READING AND WRITING

• CRITICAL READING is engaging in analytic activity which involves the reader by asking questions about the text and the author’s claim. Critical readers are doing the process of evaluating, analyzing, and interpreting the assertion of the hidden meaning of the entire text.
• reasoning as defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary, 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 by Maxine Rafaella C. Rodriguez and Marella Therese A. Tiongson

  1. Identify assertions

  2. Formulating a counterclaim

  3. Determining evidence
• Different form of hedges (Hedges are words or phrase that give a courteous tone)
• Modals: may, could, would, should, might, certain, must, etc
• Frequency adverbs: usually, generally, commonly
• Probability adverbs: probably, possibly, presumably
• EVALUATIVE STATEMENT. It is a statement that states one’s sound judgement about something through writing which is supported by reasons and evidence
• How to formulate an Evaluative statement:

  1. Begin with the positive before you point out the negatives.

  2. Suggest a solution/s or suggestion/s on how to improve the written material being evaluated

  and provide justification how these will work.

  3. Keep your feedback concise and precise.

  4. Be careful in giving your feedback.
• ASSERTIONS are declarative sentences that give one’s belief about something else as if it is true, it may not be.
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  A) fact

  B) convention

  C) opinion

  D) preference

  
• COUNTERCLAIMS are claims made to rebut a previous claim. To rebut means to contradict someone’s statement through a formal argument. They provide a contrasting perspective to the main argument.
• Four Elements of Argument

  1. Claim- is a statement that asserts facts based on one’s understanding about a particular topic

  or issue.

  2. Counterclaim- is just the opposite of claim. It is a statement that contradicts one’s claim and is

  usually proven and supported by both reasons and evidences.

  3. Reason- is the part of an argument where a statement offers an explanation behind a party’s

  claim.

  4. Evidence- is the statement that proves the truth of a claim and generally leads to the

  conclusion of an argument.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE is defined as the details given by the author in order to support his/her claims.

  Ways of Presentation

  1. Paraphrasing or restating the text in your own words

  2. Summarizing or stating in a shorter way the text and other details to support the idea

  3. Referencing or mentioning a specific section in the text

  4. Quoting or directly restating a part of the text
• BOOKS REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIQUE describes and evaluates a work of fiction or nonfiction and offers the book’s overall purpose, structure, and style of narration to the unknown readers.
• LITERATURE REVIEW is a type of academic essay that examines what has already been written about a topic
• Components of LR:

  1. Introduction defines the topic and the scope being considered.

  2. Main Body organizes the evaluation of the sources whether chronologically or thematically.

  3. Conclusion summarizes the key findings of the review

  4. References reflect the in-text citations
• Four Literature review strategies:

  1. Summary. State briefly the argument and main points of relevant research

  b. Synthesis. Combine ideas to form an integrated theory or system through critical evaluation,

  compare/contrast, etc.

  c. Analysis. Examine closely the elements or structure of the research

  d. Evaluation. Asses the research based on the criteria or rubric that you choose, state, and

  explain. Support it with another similar research.
• RESEARCH REPORT is a long, formal essay, usually five to fifteen pages in length, which presents

  the writer’s views and findings on a chosen subject.
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  A) title

  B) abstract

  C) introduction

  D) methodology

  E) results

  F) discussion

  G) references

  
• PROJECT PROPOSAL. It is a document that is written for problem solving, service provision, event planning, or equipment selling.
• Guidelines in Writing Proposal

  1. Gathering the data

  2. Organizing the data

  3. Writing the Proposal

  4. Revising the Proposal
• Formatting the project Proposal

  1. Introduction. This part provides the background necessary for understanding the project.

  ● Rationale- this identifies the problem to be addressed.

  ● Objectives- project to be intends to achieve.

  ● Benefits- what the reader or the target audience can gain from the proposal.

  2. Project Description. This section gives a specific information about the project itself.

  ● Methodology- entails the different activities.

  ● Schedule- discusses the task duration

  ● Budget – an analysis of all the costs.
• POSITION PAPER. It is a composition that highlights an opinion of an author or specified entity about

  an issue.
• Supporting evidences:

  1. Factual knowledge. Valid and verifiable information.

  2. Statistical inferences. Conclusion drawn from data gathered.

  3. Informed opinions. Based on knowledge of the facts and carefully considered principle.

  4. Personal testimony. Personal or first-hand experience of the writer.
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  A) introduction

  B) body

  C) conclusion

  
• RESUME. Originated from the French word résumé which means, “summary”.
• Structure and organization of a sample resume:

  1. Personal Details. Include your full name and contact information.

  2. Career Objective/ Summary. Convey your goals or highlights experience

  3. Education. List the most recent first

  4. Work Experience. use action verbs for descriptive phrases and list the most recent

  experience first

  5. Additional Information. optional part; headings could be languages, awards, achievements,

  skills, etc.

  6. References. 2 to 3 reliable people to endorse you; could be former professor or employer
• WRITING APPLICATION LETTER

  College Admission Letter is also known as the "letter of intent". It is a brief discussion of your

  intention to be admitted in a specific course in college.

  Employment Application Letter is widely known as a "cover letter". It is used to introduce

  yourself to a prospective employer.
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  A) full block

  B) modified block

  C) semi block

  
• Parts of Application Letter:

  A) heading

  B) date

  C) inside address

  D) salutation

  E) body

  F) complimentary close

  G) signature

  
• Office Correspondence, or business correspondence, is a written interchange of internal (communication

  between company departments) and external communication (communication between a company to another

  firm) to assist the flow of business processes.
• Business letter is the traditional way of communicating information from one company to another or used in external correspondence.
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  A) heading

  B) date

  C) inside address

  D) salutation body

  E) complimentary close

  F) signature and sender identification

  
• Business memorandum or memo is a written communication strictly between the company’s offices to another or used in internal correspondence. A memo has its title line and series number. Employees tend to read the memorandum if the title line is related to their job description. Memos are also used to implement internal guidelines or procedures that the employees must follow
• example of memo

  A) heading

  B) body

  C) special notation

  
• Business e-mail is an office correspondence that can either be internal or external. There is no required format in writing e-mail correspondence, but it is expected that the writer maintains a professional tone.
• example of business email

  A) header

  B) salutation

  C) body

  D) complimentary close

  E) signature