them.
4. A preliminary literature review. You need to back up your passion for the
topic under research with solid literature that supports the topic, for example,
literature that supports the fact that further research needs to be carried out in
that area. You need to show that there exists an information gap which your
research seeks to fill. The wider the variety of literature review you have carried
out, the more solid and convincing your concept paper will be.
5. State the research goals or objectives. This is a broad statement or statements
of what the research seeks to achieve. It should start with ‘to’ and answer the
questions who, what, when, which, or how.
6. Write down all the research questions. These are important as they will direct
you on every research area, for example, the type of data to collect and how
to analyze it. Make sure you have exhausted all the questions for the research
to be complete.
7. The research hypothesis. The research hypotheses stem from the research
topic or the research questions and are, therefore, easy to draft. They are a
statement of the situation you anticipate based on some prior knowledge you
have, even before you carry out the research. The research seeks to find out if
these hypotheses are true or not. There should be a positive and a negative
hypothesis for each statement given. A positive hypothesis agrees with the
statement in question while a negative hypothesis opposes it. At the end of the
research paper, you will either accept or reject your positive hypothesis based
on your findings.
8. State the methodology you intend to use. The research methodology states
the ‘how’ of carrying out the research. It details the research design, that is,
what kind of research you intend to carry out. You can either carry out: An
exploratory design that seeks to expound on the area of study that you have an
idea in, in order to understand it better. An explanatory design that seeks to
carry out an in-depth study on a certain idea that was not tackled in-depth. It
mostly requires the use of qualitative methods of data collection.

73
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A descriptive research that seeks to find out the relationship between two
variables of data you need. It uses analyses methods such as mean and mode.
9. A timeline for completion of each element of the research project.
Undertaking a research can take a very long time if not well planned for, and it
is, therefore, important to lay out just how much time you may need to
complete each element of the research project and ultimately the whole
project. In this section, you need to set a time frame that is realistic.
10. Outline citations. Always remember to give credit to any sources you may
have sourced your information from. This can be done within the document or
at the end of the concept paper.

Additional Information
Typically, a concept paper contains the following elements:

1. A title which is usually in the form of a question.

2. A brief overview of the research topic, including a summary of what is

already known about that topic.


3. A brief statement of the research question that the project will seek to

answer. This is usually done in one or two sentences.


4. An explanation of why this research question is important and why this

project is worth writing.


5. A description of how the methods that the researcher plans to use to

answer the research question.

74
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
75
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
SAMPLE OF A CONCEPT PAPER

Topic: Preparing Students for Future Technology


Problem Statement: Educators have a responsibility to prepare students to
succeed in a world of digital technology (Bawden, 2008), but they cannot easily
come to a consensus about exactly how to do that because technology
continues to change so rapidly (Nelson, Courier, and Joseph, 2011).
Consequently, the concept of “digital literacy” has emerged in the discourse
among educators as they prepare students to keep stride with new innovations.
Any instructional methods are applied in differing ways, and variances occur,
“within as well as between grade levels” (Breaux, Danridge, and Pearson, p.
227), so it is crucial to identify the methods that experienced teachers find most
effective for promoting the development of digital literacy while teaching
various subjects and grade levels.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the instructions methods


experienced teachers perceive to be most effective for improving digital
literacy at the high school level. Nelson, Courier, and Joseph explain that one of
the difficulties in forming a consensus about how to best teach students about
technology is the fact that it changes so quickly. Therefore, it is reasonable to
seek guidance from experienced teachers as they continuously modify their
instructional methods to better promote digital literacy.

Theoretical Framework: This descriptive study uses a post-positivist


phenomenological approach based on the perceptions of experienced
teachers. The two major areas of CustomDissertation.com - 2 theoretical context
are comprised of literature related to teacher efficacy (from Bandura’s
“selfefficacy”) and literature related to digital literacy. Gilster (1997) was the first
to offer a definition for “digital literacy” and over the years others have offered
different definitions (Nelson, Courier, and Joseph, 2011) which burdens
researchers to be as agile and innovative enough to inform instructional
practice about promoting digital literacy even while digital technology
continues to change.

Research Question: What are the “best practices” described by experienced


teachers who modify their instructional methods to promote digital literacy?
References:
Ackley, H. A. (2003). Digital literacy and the "Middle Way". (Teaching
Mindfully).Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(1), 301-306.

76
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Bawden, D. (2008), "Origins and Concepts of Digital Literacy." In Digital
Literacies: Concepts, Policies, and Practices, Colin Lankshear and Michele
Knobel, (Eds.), Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY, pp. 17-32.

Breaux, G., Danridje, J., Pearson, D. Scott. (2002). Elementary School: Home
Grown School Improvement in the Flesh. In Teaching Reading: Effective Schools,
Accomplished Teachers, Taylor, B. M., & Pearson, P. D. (Eds.), Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Clark, L., & Visser, M. (2011). Digital literacy takes center stage. Library
Technology Reports, 47(6), 38-42.

Enochs, L. G., Smith, P. L., & Huinker, D. (2000). Establishing factorial validity of
themathemati cs teaching efficacy beliefs instrument. School Science and
Mathematics, 100, 194-203.

Eshet, Y. (2012). Thinking in the digital era: A revised model for digital literacy.
Issues in Informing Science & Information Technology, 9. 267.
CustomDissertation.com - 3

Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills


in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-
106.

Fletcher, G. H. (2011). Digital learning-and school reform-now! A new bipartisan


initiative seeks to leverage technology to challenge some long-held
assumptions about US education. T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In
Education), 38(3), 7-14.
Gilster, P. (1997). Digital Literacy. Wiley Computer Publishing, New York.

Joosten, T., Pasquini, L., & Harness, L. (2013). Guiding social media at our
institutions. Planning for Higher Education, 42(2), 125-148.

Luce-Kapler, R. (2008). Thinking in hypertext: Interrupting the mindset of


schooling. Curriculum Matters, 4, 85-101.

Nelson, K., Courier, M., & Joseph, G. W. (2011). An investigation of digital literacy
Needs of Students. Journal of Information Systems Education, 22(2), 95-109.

Ng, W. (2011). Why digital literacy is important for science teaching and
learning. Teaching Science, 57(4), 26-32.

Sneider, C. (2012). Core ideas of engineering and technology: Understanding a


framework for k-12 science education. The Science Teacher, 79(1), 32.

77
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Read the questions carefully. Then, write your answer on your
notebook.

1.) What is a concept paper?

2.) What are the elements or parts of an effective concept paper?

3.) What is the importance of a concept paper?

TASK 2
Direction: Choose one from the given topics below and write a concept
paper about it. Write your work on your notebook.

1. Effect of cultural diversity


2. How teenagers fall into the peer pressure
3. Purpose of the press
4. How does stress affect the body?
5. How is Google search affecting our intelligence?

References:
https://kami.com.ph/84093-concept-paper-write-a-comprehensive-guide-
2020.html#:~:text=A%20concept%20paper%20is%20a,and%20methods%20of%20
obtaining%20it., Accessed on 13 August 2020.

https://blogs.wp.missouristate.edu/writinglab/rhetoric/explaining-a-
concept/#:~:text=Concept%20analysis%2C%20explaining%20a%20concept,patr
iotism%2C%20hate%2C%20or%20joy.&text=The%20assignment%20requires%20stu
dents%20to,explain%20and%20examine%20a%20concept. , Accessed on 13
August 2020.

https://dshah.journalism.wisc.edu/files/Concept-Explication-Assignment.pdf,
Accessed on 13 August 2020.

78
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Position Paper
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner defines what a position paper is (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d -1).

The learner identifies situations in which a position paper may be


effectively used in our present society (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d-2).

LECTURE

WRITING A POSITION PAPER

a position paper presents one side of an arguable opinion about an


issue.
The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your
opinion is valid and defensible. Ideas that you are considering need
to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your
argument, and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure
that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a
manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your job is to
take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that
you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It
is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the
validity of your claims, as well as to refute the counterclaims to show
that you are well informed about both sides.
A Position Paper is a common type of academic argument writing
assignment. Typically, a Position Paper is written after reading about
and discussing a particular issue. Quite often, the readings cover
more than one issue, and as a writer you must choose a particular
area of focus. The central goal of writing a position paper is not only
to state and defend your position on the issue but also to show how
your stance relates to other positions.
is an essay or written report that presents a person’s attitude, options,
and intentions about a specific issue.
is sometimes called a point-of-view paper.
is a one-side argument about a certain issue and presents such argument
in an organized manner

79
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
How important is a position paper?

A position paper is a document describing a topic, your country's position,


and possible solutions. It is important to write a position paper for each of your
topics because it will help you gain insight on the issue.
Position Paper Diagram

An author who writes a position paper is making an argument which has


to be built upon evidence. The structure used to do this is very similar to that
used when writing a critical essay.
Image taken from James Cook University Study Skills Online. "Essay Structure." 17 August, 2012. Retrieved
from http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/writingskills/essay/structure.html.

Purpose
The purpose of a position paper is to generate support on an issue. It
describes the author’s position on an issue and the rational for that position and,
in the same way that a research paper incorporates supportive evidence, is
based on facts that provide a solid foundation for the author’s argument. It is a
critical examination of a position using facts and inductive reasoning, which
addresses both strengths and weaknesses of the author’s opinion.

80
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Elements of the Position Paper
The classic position paper contains three main elements:
An Introduction, which identifies the issue that will be discussed and states the
author’s position on that issue.
Introduction clearly identifies the issue and state the author’s position.

The Body of the paper, which contains the central argument and can be further
broken up into three unique sections:
Background information
Evidence supporting the author’s position
A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses and refutes
arguments that contradict the author’s position
Body presents an idea or main concept that clarifies a portion of the position
statement and is supported by evidence or facts.

A Conclusion, restating the key points and, where applicable, suggesting


resolutions to the issue.
Conclusion summarizes the main concepts and ideas and reinforce, without
repeating, the introduction or body of the paper.

TASK 1
DIRECTION: Pick one from the topics below. Then, write a position paper about it on
your notebook. Don’t forget to follow the proper structure of a concept paper.
You will be graded based from the rubric and requirements below.

1. Banning of school uniforms in Senior High Schools


2. Legalization of the same-sex marriage in the Philippines
3. Free Monthly Allowance for College students
4. Free cell phone load in the Philippines

RUBRIC & REQUIREMENTS:


Thesis and Introduction: 20
Argument (support): 10
Conclusion: 10
References/citation: 10
Hand-written, and Grammar: 10
Total: 60

81
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Writing a Report
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
Determines the objectives and structures of various kinds of reports
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIe-j-6).

Writes various reports (CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIa-d-5).

LECTURE
REPORT
A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience. Specific
information and evidence are presented, analysed and applied to a
particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a clearly
structured format making use of sections and headings so that the
information is easy to locate and follow.
When you are asked to write a report you will usually be given a report brief
which provides you with instructions and guidelines. The report brief may
outline the purpose, audience and problem or issue that your report must
address, together with any specific requirements for format or structure. This
guide offers a general introduction to report writing; be sure also to take
account of specific instructions provided by your department.
All your facts and information presented in the report not only have to be
bias-free, but they also have to be 100% correct. Proof-reading and fact-
checking is always what you do as a thumb rule before submitting a report.
Reports are written with much analysis. The purpose of report writing is essential
to inform the reader about a topic, minus one’s opinion on the topic. It’s simply
a portrayal of facts, as it is. Even if one gives inferences, solid analysis, charts,
tables and data is provided. Mostly it is specified by the person who’s asked for
the report whether they would like your take or not if that is the case.

82
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
THE STRUCTURE OF A REPORT

The main features of a report are described below to provide a general


guide. These should be used in conjunction with the instructions or guidelines
provided by your department.

Title Page

This should briefly but explicitly describe the purpose of the report (if this is
not obvious from the title of the work). Other details you may include could be
your name, the date and for whom the report is written.

Geology of the country around Beacon Hill, Leicestershire


Angus Taylor
2 November 2004

Terms of Reference

Under this heading you could include a brief explanation of who will read
the report (audience) why it was written (purpose) and how it was written
(methods). It may be in the form of a subtitle or a single paragraph.

A report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for Course GL456,


Department of Geology, University of Leicester.

Example of terms of reference

Summary (Abstract)

The summary should briefly describe the content of the report. It should
cover the aims of the report, what was found and what, if any, action is called
for. Aim for about 1/2 a page in length and avoid detail or discussion; just outline
the main points. Remember that the summary is the first thing that is read. It
should provide the reader with a clear, helpful overview of the content of the
report.

