English 8

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English – Grade 8
Quarter 4 – Module 17: Use Appropriate Grammatical Signals or Expressions
Suitable to each Pattern of Idea Development: Claim and Counterclaim
First Edition, 2020

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 English 8
Quarter 4
Self-Learning Module
Use Appropriate Grammatical Signals
or Expressions Suitable to Each
Pattern of Idea Development:
Claim and Counterclaim

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Introductory Message

For the Facilitator:

Welcome to the English 8 Self-Learning Module on Use Appropriate

Grammatical Signals or Expressions Suitable to each Pattern of Idea Development:
Claim and Counterclaim

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

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

Notes to the Teacher

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

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

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 For the Learner:

Welcome to the English 8 Self-Learning Module on Use Appropriate

Grammatical Signals or Expressions Suitable to each Pattern of Idea Development:
Claim and Counterclaim

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

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest - This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.

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 EXPECTATIONS

This is your self-instructional learner module in English 8. All the activities

provided in this lesson will help you learn and understand: Use Appropriate
Grammatical Signals or Expressions Suitable to each Pattern of Idea Development:
Claim and Counterclaim.
After going through this self-learning module, you are expected to:
1. Explain what is a claim and counterclaim;
2. Support counterclaim thru reasons and evidence; and
3. Recognize the importance of finding claims and counterclaims about
an information.

PRETEST

Choose the correct letter of your answer:

1. What do you call a statement that presents an arguable position?
A. argument B. claim
2. How do you respond your deny to a claim?
A. respond with evidence B. respond tactfully
3. These are words that denote concrete objects, ideas and events.
A. general items B. logical items
4. It is the strongest argument against claim.
A. thesis statement B. counterclaim
5. Do claims and counterclaims important to weigh the truth based on evidence?
A. yes B. no

RECAP
You have learned to use appropriate grammatical signals or expressions
suitable to each pattern of idea development: cause and effect. Now in this lesson,
you will learn to use appropriate grammatical signals or expressions Suitable to each
pattern of idea development: claim and counterclaim.

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 LESSON

Read the text:

Eizaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University in Japan adopt Hachiko or
Hachi. His new owner soon became best friends and treated him as his son. The two
of them were inseparable. As Hachiko grew older, he started to see his owner off to
work in the morning at the Shibuya Train Station, in central Tokyo and went to pick
him up at the station in the afternoon when he returned from work.

On May 21, 1925, only two years after Hachiko was born, Hachiko was as
usually sitting by the exit at Shibuya train station waiting for his dear Eizaburo. But
his owner never showed up. It turned out that Eizaburo had suffered from a cerebral
hemorrhage and died suddenly and unexpectedly while at work. Hachiko moved in
with a former gardener of the Ueno family. But throughout the rest of his ten-year-
long life, he kept going to the Shibuya Train Station every morning and afternoon
precisely when the train was due to enter the station. He sat there for hours, patiently
waiting in vain for the return of his beloved owner which sadly never came back. A
major Japanese newspaper reporter picked up the story of Hachiko in 1932 and
published it, which led to Hachiko becoming a celebrity all over Japan.

The story of the dog that never gave up gained a lot of attention also in national
media, inspiring many people from all over the world to visit Hachiko at Shibuya
Train Station to offer him treats. He touched the hearts of the Japanese people and
soon became their hero Hachiko passed away peacefully and alone on the street near
Shibuya train station on March 8, 1935. Hachiko is now on display at the National
Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.
-excerpt from “The Amazing And True Story Of Hachiko The Dog”
By Maria Wulff Hauglann

• What are the positive and negative messages you convey from the text?
• Is the story true? Why do you say so?

Claim and Counterclaim Signal Words

• A claim is a statement that presents an arguable position. It reflects your

interpretation, belief, or opinion. The claim typically answer the question:
“What do you think?”
• To respond to a claim by denying it with a corresponding reason or evidence
is to make a counterclaim. A counterclaim is the strongest argument against
a claim.
• The claim and counterclaim pattern can be found more frequently in political
journalism, as well as letters to the editor, magazines, and argumentative
speeches. The signal words that are used in this pattern are:

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 Lexical Items Executive words Transitions
Denial: Affirmation: according to
claim contradict affirm imagine
assert challenge agree likely
truth correct confirm might
false perhaps
probably
seem
suggest

• Logical items are words that denote concrete objects, ideas, events, ect. They
also can be called content words because they carry ideas.
• To counter or argue a claim, consider a different opinion or contrary view.
Then provide evidence that would back up your argument.

Claim: Green-backed herons in japan imitate people who feed bread to fish found in
ornamental lakes.
Reasons and Evidence: Those clever birds use pieces of bread to bait fish within easy
reach. Egrets in the Caribbean also use bread to lure fish. These birds even catch
fish using their yellow feet. They stand in low water on one foot while they wag their
other foot in the water to attract the attention of nosy fish.

ACTIVITIES

Discussion/Modelling No. 1
Claim: I believe that Japanese literature was heavily influenced by cultural contact
with China and their literature because the early Japanese literary works were often
written in classical Chinese.

Reason or evidence to confirm to claim

Counterclaim: According to my research, it was Indian literature that had an
influence on Japanese literature through the propagation of Buddhism in Japan.

• To counter or argue a claim, consider a different opinion or contrary view.

Then provide evidence that would back up your argument.

Claim: Green-backed herons in japan imitate people who feed bread to fish found
in ornamental lakes.
Reasons and Evidence: Those clever birds use pieces of bread to bait fish within
easy reach. Egrets in the Caribbean also use bread to lure fish. These birds even
catch fish using their yellow feet. They stand in low water on one foot while they wag
their other foot in the water to attract the attention of nosy fish.

