READING AND WRITING SKILLS

Quarter: 2 Week: 2

Objectives
1. To familiarize themselves with different types of assertions and
formulate their assertions on a particular topic.
2. To formulate evaluative statements and assertions about a text read.
3. To determine textual evidence to validate assertions and
counterclaims made about a text read.

Let’s Understand
Assertion

An assertion is a statement used to make a declaration or to express strong

belief on a particular topic, often without evidence. An assertion can be formulated
after reading a story or a poem, and even after watching a play. The purpose of writing
an assertion is for the writer to directly convey an idea or feeling and to convince the
reader to accept the writer’s interpretation of a particular literary work.

Forming Assertions:
Basic Assertion is a statement used to express the writer's feelings, beliefs, and
opinions directly. This type of assertion is usually used in writing formal papers like
thesis and dissertation.
The Philippines has an advanced civilization before the colonization of Spain. Form and
branches of government, social structure and the existence of ancient writing are some of
the evidence that proves the advancement of the precolonial period.
This first sentence is considered as the basic assertion. The second sentence
contains evidence that support the assertion.

Emphatic Assertion is a statement used to express empathy or on how a person

understands the feelings and emotions of the literary author. This can be used on
writing a formal or informal paper.
It is usually composed of two parts: 1) the first part is the statement that
recognizes the situation or even the feelings of the characters on the text being read
followed by 2.) the second statement where the writer states his stand about the
situation.
I know that the Philippines, before pre-Spaniard colonization, has their system of writing
called the ‘baybayin’. This alone proves that the Filipinos are literate as opposed to the
Spaniards claim.

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 The first part recognizes the situation based on the text being read. The second
part contains the writer’s stand on the situation presented.
I - Language Assertion is a statement used to express the feeling and preference
of the writer. It is called I-Language because it focuses on the writer and is using the
pronoun ‘I’. This type of assertion is recommended if the author wants to express
negative feelings and opinion. This is best used in writing a review or reflection paper.
It is composed of three parts. The first part contains the accurate information from
literary work, especially the topic the writer disagrees with (When you. . .). The second
part includes the effect or feeling of the writer towards the topic (It affects/I feel...). The
last part includes the preference or recommendation of the writer (Therefore, I prefer/I
want...).
Upon reading that the ancient Filipino civilization is divided into three social classes
namely the ‘maharlika’, ‘timawa’ and ‘alipin’, I feel proud because of the civilization social
advancement and at the same time sad because of the promulgation of social
differentiation. With this finding, I want to do further research on the existence of these
social classes’ stigma.
The example given is divided into three parts that includes the feelings and
preference of the writer.

Evaluative Statement
An evaluative statement is a statement that you can make to reflect your
judgment and generalization about a text that you have read.
You may use evidence from the text in formulating evaluative statements. One
way of formulating evaluative statements is by formulating assertions or positive
statements about the content of a text and properties of a text that you have read.
Another way of formulating evaluative statements is by formulating counterclaims. In
this lesson, we will focus on formulating assertions.
For you to be able to formulate assertions about the properties and content of a
text read, you must identify the claim or claims made in the text. A claim suggests an
idea to the reader who may or may not agree with it. It is an arguable statement that
reflects the writer’s position about a topic. It is usually supported by reasons by the
writer.
Always quote parts of the text to support your assertions about it. When quoting, do
not forget to use quotation marks and cite the page if it is from a book or article.
I like how the writer used simple words in the text, so that it would easily be understood
not only by adults but also by young people like the speaker herself – who are also part
of the target audience or the people that the text is intended for.
This evaluative statement evaluates the choice of words of the writer, how
effective it is in being easily understood by the target audience.

Textual Evidence and Counterclaims

The writer’s claims in the text try to persuade you to think the way he or she thinks
about a topic or issue. A claim is an arguable statement in a text, and its purpose is to
persuade you to believe the writer’s position about an issue.
Stating your judgment and generalization about claims of the writer in a text is
called formulating evaluative statements.

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 When you make evaluative statements that show how you agree with claims in a
text, you are formulating assertions. Assertions are positive statements about a text
read. When you make evaluative statements that express how you oppose with claims
in a text, you are formulating counterclaims. Counterclaims are statements that oppose
the claims of the writer in the text.
A lot of people waste time driving around when they are lost, and this can be avoided by
asking other people for directions. The trick is to find a person who you think would point
you to the right direction.
The claim about the text above: People should ask directions from strangers when
they are lost so that they do not waste time driving around.
The assertion about the text above: I agree with the claim of the writer that people
should ask directions from strangers to save time by asking someone reliable such as a
gas station attendant.
The counterclaim about the text above: I disagree with the claim of the writer that
people should ask directions from strangers. People should not ask strangers for
directions because they might end up getting lost longer if a stranger gives them wrong
directions.

Textual Evidence
In formulating assertions and counterclaims about a text, it is important that
you support your statements with textual evidence. Textual evidence is information
gathered from the text that supports your assertion or counterclaim about the text.
In expressing your judgment about the text,
1. First, state your idea about the text.
2. To determine evidence from the text, look for clues and keywords that support your
idea about the text.
3. Quote or paraphrase the part of the text that helped you come up with your idea.
4. Use quotation marks to quote a part of the text. If it is from a book, indicate the page
number at the end of your sentence.
5. Lastly, express how the quote supports your idea.