83
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Exposure of rocks belonging to the Charnian Supergroup (late Precambrian)
were examined in the area around Beacon Hill, north Leicestershire. This report
aims to provide details of the stratigraphy at three sites - Copt Oak, Mount St.
Bernard Abbey and Oaks in Charnwood. It was observed that at each of these
sites, the Charnian Supergroup consists mainly of volcanic sediments (air-fall and
ash-flow tuffs) with mudstones and siltstones. These rocks show features that are
characteristic of deposition in shallow water on the flanks of a volcano (e.g.
welding and alteration of ignimbrites). Further studies are required to understand
depositional mechanisms and to evaluate the present-day thickness of
individual rock units.

Contents (Table of Contents)

The contents page should list the different chapters and/or headings
together with the page numbers. Your contents page should be presented in
such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings and locate a
particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter headings and
subheadings in addition to providing page references. Whatever numbering
system you use, be sure that it is clear and consistent throughout.

Introduction

The introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report. The aims
and objectives of the report should be explained in detail. Any problems or
limitations in the scope of the report should be identified, and a description of
research methods, the parameters of the research and any necessary
background history should be included.

In some reports, particularly in science subjects, separate headings


for Methods and Results are used prior to the main body (Discussion) of the
report as described below.

84
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Methods

Information under this heading may include: a list of equipment used;


explanations of procedures followed; relevant information on materials used,
including sources of materials and details of any necessary preparation;
reference to any problems encountered and subsequent changes in
procedure.

Results

This section should include a summary of the results of the investigation or


experiment together with any necessary diagrams, graphs or tables of gathered
data that support your results. Present your results in a logical order without
comment. Discussion of your results should take place in the main body
(Discussion) of the report.

Discussion

The main body of the report is where you discuss your material. The facts
and evidence you have gathered should be analysed and discussed with
specific reference to the problem or issue. If your discussion section is lengthy
you might divide it into section headings. Your points should be grouped and
arranged in an order that is logical and easy to follow. Use headings and
subheadings to create a clear structure for your material. Use bullet points to
present a series of points in an easy-to-follow list. As with the whole report, all
sources used should be acknowledged and correctly referenced.
Conclusion

In the conclusion you should show the overall significance of what has
been covered. You may want to remind the reader of the most important points
that have been made in the report or highlight what you consider to be the
most central issues or findings. However, no new material should be introduced
in the conclusion.

85
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Appendices

Under this heading you should include all the supporting information you
have used that is not published. This might include tables, graphs,
questionnaires, surveys or transcripts. Refer to the appendices in the body of
your report.

In order to assess the popularity of this change, a questionnaire (Appendix 2)


was distributed to 60 employees. The results (Appendix 3) suggest the change is
well received by the majority of employees.

Bibliography

Your bibliography should list, in alphabetical order by author, all published


sources referred to in your report. There are different styles of using references
and bibliographies. Refer to the study guide Texts which you consulted but did
not refer to directly could be grouped under a separate heading such as
'Background Reading' and listed in alphabetical order using the same format as
in your bibliography.
Acknowledgements

Where appropriate you may wish to acknowledge the assistance of particular


organisations or individuals who provided information, advice or help.

Glossary of Technical Terms

It is useful to provide an alphabetical list of technical terms with a brief,


clear description of each term. You can also include in this section explanations
of the acronyms, abbreviations or standard units used in your report.

You will not necessarily be required to use all of the headings described
above, nor will they necessarily be in the order given here. Check your
departmental guidelines or instructions.

86
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Report writing is a formal style of writing elaborately on a topic. The tone of a
report is always formal. The important section to focus on is the target audience. For
example – report writing about a school event, report writing about a business case,
etc. Let us briefly discuss the different kinds of reports:

ALL TYPES OF REPORTS AND THEIR EXPLANATION

Long Report and Short Reports:


These kinds of reports are quite clear, as the name suggests. A two-page
report or sometimes referred to as a memorandum is short, and a thirty-page report
is absolutely long. But what makes a clear division of short reports or long reports?
Well, usually, notice that longer reports are generally written in a formal manner.

Internal and External Reports:


As the name suggests, an internal report stays within a certain organization or
group of people. In the case of office settings, internal reports are for within
the organization.
We prepare external reports, such as a news report in the newspaper about
an incident or the annual reports of companies for distribution outside the
organization. We call these as public reports.

Vertical and Lateral Reports:


This is about the hierarchy of the reports’ ultimate target. If the report is for
your management or for your mentees, it’s a vertical report. Wherever a direction
of upwards or downwards comes into motion, we call it a vertical report.
Lateral reports, on the other hand, assist in coordination in the organization. A
report traveling between units of the same organization level (for example, a report
among the administration and finance departments) is lateral.
Periodic Reports:

Periodic reports are sent out on regularly pre-scheduled dates. In most cases,
their direction is upward and serves as management control. Some, like annual
reports, is not vertical but is a government mandate to be periodic in nature.

87
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
That is why we have annual or quarterly or half-yearly reports. If they are this
frequent, it only makes sense to pre-set the structure of these reports and just fill in
the data every period. That’s exactly what happens in most cases too.
Formal and Informal Reports:

Formal reports are meticulously structured. They focus on objectivity and


organization, contain deeper detail, and the writer must write them in a style that
eliminates factors like personal pronouns.
Informal reports are usually short messages with free-flowing, casual use of
language. We generally describe the internal report/memorandum as an informal
report. For example, a report among your peers, or a report for your small group or
team, etc.

Informational and Analytical Reports:


Informational reports (attendance reports, annual budget reports, monthly
financial reports, and such) carry objective information from one area of an
organization to maybe a larger system.
Analytical reports (scientific research, feasibility reports, and employee
appraisals) show attempts to solve actual problems. These analytical reports usually
require suggestions at the end.

Proposal Reports:
These kinds of reports are like an extension to the analytical/problem-solving
reports. A proposal is a document one prepares to describe how one organization
can provide a solution to a problem they are facing.
There’s usually always a need to prepare a report in a business set-up. The
end goal is usually very solution-oriented. We call such kinds of reports as proposal
reports.

Functional Reports:
These kinds of reports include marketing reports, financial reports, accounting
reports, and a spectrum of other reports that provide a function specifically. By and
large, we can include almost all reports in most of these categories. Furthermore, we
can include a single report in several kinds of reports.

88
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Solved Example on Kinds of Reports

Question: We know that reports are a part of formal communication. So, is there any
kind of informal report? If yes, then explain?

Answer: Informal reports are usually short messages with free-flowing, casual use of
language. We generally describe the internal report/memorandum as an informal
report. For example, a report among your peers, or a report for your small group of
team, etc.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD REPORT?

Two of the reasons why reports are used as forms of written assessment are:
to find out what you have learned from your reading, research or
experience;
to give you experience of an important skill that is widely used in the work
place.

An effective report presents and analyses facts and evidence that are
relevant to the specific problem or issue of the report brief. All sources used
should be acknowledged.
The style of writing in a report is usually less discursive than in an essay, with a
more direct and economic use of language. A well- written report will
demonstrate your ability to:

understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its


specifications;
gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;
structure material in a logical and coherent order;
present your report in a consistent manner according to the instructions of
the report brief;
make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and
analysis of the report.

89
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
WRITING THE REPORT: THE ESSENTIAL STAGES

All reports need to be clear, concise and well structured. The key to
writing an effective report is to allocate time for planning and preparation. With
careful planning, the writing of a report will be made much easier. The essential
stages of successful report writing are described below. Consider how long each
stage is likely to take and divide the time before the deadline between the
different stages. Be sure to leave time for final proof reading and checking.

Stage One: Understanding the report brief

This first stage is the most important. You need to be confident that you
understand the purpose of your report as described in your report brief or
instructions. Consider who the report is for and why it is being written. Check that
you understand all the instructions or requirements, and ask your tutor if anything
is unclear.

Stage Two: Gathering and selecting information

Once you are clear about the purpose of your report, you need to begin
to gather relevant information. Your information may come from a variety of
sources, but how much information you will need will depend on how much
detail is required in the report. You may want to begin by reading relevant
literature to widen your understanding of the topic or issue before you go on to
look at other forms of information such as questionnaires, surveys etc. As you
read and gather information you need to assess its relevance to your report and
select accordingly. Keep referring to your report brief to help you decide what is
relevant information.

Stage Three: Organising your material

Once you have gathered information you need to decide what will be
included and in what sequence it should be presented. Begin by grouping
together points that are related. These may form sections or chapters.
Remember to keep referring to the report brief and be prepared to cut any

90
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
information that is not directly relevant to the report. Choose an order for your
material that is logical and easy to follow.

Stage Four: Analysing your material

Before you begin to write your first draft of the report, take time to consider and
make notes on the points you will make using the facts and evidence you have
gathered. What conclusions can be drawn from the material? What are the
limitations or flaws in the evidence? Do certain pieces of evidence conflict with
one another? It is not enough to simply present the information you have
gathered; you must relate it to the problem or issue described in the report brief.

Stage Five: Writing the report

Having organised your material into appropriate sections and headings you can
begin to write the first draft of your report. You may find it easier to write the
summary and contents page at the end when you know exactly what will be
included. Aim for a writing style that is direct and precise. Avoid waffle and
make your points clearly and concisely. Chapters, sections and even individual
paragraphs should be written with a clear structure. The structure described
below can be adapted and applied to chapters, sections and even
paragraphs.

Introduce the main idea of the chapter/section/paragraph


Explain and expand the idea, defining any key terms.
Present relevant evidence to support your point(s).
Comment on each piece of evidence showing how it relates to your
point(s).
Conclude your chapter/section/paragraph by either showing its
significance to the report as a whole or making a link to the next
chapter/section/paragraph.

91
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Stage Six: Reviewing and redrafting

Ideally, you should leave time to take a break before you review your first
draft. Be prepared to rearrange or rewrite sections in the light of your review. Try
to read the draft from the perspective of the reader. Is it easy to follow with a
clear structure that makes sense? Are the points concisely but clearly explained
and supported by relevant evidence? Writing on a word processor makes it
easier to rewrite and rearrange sections or paragraphs in your first draft. If you
write your first draft by hand, try writing each section on a separate piece of
paper to make redrafting easier.

Stage Seven: Presentation

Once you are satisfied with the content and structure of your redrafted
report, you can turn your attention to the presentation. Check that the wording
of each chapter/section/subheading is clear and accurate. Check that you
have adhered to the instructions in your report brief regarding format and
presentation. Check for consistency in numbering of chapters, sections and
appendices. Make sure that all your sources are acknowledged and correctly
referenced. You will need to proof read your report for errors of spelling or
grammar. If time allows, proof read more than once. Errors in presentation or
expression create a poor impression and can make the report difficult to read.

Feedback

Any feedback from tutors on returned work can be used to create a


checklist of key points to consider for your next report. Identify priority areas for
attention and seek out further information and advice. Speak to your tutor or an
adviser from the Learning Development. Used in this way, feedback from tutors
can provide a useful tool for developing and improving your writing skills.

92
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1

Direction: Fill the underlines with the correct word from the box.

Subheading information recommend aim

1. You might be asked to write a report when a person in authority needs ___________.
2. In the first line of the introduction, you should say what the__________ of the report is.
3. A report should be divided into paragraphs, each with a clear _________ on the left.
4. At the end of the report, you will probably be asked to _____ what should be done.

TASK 2

Direction: Complete the second sentence to make recommendations in a more


formal way.

1. We should organise an interview. Perhaps we could consider


___________________________________.

2. We should make a book. I would recommend


________________________________________.

3. We should prepare questions for the interview. It would be advisable


________________________________________.

4. We should invite all students. I would recommend


________________________________________.

5. We should use a microphone for the interview. Perhaps we could consider


________________________________________.

93
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
6. We should choose representatives from each class. It would be advisable
________________________________________.

7. We should print the book professionally. Perhaps we could consider


________________________________________.

8. We should give students adequate time to prepare their contributions. I would


recommend ________________________________________.

References:

https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/reports/structure/, Accessed on 13
August 2020
https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/all-resources/writing/writing-resources/reports,
Accessed on 13 August 2020

94
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCY: The learner outlines reading texts in various
disciplines (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Ia-c-8).

OBJECTIVES:
a. Define what is an outline
b. Differentiate Topic Outline fom Sentence Outline
c. Create an example of Topic Outline and sentence Outline

LECTURE
OUTLINE
Allows a writer to categorize the main points, to organize the paragraphs into an
order that makes sense, and to make sure that each paragraph/idea can be
fully developed
Helps prevent a writer from gettingstuck when performing the actual writing of
the essay
A well-developed outline will show what the thesis of the essay is, what the main
idea of each paragraph is, and the evidence/support that will be offered in
each paragraph to substantiate the main points
The objective of outlining is to simplify a complicated material for a clearer
presentation and better understanding and comprehension
Guides for Outlining

1) Before you start to outline, read the selection carefully, observe the headings,
titles and topic sentences.
2) While reading, consider the following steps:

2.1. Outline the main ideas in the selection.


2.2. Take note of the subordinate details that develop the main ideas.

95
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2.3. If necessary, list the topics that develop the subordinate details.