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Activity 1
Underline the claim in the following passages. Then, copy the statements showing
the reason or evidence for the claim. Write your answers in your notebook.
1. The fourth strongest earthquake ever recorded anywhere in the world hit Japan.
It caused an enormous tsunami and powerful aftershocks that continued to sow fear
into people for weeks. Some 20, 000 people were killed or missing although
thousands survived. Tadayuki and his wife, Harumi, were at home when they heard
a rumbling and their house started to shake violently. They rushed outside and were
shocked to see their house swinging back and forth as thick black dust gushed from
the walls like smoke.
2. Overwork can also be deadly. One report estimates that in Japan, about 10,000
people die annually from overwork, as many as those who die in automobile
accidents in that country every year. These phenomenon-labeled karoshi, “death
from overwork” –extends far beyond Japan. Chronic overwork has been linked to
obesity, alcoholism, heart disease, workplace accidents, drug dependency, anxiety,
fatigue, depression, and many other stress-related disorders.
3. Tobacco serves different purposes. Some tobacco products are even sold in health
food and herbal medicine stores. However, the World Health Organization considers
all forms of tobacco as lethal. Death may result from any tobacco-related diseases,
such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Smoking mothers may also harm their
unborn babies.
Activity 2
Read each of the following statements and write your counterclaim for each one.
1. Student grades really measure achievement.
2. Heavy snoring is dangerous.
3. One parent argues that television has a negative effect on family life.

Activity 3
Read about Japanese culture and write at least three claims. Then write your
reasons or evidence. Use a table like the one below to present your work.
Claims about the Japanese/Japan reasons / evidence
1.
2.
3.

WRAP-UP

Study this comic strip:

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To wrap everything up that we have talked about in this lesson, write conversation
to the comic strip below about your own claim. Give your reason and evident to
support it.

VALUING

You learned in this lesson that claims should be supported with reason and evidence.
In social media, posts from different news go viral. What claims do you consider “fake
news”? How do you know if the post you saw or shared is fact or fake?

https://www.google.com/search?q=fake+news+about+corona+virus&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjqnv6_mvXqAhVVAqYKHcQmDa0Q2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=fake+news+about+corona+virus&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQEzoECCMQJzoCCAA6BQgAELEDOgQIABBDOgQIABAeOgQIABAYOgY
IABAeEBNQmkVY4Gtgt25oAHAAeACAAcgBiAGFF5IBBzE2LjExLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclie
nt=img&ei=59siX6qPONWEmAXEzbToCg&bih=559&biw=1350&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH854PH854#imgrc=vnNp8mrbePPEqM

Find post from your social media account. Explain whether you believe it or not,
then give your reasons or evidence.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ 10
 POSTTEST

Read the selection, then answer the questions below:

Coronavirus remains in the throat for four days, drinking water and gargling
with warm water mixed with vinegar and salt eliminates virus. But according to
medical official, there is no evidence that gargling with the mixture will combat the
novel coronavirus. Dr. Robert Legare Atmar, Infectious Disease expert at the Baylor
College of Medicine, said that while the virus may be detected in the throat for at
least a week after the onset of symptoms, the information about gargling is false. In
fact, doing these activities might give people a false sense of security, which would
be dangerous if it resulted in behavior that is more risky.”

Choose the letter of the correct answer

1. What is the selection all about?

A. claim about coronavirus B. negative effects of
coronavirus
2. What is the first claim in the selection?
A. Virus may be detected in the throat for at least a week after the onset of
symptoms; the information about gargling is false.
B. Coronavirus remains in the throat for four days, drinking water and
gargling with warm water mixed with vinegar and salt eliminates virus.
3. What counterclaim evidence have you found in the selection?
A. Gargling warm water would be dangerous if it resulted in behavior that is
more risky.
B. According to medical official, there is no evidence that gargling with the
mixture will combat the novel coronavirus.
4. What part in the selection might result to a wrong claim about coronavirus?
A. Doing these activities might give people a false sense of security, which
would be dangerous if it resulted in behavior that is more risky.”
B. The virus may be detected in the throat for at least a week after the
onset of symptoms, the information about gargling is false.
5. Why is counterclaim relevant?
A. Counterclaim and giving enough evidence strengthens the argument by
reassuring the reader that the student is well-informed and able to
discern multiple perspectives.
B. Counterclaim with enough evidence gives more information so that
student can share something to social media to make him famous.

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KEY TO CORRECTION

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 References

Ford, Henry (January 24, 2013) Don’t ignore the snore: Snoring may be early sign of
future health risks. Henry Ford Health System
Retrieved: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130124122741.html

Gonzales Carolina T, et.al (2018) English for 21st Century Learning (Afro-Asian)
rexpublishing pp. 127-129

Lajka, Arijeta (March 17, 2020) Medical officials counter claims that gargling
eliminates coronavirus. AP News.
https://apnews.com/afs:Content:8640661084

Lamb-Sinclair (June 16, 2017) Why Grades Are Not Paramount to Achievement
The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run.
Retrieved: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/06/why-grades-
are-not-the-key-to-achievement/530124/

Shu, Tom (July 11, 2020) 100 Incredibly Interesting Facts About Japan. Wit & Fooly
Retrieved: https://witandfolly.co/100-incredibly-interesting-facts-about-japan/

Tumbokon, Ronaldo (December 28, 2019) The Good and Bad Effects of TV on
Children. Raising Smart Kids Article
Retrieved: https://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/13-the-good-and-
bad-effects-of-tv-on-your-kid

Wulff Hauglann, Maria (May 12, 2020) The Amazing and True Story Of Hachiko The
Dog. NerdNomads. Travel and Adventure blog.
Retrieved: https://nerdnomads.com/hachiko_the_dog

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