READING AND

WRITING
SKILLS
Quarter 2-2nd Semester

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 LESSON: CRITICAL READING
MELC: Explain critical reading as reasoning

Objectives:
1. Analyze the truthfulness or validity of a statement by supporting it with
textual evidences
2. Evaluate one’s work by identifying textual evidence and reasoning used
by their peers in writing a critique paper

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 REVIEW

Recall important points about intertextuality.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 ACTIVITY

Read the claim below. Then, give your opinion regarding the
truthfulness of the statement/claim.

“The pandemic made the world’s mental health

worse.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 ANALYSIS

Group Task:
You will be grouped, and you will read a text that is connected
to the given claim earlier. Based on what you have read, your
group will support or deny the truthfulness and validity of the
claim by supporting it with implicit and/or explicit evidence.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 The impact of COVID-19 on mental health
cannot be made light of
-by World Health Organization |June 2022

One of the biggest global crises in generations, the COVID-19 pandemic

has had severe and far-reaching repercussions for health systems,
economies and societies. Countless people have died, or lost their
livelihoods. Families and communities have been strained and separated.
Children and young people have missed out on learning and socializing.
Businesses have gone bankrupt. Millions people have fallen below the
poverty line.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

As people grapple with these health, social and economic impacts,
mental health has been widely affected. Plenty of us became more
anxious; but for some COVID-19 has sparked or amplified much
more serious mental health problems. A great number of people have
reported psychological distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety
or post-traumatic stress. And there have been worrying signs of more
widespread suicidal thoughts and behaviours, including among health
care workers.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Some groups of people have been affected much more than others.
Faced with extended school and university closures young people
have been left vulnerable to social isolation and disconnectedness
which can fuel feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and loneliness and lead
to affective and behavioural problems. For some children and
adolescents being made to stay at home may have increased the risk of
family stress or abuse, which are risk factors for mental health
problems. Women have similarly faced greater stress in homes, with
one rapid assessment reporting that 45% of women had experienced
some form of violence, either directly or indirectly during the first
year of the pandemic.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

While mental health needs have risen, mental health services
have been severely disrupted. This was especially true early on in
the pandemic when staff and infrastructure were often redeployed
to COVID-19 relief. Social measures also prevented people from
accessing care at that time. And in many cases, poor knowledge
and misinformation about the virus fuelled fears and worries that
stopped people from seeking help.
…

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 Critical Reading

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Critical reading is a more active way of reading. It is a
deeper and more complex engagement with a text. It is a
process of analyzing, interpreting, and, sometimes,
evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical
thinking skills to question both the text and our own
reading of it.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Techniques in Developing Reasoning

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Reasoning is an act of giving statements for justification and
explanation. It is the ability of someone to defend something by
giving out reasons justifying a stand based on prior and existing
knowledge and experiences needed to arrive at a decision.
Critical reading involves presenting a reasoned argument that
evaluates and analyses what you have read.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

It is the process of expressing ideas and opinions as
well as justifying a stand based on prior and existing
knowledge and experiences needed to arrive at a
decision.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP REASONING
⮚ Dare to read every day. Citing relevant ideas of experts and
authorities in reading materials definitely helps strengthen one’s
stance on an issue.
⮚ Learn to focus on the main ideas (explicit or implied) and
supporting details mentioned in the argument.
⮚ Examine the pros and cons of your argument/ resolution. This will
help you weave the flow of your thoughts.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP REASONING
⮚ Organize your thoughts. Arrange ideas either in chronological order
or by emphasis to specific or vice versa.
⮚ Note points for improvement. After having justified an issue,
recheck your stand based on your power to convince the
reader/audience. Moreover, make practice a habit, so that you
become conscious of becoming better every time you reason out.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 Textual Evidence
When you analyze a text, you want your readers to know what the author
actually says rather than merely your interpretation of the author's ideas.
This means that you quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize the author's
words to support your points.
⮚ Implicit refers to something that is suggested or implied but not ever
clearly said
⮚ Explicit means communicating directly in a clear and exact way

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

 Characteristics of a Critical Reader
A critical reader...
⮚ does not believe everything he reads
⮚ questions everything which doesn’t make sense to him
⮚ questions some things even though they do make sense to him.
⮚ rereads when he thinks he may have missed something.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

A critical reader...
⮚ considers the type of material he is reading before deciding how
much weight to give to it
⮚ admits that the effect on him of what the author says may be
caused more by the author’s style of writing than by the facts
presented
⮚ analyzes arguments
⮚ discounts arguments based on faulty reasoning

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

APPLICATION
 APPLICATION

Peer Review
▪ Read the critique paper that your classmate has written last
quarter, then identify textual evidence that he/she used in
writing his/her reasonings about the topic being discussed in
the paper. Then, write a short evaluation of the work.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | QUEZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL