Academic Reading &Writing 2nd Sem Midterm  does not settle at a superficial level- investigates & digs

Prepared & Compiled by: Jeremiah Adams Thompson deeper

*NOTICE FROM THE COMPILER: use the aid of the book  open-minded- to different ideas; arrive to a better
Academic Reading & Writing in terms of figures, charts and judgment
diagrams as well as outlines  examines & evaluates information
LESSON 1: CRITICAL THINKING  does not let irrational emotions affect his decision
 CRITICAL THINKING VS NON-CRITICAL
THINKING
 non-critical thinking- accepting things without
examination; constructing thoughts based on emotions;
leads people jump to conclusions without proof/ evidence
 critical thinking- series of complex processes w/c allows
one to make reasoned judgment; assess the way one
thinks and solve problems effectively
LEVELS OF THINKING
 Benjamin Bloom- American psychologist; published
Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain
 Bloom’s taxonomy of Cognitive Domain- system that
classifies levels of thinking important for learning;
composed of six levels w/c follow a successive pattern
 Loin Anderson- revised the original Bloom’s taxonomy to
make it more relevant to 21st Century Learners; changed Reading Process Purpose Activities Involved
names of levels to verbs rather than nouns to denote Pre-reading Induce reader’s - previewing
active thinking process stage motivation to read - free writing
 high-order thinking skills- look things from a different and & activate - surveying
perspective, being manipulated by emotions and avoid their schema/ - questioning
biases and fallacies background - making
 includes analyzing, evaluating & creating knowledge assumption
1. analyze- breaking down ideas into parts & relating about the author
such to one another - identifying
 asking questions which compare, integrate or purpose
structure information - selecting
2. evaluate- making judgments on value & validity of reading system
ideas & events - SQ3R (survey,
 asking things which judge and test an idea nased on question, read,
certain rules or standards recite, review)
3. creating- combining parts to form a well- designed While- reading Rereading the text - getting meaning
whole; aim to produce, design or construct new stage until the meaning in context clues
information & ideas is fully grasped - predicting
 EXPLORING THE FIRST THREE-LEVELS OF THINKING - inferencing
 asking intelligent questions- leads to better understanding - monitoring
of events & ideas; key f actor in thinking critically; starts comprehension
with the first three levels of revised taxonomy - annotating the
a. remembering- involves retrieval, recognition & text
receiving of information - reflecting
b. understand- construction of meaning from verbal & Post- reading Check the - reflecting
non-verbal messages stage understanding of - summarizing
c. apply- knowledge by asking questions which text - paraphrasing
demonstrate, solve or use information - drawing
 IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING conclusions
 recognize different text & react to them intelligently - making
 analyze written works graphical
 comprehend the message they convey organizers
 apply the message in real life - journal writing
 maximize the learning that reading provides
 better understanding and enjoyment of texts LESSON 2: FUNDAMENTAL READING SKILLS
 writing- creates well written texts; clear purpose &  reading is not an effortless
position; distinguishing good & bad ideas  reading- cognitive complex process; highly visual which
 QUALITIES OF A CRITICAL THINKER involves transmission of messages through optic nerves
 inquisitive- asks genuine questions leading to better  locate main ideas, summarize. paraphrase, note details,
understanding of things & events does not pretend to meaning of words- some skills acquired through reading
know more than what he/ she actually knows  widen your vocabulary
 develop skills in writing
 interactive process between the reader & writer
 BASIC READING SKILLS
1. rapid reading- locate specific information or main ideas
in a very short period of time
 Rapid Reading (Pre-Reading Skills)
a. skimming- get the general idea by reading trough a
text quickly; get main idea/ overview of the material
 done when reading newspapers, magazines, books
& letters
 How to use skimming technique
use finger as a guide when reading across a line
focus more on te first line & last sentences
b. locating main idea- identifying the central message
of selection
 Where main idea is located:
first & last sentences of paragraph
middle of paragraph
implies/ not explicitly stated
 Levels of idea in a paragraph
major details- directly support the main idea
minor details- directly support the major details
Techniques in locating main idea
identify the subject of the text
use transitional devices
validate main idea
 transitional devices-use to transition one passage to
another examples are thus, therefore, to conclude,
to sum up
c. scanning- quick reading strategy; get specific
information from a given text; useful in locating
specific names
 do not have to read through the whole list
 Tips on scanning
be clear with the information
avoid reading every word
relax your eyes
2. previewing- set purpose and link the content of the
material to the background of knowledge
 reader looks over the material & finds information
which is relevant
 conducted during pre-reading stages
 browsing- inspecting unhurriedly the table of contents,
introduction. summary; also a pre-reading technique
3. literal reading- involves the understanding of ideas &
facts that are directly stated in the printed material
 summarizing- involves condensing a lengthy text into
a shorter passage which is usually 15- 30 % of the
source of material
