SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

TECHNICAL 2
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

THESIS STATEMENT

I. INSTRUCTIONS: Let us test your ability to apply your knowledge in writing thesis statement. Let’s
say that you are going to write an academic paper (essay) using the topic given
below. Come up with three main ideas for your essay, then provide your thesis
statement for this paper.

Topic 1: In the midst of pandemic, your school has some extra fund to spend for the facility
or programs that would benefit the institution. Write about what you would choose
and why. (5pts)

Supports:
1.cleaning and disinfecting the facility
2. providing care protection kit
3. fund summer school.

Thesis Statement: Our school has some extra money to spend which needs to be used for
cleaning and disinfecting the facility, providing care protection kit and fund summer school.

Topic 2: What is the most important role of mass media in the midst of global pandemic?
(5pts)

Supports:
1.It makes a person a more informed citizen
2. It can now be transmitted to far off places
3. It enables people that are free to publicly share their opinions regarding a pandemic
through various social media platforms.

Thesis Statement: Mass media is important because it enables to publicly share opinions,
makes a person a more informed citizen and allows to be transmitted to far off places.

SUMMARIZING

II. INSTRUCTIONS: Using the link below, watch the speech of Steve Job during his Stanford
Commencement Address. You are tasked to provide a summary of the speech
below using the guidelines provided in this module. (20PTS)

Steve Job’s Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Summary:

 The third and final story jobs told was about death.
 Jobs were diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer than was later told he was on his death bed with
basically no cure for it.
 But death was not getting in-between his career and his life for the Apple and Pixar companies.
 Steve Job`s commencement speech back in 2005 was inspirational for the young adults out in the world that do
not have the money to afford college and to not stop pursuing their dreams.
 The main idea in Job`s commencement speech at Stanford University was to show the newly graduated students
how a man with little money pursued his dreams to become one of the wealthiest men in the world.

For example, in the first story Jobs spoke, he talked about how he was adopted by arents that the mother did not
graduate college and father did not graduate high school.

But they promised his biological mother that he will attend college and receive a good education when Steve is grown
up.
  Steve did attend Reed College seventeen years later but was very expensive for his middle class parents.

 Steve saw no comfort with that so after six months, Steve dropped out of college.
 “The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking required classes that didn`t interest me, and begin dropping in on
the ones that looked interesting” Urges Jobs.
 Majority of students stay in school and have to take required courses where Jobs dropped out, by-passed them
rules and took what classes he wanted to take, not what he was told to take.
 “Of course it was impossible to connect the dots … but it was very, very clear looking back ten years later.”
Secondly, Jobs was lucky he found out what he wanted to do at a young age.
 Ten years later, two hard working men turned apple into a multi-billion dollar corporation with having greater than
four thousand employees.
 Jobs turned thirty and were fired from his own company.
 What Jobs tries to explain is that if you follow your heart, you can pretty much do anything you put your mind
to.Job`s in 2004 was diagnosed with cancer.
 But it turned out that the rare form of cancer can be prevented by a simple surgery method.
 The first reason is that how he came about forming the business and how large it grew within ten years.
 If someone drops out of college you would not expect them to continue taking courses and to soon become a
millionaire.
 Another reason is that he came off of getting fired from his own company and devastates himself upon it but pretty
much says oh well, time to start over.
 A final reason is how he escaped cancer and continued to fight and stick with doing what he loved.
 Job`s address back in 2005 was a great influence on the student body as well as young adults trying to seek
further education to follow their goals, strive to achieve and become successful in whatever careers they pursue in.
 I find this address so significant because not many people can tell the Stanford class of 2005 that they started out
slow, became multi-millionaires, fired from their own business, invented two more businesses than buys his old
one back.
 Steve Jobs life was very unique with all the struggles and hard work he put into everything he did.

PARAPHRASING

III. INSTRUCTIONS: Read the paragraphs below carefully. Provide a paraphrased version after
according to the guidelines provided in this module.

Jones & Smith, (2010) argue that ‘the atmospheric amounts of many greenhouse gases are increasing,
especially carbon dioxide, which has increased by 30 % over the last 200 years, primarily as a result of
changes in land use (e.g., deforestation) and burning coal, and natural gas (e.g., in automobiles, industry,
and electricity generation).’ (10pts)

Paraphrased version: Jones and Smith (2010) contend that "several greenhouse gases, particularly carbon
dioxide, are growing in the atmosphere," citing "changes in land use (e.g., deforestation) and the burning of
coal and natural gas as major contributors to the increase in atmospheric CO2 during the last 200 years"
(e.g., in automobiles, industry, and electricity generation)

Lucus et al., (2010) mention that ‘the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human
activities will change the climate by enhancing the natural greenhouse effect, leading to an increase in in the
earth’s average temperature.’ (10pts)

Paraphrased version: "Human activities will contribute to a change in climate as they increase the
greenhouse effect, thus increasing the earth's average temperature.", as stated by Ludus et al., (2010).

RUBRICS:

Thesis Statement:
CRITERIA
Overall The overall statement is clear and
Thesis concise. It states the author's
Statement opinion and position on the issue.
The reader knows exactly what the
essay will be about and how the
writer will write about it.
Grammar No punctuation errors are present.
The sentence follows the
mechanics of English with no
mistakes.
Wording The author uses appropriate
words.There are no cliches or
over-used adjectives.
Length The statement is to the point; the
author does not add more than is
necessary.
The statement describes the
reader's statement and
opinion. The statement does
not give insight into how the
essay will be discussed.
The statement contains one
error in grammar or
mechanics.
Word choice is mostly
effective.
The statement says all it
needs to, with a few extra,
unnecessary clauses.
The statement The statement does not
merely gives an give information about
answer to the what will be discussed
prompt. The author's or the author's opinion
idea is not stated at on the subject.
all.
More than one The statement is hard
grammar error exists to understand as a
in the statement. result of grammar
errors.
The author's choice Words are used
of words are incorrectly or cliche
somewhat effective; words are used
over-used words and throughout the whole
cliches are dominant. statement.
The statement is The thesis is entirely
broken up into too long or too short
multiple sentences and takes more than
and says too much or two sentences to

Summarizing and Paraphrasing:
CRITERIA
Accuracy of Some information was correct.
information There were places that it is
evident the student did not
fully understand what they
had read.
Content It is difficult to understand the
clarity meaning of what is written.
Many disjointed thoughts.
Flow and continuity is lacking.
Original Some of the sentences are in
thought the student's words. Some are
exactly as written in the
original text.
Sentence Only some sentences show
Structure correct grammar and
structure.
not enough.
Almost all of the key pieces of information
are correct.
The information is clearly written and is
understandable. There is a flow to most
of the thoughts and ideas. Some
connections betweeen ideas/sentences
are evident.
Most of the sentences are in the student's
words.
Most sentences show correct grammar
and structure.
compose.
All information is correct and
represents what the original
conatined.
All information is clear to understand.
There is a connection between all
ideas presented and the flow of
thought mkes it very understandable.
All of the sentences are in the
student's words. Some original
thought is shown by elaborating on
topic.
All sentences are gramatically
correct, show good sentence
structure and correct spelling.