SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL- Reading and Writing Skills

Student’s Name: ______________________________ Grade: _________________

Teacher: _____________________________________ Date Submitted: _________

I. LEARNING SKILLS

A. Most Essential Learning Competency:

Determine textual evidence to validate assertions and counterclaims made about a text read

B. Objectives:
After going through this Learner’s Packet, you are expected:
1. Identify evidence presented in assertions and counterclaims made
2. Evaluate textual evidence/s to validate assertions and counterclaims made
about a text read

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

In this lesson, you will be led to determine what is textual evidence to validate
assertions and counterclaims made about a text you read. But first, you will have to
be familiar with textual evidence.

Textual evidence uses information from an originating source or other texts to

support an argument. Think of textual evidence as the driving force behind debates.
Debates take a position and then use facts as supporting evidence.

Textual evidence deals with facts in writing and the strategies used to figure out
whether the information is factual or not. Textual evidence comes into play when an
author presents a position or thesis and uses evidence to support the claims. That
evidence can come in different forms. (Source: mometrix.com)
Types of Evidence
1. Statistical Evidence
The strongest type of evidence in formal writing is statistical evidence. This
ranges from true, hard data presented as a percentage or number, to survey-type data.

The number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who worked abroad

at any time during the period April to September 2017 was estimated at
2.3 million. (18 May 2018)
(https://psa.gov.ph>content>2017)

Statistical evidence can be proven as fact. You can actually go out and find
hard information to prove your particular claim.

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2. Testimonial Evidence

Testimonial evidence can also be collected from experts and authorities on a

given field. Doctors, dentists, lawyers often provide expert testimonials. Their authority
is not often questioned. They are expected to "know their stuff."

An EU leader, Federica Mogherini, has gone as far as to say, “We

are rich. We are in peace. We have the duty to save and protect people
that are fleeing from war” (qtd. In Pearson 42)

3. Anecdotal Evidence

Storytelling, although based on fact, can include quite a bit of opinion, thus
making it less objective. Usually, eyewitnesses are used as providers of anecdotal
evidence. They saw or experienced the phenomenon at hand and are telling their
version or side of the story.

“I know John loved Judy because he told me so just before he died.”

“I know black swans exist because I saw one flying away today.”

4. Analogical Evidence

Analogies are mainly useful when dealing with a topic that is under-researched.
If you are on the cutting edge of an issue, you’re the person breaking new ground.
When you don’t have statistics to refer to or other authorities on the matter to quote,
you have to get your evidence from somewhere. Analogical evidence steps in to save
the day.

While no one can predict the future impacts of the mass migration into the EU,
studies of the past can shed light on the matter at hand. A study conducted in Denmark
during the 1990’s showed that an influx of refugees actually pushed native workers into
more skilled jobs and increased their standards of living (NY Times 3).

Determining Textual Evidence

To better evaluate the author’s argument, one should be able to determine the
evidence from the text. This will allow him/her to validate the assertions of the author
and his/her own counterclaims as a response to reading. Evidence is defined as the
details given by the text author to support his/her claim. The evidence provided by the
writer substantiates the text. It reveals and builds on the position of the writer and
makes the reading more interesting. Evidence is crucial in swaying the reader to the

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 2

author’s side. A jury or judge, for example, relies on evidence presented by a lawyer
before making a decision regarding a case.
Evidence can include the following:
● Facts and statistics (objectively validated information on your subject);
● Opinion from experts (leading authorities on a topic, such as researchers or
academics); and
● Personal anecdotes (generalizable, relevant, and objectively considered).
The following are some questions to help you determine evidence from
the text:
● What questions can you ask about the claims?
● Which details in the text answer your questions?
● What are the most important details in the paragraph?
● What is each one’s relationship to the claim?
● How does the given detail reinforce the claim?
● What details do you find interesting? Why?
● What are some claims that do not seem to have support? What kinds
of support could they be provided with?
● What are some details that you find questionable? Why do you think so?
● Are some details outdated, inaccurate, exaggerated, or taken out of
context?
● Are the sources reliable?
A good evidence, on the other hand, should:
● Unified;
● Relevant to the central point
● Specific and, concrete
● Accurate; and
● Representative or typical

III. ACTIVITIES

A. PRACTICE TASKS

Practice Task 1.

Directions: Identify what type of evidence is used in the following statement. Write
your answer on the blank provided.

___________1. In 2015 alone, an estimated 350,000 migrants crossed the borders of

the European Union.

___________ 2. Famous and accomplished writer Stephen King advises young

writers, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot
and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.”

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 3

___________ 3. Mr. Bonica’s class is an example of how 8:05 am start time has
impacted late arriving students to Tualatin High School, as he has seen a sharp decline
in tardy students. This year alone, his rate of tardy students has dropped from 12% to
8%.

____________4. More kids than ever are becoming educated, especially girls. In the
1980’s only half of girls in developing countries completed elementary school; now, 80
percent do (Kristof 2).