 thesis statement, major details, citation- necessary to
be cite in the summary
 Strategies in summarizing
a. annotate
b. get the main idea in each paragraph
c. ensure accuracy
 paraphrasing- restating ideas fro the original text
 length if paraphrased text is almost similar to the
length of the original text
 focuses on the details not the main idea
 Strategies for effective paraphrasing
a. do not change the original thought of the text
b. do not confuse it w/ summary
c. ensure accuracy
4. inferential reading- deducing facts and ideas not directly
expressed in a text
 reading between lines
 includes making generalizations, inferences &
conclusions
 applied during the while-reading stage
 inference- idea drawn from facts/ details in the text
5. critical reading- close evaluation of claims in text in
terms of relevance, validity & logic
 includes distinguishing facts from opinions and
detecting logical fallacies
 happens in the while-reading stage
 TYPES OF READING
1. developmental reading-systematic instruction; aims to
develop the student’s reading skills
2. pleasure reading- passive type of reading; aims to
provide enjoyment & entertainment
3. functional reading- designed to help students learn basic
functional reading ability
4. remedial reading- corrects the effects of poor learning
LESSON 3: SELECTING & ORGANIZING INFO
 brainstorming- establish patterns of ideas; develop ways
of thinking and overcome mental block
 individual brainstorming- produces more ideas
 HOW TO DEVELOP INDIVIDUAL
BRAINSTORMING
 choose a comfortable place
 minimize ditractions
 use images to stimulate your mind
 group brainstorming- people focus too much on other
people’s ideas & unable to generate their own; better
option in solving complicated problems
 experiences & knowledge of each group augment
those of other members
 HOW TO DEVELPOP GRO
 METHODS OF BRAINSTORMING
1. idea list- listing ideas about a particular topic; find main
idea & supporting details from numerous ideas listed
 appropriate to textual people
 textual people- more comfortable in processing words
than visuals
 write main topic 7 write down all related concepts
below it
Example:
Topic- Unemployment
a. jobs
b. poverty
c. salary
d. lack of education
e. lack of jobs
2. idea map- visual representation of ideas and their
connections with one another
 more structured; able to show how one idea
subordinated another idea
 HOW TO MAKE AN IDEA MAP:
 put the big idea/ question at the center
 add a related idea by writing it down in a circle/ near
the big idea
 draw a line to show that the 2 ideas are connected
 continue such process of connecting ideas
 graphic organizer- visual representations which help to
structure information into organizational patterns
 present essential information & connect such unto a
coherent framework
 helpful tools for brainstorming, facilitating, reading &
writing, promotive active learning & accessing previous
knowledge& experiences
 TYPES OF GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
 Venn diagram- compare & contrast ideas & events
using two overlapping circles
 network tree- represents hierarchy, classification &
branching; showing relationships of scientific
categories, family trees & lineages
 spider map- investigate & enumerate various aspects
of a central idea which could be a concept, tpic or
theme
central idea- placed at the center of the map
main idea- placed at the diagonal line
details of main idea- placed on side of diagonals
 problem solution map- displays nature of the problem
and how it can be solve
contains the problem description, its causes &
effects and logical solutions
 timeline- show how events occurred chronologically
through a long bar labeled with dates and specific
events
linear timeline- how events occurred w/in a period
comparative timeline- two sets of events
happened w/ the same period
 plot diagram- map events in a story; analyze major
events of a plot
exposition- initial part where characters, settings &
relationships are established
inciting movement- brings about the conflict
rising action-conflict and the characters are
developed
climax- highest point of the story major events are
confronted
falling action- events following the climax; leading
to the closure of conflict
resolution- conclusion/ closure of the story
 series of even chain- show logical sequence of events
 fishbone map- better understand the causal
relationship of a complex phenomenon; shows factors
that cause a specific problem
 cycle- describes series of events interact to produce a
set of results repeatedly
 persuasion map- map out arguments & evidence that
prove a viewpoint; useful in processing persuasive/
argumentative texts
 outline- tool for organizing ideas used in both pre-writing
& post-reading activities
 decimal outline- uses numbers as labels
 alphanumeric outline- uses both letters and numbers
as labels
 FOUR PRINCIPLES OF OUTLINING
 coordination- requires ideas of the same relevance to
be labeled in the same way
 subordination- shows major details and are placed
under respective major details
 division- no cluster should contain only one ite
 If there is subheading 1 then there should be subheading
2
 parallel construction-requires all entries in each
cluster use the same structure and format
 use simple present tense
 topic outline- uses words & phrases as its entries; used if
ideas being discussed can be arranged in a number of
ways
 sentence outline- uses complete sentence as entries; topic
being discussed are complicated & requires details
LESSON 6: PRINCIPLES OF WRITING
 paragraph- group of interrelated sentences about one main
idea
 essay- group of paragraphs that talk about one central idea
Paragraph Essay
Organized around a topic Organized around a thesis
sentence
