Second Semester, AY 2021-2022

Subject: ENGL 2 Purposive Communication Instructor: Mary Donneli C. Alcoser,LPT / 09129143705

Topic/s: WRITING AN EXPLANATION ESSAY, WRITING A JOURNAL, THE DEBATE
Directions: Read the discussions and answer the following exercises carefully. Write your answers on a yellow pad.

Module 5
UNIT 1 WRITING AN EXPLANATION ESSAY

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

a. demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of the explanation essay;

b. appreciate the value of clearly explaining a phenomenon; and
c. write an explanation essay of at least 500 words on a topic of your choice.

'Why' questions are very important. If people in ancient times or the recent past did not ask 'why' questions or attempt to
answer these questions, we would have very limited knowledge about many things in our world. If Isaac Newton, for example, did not
ask why things fell down after throwing them up, he would not have discovered the law of universal gravitation.

Addressing 'why' questions means providing explanations for phenomena. An explanation essay is one such example of a
written piece of work that addresses 'why' questions. It explains a particular topic to its readers. Since it is meant to inform or educate
the readers, the essay should present convincing and adequate support for the explanations.

AGREEMENT NO. 1 Write a 500-word essay explaining a certain phenomenon. You can freely choose any topic that is
convenient to you. For guidance, the following rubric should be considered in writing your essay.

UNIT 2 WRITING A JOURNAL

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

a. differentiate between the journal or diary entry and the blog;

b. appreciate the benefits and challenges of writing a blog; and
c. write a blog of at least 500 words on any topic of your choice.

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 Do you recognize the girl in this photo? She is 12-year Anne Frank, a German-born Jew. What do you know about Anne
Frank? Do research about her.

In 1942, while hiding from the German Nazis in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Anne Frank wrote the following entry in her diary.
Read the diary entry below.

October 9th 1942: "Today I have nothing but dismal and depressing news to report. Our many Jewish friends and
acquaintances are being taken away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and transporting them in cattle cars to
Westerbork, the big camp in Drenthe to which they're sending all the Jews. Miep told us about someone who'd managed to escape
from there. It must be terrible in Westerbork. The people get almost nothing to eat, much less to drink, as water is available only one
hour a day, and there's only one toilet and sink for several thousand people. Men and women sleep in the same room, and women and
children often have their heads shaved. Escape is almost impossible; many people look Jewish, and they're branded by their shorn
heads. If it's that bad in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized places where the Germans are sending them?
We assume that most of them are being murdered. The English radio says they're being gassed. Perhaps that's the quickest way to
die. I feel terrible. Miep's accounts of these horrors are so heartrending ... Fine specimens of humanity, those Germans, and to think
I'm actually one of them! No, that's not true, Hitler took away our nationality long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on
earth than the Germans and Jews.?

EXERCISE NO. 1. Answer the following questions about Anne Frank's diary entry above.

1. Make a list of all the adjectives and adverbs that you find in the diary entry. What do these words reveal about the emotional
state of the writer?
2. Comment on the way the diary entry was organized. How is this diary entry the same or different from another piece of writing
such as an explanation essay?
3. Comment on the tone of the diary entry. How is it different from the tone used in an explanation essay?

Today, with easy access to computers and the Internet, people write their diaries differently. From handwritten entries on a
piece of paper or a notebook page, diaries in contemporary times come in the form of online journals which are called blogs.

The term "blog" was first used in the 1990s. It is a short version of "weblog," or an individualized piece of written work found
on the web. It is defined below by dictionary.com.

blog (noun)

- a website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc ., and often having
images and links to other websites.
- a single entry or post on such a website:

She regularly contributes a blog to the magazine's website.

Blog (verb) [used without object], blogged, blogging.

- to maintain or add new entries to a blog.

Blog (verb) [used with object] blogged, blogging.

- to express or write about on a blog:

She’s been blogging her illness for almost a year.

Blogs, like diary entries, are individual accounts of experiences and emotions. Thus, the viewpoint is usually and subjective.
However, blogs are different from the journal or diary entry in the sense that blogs are uploaded to platforms that make it easier for
bloggers (those who write to include visual features, as well as links to other sites on the Unlike diary entries, blogs are public in nature.

