Reading and Writing

• Patterns of Development


  • Narration
  • Definition
  • Description
  • Cause and Effect
  • Persuasion
  • Classification
  • Exemplification
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Problem-Solution
• Cause and Effect


  • Concerned with why things happen, and what happens as a result
  • Details arranged in the order in which the events occurred
• Signal Words for Cause and Effect

  • Because of
  • Caused
  • Since
  • Due to
  • Thus
  • As a result of
  • Therefore
  • Hence
  • Consequently
  • As a consequence of
• Preparing for Cause and Effect


  1. Why did this happen?

  2. What happened because of this?

  3. State clearly whether you are discussing causes, effects, or both
• How to write Cause and Effect

  1. Start with a well-known outcome and study what caused such a result

  2. Describe some event and then analyze its consequences
• Problem-Solution


  Uses topics that call the attention of people concerned with a singular problem that affects many other people
• Signal Words for Problem-Solution

  • But
  • First
  • Second
  • Nonetheless
  • The problem
  • The solution
  • One reason for the
  • One solution is
  • One way is
• How to write Problem-Solution

  1. Present the problem

  2. Write the solution
• Ways in writing Problem-Solution


  • Present your problem clearly
  • Make the reader feel reality and need for a solution
  • Provide solutions that are supported by data and facts
• Persuasion


  The act or process convincing to a point, idea, or belief or to be moved to a certain course of action
• Signal Words for Persuasion

  • Again
  • In the case
  • To emphasize
  • Truly
  • For this reason
  • Indeed
  • To repeat
  • With this in mind
  • In fact
• Prewriting for the persuasive essay


  1. Take a clear position and then present evidence to support your position

  2. The success of this pattern depends greatly on identifying your audience
• 3 main elements of Persuasion

  • Logos - reason and logic, expressing facts in a logical manner
  • Ethos - ethics, convincing the reader you are right from an ethical point of view
  • Pathos - Emotion, awaken the reader's sympathy , sadness, anger , or any kind of emotion
• Things to remember when writing of Persuasion

  • Opinion - stating your stand or feeling regarding a certain topic
  • Reason - provide reasons or facts to support your stand
  • Examples - give additional examples to further support your claim
• Stages of Reading


  • Before Reading
  • During Reading
  • After Reading
• Before Reading


  Skim through the text to get a sense of its structure, headings, and any visual elements
• During Reading


  Engage actively with the text by highlighting key points, underlining important information, or taking notes
• After Reading


  1. Take a moment to reflect on what you have read

  2. Summarize the main points

  3. Assess the reliability, credibility, and relevance of the text
• Critical Reading


  A type of reading whereby the reader analyzes and interprets the reading material to know if it presents logical ideas and connection of ideas
• Purpose of Critical Reading

  • Evaluate claims
  • Seek definitions
  • Judge information
  • Demand proof
  • Question assumptions
• Evaluate Claims


  Assessing the validity, credibility and reliability of statements made by someone
• Seek Definition


  Actively searching for the meaning or explanation of a word or idea
• Judge Information


  Making a judgment or forming an opinion about the quality, reliability of information
• Demand Proof


  Requesting or requiring evidence to support your statement
• Question Assumption


  Critically examining the basis or justification of assumption
• If we read critically, we think critically
• Techniques to help develop critical reading skills

  • Keeping a reading journal
  • Annotating the text
  • Outlining the text
  • Summarizing the text
  • Questioning the text
• Keeping a reading journal

  Similar to keeping a diary, this also allows you to relate to the essay and understand the author's ideas. This allows you to develop your impressions of the text and connect them to your personal experiences
• Annotating the text


  Making notes on your copy of the reading. Take note that it is best to annotate the text once you have read it and understand it properly. Includes highlighting, or underlining important passages and writing notes, comments, question, and reactions on the margins. By doing this, you are already entering into a dialogue with the author and NOT just passively reading the text
• Outlining the text


  To read critically, we create a rough outline of what we read. Since we make a rough outline of the text, we can see how the author structures, sequences, and connects his ideas
• Summarizing the text


  Similar to outlining. A summary consists of getting the main points of the essay and supporting details. You get the gist of the text. Just like outlining, we also locate the thesis statement and topic sentences. The supporting details in a paragraph and succeeding paragraphs may be used to clarify the writer's point
• Questioning the text


  Involves using specific questions on points that you are skeptical about. We doubt when a person/author says something that fails to meet our expectation or our view on the topic
• Questions to ask when questioning the text

  • What type of audience is addressed?
  • What are the writer's assumptions?
  • What are the writer's intentions?
  • How well does the writer accomplish these?
  • How convincing is the evidence presented?
  • How reliable are the sources? Are they based on personal experience, scientific data, or outside authorities?
• Text Development


  Helps the reader comprehend what the writer tries to convey through the text
• Context of Development

  • Hypertext
  • Intertext
• Hypertext


  A device in linking a text to another. It helps you get informed about a particular word, name, or concept. It is found on websites that contain links to another page upon clicking the highlighted word.
• Intertext


  It is when you encounter texts that make you draw information on the reading you have read previously. It can be intentional or unintentional.
• Textual Evidence


  It refers to any proof of an argument, a claim cited in the text leading to a conclusion.
• Determining textual evidence


  • Evidence is defined as details given by the author to support his/her claim
  • The evidence provided by the writer substantiates the text
• Characteristics of Good Evidence

  • Unified
  • Relevant to the central point
  • Specific and Concrete
  • Accurate
  • Representative or typical