Introductory sentence Introductory paragraph
Sentences explain major Paragraphs explain major
point point
may use a concluding May use a concluding
sentence paragraph
 THREE MAJOR PARTS
 topic sentence- central idea of paragraph; can be a stand,
comment, objective, statement/ paragraph
 closing sentence- concludes details w/c have been
presented
 supporting details- sentences that clarify & prove main
idea
 cohesive devices- transitional devices, pronouns/
repetition of ideas used in order for the sentences to be
linked properly
 Essay has more elaborate structure
 introduction, body, conclusion- three general parts of an
essay
 INTRODUCTION
 lead/ attention-getter- first statement in essay; aims to
hook the reader
 use provocative rhetorical questions statistics, starting
statement, anecdote & quotation
 humor/ analogy- how to write an effective lead
 transitional statement- sentence which links the lead to the
thesis statement; provides background of the topic
 statement of case, arguments refuted- included in the
transitional statement of an argumentative essay
 thesis statement- states the idea/ argument of the essay
 transitional paragraph- paragraph that does not provide
support to a thesis statement; bridges one paragraph to
another
 body- meat of the essay; discusses the thesis statement in
details; topic is developed & arguments are laid
 CONCLUSION
 restatement of the thesis statement- where the concluding
paragraph begins; uses different structure & wording style
to uphold style language
 transitional statement- talks about recommendations,
benefits pf ideas presented/ purpose of writing the essay
 closing statement- wraps up the essay
 linking the ending to the attention-getter/ the lead- how to
end an essay
 PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT
 unity- achieved when composition contains one focused
idea; all supporting ideas are relevant to the main
thought
 confusion- ascribed to the text without unity
 coherence- ideas are connected at a conceptualized
level’; seen through well-defended arguments
 cohesion- connection of ideas at sentence-level; seen
through smooth flow of sentences
 3 Techniques for Cohesion
use of pronouns- prevents the use of repetition
use of transitional devices- connect sentences w/
linked ideas
employ of repetition of keywords- tie up the
paragraph subtly
 organization- achieved when ideas are logically &
accurately arranged
 language use- enables the writer to effectively
communicate ideas without confusing
a. use clear & concise statements- sentence is 18
words long
b. avoid redundancies, wordiness, clichés and
highfalutin words
c. avoid excessive use of “there and it” structures
d. use precise vocabulary
e. consistent with pronouns point of view
f. avoid sexist language
using articles (a, an, the)
using plural pronouns
using his/ her instead of his
writing through 2nd Person Point of View
using gender neutral nouns
not to overuse his/ her
g. appropriate level of formality
formal texts- uses academic tone
informal texts- personal/ colloquial tone
 mechanics- technical aspect of writing; characterized
as a set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate,
punctuate and capitalize composition
use standard English
avoid contractions (isn’t, aren’t, shan’t)
avoid exclamations
mention full name of institution/ organization/
abbreviation in parenthesis in first mention
zero-ten- must be spelled out
numbers higher than ten- written in figures
citations- used in academic & formal texts;
sparingly used in business texts
LESSON 7: THESIS STATEMENT, TOPIC SENTENCE
AND SUPPORTING DETAILS
 thesis statement- central idea of multiple paragraph
 one sentence summary that guides, controls & unifies
ideas when writing a paper
 all other ideas in essay revolve around it
 uses a complete sentence
 asking a question- one of the major strategies when
writing a thesis statement; entails multiple details
 HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE THESIS STATEMENT
written in a complete sentence
should not be narrow nor too broad; contain at
least two details
a. specific thesis statement- details you
generate are already definite examples
b. broad thesis statement- general statements
avoid an awkward thesis statement which states the
obvious, these usually start with the phrase, “I will
tell you/ I will talk about”
enumerate details should have the same level of
significance
should not state absolute fact; will not present any
central idea that can be developed further
 topic sentence- guides, controls & unifies ideas in a
paragraph; develops one argument of the thesis statement
explicitly stated topic sentence- can be placed at the
beginning, middle, at the end of the paragraph or at
its start and end
implied topic sentence- not directly seem in a
paragraph; up to the readers to deduce what the topic
sentence is
develop details in the thesis statement
if the thesis statement contains three details, then the
paper will have three topic sentences
TIPS IN WRITING AN EFFECTIVE TOPIC SENTENCE
a. follow the basics of a thesis statement
must be written in a complete sentence
not be phrased awkwardly
should not state the obvious
should not begin with phrases “I will tell you/ I
will talk about”
b. contain one detail which is related to one of the
details in the thesis statement
c. should vary in structure across paragraphs
monotonous tone- occurs if the topic sentences
are uniform in a paragraph
variation in sentences- creates stress in important
parts
d. if the composition is just one paragraph, the
topic sentence should be straightforward.
 supporting details- pieces of information necessary to
understand the main idea
- major details- directly support the topic sentence
- minor details- directly support the major details
SOLI DEO GLORIA