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 This means bloggers, even if they write about personal issues, must these issues in a way that would interest the general
public. Compared to diary entries, blogs are more concerned with message +rather than simply expressing or documenting an idea or
emotion.

How does one create a blog? Go to wikihow.com and look up "How to start a blog." The site provides step-by-step instructions
on how to create a blog from coming up with a concept, starting a blog atblogger.com, launching a blog on WordPress, to promoting
your blog. This lesson, however, focuses on writing a blog entry.

EXERCISE No. 2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS. Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions:

1. What is a blog?
2. How is a blog similar to a journal or diary entry?
3. How is a blog different from a journal or diary entry?

UNIT 3 THE DEBATE

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

a. discuss the importance of debate in everyday life;

b. identify and exhibit the different skills involved in being a good debater; and
c. recognize the different types of debate and their structures.

TYPES OF DEBATE

You may not be aware of it but you use debates even in your daily activities. You hear people argue in different domains-
home, school, office, market, church, and in the government. This is so because a debate, loosely defined, involves the exchange of
opposing ideas or arguments. A debate, which is carried out in a formal manner, usually takes place in a public meeting. The exchange
of arguments follows a certain procedure or a set of rules and has a definite format.

There are two types of debate: the formal and the informal. Formal debates are held in formal settings such as in school, in
the House of Representatives, and in the Senate. Debaters come prepared, equipped with the knowledge they need to be able to
reason out effectively. A topic is debated upon and the debaters listen to the arguments raised by the other debaters from which they
build their arguments and argue their position.

Informal debates, on the other hand, do not follow strictly a structure. While there are also two sides-the affirmative and the
negative-it takes place anywhere between two people. An example would be two have friends arguing which involves deciding where to
eat their lunch for the day.

SKILLS NEEDED IN DEBATE

You need all the language macro-skills to be an effective debater. The productive and receptive skills work together and are
not independent of each other. Certainly, these skills should go with critical thinking especially since listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and viewing can only be successful if practiced with critical thinking. As you listen, speak, and read, you also need to take down
notes so note-taking is imperative.

READING
For you to become a successful debater, you should be a wide reader. Sir Francis Bacon once said: "Reading maketh a full man,
writing an exact man." What does this mean? From what angle or perspective can you explain this quote?

Many say that through reading, you can visit places, experience other cultures, and learn new things. In fact, if you read
extensively, you are able to look at things differently. Your knowledge of things is not restricted to a single perspective but to many. You
are able to weigh things more objectively because you have gained a deeper understanding of life. Such is the beauty of being a book
lover or a passionate reader.

SPEAKING

Your being a voracious reader or a bookworm will certainly manifest itself in the way you speak. You never run out of thoughts
and words once you are asked on a certain topic. The knowledge you have gained from reading can manifest in your wide vocabulary
and in a distinct use of a speaking style that can change the minds of your listeners, sway and win them over to your side. When you
speak, always remember that you should articulate your thoughts very well, pronounce clearly the words you utter, use the appropriate
rate and volume, speak with grammatical accuracy, maintain the correct bearing or poise, and employ non-verbal code such as
gestures, facial expression, and movement.

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WRITING

It is in the writing skill where the 'making of a full man' is achieved. Reading and writing are skills that go together. As a
passionate reader, you increase your vocabulary significantly. You are able to express in writing your full understanding of yourself, the
world you are in, your views about life, and your perspectives of people. But you become only a full man if you are able to adjust to the
needs of the time and are mindful of your shared responsibility to help improve other people's lives.

LISTENING

Though not usually emphasized, listening is equally important as the other skills. Thus, it should not be taken for granted. Just
like reading and writing, listening and speaking go together. In a debate, if you do not listen carefully to the arguments of your
colleagues and the members of the opposing team, you cannot build on your teammate's arguments and refute convincingly the claims
of the other team, respectively. Jimmy Hendrix once said: "Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens." Indeed, this is true. For aside from
reading, it is only through listening intently that you are able to gain knowledge and wisdom. It is also through listening that you are able
to show respect to others.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Freely and Steinberg (2014) in their book Argumentation and Debate: Critical Thinking for Reasoned Decision Making define
ethics as “a set of constructs that guide our decision making by providing standards of behavior telling us how we ought to act.”