____________ 5. Actually, cars exemplify the public health approach we need to

apply to guns. We don’t ban cars, but we do driver’s licenses, seatbelts, airbags,
padded dashboards, safety glass and collapsible steering columns. And we’ve
reduced the auto fatality rate by 95 percent (NY Times, 8).
(www.writingsimplified.com/2009/10/4-types -of-evidence.html)

Practice Task 2.

Read the given news article below. Then, perform the tasks after.

Nutrition and the Philippines: ‘Nation at risk’

Fritzie Rodriguez
MANILA, Philippines – “Undernutrition is the single greatest threat to a child’s life.”
Dr. Martin Parreῆo, National Program Officer of the World Food Programme-
Philippines, called on Filipinos to pay more attention to child malnutrition at all times –
with or without disasters.
Latest statistics from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) showed that 67% of
Filipino families are not eating enough even when there are no calamities.
In the Philippines, malnutrition is seen across all age groups – from infancy to
adulthood, the 2013 National Nutrition Survey revealed.
‘At the center of malnutrition’s underlying causes is inadequate child care and
feeding practices,”Pareῆo added. “And we don’t have a structured curriculum
addressing this,” he said during the 2014 Dr. Juan Salcedo Memorial Lecture
organized by the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines (NFP) on Thursday, October
9.
Children who grew up in homes where parents did not care or invest in proper
food and hygiene will most likely to grow up to become the same kind of parents,
hence perpetuating the cycle.
The Department of Education has been working on integrating health and
nutrition lessons in school curricula. More recent strategies also try to involve
parents in classes and school-based supplementary feeding programs.
Such efforts, however, will remain fruitless unless more parents realize the
value of nutrition and their roles as primary caregivers.
Source: https://www.slideshare.net/VanessaRamones/formulating-assertions

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 4

 Identify and write down the assertion made in the above text. Write your
answer on the space provided.
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

A. List down two evidence or statements from the text which support the claim and
identify each. Write these down on the space provided.
1.____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Practice Task 3.
Directions: Underline the evidence/s in the following paragraphs.
1. Volcanic activity occurs around the Pacific Ring of Fire because many
destruction plate boundaries are located here. One example is the destructive
boundary between the continental South American plate and the oceanic Pacific plate
which has formed the Andes Mountains. The denser oceanic plate is subducted
underneath the continental plate and melts as it falls into the hot mantle. Magma rises
up through the continental plate and is erupted through volcanoes at the surface. The
destructive boundaries all around the Pacific Ring of Fire are the reason for high
volcanic activity. (www.virtuallibrary.info)

2. First of all, removing wild animals from their natural habitat is incredibly cruel.
When kept captive, these beautiful creatures become bored and lonely, often leading
to a condition called ‘zoochosis’. Animals suffering from zoochosis begin performing
anxious, repetitive acts such as rocking back and forth, swaying, grooming
themselves, excessively vomiting. Conditions such as this clearly demonstrate that
wild animals belong in the wilderness; not in restrictive, prison-like enclosures. Animals
must be freed from zoos now., so that this terrible suffering and mental torture ends
for good. (www.virtuallibrary.info)

3. Thinking and learning are the things that happen inside people’s brains.
Because teachers can’t look inside students’ brains to see what they learned, it is
important for students to make their thinking visible to the outside world. A great way
to do this is to create a digital portfolio. A digital portfolio is a website that students
build in order to document their learning. To those new to documenting learning, it

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 5

might be easy to confuse documentation with merely recording what the class has
done. Some people think a digital portfolio is just an archive of activities. However, to
be useful to both teachers and students, a digital portfolio must extend beyond this.
The process of learning should be the forms of documenting learning with digital
portfolios. Documenting learning with digital portfolios works best when students
document the events, questions, conversations, and actions that provoke and advance
learning over time.
(www.virtuallibrary.com)

4. One commonly highlighted positive impact of global warming is the possible

increase in plant-life in cold regions of the planet. Butler (2017) argues that by 2030
there will be 8% more arable land available in areas that have historically been too
cold for agriculture. For example, uninhabited parts of Siberia may become more likely
to have wide expanses for fertile and farmable land. White (2018) claims that regions
such as Siberia could experience an agricultural boom, and that climate change in this
respect may encourage different migration patterns for both humans and animals.
From this perspective, global warming is not necessarily a threat to humanity and the
Earth. Similarly, Jenkins (2013) suggests that the arctic tundra will see an increase in
plant reproduction, which will almost certainly result in new species emerging within
that region. However, scientists such as Jenkins also acknowledge that the regions to
which they are referring are often those which ‘do not receive a significant amount of
sunlight’ (White, 2018, p. 09). Therefore, in terms of agricultural land, these areas
cannot be considered a viable option to replace current land. Ultimately, the argument
that global warming will provide life new opportunities is not yet well developed. (
academicmarker.com)

5. Rather than providing the possibility of future habitats, global warming

appears instead to be destroying existing species and their living environments. As of
2018, the number of polar bears still in existence dropped 89% over the past century
(Theon, 2019). Similarly, multiple species of penguins are now almost extinct, with
Arctic marine life having declined by over 20% since 1976 (Jenkins, 2017). As the ice
caps have melted, landmass for these creatures has declined and water temperatures
have increased. Consequently, the habitats of these animals are constantly
diminishing. Additional evidence of the extent of the problem is that global warming
not only negatively impacts life in colder regions but warmer ones are threatened too.
Areas around the equator for example are now experiencing increased droughts. As
a result, species of bird, insect and mammal have all become entirely extinct (Tolly,
2016a). the mass extinction of wildlife inevitably impacts the food chain of those
regions which on this scale can have ‘unpredictable and unprecedented
consequences on the whole planet’ (Laurence, 2016, p. 84). Therefore, global
warming appears to be negatively impacting on existing habitats and their ecosystems.
(academicmarker.com)

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 6

B. ASSESSMENT
Directions: Read the article. Then, perform the task. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.