2.4. Explain the ideas in parallel construction.


2.5. An outline should never have single sub-head.

Benefits of Outline Making:


An outline of an essay can be very helpful for two reasons:

1. An outline will help make your essay more organized. A careful plan will
help your body paragraphs stay focused on the ideas in your thesis
statement.
2. An outline saves time for writers.

How to make an Outline:

•Identify the topic. The topic of your paper is important. Try to sum
up the point of your paper in one sentence or phrase.
1

•Identify the main categories. What main points will you cover?
The introduction usually introduces all of your main points, then
2 the rest of paper can be spent developing those points.

•Create the first category. What is the first point you want to
cover? If the paper centers around a complicated term, a
definition is often a good place to start. For a paper about a
3 particular theory, giving the general background on the theory
can be a good place to begin.

•Create subcategories. After you have the mainoutline, create


points under it that provide support for the mainpoint. The
number of categories that you use depends on the amount of
4 information that you are going to cover; there is no right or wrong
number o use.

96
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
OUTLINE FORMAT. In a formal outline, Roman numerals can be used to represent
paragraphs. Capital letters can be used to represent supporting details for the
paragraphs.

TOPIC SENTENCE. For each body of the paragraph should support the thesis
statement. The topic sentences need to agree with the main idea or subpoints
in the thesis statement;otherwise, the essay could be confusing.

SUPPORTING DETAILS. Under the topic sentence for each paragraph, list some of
th supporting details, examples, or ideas you want to include in each
paragraph.

OUTLINE FORMAT

I. Introduction Thesis: _________


II. Body Paragraph #1- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
III. Body Paragraph #2- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
IV. Body Paragraph #3- Topic Sentence:_____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
V. Conclusion

Two (2) Major Kinds of Outline


The two outline styles are the number-letter system and the decimal system. They
can either be topic outline using words or phrases or a sentence outline using
sentences.

1. TOPIC OUTLINE (Number-Letter System)- arranges your ideas hierarchically


(showing which are main and which are subpoints), in the sequence you want,
and shows what you will talk about. As the name implies, it identifies all the little
mini-topics that your paper will comprise, and shows how they relate.

97
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline:

1) Recall that all headings and subheadings must be words or phrases, not
sentences.

2) The wordings within each division must be parallel.

3) A division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part; therefore, if there


is an “A” there must be a “B,” and if there is a “1” there must be a “2.”

Example of Topic Outline

History of the Philippines

I. The Philippines Before World War II


A. The Rebellion Against Spain
1. Filipino Heroes
2. Great Writings of the Time
B. The American Regime
C. The Commonwealth Period

II. World War II


A. The Fall of Bataan and Corregidor
B. The Death March
1. The Weeping Families
2. Deaths on the Road
C. The Black Years of the Filipino People

III. The Post War Era


A. The Philippine Independence
B. Martial Law Regime
1. The Dictator’s Mandate
2. The Loss of Freedom and Life
C. Post Martial Law

98
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. SENTENCE OUTLINE (Decimal System)
A sentence outline should be assigned as the second part of the sequence
leading to the completion of the research report.
This outline should be used to develop the major divisions of the long report.
It will help the students to get the content of the report solidified before the
draft of the report is written.
This outline should be written after or at the same time that the student is
turning in note cards.
Example of Sentence Outline:
The Traffic Problems in Metro Manila

1. There are many running vehicles in Metro Manila


1.1 Jeeps have increased unabatedly
1.2 The number of buses keeps on increasing every year
1.2.1 Buses for North Luzon
1.2.2 Buses along Manila’s thoroughfares
1.2.3 Buses for South Luzon

1.3 Trailers and cargo trucks aggravate traffic problems


1.4 Private cars keep increasing in number
1.5 Tricycles gather on busy street stations

2. The streets are narrow and often blocked


2.1 Narrow streets prevent the rapid movement of vehicles
2.1.1 Vehicles are packed on narrow streets
2.1.2 Two-way flow of vehicles even on city roads
2.2 Deep holes in the streets slow down the movement of vehicles
2.3 Illegal parking especially on narrow streets compress the movement of vehicles
2.4 Slated vehicles due to mechanical problems and accidents block the traffic

3. Many drivers are discourteous and undisciplined


3.1 Many drivers love to take the wrong side of the street
3.2 Many drivers load or unload passengers in unauthorized areas
3.2.1 Bus drivers unload in wrong places
3.2.2 Jeepney drivers pick up passengers anywhere

3.3 Many drivers violate double-parking regulations


3.4 Rude drivers block the right way of the others
3.5 Rude drivers also obstruct intersections

99
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Read and analyzed the following sentence. Check (/) the box for CORRECT
if the statement is true but if the statement is false check (/) the box for WRONG.

CORRECT WRONG STATEMENT


Outline allows the writer to categorize the main points of the paragraph.
Sentence outline is used in Informal Writings like Research.
Outline often list supporting details and sub-category details.
Two benefits of outline making is it helps in organizing the ideas and it
helps to save the time of the writer.
Outline is considered the draft and map of a paper/passage.

TASK 2
Direction: Answer the following questions.

1) What is a good outline looks like?

2) What is the purpose of making an outline?

3) Why do we use an outline?

4) In your own view, what is the importance of making an outline?

100
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 3
Direction: Read the following selection and do the set of activities that follow.

Turning Movie-maker Video into a DVD

A DVD movie can be created from an editedMovie Maker 2 Project. Movies


on DVD are good because they are played on high-resolution on television
screens. The portable discs allow you to share videos with relatives and friends. It is
also less expensive because DVD media itself is much more stable than magnetic
tapes. If your video lasts longer, this means less frequency of purchase-meaning
lesser expedintures.
The first thing to do is to Choose a Writer. The DVD format has Competing
Writing formats to choose from.These are DVD-R, DVD+R and DVD-RAM which is
especially used by Panasonic.Each of these has its own advantages and
capability aspects.DVD-R and DVD+R play normally on home video players.
Then, Choose the media. All DVD disc media are not equally created.They
have different compatibilities with different desktop players. Compatibility can be
used only through Verbatim DVD-RS program to have the highest compatibility on
many DVD discs tested. There are cheap DVDs but sometimes, they give you
trouble.

After this, build your DVD within your Creation Software. There are various
programs that allow you to input your DVD video, created menus and write your
finished DVD to your burner.

You can now choose your DVD Creation Software among Sonic My DVD for
quick DVDs to make, DVD Complete which has more options to customize
however does not compare with MY DVD as far as convenience is
concerned.Then there is the Sonic DVD it RE which is very customizable and is used
to create professional DVDs. This program allows the user to create and import
their new backgrounds, buttons and graphics.The last option is Nero & Ultra edition
which include full video editing. DVD playbacks, slide shows created with audio
backdrop with multiple nodes and Start Smart Project launcher.

Finally, you can now write your DVD. The writing process takes time due to the
lengthy encoding steps involved. If you are writing an hour-length video, expect
your computer to take at least that long to convert and write that data possibly
with much longer time needed.

De Vera

101
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
After reading the passage, kindly do the following tasks:

1. Identify the topic sentence of each paragraph.

2. Convert the topic sentence into a phrase.

3. Determine the supporting details of each paragraph.

4. Construct a topic outline presenting the topics in parallel construction.

5. Construct a sentence outline presenting the topics in parallel construction.

102
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner uses appropriate language for a specific discipline
(CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f-14).

The learner raises legitimate, contrary views in an appropriate manner


(CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f-15).

LECTURE
REACTION PAPER
A reaction paper is a type of written assignment, which requires personal opinion and
conclusions on a given article or abstract. Unlike a summary, a reaction paper should
contain your own thoughts on the problem, discussed in the original text. It aims to
show professor how deep your understanding of the situation is and how well you can
use your analytical skills.

It is a form of paper writing in which the writer expresses his ideas and opinions about
what has been read or seen. Reaction paper is evaluated due to the writer's
communication skills and only then due the unique ideas and the content. This paper
writing may be informal, two pages long. As all essays, a reaction paper comprises
introduction, body, and conclusion. In introduction the writers states the main premise,
in a body he expresses his ideas and in conclusion summarizes the results. The reaction
paper is not a summary of the article although information should be included.

A reaction paper is mainly based on response towards certain deeds in a story. Before
getting to the reaction paper, one has to analyze the subject under investigation and
acquire all the useful information before providing a critique on the matter.

103
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Students often confuse the reaction paper with other essay types trying to reach the
required number of words and not really caring about the peculiarities of writing. But even if
they do get it right, this task still remains complicated and is based on the same mistakes all
young people do when they have no experience. To make it clearer for you and easier to
write, we decided to create this quick guide where we will share information on definition,
logical structure, format and style of this paper and also include some good writing tips that
will help you deliver a great essay and receive a high score.
The paper and its components

A basic reaction paper is an essay that is 300-500 words long and contains a thorough
review of the examined topic and describes your reaction to this topic (it can be an
object, literature piece, movie, article, book, etc.). This academic piece requires from you a
thorough understanding of the object as well as providing several strong arguments based
on relevant facts and evidence. In order to come up with the essay, you have to first deeply
analyze the information you find in credible sources and then introduce it to the audience
by structuring it logically and supporting with your comments and opinion.

Actually, your personal opinion is the top element of the reaction paper as you not only
refer your paper upon but also provide the readers with updated information on the topic,
profound analysis and supporting arguments thus building their understanding and opinion on
this. Your main goal is to persuade the audience to agree with your point of view so clear and
logical content is a must.

A reaction paper adopts different formats depending on the instructions given. A


reaction paper is divided into several parts. To organize your work, you have to understand
every part of the essay and what it entails. In a reaction paper, just like in any other essay
format, there is the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Besides the three main parts,
a reaction paper constitutes the citation list.

1. The introduction – the introduction is the face of your paper and therefore as a writer
you have to make sure that it looks attractive and increases the urgency of the reader
to proceed to your body paragraphs. In the introduction, you have to give a small
description of the author and the main problems and ideas on the story. It should not
be too long, as it will be boring to the reader; a good introduction should have three
to four sentences. Immediately after the introduction, you should write a thesis
statement which should be clear and brief.

104
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2. The body is the main section, where all the ideas for your essay are explained. In your
body paragraphs, you should start each one with a topic sentence. The topic
sentence should reflect the idea to be described in the section. You should include
appropriate sources to back up your opinions. In the body, you can add theoretical
evidence to support your statement.

3. The conclusion – in writing your conclusion you should link your thesis statement with a
summary of the ideas in the body paragraphs. A good way of encrypting your
conclusion is by touching on the major points in summary then wrapping up everything
by clarifying your opinion.

4. List of citations – while writing a reaction paper you have to include the citation for the
sources you have used within your paper. The sources used should be credible and
scholarly so that they can persuade the reader.

HERE IS WHAT WE CAN SUGGEST TO START YOUR REACTION PAPER:

1. Understand what feelings you have about the analyzed object and the intentions of the
author. Context is necessary for good understanding;

2. You have to provide the readers with a good background and descriptive information
as well as examples from the book/article/movie;

3. Explain the need in your opinion. Usually it`s included to the introduction part where you
provide a hook to keep reading and some thesis that should be proved at the end;

4. Your paper should be based on details which make the overall picture of your essay. You
have to highlight every point of the analyzed piece;

5. Plan and structure. We recommend starting an essay with an outline: this is your little plan
that you will follow step by step and not miss a single important idea. An outline will help you
see the overall structure, divide ideas into paragraphs and connect them logically;

6. Depending on your teacher`s instructions, a typical reaction paper has all the parts of a
standard essay: introduction, the main body and conclusion followed by a list of references.

105
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
You start with some background information and catch the attention, then smoothly go to
the main part where you give all the arguments and evidence. Describe your first reaction
and then your reaction after reading/watching the piece a few times. What has changed?
Finish with restating your thesis and summing up the main ideas. Don`t forget to use only
relevant and updated sources with credible information for citing;

7. Just like any other essay, the reaction paper can be ruined with typos, repetitions,
grammar and stylistic mistakes and other things you missed not editing. Make sure everything
is fine or let someone double check this.

Reaction or response papers are usually requested by teachers so that you'll consider
carefully what you think or feel about something you've read. The following guidelines are
intended to be used for reacting to a reading although they could easily be used for
reactions to films too. Read whatever you've been asked to respond to, and while reading,
think about the following questions.

 How do you feel about what you are reading?