Below are types of textual evidence:

• Paraphrasing is restating the text in your own words.
• Summarizing is restating the text in a shorter way using your own words.
• Referencing is mentioning a specific section of the text.
• Quoting is stating a part of a text in the exact way it was written.

Determining textual evidence in the excerpt of Meat Culture:

I agree with the writer that animals are being subjected to cruelty when they are killed to
become our food. This claim of the writer is reflected in the first part of the text wherein
the writer makes the readers think of how the meat ended up on their dinner plates. The
writer deliberately chose to say that whenever he looks at the food on his plate, he also
has mental images of what had to be done to the animal for it to become someone’s food.
By using the phrase “processes that brought it to their plate,” the readers are made to
imagine what an animal goes through just to end up on our dinner plates.

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 In the assertion above, the reader starts by saying that he or she agrees with the
claim of the writer in the text. This dictates that the statement is an assertion. The
reader used referencing, paraphrasing, and quoting to support his or her statement. Of
all the words in the text, the reader chooses “processes that brought it to their plate.”
to support his or her assertion. It is effective because the reader explains how the quote
supports his or her assertion about the text.

I disagree with the writer when he challenged some people to copy predatory behavior of
animals and prey on the weak. This is reflected in the sentence “Prey on the weak. See
where that takes you.” Although he might have been sarcastic to prove a point when he
said this, it paints an unnecessary violent mental picture for the readers and some readers
might take it literally.
In the counterclaim above, the reader states his or her counterclaim and
identifies the statement of the writer that he or she opposes. The reader determines the
textual evidence that would support his or her counterclaim by quoting a portion of the
text and explaining how the sentences “Prey on the weak. See where that takes you.”
supports the counterclaim that the sentences are too violent. Of all the types of textual
evidence, the reader chose quoting to make his or her statement credible.

Let’s Apply

Directions: Categorize the following statements if they state Basic

Assertion, Empathy Assertion, or I-Language Assertion. Write your
answer on your answer sheet.

1. With this occurrence, I prefer to dig more on our culture, and I will strive to
educate other people on the rich roots of our society.
2. Paris is considered as the world’s fashion capital. It is where the biggest fashion
businesses are headquartered.
3. I know the sentiments of the soldiers on their low amount of salary income. The
salary increase will be implemented after the passage of Salary
Standardization Law.
4. The quality of government service depends on the person leading the agency. A
good leader will produce good, even better employees.
5. I believe that the Philippines has the potential to become the fashion market of
Asia. British fashion brands gather in the country to establish their
physical stores.

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 Let’s Analyze

Directions: Fill in the table below by writing down 3-4 key words or phrases
which you could use in defining and characterizing the given topics. Write
your answers on the space provided. An example is done for you.

Assertions Evaluative Textual Evidence/

Statements Counterclaims

Declare

Let’s Try
Directions: Test your knowledge by answering the following questions.
Choose the best answer by writing the letter on the space before each
number.

___1. A statement used to make a declaration or to express strong belief on a certain

topic is called ___.
A. assertion B. opinion C. fact D. affirmation
___2. When is the best time to formulate literary assertion?
A. before watching a play C. after reading a story
B. before writing the poem D. after playing online games
___3. What kind of statement contains a judgment or generalization about the text you
have read?
A. Explicit Information C. Evaluative Statement
B. Basic Assertion D. Textual Evidence
___4. What do you call a positive statement that you can formulate about the content
and properties of a text that you have read?
A. Assertion B. Counterclaim C. Claim D. Judgment
___5. What do you call information in a text that supports your assertions and
counterclaims about ta text?
A. Counterclaim C. Evaluative Statement
B. Empathy Assertion D. Textual Evidence

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 Let’s Create

Goal: You are to compose an evaluative statement about a given

excerpt.
Role: You will be a writer.
Audience: Your audience will be your learning facilitator and teacher. Your work
may also be read by your fellow students.
Situation:

An excerpt of How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes

Off by Steve Pavlina

Go to your bedroom and set the room conditions to match your desired
wake-up time as best you can. Set your alarm for a few minutes ahead. Lie down in bed
just like you would if you were sleeping and close your eyes. Get into your favorite sleep
position. Imagine it is early in the morning… a few minutes before your desired wake-
up time. Pretend you are asleep. Visualize a dream location, or just zone out as best you
can. Now when your alarm goes off, turn it off as fast as you can. Then take a deep
breath to fully inflate your lungs and stretch your limbs out in all directions for a couple
seconds… like you are stretching during a yawn. Then sit up, plant your feet on the
floor, and stand up. Then proceed to do the very next action you would like to do upon
waking. For me it is getting dressed.
Once you establish your desired wake-up ritual, I recommend you stick
with it every single day — 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And for the first 30 days, set
your alarm for the same time every day. Once the habit is established, then you can
vary your wake-up times or occasionally go without the alarm if you want to sleep in,
but until then it is best to keep the pattern very tight. That way it will become your
default behavior, and you will be able to stray from time to time without serious risk of
deconditioning it. Source: (Pavlina, Steve Pavlina.com, 2006)

Product Performance: Make the best evaluative statement you can formulate about
the given excerpt of How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off
by Steve Pavlina.