QUEZON MEMORIAL ACADEMY

Progreso St. Poblacion West,Umingan Pangasinan

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Week 2 Second Semester

I. Title:
CRITICAL READING
II. Learning Objectives:

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

a) define academic writing and distinguish it from other kinds of writing;

b)identify the purpose, audience, language and style of academic writing;
c) explain what critical reading is;
d)annotate, outline, summarize and question the writer’s claim in a text, and
e) define fallacy and identify the kinds of fallacies.
III. Anticipatory:

Critical Reading involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear. Critical
reading means not easily believing information offered to you by text. “Read not to contradict
or confute; nor to believe and to take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh
and consider” as Francis Bacon stated in “The Essays.”

IV. Content of the Lesson:

Critical Reading is an active process of discovery because when you read critically, you
are not just receiving information but also making an interaction with the writer. The interaction
happens when you question the writer’s claims and assertions and when you comment on the
writer’s ideas

Ramage, Bean, and Johnson (2006) identified the following requirements in critical
thinking:

 The ability to pose a problematic questions

 The ability to analyze a problem in all its dimension’s, to define its key terms,
determine its causes, understand its history, appreciate its human dimension’s and
its connection to one’s own personal experience and appreciate what makes it
problematic or complex.
  The ability to find, gather and interpret data, facts and other information relevant
to the problem.
 The ability to imagine alternative solutions to the problem, to see different ways
in which the question might be answered and different perspectives for viewing it
 The ability to analyze competing approaches and answers, to construct arguments
for and against alternatives, and to choose the best solution in the light of values,
objectives and other criteria that you determine and articulate
 The ability to write an effective argument justifying your choice while
acknowledging counter-arguments.

WAYS TO BECOME A CRITICAL READER

1. ANNOTATE
One of the ways to interact with the writer is to write on the text. You can
underline, or circle or highlight words, phrases, or sentences that contain important details
or you can write marginal notes asking questions or commenting on the ideas of the writer.
There are no clear and definite guidelines to annotating a text; you can create your own
style. For an instance, you can circle unfamiliar words or underline ideas that you think are
questionable.

2. OUTLINE THE TEXT

In order to fully engage in a dialogue with the text or with writer of the text, you
need to identify the main points of the writer and list them down so you can also identify
the ideas that the writer has raised to support his/her stand. You don’t necessarily have to
write a structured sentence or topic outline for this purpose; you can just write in bullet or
in numbers.

3. SUMMARIZE THE TEXT

Aside from outlining, you can also get the main points of the text you are reading
and write its gist in your own words. This will test how much you have understood the text
and will help you to evaluate it critically. A summary is usually one paragraph long.

4. EVALUATE THE TEXT

The most challenging part in critical reading is the process of evaluating what you
are reading. This is the point where the other three techniques will be helpful. When you
evaluate the text, you question the author’s purpose and intentions, as well as his/her
assumptions in the claims. You also check if the arguments are supported by evidence and
if the evidences are valid and are from credible sources.

FALLACIES AND ITS KINDS

It refers to mistakes or errors in reasoning. There are times when a person utters
arguments that deceive and prove nothing. These arguments somehow could sound
convincing and be very persuasive in order to shape others opinion and deliver flawed
judgment and reason.
 TYPES OF FALLACIES
1. ARGUMENTUM AD HOMINEM
- Attacking the individual person instead of the argument.
Ex. “You are irritating ugly, That is why you cannot be promoted’’
2. APPEAL TO FORCE
- Telling the hearer that something bad will happen to him or her if he/she does
not accept the argument.
Ex. “You have to pass this text message to 10 people or else you will receive
bad luck.”
3. APPEAL TO PITY
- Urging the hearer to accept the argument based upon an appeal to emotions,
sympathy, etc.
Ex. “I cannot take the exam. You have to consider, my dog just died.”
4. APPEAL TO POPULAR WILL OR OPINION
- Urging the hearer to accept the position because majority of the people hold to
it.
Ex. “Everybody wants him/her to be the president; we should support him/her
too.”
5. APPEAL TO TRADITION
- Trying to get someone to accept something because it has been done or
believed for a long time.
Ex. “We have been doing this since time immemorial, therefore this is the
right thing to do.”
6. BEGGING THE QUESTION
- Assuming the thing that you are trying to prove is true.
Ex. “I am pretty because my mom said that I am pretty and I believe her.”
7. FALLACY OF COMPOSITION
- Assuming that what is true of the part is true to the whole.
Ex. ‘’Hydrogen (H) is air Oxygen (O) is air therefore, H2O is air.”
8. FALLACY OF DIVISION
- Assuming that what is true of the whole is true for the parts.
Ex. “Her entire family is a family of beauty queens. I’m sure she will be a
beauty queen too.”
9. FALLACY OF EQUIVOCATION
- Using the same term in an argument in different places but the word has
different meanings.
Ex. “Her grandmother loves to eat apples but she is the apple of the eye of
her grandmother. I’m sure her grandmother will have a hard time eating
her.”
10. APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
 - Urging someone to accept or to do something because he/she is in the
position or has the power.
V. Task:
Answer the following questions below:

1. What are the details of the challenge we face?

2. What do we want to overcome specifically?
3. What do we know about this problem?
4. Why is it important to address?
5. Is this a time-sensitive problem?
6. How does it affect the community, the world, or me?
7. Where do we begin?
VI. Assignment:
Ponder on this:
1. Is there a clear distinction between academic writing and other forms of
writing?
2. How can one distinguish academic writing from other forms of writing?
3. What does it mean to use “language that is appropriate but not
pretentious”?

Reference:

Saqueton, G. M., & Uychoco MT. A. (2016). English For Academic And Professional Purposes:
A Glimpse at the World of Writing. Pp 3- 11.Quezon City: Rex Printing Company, Inc.
https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/critical-thinking/10-great-critical-thinking-activities-that-
engage-your-students

Prepared by:

Ma. Aulene V. Montemayor

Subject Teacher