 What do you agree or disagree with?
 Can you identify with the situation?
 What would be the best way to evaluate the story?

Keeping your responses to these questions in mind, follow the following prewriting steps.

Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper

The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as many


statements as possible, from the list below, about what you just read.

My Reaction to What I Just Read Is That . . .

I think that

I see that

I feel that

It seems that

In my opinion,

Because

106
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A good quote is

In addition,

For example,

Moreover,

However,

Consequently,

Finally,

In conclusion,

What you've done in completing these statements is written a very rough reaction/response
paper. Now it needs to be organized. Move ahead to the next section.

Organizing Your Reaction Paper

A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

 The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.

This sentence should give the title, author, and publication you
Sentence 1:
read.

Sentence 2, 3, and These sentences give a brief summary of what you


sometimes 4: read (nutshell)

This sentence is your thesis statement. You agree, disagree,


Sentence 5:
identify, or evaluate.

107
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Your introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the
focused statement of your reaction/response. More information on thesis statements is
available.
 The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each
paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and
the final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph.
 The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a
comment which focuses your overall reaction. Finally, it can be a prediction of the
effects of what you're reacting to. Note: your conclusion should include no new
information.

Summary

 Prewriting
o Read the article and jot down ideas.
o How do you feel about what was said?
o Do you agree or disagree with the author?
o Have you had any applicable experience?
o Have you read or heard anything that applies to this what the writer said in the
article or book?
o Does the evidence in the article support the statements the writer made?

 Organizing
o Write the thesis statement first.
o Decide on the key points that will focus your ideas. These will be your topic
sentences.
o Develop your ideas by adding examples, quotations, and details to your
paragraphs.
o Make sure the last sentence of each paragraph leads into the next paragraph.
o Check your thesis and make sure the topic sentence of each paragraph
supports it.

108
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
(A REACTION PAPER FOR SHIRLEY JACKSON’S SHORT STORY “THE LOTTERY”)

It’s just the simple act of picking one of the many pieces of paper from a black box,
one of which contains the dot that speaks of its drawer’s destiny…

Question is, is it an act or a choice—or, if it were possible, destiny itself?

But if one would stop and think—and lay aside the ironies of a tragic death through a
single tragic mistake—and look into—and, similarly, look through—the eyes of Tessie
Hutchinson, her husband Bill, her son Davy, and all the other people in their town, one would
stop short to have found out that their minds are a clear mirror of one’s own. Clearly, the
story is but a simple twist in the nature of man that man himself has tried to magnify.
In the beginning, the characters in the story are we, the bored, uninteresting people walking
around and talking and showing up for a yearly event with nary a care in the world. Their
eyes have seen people die, as we find out in the end—their eyes have seen their own wives
and husbands and children slaughtered through pain, but their hearts only remember, but
do not feel. And when the moment of truth comes out—as it always does—the bored
people become aggressive, the seemingly unstained—but otherwise—hands take on an evil
stance, the wives and husbands and children turn into something less than a stranger, and
the pain and slaughter begins.

In the beginning, the characters are we.

Also in the end.

It is, perhaps, an unexplainable terror to face head-on the inhabitants of the


ordinary—not only is it ordinary as it seems, but also as what it really is—town and see them
as our own flesh and blood, our own savage, twisted selves. But it only takes a little listening
to the desires of our hearts and the dreams of our souls to unmask the truth that is clearly
shown in the story, the truth that also rules our existence today. They are we. We are
they. We are one with them—and they are one with us.

We walk around and talk and go about our chores and go through the same routine
over and over—we, the unsuspecting—and at the same time, the unsuspicious—with nary a
care in the world. It is a routine that we go through that who could have thought would
come out the way it always does, a routine with an end of which we have often seen with
our own eyes, but would also shock the undiscerning. And then the end nears…and we still
don’t care. We draw our lot, and it is clean—as if our own souls are, that is—big deal, we put
the piece of paper in our pocket and it is immediately forgotten. And then the end springs
at us…we look the person who’s drawn the dotted lot—look him as if our own souls are
anything but the piece of paper he has picked—with stranger’s eyes. We stone him to

109
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
death, we forget who he is—friend, family member, father, son, husband…and he dies. We
go about our chores again and walk and talk as if our civil hands were clean and leave the
slaughtered lamb with a triumphant smile because we have won again, we did not draw
the cursed lot, he did. It doesn’t matter who ‘he’ is—as long as it’s not we. Our own eyes
have beheld the same old scene, but the heart only remembers—and doesn’t feel. We do
not care if it would be we who would die next year, as long as we are left living today. We
see not nor expect the time of our own downfall—we caused the downfall of another one
today and it’s what matters at the moment.

But time will come that we will be the center of the tragedy, too, and we will be
looked on with hostile strangers’ eyes by our own friend, father, son, husband. Time will
come that it is our own downfall with which they will stain their civil hands with blood. And
their heart will not feel, only remember…and you will no longer see yourself in them but in
that which you had killed, that which had died in your own savage folly. Amidst the pain
you will be crying out, “Wait—it’s not fair! It’s not fair…!”

And then you die.

And it’s just the simple act of picking one of the many pieces of paper from a box, one
of which contains the dot that speaks of its drawer’s destiny.

Question is, is it an act or a choice—or destiny itself?

It’s human nature in its purest form.

TASK 1

Direction: Read the passage new article entitled “Duterte urged: Appoint healthcare
financing expert as PhilHealth caretaker.” After reading, write your reaction paper on your
notebook, make sure that you will follow the proper format.

Duterte urged: Appoint healthcare financing expert as PhilHealth


caretaker
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 11 2020 07:49 AM | Updated as of Aug 11 2020 08:02 AM
MANILA — A workers union of the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on
Tuesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint a caretaker for PhilHealth as its top
officials fought accusations of corruption.

110
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales and Executive Vice President Arnel De Jesus
had filed medical leaves and sought to skip the continuation of a Senate inquiry where
whistleblowers accused officials of pocketing at least P15 billion in public funds.

“Who is now left to manage the organization?” asked PhilHealth Workers for Hope, Integrity,
Transparency, and Empowerment (PhilHealth-WHITE) president Ma. Fe Francisco.

"We call on President Digong to put in charge a caretaker who is an expert in the field of
healthcare financing, expert in the field of healthcare insurance with proven integrity and
incorruptibility, someone with no vested interest in running the corporation,” she added.

PhilHealth WHITE, which has some 7,000 members, disagrees with the “very irresponsible”
statement of an official during the last Senate hearing that the agency might run out of
funds and collapse in 2022, said Francisco.

“Kahit kami nagugulat bakit ganoon ang statements during the investigation when in fact,
we are working hard to make the program afloat. We feel betrayed with that statement
also,” she said.

(We, too, were surprised about why their statements during the investigation were like that.)

“Hindi po kami naniniwala. The organization is robust dahil kami, nagtatrabaho kami nang
maayos even sa ganitong panahon na may pandemic,” she added.

(We don’t believe it. The organization is robust because we are working well even during this
pandemic.)

Duterte said Monday he would hold erring PhilHealth officials responsible. He has also
created an inter-agency task force to investigate anomalies in PhilHealth.

Duterte refuses to fire Morales unless there is evidence against him, Malacañang earlier said

111
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 2
Direction: Observe the image carefully. Then, make a reaction paper about it.

112
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
References:

https://kingessays.com/reactionpaper.php#:~:text=A%20reaction%20paper%20is%20a,discus
sed%20in%20the%20original%20text., Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://www.bestessays.com/glossary/reaction_paper.php, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://ozzz.org/reaction-paper/, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reaction-Paper, Accessed 12 August 2020.

https://missorpi.wordpress.com/1999/06/01/a-twist-of-human-nature/, Accessed 12 August


2020.

https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-reaction-paper.html, Accessed 12 August 2020.

113
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner uses appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism, feminism,
etc. (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f -16).
Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or a
program (CS_EN11/12 A-EAPP-Id-f -18).

LECTURE
CRITIQUE
Critique is a literary technique that means to critically evaluate a piece of literary work,
or a political or philosophical theory in detail. A critique could be a critical essay, an article
evaluating a literary piece, or a review. It may be just like a summary that identifies the
central issue, raises questions, takes notice of theoretical and experimental approaches, and
reviews the significance of the results. Apart from that, its purpose is to highlight both the
shortcomings as well as strengths of a literary piece or a work of art. Moreover, critical
evaluation or assessment requires sufficient knowledge about the subject matter.

A critique is a formal analysis and evaluation of a text, production, or performance—


either one's own (a self-critique) or someone else's. In composition, a critique is sometimes
called a response paper. When written by another expert in the field, a critique can also be
called a peer review. Peer reviews are done to decide whether to accept an article for
publication in a scholarly journal or, in an education setting, can be done in groups of
students who offer feedback to each other on their papers (peer response).

Critiques differ from reviews (these are also different from peer reviews) in that critiques
offer more depth to their analysis. Think of the difference between a scholarly article
examining a work of literature in a journal (critique) and the kinds of topics that would be
covered there vs. a few-hundred-word review of a book in a newspaper or magazine for the
lay audience, for readers to decide whether they should purchase it.

114
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarises and critically evaluates a
work or concept. Critiques can be used to carefully analyse a variety of works such as:
 Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry
 Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories
 Media – news reports, feature articles
Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that
is, an introduction, body and conclusion. However, the body of a critique includes a
summary of the work and a detailed evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge
the usefulness or impact of a work in a particular field.

Why do we write critiques?


Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop:
 A knowledge of the work’s subject area or related works.
 An understanding of the work’s purpose, intended audience, development of argument,
structure of evidence or creative style.
 A recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

How to write a critique

Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that
will be critiqued.

 Study the work under discussion.


 Make notes on key parts of the work.
 Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.
 Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

Checklist for a critique

Have I:
 Mentioned the name of the work, the date of its creation and the name of the creator?
 Accurately summarised the work being critiqued?
 Mainly focused on the critical evaluation of the work?
 Systematically outlined an evaluation of each element of the work to achieve the overall
purpose?
 used evidence, from the work itself as well as other sources, to back and illustrate my
assessment of elements of of the work?
 formed an overall evaluation of the work, based on critical reading?
 used a well structured introduction, body and conclusion?
 used correct grammar, spelling and punctuation; clear presentation; and ap propriate
referencing style?

115
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Types of critique

Article or book review assignment in an academic class

Text: Article or book that has already been published


Audience: Professors
Purpose:

 to demonstrate your skills for close reading and analysis


 to show that you understand key concepts in your field
 to learn how to review a manuscript for your future professional work

Published book review

Text: Book that has already been published


Audience: Disciplinary colleagues
Purpose:

 to describe the book’s contents


 to summarize the book’s strengths and weaknesses
 to provide a reliable recommendation to read (or not read) the book

Manuscript review

Text: Manuscript that has been submitted but has not been published yet
Audience: Journal editor and manuscript authors
Purpose:

 to provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscript


 to recommend to the editor that the article be published, revised, or rejected
 to provide the authors with constructive feedback and reasonable suggestions for
revision

116
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Critical Approaches to Literature

Described below are nine common literary criticisms:

Formalist Criticism: 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.

Biographical Criticism: This approach “begins with the simple but central insight that
literature is written by actual people and that understanding an author’s life can help
readers more thoroughly comprehend the work.” Hence, it often affords a practical
method by which readers can better understand a text. However, a biographical
critic must be careful not to take the biographical facts of a writer’s life too far in
criticizing the works of that writer: the biographical critic “focuses on explicating the
literary work by using the insight provided by knowledge of the author’s life....
[B]iographical data should amplify the meaning of the text, not drown it out with
irrelevant material.”

Historical Criticism: This approach “seeks to understand a literary work by


investigatingthe social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it—a context
that necessarily includes the artist’s biography and milieu.” A key goal for historical
critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its original readers.

Gender Criticism: This approach “examines how sexual identity influences the creation
and reception of literary works.” Originally an offshoot of feminist movements, gender
criticism today includes a number of approaches, including the so-called “masculinist”
approach recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism,
however, is feminist and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal attitudes that
have dominated western thought have resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in
literature “full of unexamined ‘male-produced’ assumptions.” Feminist criticism
attempts to correct this imbalance by analyzing and combatting such attitudes—by
questioning, for example, why none of the characters in Shakespeare’s
play Othello ever challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife accused of
adultery. Other goals of feminist critics include “analyzing how sexual identity
influences the reader of a text” and “examin[ing] how the images of men and women
in imaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have historically kept the
sexes from achieving total equality.”