However, they have added different ways of conceptualizing ethics as follows:

1. Ethics may be thought of as a complex foundation of morally based rules, as might be adhered to within a culture of a group.

2. Ethics may provide specific guidelines for individuals or groups engaged in similar activities or with occupational concerns, for
example, business ethics or sportsmanship.

3. Ethics may characterize the way people think of themselves and the self-applied measures for right behavior based in
personality or experience which guide them to virtuous or appropriate behavior.

4. Ethics may construct a general or universal set of values, guiding a broader understanding about the human condition born of
philosophical commitment, constructs, and motives.

Debates, therefore, question issues of right and wrong including the applications of standards of ethics. At times, people also
find themselves challenging their own ethical standards. It is difficult to assume that just because a debater sees something to be
unacceptable, then it really is. Assumptions lead to poor arguments and poor decision-making. Remember that people have differing
ethical assumptions about this world. They have different ways of viewing things.

It is essential not to make sweeping statements when laying down arguments as these may pave the way for the opposing
team to question the claims.

DRESS AND APPEARANCE

You should be mindful of how you look in a formal debate Your appearance is just as important as the paralinguistic cues and
non-verbal behavior. If you are a female speaker, wear a business attire that will make you look respectable. Do not wear colors that
are ostentatiously attractive. Very high-heeled shoes and flat shoes should also be avoided. Instead, wear heels that are manageable,
for example, 11/2 to 2 inches. Make-up and jewelry should also be worn conservatively.

For males, you also need to wear business attire, avoiding loud colors. Should you wear a coat and tie, do not wear a tie that
comes in flashy or glaring colors. You should be able to match your inner clothes with your outer clothes. Do not wear large ornaments.
Your nails should be cut, hair well-combed, and shoes neatly-polished.

EXERCISE NO. 3. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions:

1. How is debate related to one's everyday life experiences?

2. How different is the formal debate from the informal debate?
3. What roles do the other language macro-skills play in debate?

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PROJECT FOR MIDTERM:

With the topic presented below, take a stand whether you are in the affirmative or negative side. Prepare your supporting statements as
to why you are against or in favor of the topic written below and present these statements in front of an audience. For safety reasons,
present your speech in front of your family members. Take a video of your oral presentation and submit your video to your teacher
through Messenger. The following rubric will be your guide in making your project.

“The economic and social consequences of lockdown (stay-at-home) orders could cause more harm than the COVID-19 virus.”

ORAL PRESENTATION

CATEGORY 10-8 7-5 4-2 0-1

Enthusiasm Facial expressions and
body language generate a
strong interest and
enthusiasm about the topic
in others.
Facial expressions and
body language sometimes
generate a strong interest
and enthusiasm about the
topic in others.
Facial expressions and
body language are used to
try to generate enthusiasm,
but seem somewhat faked.
Very little use of facial
expressions or body
language. Did not generate
much interest in topic being
presented.

Preparedness Student is completely Student seems pretty The student is somewhat Student does not seem at
prepared and has prepared but might have prepared, but it is clear that all prepared to present.
obviously rehearsed. needed a couple more rehearsal was lacking.
rehearsals.

Speaks Clearly Speaks clearly and Speaks clearly and Speaks clearly and Often mumbles or cannot
distinctly all (100-95%) the distinctly all (100-95%) the distinctly most ( 94-85%) of be understood OR
time, and mispronounces time, but mispronounces the time. Mispronounces mispronounces more than
no words. one word. no more than one word. one word.

Props Student uses several props
(could include costume)
that show considerable
work/creativity and which
make the presentation
better.
Student uses 1 prop that
shows considerable
work/creativity and which
make the presentation
better.
Student uses 1 prop which The student uses no props
makes the presentation OR the props chosen
better. detract from the
presentation.

Stays on Topic Stays on topic all (100%) Stays on topic most (99- Stays on topic some (89%- It was hard to tell what the
of the time. 90%) of the time. 75%) of the time. topic was.

References:
https://www.intechopen.com/books/globalization-education-and-management-agendas/the-impact-of-globalization-on-cross-cultural-communication
Madrunio, Marilu R., and Martin, Isabel P. Purposive Communication,2018.
Uychoco, Marikit Tara A. and Santos, Maria Lorena. Communication for Society Purposive Communication, 2018.