During the 21st century, the word Facebook (FB) came into awareness. In
fact, it is one of the most popular social networking sites with over one million users.
Almost ¾ of these users are between 13-25 years old, and these people use FB
every time they have an opportunity to do so at school, at home, in the mall, and
anywhere else. So, FB seems to just be a waste of time. It is a complete distraction
to students. Many students fail to complete their assignments and projects because
they are addicted to FB. Some use words and acronyms that only they can
understand, and it crosses over even during face-to-face conversations. FB also
becomes a tool for bashing and venue for gossiping. These are just some of my
Source: https://brainly.in
expressions of FB.

1. Identify the writer’s assertion.

2. What is/are the evidence/s given by the writer?
3. Are all the evidences valid to support the assertion of the writer? What made
them valid or invalid?
4. Do you think the pieces of evidence presented are sufficient enough to support
the claim of the writer? Why or why not?

IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING

(Not applicable to the tasks provided.)

V. ANSWER KEY

Practice Task 1.
1. Statistical Evidence 3. Anecdotal Evidence 5. Analogical Evidence
2. Testimonial Evidence 4. Statistical Evidence

Practice Task 2.
A.
1. Undernutrition is the single greatest threat to a child’s life.

B.
1. Latest statistics from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) showed that 67% of
Filipino families are not eating enough even when there are no calamities.
(Statistical Evidence)
2. “At the center of malnutrition’s underlying causes is inadequate childcare and
feeding practices,” Pareño added.
(Testimonial Evidence)

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 7

 Practice Task 3.

1. One example is the destructive boundary between the continental

South American plate and the oceanic Pacific plate which has formed the Andes
Mountains.
2. When kept captive, these beautiful creatures become bored and lonely,
often leading to a condition called ‘zoochosis’.
3. A digital portfolio is a website that students build in order to
document their learning. To those new to documenting learning, it might be easy to
confuse documentation with merely recording what the class has done.

4. Butler (2017) argues that by 2030 there will be 8% more arable land
available in areas that have historically been too cold for agriculture.
Similarly, Jenkins (2013) suggests that the arctic tundra will see an increase
in plant reproduction, which will almost certainly result in new species emerging within
that region.

5. As of 2018, the number of polar bears still in existence dropped 89%

over the past century (Theon, 2019).
Similarly, multiple species of penguins are now almost extinct, with Arctic
marine life having declined by over 20% since 1976 (Jenkins, 2017).
Additional evidence of the extent of the problem is that global warming not only
negatively impacts life in colder regions but warmer ones are threatened too.
As a result, species of bird, insect and mammal have all become entirely
extinct (Tolly, 2016a).

Assessment
Answers may vary

VI. REFLECTION/ COMMENTS/ SUGGESTIONS

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 8

VII. REFERENCES

Books
Barrot, Jessie. Academic Reading & Writing For Senior High School, (C&E Publishing Inc.,
2016), 98
Tiongson, Marella Therese & Rodriguez, Maxine Rafella. Reading and Writing Skills (Rex
Book Store, Inc., 2016), 25-26
Websites
https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Four-Types-of-Evidence
http://tualatinworldhistory.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/2/8/5728202/types_of_evidence_h
andout_v.2.pdf
https://www2.palomar.edu/users/bthompson/Anecdotal%20Evidence.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=example+of+paragraph+with+evidence&tbm=isch
&hl=en&chips=q:example+of+paragraph+with+evidence,online_chips:textual+eviden
ce&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHt6iYouXqAhUMeZQKHSntAx8Q4lYoDXoECAEQI
w&biw=1349&bih=657#imgrc=WbSTPLtJFbJlcM

https://psa.gov.ph
Prepared by:

CHERRY G. GOMEZ – Teacher

National High School
SDO – Sorsogon Province

JULIE ANNE A. DESDER – Teacher

National High School
SDO – Sorsogon Province

ALMA T. GABRENTINA – Master Teacher II

Buhang National High School
SDO – Sorsogon Province

Layout Artist:
LEMUEL F. DE RAMON – Teacher II
Bulusan NHS, SDO – Sorsogon Prov

Quality Assured by:

MARICEL M. DINEROS
Education Program Supervisor ANNALIZA OLLERES
SDO – Sorsogon Province Sto.NinoNHS
SDO - Iriga City

CLAUDIA MARILOU S. MARPURI

EPS-English

RO_Senior HS_Reading_and_Writing_Grade 11_Q2/4_LP 2 9