117
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Psychological Criticism: This approach reflects the effect that modern psychology has
had upon both literature and literary criticism. Fundamental figures in psychological
criticism include Sigmund Freud, whose “psychoanalytic theories changed our notions
of human behavior by exploring new or controversial areas like wish-fulfillment,
sexuality, the unconscious, and repression” as well as expanding our understanding of
how “language and symbols operate by demonstrating their ability to reflect
unconscious fears or desires”; and Carl Jung, whose theories about the unconscious
are also a key foundation of Mythological Criticism. Psychological criticism has a
number of approaches, but in general, it usually employs one (or more) of three
approaches:

1. An investigation of “the creative process of the artist: what is the nature of


literary genius and how does it relate to normal mental functions?”
2. The psychological study of a particular artist, usually noting how an author’s
biographical circumstances affect or influence their motivations and/or
behavior.
3. The analysis of fictional characters using the language and methods of
psychology.

Sociological Criticism: This approach “examines literature in the cultural, economic


and political context in which it is written or received,” exploring the relationships
between the artist and society. Sometimes it examines the artist’s society to better
understand the author’s literary works; other times, it may examine the representation of
such societal elements within the literature itself. One influential type of sociological
criticism is Marxist criticism, which focuses on the economic and political elements of art,
often emphasizing the ideological content of literature; because Marxist criticism often
argues that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by silence) the status quo, it
is frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency that “can lead to reductive judgment,
as when Soviet critics rated Jack London better than William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway,
Edith Wharton, and Henry James, because he illustrated the principles of class struggle
more clearly.” Nonetheless, Marxist criticism “can illuminate political and economic
dimensions of literature other approaches overlook.”

Mythological Criticism: This approach emphasizes “the recurrent universal patterns


underlying most literary works.” Combining the insights from anthropology, psychology,
history, and comparative religion, mythological criticism “explores the artist’s common
humanity by tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and symbols common to
different cultures and epochs.” One key concept in mythlogical criticism is the archetype, “a
symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response,” which
entered literary criticism from Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. According to Jung, all

118
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
individuals share a “‘collective unconscious,’ a set of primal memories common to the
human race, existing below each person’s conscious mind”—often deriving from primordial
phenomena such as the sun, moon, fire, night, and blood, archetypes according to Jung
“trigger the collective unconscious.” Another critic, Northrop Frye, defined archetypes in a
more limited way as “a symbol, usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to
be recognizable as an element of one’s literary experience as a whole.” Regardless of the
definition of archetype they use, mythological critics tend to view literary works in the
broader context of works sharing a similar pattern.

Reader-Response Criticism: This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that “literature”


exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text
and the mind of a reader. It attempts “to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while
interpreting a text” and reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process. According to
reader-response critics, literary texts do not “contain” a meaning; meanings derive only
from the act of individual readings. Hence, two different readers may derive completely
different interpretations of the same literary text; likewise, a reader who re-reads a work
years later may find the work shockingly different. Reader-response criticism, then,
emphasizes how “religious, cultural, and social values affect readings; it also overlaps with
gender criticism in exploring how men and women read the same text with different
assumptions.” Though this approach rejects the notion that a single “correct” reading exists
for a literary work, it does not consider all readings permissible: “Each text creates limits to
its possible interpretations.”

Deconstructionist Criticism: This approach “rejects the traditional assumption that


language can accurately represent reality.” Deconstructionist critics regard language as a
fundamentally unstable medium—the words “tree” or “dog,” for instance, undoubtedly
conjure up different mental images for different people—and therefore, because literature
is made up of words, literature possesses no fixed, single meaning. According to critic Paul
de Man, deconstructionists insist on “the impossibility of making the actual expression
coincide with what has to be expressed, of making the actual signs [i.e., words] coincide
with what is signified.” As a result, deconstructionist critics tend to emphasize not what is
being said but how language is used in a text. The methods of this approach tend to
resemble those of formalist criticism, but whereas formalists’ primary goal is to locate
unity within a text, “how the diverse elements of a text cohere into meaning,”
deconstructionists try to show how the text “deconstructs,” “how it can be broken down ...
into mutually irreconcilable positions.” Other goals of deconstructionists include (1)
challenging the notion of authors’ “ownership” of texts they create (and their ability to
control the meaning of their texts) and (2) focusing on how language is used to achieve

119
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
power, as when they try to understand how a some interpretations of a literary work come
to be regarded as “truth.”

Examples of Critique in Literature

Example #1: The Guardian (By Philip Hope-Wallace)

In The Guardian, critic Philip Hope-Wallace has portrayed Beckett’s play, Waiting for
Godot, as “inexplicit and deliberately fatuous.” He also claimed this play to have “bored
some people acutely. [while] Others found it a witty and poetic conundrum.” Godot would
possibly be a God, and the dresses of tramps are like Chaplinesque zanies in a circus. Both
speak futile cross talks like music hall exchanges. This play bored audience acutely, while
others consider it as a poetic and witty conundrum. Finally, he calls the play a dramatic
vacuum. It is without any plot, climax, denouement, beginning, middle and end.

Example #2: The Washington Post (By The Washington Post)

A famous writer, Jonathan Yardley, gives a complete analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s


popular novel, The Great Gatsby in The Washington Post. He calls the novel an enormous
achievement in Fitzgerald’s career. It is his masterwork and seems that no other American
novel could ever come close to its literary artistry.

This novel is very popular, and its every passage is famous, thus there is no need to retrace its
details and familiar background. Fitzgerald has written it with unusual subtlety and sustained
that tone in the entire novel. In the end, he says that this novel is “the most beautiful,
compelling and true in all of American literature.” Then he says, “If from all of our country’s
books I could have only one, The Great Gatsby, would be it.”

Example #3: Hamlet: Poem Unlimited (By Harold Bloom)

In his book, Hamlet: Poem Unlimited, Harold Bloom declares William Shakespeare’s Hamlet as
“unlimited,” coming “of no genre,” because its greatness “… competes only with the world’s
scriptures.” This amazing significance cannot emerge from a work, which is about
tendentious and politicized things.

Bloom abandons the idea that Prince Hamlet’s double shock of his father’s death and his
mother’s second marriage has brought a drastic change in Hamlet. The truth, however, is
that “Something in Hamlet dies before the play opens.” In fact, the theme or central idea of
this play is “Hamlet’s consciousness of his own consciousness, unlimited yet at war with itself.”
Thus, the play is about awakening of self-awareness, and Hamlet fights with “his desire to
come to an end of play acting.”

120
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Example #4: The Daily Telegraph (By Victoria Lambert)

Victoria Lambert, in The Daily Telegraph, writes her critical reviews on Jane Austen’s
novel, Pride and Prejudice. She describes the novel as surprisingly comforting as much as
iconoclastic. It is a great story that challenges the people’s perceptions, and also draws a
line through their thoughts and female history.

Certainly, there is an enjoyment of the Georgian grace, a world where we can solve
problems by a ball invitation, a new gown, and scrumptious gossip. The social life at
Hampshire Vicarage, its complex social mores, obsessions with money and class, its picnics
and parities, draw the readers – especially females – to a point of obsession. The critics
appreciate Austen’s overall depiction of the way money rules a society. She also admits
Austen’s ability to describe the human heart in detail, setting her literary pulse racing.

Function of Critique

Critiques vary widely, ranging from giving reviews of books, as these reviews might
determine whether a book is going to be popular or not, to rhetorical analysis of articles and
pieces of artwork. Its advantage is that, despite negative criticism and reviews, many books
win commercial success. Sometimes a critic serves as a scholarly detective, authenticating
unknown books and unearthing master pieces. Thus, obscure scholarly skills could work as a
most basic criticism, bringing literary pieces to public attention.

Besides, a critique may antagonize the author. Many authors do not feel that literature
needs investigators, and advocates are not happy when they hear that their works are
imitative, incomplete, or have unintended meanings. However, most critiques are useful, as
they help improve the works of authors.

Writing a Critique on Art

An art critique is a detailed analysis and evaluation of a work of art. While no two
people will experience the same reaction to a work of art, or interpret it the same way, there
are a few basic guidelines you can follow to achieve a thoughtful, thorough critique. The
basic elements of an art critique are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.

1.) Gather basic information about the work. This is the sort of thing you’d find on a museum or
gallery label, or in the caption in an art book. Knowing the background of a piece can
make a big difference in how you interpret and understand it. Start your critique by
providing the following information:

121
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Title of the work
 Artist’s name
 When the piece was created
 Where it was made
 The types of media used to create the work (e.g., oil paint on canvas)
 The exact size of the work

2.) Describe what you see. Using neutral terms, describe the artwork. Your description
should include things like the form and scale of the work. If the art depicts figures or
objects rather than abstract shapes, describe what is represented.

 For example, you might say, “This is a small-scale portrait painting of a young woman,
shown from the mid-torso up, against a dark background. She is clasping her hands in
front of her chest and looking up and slightly to the viewer’s right. She wears a pink
dress, and a long veil that falls behind her head.”
 Avoid using terms like “beautiful,” “ugly,” “good,” or “bad.” At this point, you’re just
talking about what you see, not judging the art!
3.) Discuss the elements of the work. Now describe the work in more detail. Talk about the
way the art uses these five basic elements of art and design: line, color, space, light, and
shape.

4.) Describe the use of line. Lines in a work of art can be either literal or implied. Different
types of lines can create different moods or effects. For example:

 Curved lines can create a calming effect, while jagged lines might feel harsher and
wild, or create a sense of energy.
 Rough, sketchy lines create a sense of movement and freedom, while smooth, solid
lines feel more still and carefully planned.
 A line of sight or action might be suggested by the arrangement of figures and
objects within a scene. For example, a group of figures all looking or pointing the
same way can create an implied line that draws your eye through the work in a
particular direction.

122
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
5.) Talk about how color is used in the work. Make note of characteristics like hue (red, green,
blue, etc.), value (lightness or darkness), and intensity. Look at overall color schemes, and
think about how the colors work together.

 For example, do the colors clash, or are they harmonious? Does the work use a
variety of colors, or is it monochromatic (all shades of blue, for example)?

6.) Describe the use of space in the work. “Space” refers to the areas around and between
objects in a work. When talking about space, focus on things like depth and perspective,
overlapping of objects, and the use of empty space versus space crowded with details.

 If you are describing a two-dimensional work of art, like a painting, talk about
whether or not the work creates the illusion of three-dimensional space and depth.

7.) Describe the use of light in the work. Light in a work of art can look warm or cool, bright or
dim, natural or artificial. Take a little time to talk about the role of light and shadow in the
work.

 If you’re talking about a two-dimensional work, like a painting, your focus might be on
how the artist creates the illusion of light.
 For a three-dimensional work, like a sculpture, you could discuss how actual light
interacts with the work. For example, is the surface reflective? Does the sculpture cast
interesting shadows? Are some parts of the sculpture more shadowed or well-lit than
others?

8.) Make note of the way shape is used in the work. Are the shapes in the work geometric,
with straight lines and perfect curves, or are they more natural? Is the work dominated by
any one particular type of shape, or do you see a variety of different shapes?

 Shapes play an important role in both abstract and representative works. For
instance, in a portrait of a bride by James Sant, there are notable triangle shapes
made by the drape of the bride’s veil around her shoulders and the clasped hands in
front of her chest.
 Once you notice one shape in a painting, look to see if it is repeated anywhere else.

123
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Analyzing the Work

1.) Discuss how the work uses the principles of composition. Once you have described
the work, it’s time to analyze it, or discuss how it all comes together. Start by talking
about how the work is composed, keeping a few basic ideas in mind. For example:
 Balance: How do the colors, shapes, and textures in the piece work together? Do they
create a balanced or harmonious effect, or is the piece imbalanced in some way?

 Contrast: Does the work make use of contrasting colors, textures, or lighting? Contrast
can also be found in the use of different shapes or contours, like jagged versus
curved lines, or geometric versus natural shapes.
 Movement: How does the work create a sense of movement? Is your eye drawn
through the composition in a particular way?
 Proportion: Do the sizes of the different elements in the work appear the way you
would expect, or are they surprising? For example, if the work shows a group of
people, do any of the figures look larger or smaller than they would in real life?

2.) Identify the point(s) of focus of the work. Most works of art have one or more points
that are designed catch your attention and draw your eye. In a portrait, this may be
the face or eyes of the subject. In a still-life, it could be a centrally-placed or well-lit
object. Try to identify which parts of the work are emphasized.

 Look at the work and make note of which feature(s) jump out at you right away, or
keep drawing your eye back to them.
 Ask yourself why your eye is attracted to the feature(s) in question. For example, if you
find yourself fixating on one figure in a group, is it because that figure is larger than
the others? Are they closer to the viewer? More brightly lit?

