READING AND

WRITING SKILLS
GRADE 11- EINSTEIN
(CLASS-B)
Critical Reading as
reasoning
Objectives:
1. Identify Assertions
2. Formulate Counterclaims
3. Determine Evidence
“Think before you speak. Read before
you think.”
- Fran Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reader
Warm Up
1. What does the quotation mean?
2. Do you agree with the quotation?
3. How do you think does the connection of
reading and thinking work?
4. What could be the consequences of not reading
enough? Or not thinking before you speak?
Critical Reading
- refers to a careful, active, reflective and
analytic reading.
- it is engaging in analytic activity which
involves the reader by asking questions about
the text and the author’s claim.
Reasoning
- is the process of expressing ideas and opinions as well as
justifying one’s stand based on prior and existing
knowledge and experiences needed to arrive at a
decision.
- it is an act of giving statements for justification and
explanation.
- It is the ability of someone to defend something by
giving out reasons.
Steps Used in Critical Reading as Reasoning:

1.Identifying Assertions
2.Formulating Counterclaims
3.Determining Evidence
1. Identifying Assertions- (fact, opinion and preference)
- is a statement used to make a declaration or to express
strong belief on a particular topic.
a. Fact- this is a statement that can be proven objectively by
direct experience, testimonies of witnesses, verified
observations, or the results of research.
Examples:
1. Cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that cause cancer.
2. The Philippines is composed of 1700 islands.
b. Opinion- is based on facts, but are difficult to
objectively verify because of the uncertainty of
producing satisfactory proofs of soundness.
Examples:
1. The iPhone is better than any other android
phones.
2. Many people will die because of political
considerations and unwise aid- spending.
c. Preference- It is based on personal choice;
therefore, they are subjective and cannot be
objectively proven or logically attacked.
Examples:
1. Mango is my favorite fruit for it is the most
delicious among other fruits.
2. I choose Roses for these are more beautiful, smell
sweeter and are easier to grow than any other flowers.
2. Determining Evidence
Evidence is the details given by the authors to
support his/her claims. It includes facts and
statistics, opinion from experts and personal
anecdotes.
3. Formulating Counterclaims:
Counterclaims are made to rebut a previous claim
Example:
Claim: I need to buy a new android phone.
Counterclaim: No, you can’t because you
already have a cellphone.
Reason: I need an android phone because it
is useful in our new normal class set-up.
Activity 1: Identifying Assertions. Identify the type of
assertions that are being used in the following sentences.
Write either FACT, OPINION, or PREFERENCE as your
answer.
1. Facebook is a cooler social media platform than Twitter.
2. There were 1.4 billion users of social media in the whole
world in the year 2012.
3. Most of my friends like Instagram than Facebook.
4. I would rather enjoy staying home and make myself
productive than spending my time outside and do nothing.
5. In 2012, there were 1.4 billion users of social media worldwide.
6. Facebook is a cooler social media platform than twitter.
7. Children are learning how to operate mobile devices at
increasingly younger ages.
8. In the first quarter of 2014, nearly 300 million smartphone units
were sold all over the world.
9. Social networks are the most distracting websites on the
internet.
10. Learners prefer face to face classes than online .
Activity 2. Determining Evidence: Identify the evidences
presented in the text that “Filipinos are soft and easy going.”
The Filipino of today is soft, easy-going. His tendency is
towards parasitism. He lacks earnestness. His sense of
righteousness is often dulled by the desire of personal growth. His
norm of conduct is generally prompted by expediency rather than
by principle. He takes his religion lightly. He is inconstant; he
lacks perseverance, the first obstacles baffle him, and he easily
admits defeat. The patriotism of many Filipinos of today is skin-
deep, incapable of inspiring heroic deeds. (excerpt- “The Policies and
Achievements of the government and Regeneration of the Filipinos.”)
Activity 3. Formulating Counterclaims-
1. You are taking your exam in Reading and
Writing Class. You noticed that one of your
classmates was looking at something. You
discovered he was cheating. He was well aware
that you know what he had done. He approached
you and said, “ I know you’re my friend and you’ll
never let me down, but if you do, you know what
will happen to you.” What would you do?
2. You and your best friend have a very
close relationship. However, one day you
noticed in your message box that your best
friend’s boy friend texted you. He
confessed to having a crush on you. What
would your reaction be? Will you tell this
to your best friend or not? Why?
Generalization:
I learned that:
Critical reading is________________________
The three common types of assertions are________
The purpose of counterclaim is to ____________
Evidence is needed in making a claim to__________
EVALUATION:
Assume you are the editor of your school newspaper.
Your teacher has given you to express any opinion you
want about this statement,
“ This election is really a good versus evil campaign,”
University of the Philippines Diliman political scientist
Aries Arugay told Al Jazeera. “It’s quite clear. Duterte
represents dynasty, autocracy and impunity. Robredo
stands for the opposite of that: integrity, accountability
and democracy.”
When you write your counterclaim, you are
expressing unfavorable statements. Therefore it is
needed to use hedges words or phrases to be able
to give a courteous tone. Different forms of hedges
Modals: may, could, would, should, might, certain,
must, etc.
Frequency adverbs: usually, generally, commonly
Probability adverbs: probably, possibly, presumabl
Example: The common colds caused by a virus.
With hedges:
The common colds must be caused by a virus.
The common virus is certain to be caused by a
virus.