3.) Look for themes in the work. Identify a few key themes, and discuss how the artist used
the elements of design (color, light, space, shape, and line) to express these
themes. Themes might include things like:

 The use of a color scheme to give the work a particular mood or meaning. See, for
example, the paintings of Picasso’s Blue Period.
 Symbolism and religious or mythological imagery. For example, look at the use of
figures and symbols from classical mythology in Renaissance works like Botticelli’s
“Birth of Venus.”

124
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
 Repeating images or motifs within a work or group of works. For a good example
of this, look at how plants and flowers are used in many of the paintings of Frida Kahlo.

Interpreting the Work


1.) Try to identify the purpose of the work. In other words, what do you think the artist
was trying to say with the work? Why did they create the work? Try to summarize the
overall meaning of the work, as you see it.

2.) Describe your own reaction to the work. Now it’s time to get a little more subjective.
Think about how you feel while looking at the work. What do you think is the overall
mood of the work? Does it remind you of anything (ideas, experiences, other works of
art)?

 Use expressive language to talk about your reaction to the work. For example, is
the mood of the work sad? Hopeful? Peaceful? Would you describe the work as
beautiful, or ugly?

3.) Back up your interpretation with examples. Use examples from your description and
analysis of the work to explain why you think and feel the way you do about the
piece.

 For example, “I believe that James Sant’s portrait of a young bride is intended to
give a sense of the bride’s spiritual devotion. This is indicated by the line of the
composition, which draws the viewer’s eye upward, following the upward gaze
of the subject. It is also suggested by warm light, coming from a source
somewhere above the young woman.”

Judging the Work


1.) Decide whether you think the work is successful or not. Your goal here isn’t
necessarily to decide whether the art is “good” or “bad.” Instead, focus on whether
you think the work is “successful.” For example, think about the following:

 Do you think the work says what the artist wanted it to say?
 Did the artist use their tools and techniques well?
 Is the art original, or does it imitate other works?

125
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
2.) Explain how you are judging the work. Once you have decided on a few aspects of the
work to judge, clearly state the focus of your evaluation. For example, you might say that
you are judging the piece on how well organized it is, how well done it is technically, and
how successfully it portrays the intended mood or themes.

3.) Summarize why you think the work is successful or unsuccessful. In a few sentences,
explain your judgment of the work. Give specific reasons for your judgment, using your
interpretation and analysis of the work.

 For example, “I believe this work is successful because the use of light, shape, gesture,
and line all work together harmoniously to portray the mood of the subject.”

Writing an Analysis of an event or program

An event critique or analysis is to assess the over-all success of the event or program
itself. The following are the elements for analysis:

1) Audience. The success of an event or program is an assessment on how well it


was ended. Give the description on the volume of the audiene.
2) Problems/ Emergencies. Discuss how the host or event planner handled the
problems and emergencies, if there was any. Describe the provision to address
possible emergencies/problems.
3) Program Emcee/Host. Indicate how the emcee did his/her job and
maintained a lively and engaging atmosphere. Also mention how the host
hendled problem or emergencies, if there was any.
4) Food. If food was provided to the participants, it is noteworthy to provide an
assessment for it. Indicate the satisfaction rate of the participants. Make a
review of the quanlity of food.
5) Venue. Describe the venue of the event or program. Be able to include your
assessment on the seating arrangement, its proximity, the convenience of the
participants in going to the places.

126
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1

Direction: Look carefully the images about the “Peñafrancia Festival” celebrated
every September in Naga City, Bicol to honor Inang Peñafrancia. Then, write a critique
paper about it. Make sure that you will follow the proper format.You will be graded
based on the rubrics below:

RUBRICS:
Correct Format 50%
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling 30%
Impact of the critique paper to the reader 20%
TOTAL 100%

127
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
References:
https://literarydevices.net/critique/,Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/pdf/critique.pdf, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/spring97/litcrit.html, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/critique.jsp, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.wikihow.com/Critique-Artwork, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=4s1P1A6YtwwVjM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.
https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=aOPUbhwgJB-FsM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.

https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=sqb0APmufLHCuM, Accessed on 12
August 2020.
https://www.google.com/search?q=penafrancia+festival&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwihuP39uZ
TrAhXaBaYKHfnlAP0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=penafra&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyA
ggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CZYFjXemD2jAFoA
nAAeACAAYoBiAGFBpIBAzMuNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=qz
0zX-
G2E9qLmAX5y4PoDw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=sqb0APmufLHCuM&imgdii=vgTV8vdzWDrF
vM, Accessed on 12 August 2020.

128
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Concept Paper
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner defines what a concept paper is (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j -19).

The learner determines the ways a writer can elucidate on a concept


by definition, explication and clarification (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j-20).

LECTURE

CONCEPT PAPER

A concept paper is a document which summarizes what your project is


about, why it is important, and how you intend to carry it out. It consists of
the topic under research, the hypothesis that you seek to approve or
disprove, research questions, data required, and methods of obtaining it.
It is sometimes known as a proposal or an abstract. The latter two are
usually more detailed than a concept paper but often serve the same
purpose, that is, to convince the party evaluating it that the research
project is worthwhile.

Depending on the research you are carrying out, your concept paper
can range from 2-3 pages for a small research project to up to 20 pages
for massive research projects. As for the formatting, the spacing should be
double, the font size should be 12, and the font style should preferably be
Times New Roman.

If you refer to any sources while drafting your concept paper, it is


important that you cite them at the end of your document or whenever
the citation may be necessary for the process of concept paper writing.

129
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
An academic concept paper is a brief summary of a research project
written by a university student who is about to conduct a certain research.
It outlines the project in around 2-3 pages and its purpose is to give the
department an idea of what the research is about, why the research is
important, and how it will be carried out.

A concept paper is an in-depth analysis of any idea, situation, or


practice. It can be on anything that you find significant.

A concept paper examines the ‘what-ness’ or nature of something.

A concept paper is fundamentally different from a concept


paper/project proposal in terms of its ultimate objective.

A concept paper/project proposal seeks to present an idea for


consideration by others, possibly for funding or support.

Hence, a concept paper also entails a persuasive intent.

A concept paper goes beyond definition to convince the reader to


implement or support the proposed concept or project.

THE CONCEPT PAPER AS EXTENDED DEFINITION


A concept paper can be purely an explanation of an idea or concept or as an initial
outline of a project proposal. A combination of several rhetorical strategies is used
to extend a definition. The following strategies can be done:

Comparison and Contrast


It can also be done. This is advisable when the term is not too familiar or popular
with the audience. What you can do is compare and contrast with something
popular or familiar
Giving details
Through description is another strategy: you can physically describe something
by giving its dimensions, parts, and functions, as in defining what an ATM is.
Non-physical description can be done by giving characteristics to define
something.to your audience.
Giving historical
background may also enlighten the audience about the meaning of a
concept.This strategy is particularly useful when a concept’s definition has gone
through changes in time.

130
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Analysis
to extend a definition can be done by discussing the idea’s components
and/or its implications. Implications are the far-reaching consequences of a
concept.

In terms of style, a definition may be formal or informal, or technical or popular.


In a formal definition
it is a concept is defined by first giving the class to which the term belongs and
then proceeding to a discussion of the characteristics that make the term
different from other related terms. In science, this approach is called
genus-et-differentia- uses research-based information.

Informal definition
it may be just based on a person’s personal views.

Technical definition
as term says, makes use of technical language or specialized vocabulary of a
field, which is why it is not easily understood by a person who lacks the
necessary background or training.- often a formal definition.

Popular definition
in contrast, makes use of layman’s language and is thus easy to understand.

THE CONCEPT PAPER AS EXPLICATION


The process by which abstract concepts are linked to their real world
variations so that they can be observed by appropriate methods. Logically, it
involves both deductive and inductive reasoning. It can be further divided into
meaning analysis and empirical analysis.

1. Preliminary Identification of the Concept. Identify and name each concept your
group is interested in examining. Questions to asked and answered:
Is each concept a variable concept, and if so on what qualities does it vary?
What is the unit of analysis for this concept?
How does the concept fit into the research problem?
For each concept, ask and answer the questions before your literature search.

2. Literature Research. Use various library resources to locate how previous


researchers have used the concept. Do this for each concept you have identified.
Once you have collected the literature, organize and structure it. Questions to
asked and answered:
What are the different conceptual meanings that have been assigned to
the concept?

131
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
What operational definitions have been used?
What are the different labels under which the concept has been studied?
Which of the various usages of the concept is most promising for your study?
For each concept, produce a half page summary of the results of your
literature search.

3. Empirical description. Go back into the most promising studies and examine the
properties of the operational definitions of the selected concept. Questions to
asked and answered:
What are the characteristics of the operationalization of the concept such
as the mean, median, and mode and the range of variation?
What antecedents and consequences of the concept have been
observed in previous studies?
For each concept, explain how you think it relates to the other concepts
you plan to study.
4. Develop a tentative conceptual definition. Use the literature search and your
synthesis of the empirical description to develop a tentative conceptual
definition of each concept. Questions to asked and answered:

What are each concepts essential elements?


What lower-order (less abstract) dimensions does this general concept
subsume?
What are instances or examples that could be developed into indicators
of the concept?
From the conceptual definition we should understand the boundaries of
the concept and the conditions for observation. Recognize that much
trial-and-error and revision of definition are involved here.
5. Develop a tentative operational definition. Each dimension of the concept should
be capable of direct observation. If possible, each dimension would have more
than one empirical indicator (items or instances). The operational definition should
include: the conditions of observation; details of question wording, rating scale,
manipulation procedures etc.; and analysis procedures and statistical operations
implied. Go into the codebook and select the items that you think best represent
the concept.
6. Data gathering. The concept and its operational definition then should be
included in actual data collection. The data will be used in the second major phase
of the explication process, empirical analysis. Associations or correlations among the
indicators of the dimensions are studied along with the empirical relationships of the

132
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
focal concept to other concepts. This final step will be conducted later in the
semester.

Writing a concept paper


A winning concept paper will capture the attention of whoever is reading
it and get you the results you need. Below are the steps you need to follow to
ensure that your concept paper will get a smile and a nod from the reader.

1. Come up with a research topic that genuinely interests you The research
topic should span areas that interest you as an individual and are still
relevant to your area of study or course. How do you come up with a
research topic? How to come up with a research topic. As you studied
throughout your junior classes, you may have encountered certain concepts
that awoke your curiosity. These may give you ideas of what your research
could be about. Alternatively, while randomly reading a newspaper,
watching TV, reading books, and so on, you may have come across ideas or
concepts that aroused your interests. These can serve as research topics you
may consider pursuing. Personal experiences can also be good starting
points when you are searching for a topic to write about. List all the ideas
you can remember or think of that you would be interested in doing a
research on. Afterward, choose the area that interests you most in the list
you made as the one in which you will carry out your research. Ensure it is a
topic that is academically relevant and researchable.

2. Write down the research questions you need to research on depending on


the idea you have chosen. You can come up with as many questions as
possible. The more the questions, the longer your research paper will be, as it
will seek to answer to each of them. The questions can range from:
Exploratory questions, where you want to find out more about the topic
under study, Explanatory question, where your aim is to explore the
relationship or lack thereof between two or more variables, and Descriptive
questions such as determining the averages, means, and modes of a
variable or variables in the topic under study.

3. Develop a research hypothesis from each of the research questions that you
have listed a hypothesis, also known as a thesis or theses in plural, is a
tentative, usually informed or educated guess about a certain scenario. It is
referred to as ‘an educated or informed guess’ as it is based on some prior
knowledge about the topic either by some pre-known theory, or a previous
research you may have carried out. The hypothesis is what you will either

133
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
prove or disprove when the research is done and therefore, be able to draw
your conclusion.

4. Identify the kind of data you need to answer these hypothetical questions
and how you will gather the data Depending on the type of research you
are carrying out, data that you may need may include actual numbers,
averages, and so on. Data can either be primary or secondary, qualitative
or quantitative. Primary data is first-hand information obtained from the
ground, for example, by carrying out interviews and site visits. Secondary
data is second-hand information obtained from reading books, watching
news, videos, the internet, and other already documented material.
Qualitative data is based on subjective factors such as people’s opinions,
while quantitative data is based on actual numbers and is, therefore, more
objective.

5. Identify how you will analyze, interpret, and present the data Come up with
conclusive and tangible evidence to prove or disprove all the hypotheses
you had stated earlier. Methods of data analysis include the use of statistical
analysis such as mean, totals, income, or the general relationship between
variables which can be enhanced by the use of graphical methods where
possible. Having developed all the above, you are now ready to come up
with your concept paper, which will detail each of the steps outlined.

Major elements of a concept paper format:


1. The title page. You should begin with a title that fully summarizes what the
project you are carrying out is about. Avoid being wordy and stick to the main
point.
2. Introduction and statement of the problem. This serves as the most important
part of the concept paper. You must be seeking to add value and convince
the reader that you are doing so. For example, your research should seek to
solve an existing problem or provide further insights into a scarcely researched
topic. The problem should be clear. Why would you want to investigate the
topic under study, and how your research will be helpful in achieving this?
Herein, you need to provide the evidence that the research you need to carry
out is necessary in that it has not been carried out before or has not been
adequately done. Here are some questions that may help you nail this element:

134
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
What is the problem? Why do you feel that it is important? How does your study
relate to or add to research that has already been done?
3. Value of the study. Outline specific groups of people who the study may
benefit and how it will benefit them.
4. A preliminary literature review. You need to back up your passion for the
topic under research with solid literature that supports the topic, for example,
literature that supports the fact that further research needs to be carried out in
that area. You need to show that there exists an information gap which your
research seeks to fill. The wider the variety of literature review you have carried
out, the more solid and convincing your concept paper will be.
5. State the research goals or objectives. This is a broad statement or statements
of what the research seeks to achieve. It should start with ‘to’ and answer the
questions who, what, when, which, or how.
6. Write down all the research questions. These are important as they will direct
you on every research area, for example, the type of data to collect and how
to analyze it. Make sure you have exhausted all the questions for the research
to be complete.
7. The research hypothesis. The research hypotheses stem from the research
topic or the research questions and are, therefore, easy to draft. They are a
statement of the situation you anticipate based on some prior knowledge you
have, even before you carry out the research. The research seeks to find out if
these hypotheses are true or not. There should be a positive and a negative
hypothesis for each statement given. A positive hypothesis agrees with the
statement in question while a negative hypothesis opposes it. At the end of the
research paper, you will either accept or reject your positive hypothesis based
on your findings.
8. State the methodology you intend to use. The research methodology states
the ‘how’ of carrying out the research. It details the research design, that is,
what kind of research you intend to carry out. You can either carry out: An
exploratory design that seeks to expound on the area of study that you have an
idea in, in order to understand it better. An explanatory design that seeks to
carry out an in-depth study on a certain idea that was not tackled in-depth. It
mostly requires the use of qualitative methods of data collection.

135
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
A descriptive research that seeks to find out the relationship between two
variables of data you need. It uses analyses methods such as mean and mode.
9. A timeline for completion of each element of the research project.
Undertaking a research can take a very long time if not well planned for, and it
is, therefore, important to lay out just how much time you may need to
complete each element of the research project and ultimately the whole
project. In this section, you need to set a time frame that is realistic.
10. Outline citations. Always remember to give credit to any sources you may
have sourced your information from. This can be done within the document or
at the end of the concept paper.

Additional Information
Typically, a concept paper contains the following elements:

1. A title which is usually in the form of a question.

2. A brief overview of the research topic, including a summary of what is

already known about that topic.


3. A brief statement of the research question that the project will seek to

answer. This is usually done in one or two sentences.


4. An explanation of why this research question is important and why this

project is worth writing.


5. A description of how the methods that the researcher plans to use to

answer the research question.

136
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
137
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
SAMPLE OF A CONCEPT PAPER

Topic: Preparing Students for Future Technology


Problem Statement: Educators have a responsibility to prepare students to
succeed in a world of digital technology (Bawden, 2008), but they cannot easily
come to a consensus about exactly how to do that because technology
continues to change so rapidly (Nelson, Courier, and Joseph, 2011).
Consequently, the concept of “digital literacy” has emerged in the discourse
among educators as they prepare students to keep stride with new innovations.
Any instructional methods are applied in differing ways, and variances occur,
“within as well as between grade levels” (Breaux, Danridge, and Pearson, p.
227), so it is crucial to identify the methods that experienced teachers find most
effective for promoting the development of digital literacy while teaching
various subjects and grade levels.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the instructions methods


experienced teachers perceive to be most effective for improving digital
literacy at the high school level. Nelson, Courier, and Joseph explain that one of
the difficulties in forming a consensus about how to best teach students about
technology is the fact that it changes so quickly. Therefore, it is reasonable to
seek guidance from experienced teachers as they continuously modify their
instructional methods to better promote digital literacy.

Theoretical Framework: This descriptive study uses a post-positivist


phenomenological approach based on the perceptions of experienced
teachers. The two major areas of CustomDissertation.com - 2 theoretical context
are comprised of literature related to teacher efficacy (from Bandura’s
“selfefficacy”) and literature related to digital literacy. Gilster (1997) was the first
to offer a definition for “digital literacy” and over the years others have offered
different definitions (Nelson, Courier, and Joseph, 2011) which burdens
researchers to be as agile and innovative enough to inform instructional
practice about promoting digital literacy even while digital technology
continues to change.

Research Question: What are the “best practices” described by experienced


teachers who modify their instructional methods to promote digital literacy?
References:
Ackley, H. A. (2003). Digital literacy and the "Middle Way". (Teaching
Mindfully).Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(1), 301-306.

138
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Bawden, D. (2008), "Origins and Concepts of Digital Literacy." In Digital
Literacies: Concepts, Policies, and Practices, Colin Lankshear and Michele
Knobel, (Eds.), Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY, pp. 17-32.

Breaux, G., Danridje, J., Pearson, D. Scott. (2002). Elementary School: Home
Grown School Improvement in the Flesh. In Teaching Reading: Effective Schools,
Accomplished Teachers, Taylor, B. M., & Pearson, P. D. (Eds.), Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Clark, L., & Visser, M. (2011). Digital literacy takes center stage. Library
Technology Reports, 47(6), 38-42.

Enochs, L. G., Smith, P. L., & Huinker, D. (2000). Establishing factorial validity of
themathemati cs teaching efficacy beliefs instrument. School Science and
Mathematics, 100, 194-203.

Eshet, Y. (2012). Thinking in the digital era: A revised model for digital literacy.
Issues in Informing Science & Information Technology, 9. 267.
CustomDissertation.com - 3

Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills


in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-
106.

Fletcher, G. H. (2011). Digital learning-and school reform-now! A new bipartisan


initiative seeks to leverage technology to challenge some long-held
assumptions about US education. T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In
Education), 38(3), 7-14.
Gilster, P. (1997). Digital Literacy. Wiley Computer Publishing, New York.

Joosten, T., Pasquini, L., & Harness, L. (2013). Guiding social media at our
institutions. Planning for Higher Education, 42(2), 125-148.

Luce-Kapler, R. (2008). Thinking in hypertext: Interrupting the mindset of


schooling. Curriculum Matters, 4, 85-101.

Nelson, K., Courier, M., & Joseph, G. W. (2011). An investigation of digital literacy
Needs of Students. Journal of Information Systems Education, 22(2), 95-109.

Ng, W. (2011). Why digital literacy is important for science teaching and
learning. Teaching Science, 57(4), 26-32.

Sneider, C. (2012). Core ideas of engineering and technology: Understanding a


framework for k-12 science education. The Science Teacher, 79(1), 32.

139
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1
Direction: Read the questions carefully. Then, write your answer on your
notebook.

1.) What is a concept paper?

2.) What are the elements or parts of an effective concept paper?

3.) What is the importance of a concept paper?

TASK 2
Direction: Choose one from the given topics below and write a concept
paper about it. Write your work on your notebook.

1. Effect of cultural diversity


2. How teenagers fall into the peer pressure
3. Purpose of the press
4. How does stress affect the body?
5. How is Google search affecting our intelligence?

References:
https://kami.com.ph/84093-concept-paper-write-a-comprehensive-guide-
2020.html#:~:text=A%20concept%20paper%20is%20a,and%20methods%20of%20
obtaining%20it., Accessed on 13 August 2020.

https://blogs.wp.missouristate.edu/writinglab/rhetoric/explaining-a-
concept/#:~:text=Concept%20analysis%2C%20explaining%20a%20concept,patr
iotism%2C%20hate%2C%20or%20joy.&text=The%20assignment%20requires%20stu
dents%20to,explain%20and%20examine%20a%20concept. , Accessed on 13
August 2020.

https://dshah.journalism.wisc.edu/files/Concept-Explication-Assignment.pdf,
Accessed on 13 August 2020.

140
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Position Paper
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner defines what a position paper is (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d -1).

The learner identifies situations in which a position paper may be


effectively used in our present society (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-IIa-d-2).

LECTURE

WRITING A POSITION PAPER

a position paper presents one side of an arguable opinion about an


issue.
The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your
opinion is valid and defensible. Ideas that you are considering need
to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your
argument, and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure
that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a
manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your job is to
take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that
you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It
is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the
validity of your claims, as well as to refute the counterclaims to show
that you are well informed about both sides.
A Position Paper is a common type of academic argument writing
assignment. Typically, a Position Paper is written after reading about
and discussing a particular issue. Quite often, the readings cover
more than one issue, and as a writer you must choose a particular
area of focus. The central goal of writing a position paper is not only
to state and defend your position on the issue but also to show how
your stance relates to other positions.
is an essay or written report that presents a person’s attitude, options,
and intentions about a specific issue.
is sometimes called a point-of-view paper.
is a one-side argument about a certain issue and presents such argument
in an organized manner

141
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
How important is a position paper?

A position paper is a document describing a topic, your country's position,


and possible solutions. It is important to write a position paper for each of your
topics because it will help you gain insight on the issue.
Position Paper Diagram

An author who writes a position paper is making an argument which has


to be built upon evidence. The structure used to do this is very similar to that
used when writing a critical essay.
Image taken from James Cook University Study Skills Online. "Essay Structure." 17 August, 2012. Retrieved
from http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/writingskills/essay/structure.html.

Purpose
The purpose of a position paper is to generate support on an issue. It
describes the author’s position on an issue and the rational for that position and,
in the same way that a research paper incorporates supportive evidence, is
based on facts that provide a solid foundation for the author’s argument. It is a
critical examination of a position using facts and inductive reasoning, which
addresses both strengths and weaknesses of the author’s opinion.

142
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Elements of the Position Paper
The classic position paper contains three main elements:
An Introduction, which identifies the issue that will be discussed and states the
author’s position on that issue.
Introduction clearly identifies the issue and state the author’s position.

The Body of the paper, which contains the central argument and can be further
broken up into three unique sections:
Background information
Evidence supporting the author’s position
A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses and refutes
arguments that contradict the author’s position
Body presents an idea or main concept that clarifies a portion of the position
statement and is supported by evidence or facts.

A Conclusion, restating the key points and, where applicable, suggesting


resolutions to the issue.
Conclusion summarizes the main concepts and ideas and reinforce, without
repeating, the introduction or body of the paper.

TASK 1
DIRECTION: Pick one from the topics below. Then, write a position paper about it on
your notebook. Don’t forget to follow the proper structure of a concept paper.
You will be graded based from the rubric and requirements below.

1. Banning of school uniforms in Senior High Schools


2. Legalization of the same-sex marriage in the Philippines
3. Free Monthly Allowance for College students
4. Free cell phone load in the Philippines

RUBRIC & REQUIREMENTS:


Thesis and Introduction: 20
Argument (support): 10
Conclusion: 10
References/citation: 10
Hand-written, and Grammar: 10
Total: 60

143
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Writing a Report
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
Determines the objectives and structures of various kinds of reports
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIe-j-6).

Writes various reports (CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIa-d-5).

LECTURE
REPORT
A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience. Specific
information and evidence are presented, analysed and applied to a
particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a clearly
structured format making use of sections and headings so that the
information is easy to locate and follow.
When you are asked to write a report you will usually be given a report brief
which provides you with instructions and guidelines. The report brief may
outline the purpose, audience and problem or issue that your report must
address, together with any specific requirements for format or structure. This
guide offers a general introduction to report writing; be sure also to take
account of specific instructions provided by your department.
All your facts and information presented in the report not only have to be
bias-free, but they also have to be 100% correct. Proof-reading and fact-
checking is always what you do as a thumb rule before submitting a report.
Reports are written with much analysis. The purpose of report writing is essential
to inform the reader about a topic, minus one’s opinion on the topic. It’s simply
a portrayal of facts, as it is. Even if one gives inferences, solid analysis, charts,
tables and data is provided. Mostly it is specified by the person who’s asked for
the report whether they would like your take or not if that is the case.

144
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
THE STRUCTURE OF A REPORT

The main features of a report are described below to provide a general


guide. These should be used in conjunction with the instructions or guidelines
provided by your department.

Title Page

This should briefly but explicitly describe the purpose of the report (if this is
not obvious from the title of the work). Other details you may include could be
your name, the date and for whom the report is written.

Geology of the country around Beacon Hill, Leicestershire


Angus Taylor
2 November 2004

Terms of Reference

Under this heading you could include a brief explanation of who will read
the report (audience) why it was written (purpose) and how it was written
(methods). It may be in the form of a subtitle or a single paragraph.

A report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for Course GL456,


Department of Geology, University of Leicester.

Example of terms of reference

Summary (Abstract)

The summary should briefly describe the content of the report. It should
cover the aims of the report, what was found and what, if any, action is called
for. Aim for about 1/2 a page in length and avoid detail or discussion; just outline
the main points. Remember that the summary is the first thing that is read. It
should provide the reader with a clear, helpful overview of the content of the
report.

145
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Exposure of rocks belonging to the Charnian Supergroup (late Precambrian)
were examined in the area around Beacon Hill, north Leicestershire. This report
aims to provide details of the stratigraphy at three sites - Copt Oak, Mount St.
Bernard Abbey and Oaks in Charnwood. It was observed that at each of these
sites, the Charnian Supergroup consists mainly of volcanic sediments (air-fall and
ash-flow tuffs) with mudstones and siltstones. These rocks show features that are
characteristic of deposition in shallow water on the flanks of a volcano (e.g.
welding and alteration of ignimbrites). Further studies are required to understand
depositional mechanisms and to evaluate the present-day thickness of
individual rock units.

Contents (Table of Contents)

The contents page should list the different chapters and/or headings
together with the page numbers. Your contents page should be presented in
such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings and locate a
particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter headings and
subheadings in addition to providing page references. Whatever numbering
system you use, be sure that it is clear and consistent throughout.

Introduction

The introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report. The aims
and objectives of the report should be explained in detail. Any problems or
limitations in the scope of the report should be identified, and a description of
research methods, the parameters of the research and any necessary
background history should be included.

In some reports, particularly in science subjects, separate headings


for Methods and Results are used prior to the main body (Discussion) of the
report as described below.

146
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Methods

Information under this heading may include: a list of equipment used;


explanations of procedures followed; relevant information on materials used,
including sources of materials and details of any necessary preparation;
reference to any problems encountered and subsequent changes in
procedure.

Results

This section should include a summary of the results of the investigation or


experiment together with any necessary diagrams, graphs or tables of gathered
data that support your results. Present your results in a logical order without
comment. Discussion of your results should take place in the main body
(Discussion) of the report.

Discussion

The main body of the report is where you discuss your material. The facts
and evidence you have gathered should be analysed and discussed with
specific reference to the problem or issue. If your discussion section is lengthy
you might divide it into section headings. Your points should be grouped and
arranged in an order that is logical and easy to follow. Use headings and
subheadings to create a clear structure for your material. Use bullet points to
present a series of points in an easy-to-follow list. As with the whole report, all
sources used should be acknowledged and correctly referenced.
Conclusion

In the conclusion you should show the overall significance of what has
been covered. You may want to remind the reader of the most important points
that have been made in the report or highlight what you consider to be the
most central issues or findings. However, no new material should be introduced
in the conclusion.

147
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Appendices

Under this heading you should include all the supporting information you
have used that is not published. This might include tables, graphs,
questionnaires, surveys or transcripts. Refer to the appendices in the body of
your report.

In order to assess the popularity of this change, a questionnaire (Appendix 2)


was distributed to 60 employees. The results (Appendix 3) suggest the change is
well received by the majority of employees.

Bibliography

Your bibliography should list, in alphabetical order by author, all published


sources referred to in your report. There are different styles of using references
and bibliographies. Refer to the study guide Texts which you consulted but did
not refer to directly could be grouped under a separate heading such as
'Background Reading' and listed in alphabetical order using the same format as
in your bibliography.
Acknowledgements

Where appropriate you may wish to acknowledge the assistance of particular


organisations or individuals who provided information, advice or help.

Glossary of Technical Terms

It is useful to provide an alphabetical list of technical terms with a brief,


clear description of each term. You can also include in this section explanations
of the acronyms, abbreviations or standard units used in your report.

You will not necessarily be required to use all of the headings described
above, nor will they necessarily be in the order given here. Check your
departmental guidelines or instructions.

148
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Report writing is a formal style of writing elaborately on a topic. The tone of a
report is always formal. The important section to focus on is the target audience. For
example – report writing about a school event, report writing about a business case,
etc. Let us briefly discuss the different kinds of reports:

ALL TYPES OF REPORTS AND THEIR EXPLANATION

Long Report and Short Reports:


These kinds of reports are quite clear, as the name suggests. A two-page
report or sometimes referred to as a memorandum is short, and a thirty-page report
is absolutely long. But what makes a clear division of short reports or long reports?
Well, usually, notice that longer reports are generally written in a formal manner.

Internal and External Reports:


As the name suggests, an internal report stays within a certain organization or
group of people. In the case of office settings, internal reports are for within
the organization.
We prepare external reports, such as a news report in the newspaper about
an incident or the annual reports of companies for distribution outside the
organization. We call these as public reports.

Vertical and Lateral Reports:


This is about the hierarchy of the reports’ ultimate target. If the report is for
your management or for your mentees, it’s a vertical report. Wherever a direction
of upwards or downwards comes into motion, we call it a vertical report.
Lateral reports, on the other hand, assist in coordination in the organization. A
report traveling between units of the same organization level (for example, a report
among the administration and finance departments) is lateral.
Periodic Reports:

Periodic reports are sent out on regularly pre-scheduled dates. In most cases,
their direction is upward and serves as management control. Some, like annual
reports, is not vertical but is a government mandate to be periodic in nature.

149
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
That is why we have annual or quarterly or half-yearly reports. If they are this
frequent, it only makes sense to pre-set the structure of these reports and just fill in
the data every period. That’s exactly what happens in most cases too.
Formal and Informal Reports:

Formal reports are meticulously structured. They focus on objectivity and


organization, contain deeper detail, and the writer must write them in a style that
eliminates factors like personal pronouns.
Informal reports are usually short messages with free-flowing, casual use of
language. We generally describe the internal report/memorandum as an informal
report. For example, a report among your peers, or a report for your small group or
team, etc.

Informational and Analytical Reports:


Informational reports (attendance reports, annual budget reports, monthly
financial reports, and such) carry objective information from one area of an
organization to maybe a larger system.
Analytical reports (scientific research, feasibility reports, and employee
appraisals) show attempts to solve actual problems. These analytical reports usually
require suggestions at the end.

Proposal Reports:
These kinds of reports are like an extension to the analytical/problem-solving
reports. A proposal is a document one prepares to describe how one organization
can provide a solution to a problem they are facing.
There’s usually always a need to prepare a report in a business set-up. The
end goal is usually very solution-oriented. We call such kinds of reports as proposal
reports.

Functional Reports:
These kinds of reports include marketing reports, financial reports, accounting
reports, and a spectrum of other reports that provide a function specifically. By and
large, we can include almost all reports in most of these categories. Furthermore, we
can include a single report in several kinds of reports.

150
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Solved Example on Kinds of Reports

Question: We know that reports are a part of formal communication. So, is there any
kind of informal report? If yes, then explain?

Answer: Informal reports are usually short messages with free-flowing, casual use of
language. We generally describe the internal report/memorandum as an informal
report. For example, a report among your peers, or a report for your small group of
team, etc.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD REPORT?

Two of the reasons why reports are used as forms of written assessment are:
to find out what you have learned from your reading, research or
experience;
to give you experience of an important skill that is widely used in the work
place.

An effective report presents and analyses facts and evidence that are
relevant to the specific problem or issue of the report brief. All sources used
should be acknowledged.
The style of writing in a report is usually less discursive than in an essay, with a
more direct and economic use of language. A well- written report will
demonstrate your ability to:

understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its


specifications;
gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;
structure material in a logical and coherent order;
present your report in a consistent manner according to the instructions of
the report brief;
make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and
analysis of the report.

151
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
WRITING THE REPORT: THE ESSENTIAL STAGES

All reports need to be clear, concise and well structured. The key to
writing an effective report is to allocate time for planning and preparation. With
careful planning, the writing of a report will be made much easier. The essential
stages of successful report writing are described below. Consider how long each
stage is likely to take and divide the time before the deadline between the
different stages. Be sure to leave time for final proof reading and checking.

Stage One: Understanding the report brief

This first stage is the most important. You need to be confident that you
understand the purpose of your report as described in your report brief or
instructions. Consider who the report is for and why it is being written. Check that
you understand all the instructions or requirements, and ask your tutor if anything
is unclear.

Stage Two: Gathering and selecting information

Once you are clear about the purpose of your report, you need to begin
to gather relevant information. Your information may come from a variety of
sources, but how much information you will need will depend on how much
detail is required in the report. You may want to begin by reading relevant
literature to widen your understanding of the topic or issue before you go on to
look at other forms of information such as questionnaires, surveys etc. As you
read and gather information you need to assess its relevance to your report and
select accordingly. Keep referring to your report brief to help you decide what is
relevant information.

Stage Three: Organising your material

Once you have gathered information you need to decide what will be
included and in what sequence it should be presented. Begin by grouping
together points that are related. These may form sections or chapters.
Remember to keep referring to the report brief and be prepared to cut any

152
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
information that is not directly relevant to the report. Choose an order for your
material that is logical and easy to follow.

Stage Four: Analysing your material

Before you begin to write your first draft of the report, take time to consider and
make notes on the points you will make using the facts and evidence you have
gathered. What conclusions can be drawn from the material? What are the
limitations or flaws in the evidence? Do certain pieces of evidence conflict with
one another? It is not enough to simply present the information you have
gathered; you must relate it to the problem or issue described in the report brief.

Stage Five: Writing the report

Having organised your material into appropriate sections and headings you can
begin to write the first draft of your report. You may find it easier to write the
summary and contents page at the end when you know exactly what will be
included. Aim for a writing style that is direct and precise. Avoid waffle and
make your points clearly and concisely. Chapters, sections and even individual
paragraphs should be written with a clear structure. The structure described
below can be adapted and applied to chapters, sections and even
paragraphs.

Introduce the main idea of the chapter/section/paragraph


Explain and expand the idea, defining any key terms.
Present relevant evidence to support your point(s).
Comment on each piece of evidence showing how it relates to your
point(s).
Conclude your chapter/section/paragraph by either showing its
significance to the report as a whole or making a link to the next
chapter/section/paragraph.

153
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
Stage Six: Reviewing and redrafting

Ideally, you should leave time to take a break before you review your first
draft. Be prepared to rearrange or rewrite sections in the light of your review. Try
to read the draft from the perspective of the reader. Is it easy to follow with a
clear structure that makes sense? Are the points concisely but clearly explained
and supported by relevant evidence? Writing on a word processor makes it
easier to rewrite and rearrange sections or paragraphs in your first draft. If you
write your first draft by hand, try writing each section on a separate piece of
paper to make redrafting easier.

Stage Seven: Presentation

Once you are satisfied with the content and structure of your redrafted
report, you can turn your attention to the presentation. Check that the wording
of each chapter/section/subheading is clear and accurate. Check that you
have adhered to the instructions in your report brief regarding format and
presentation. Check for consistency in numbering of chapters, sections and
appendices. Make sure that all your sources are acknowledged and correctly
referenced. You will need to proof read your report for errors of spelling or
grammar. If time allows, proof read more than once. Errors in presentation or
expression create a poor impression and can make the report difficult to read.

Feedback

Any feedback from tutors on returned work can be used to create a


checklist of key points to consider for your next report. Identify priority areas for
attention and seek out further information and advice. Speak to your tutor or an
adviser from the Learning Development. Used in this way, feedback from tutors
can provide a useful tool for developing and improving your writing skills.

154
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
TASK 1

Direction: Fill the underlines with the correct word from the box.

Subheading information recommend aim

1. You might be asked to write a report when a person in authority needs ___________.
2. In the first line of the introduction, you should say what the__________ of the report is.
3. A report should be divided into paragraphs, each with a clear _________ on the left.
4. At the end of the report, you will probably be asked to _____ what should be done.

TASK 2

Direction: Complete the second sentence to make recommendations in a more


formal way.

1. We should organise an interview. Perhaps we could consider


___________________________________.

2. We should make a book. I would recommend


________________________________________.

3. We should prepare questions for the interview. It would be advisable


________________________________________.

4. We should invite all students. I would recommend


________________________________________.

5. We should use a microphone for the interview. Perhaps we could consider


________________________________________.

155
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.
6. We should choose representatives from each class. It would be advisable
________________________________________.

7. We should print the book professionally. Perhaps we could consider


________________________________________.

8. We should give students adequate time to prepare their contributions. I would


recommend ________________________________________.

References:

https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/reports/structure/, Accessed on 13
August 2020
https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/all-resources/writing/writing-resources/reports,
Accessed on 13 August 2020

156
This module is exclusive to Mother Theresa Colegio Group of Schools students only.

You might also like