LEARNING
MODULE
English for Academic and Professional
Purposes G12 S2M2
Text Structures
LEON GUINTO MEMORIAL COLLEGE, Inc
443 Mabini Street Atimonan, Quezon
(Recognized by the Government)
S2M2
No. 010 s. 1986
…teaching minds …changing lives …moving forward
Name: _____________________________________________________ Subject: Creative Writing
Grade and Section: ___________________________________________ Date of Deployment:
Date of Retrieval:
I. LEARNING COMPETENCIES
After going through this module, you will be able to:
use knowledge of text structure to glean the information you need. (CS_EN11/12A-
EAPP-Iac-4)
Specifically, you are expected to:
identify the text structure used in the academic texts;
write essays and/or articles using specific text structure; and,
use different text structures for blogging on important events, places, concepts and
ideas.
Over view
Structure is an important feature of academic writing. A well-structured text enables the reader to
follow the argument and navigate the text. In academic writing, a clear structure and a logical flow are
imperative to a cohesive text. Meaning is actually mapped onto the structure of language. In this
module, you determine the way an author arranges information in his writing. Also, this helps you
understand meaning and gather information while reading the text and consequently provides ideas
that enable you to organize your thoughts as you write your own.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: All the activities in this module shall be answered on a separate
paper which will be attached at the end of this module !
DISCUSSION
To be guided with your journey in this module, let us start by
working on this pre - test.
Directions: Read the passages and determine how each is
mainly structured. Choose your answer from the list of words below
and write the letter of your choice on the space provided before the
number.
a. cause - effect
b. compare – contrast d. descriptive
c. sequence e. question – answer
f. problem- solution
________1. Apple’s newly unveiled flagship is the iPhone XS which comes hot of the heels of
Sony’s latest contender, the Xperia XZ3. They’re both attractive, but which is best? Let’s take a
closer look. Both phones are prone to cracks and scratches because of all that glass. But, they
differ in water-resistant capacity. iPhone XS has IP68 rating allows them to be submerged for up
to half an hour in up to 2 meters of water. While, the Xperia XZ3 has an additional IP65 rating
which covers jets of water from any direction. With these, Japanese manufacturer Sony has
struggled to gain a foothold in the smartphone market, while its American competitor iPhone has
dominated.
________2. Since I made it to the honor roll every quarter this year, my mom is going to buy me
a new phone for my birthday. So, I feel so excited whether to get an iPhone or a Galaxy. Getting
one would give me a chance to go through my old music collection. That would be cool. It’s
worth a shot.
_________3. What type of plant is a corn? Corn belongs to a family of grass. It is a grass with
seeds called kernels. Very few kernels grew on wild corn grass. It took thousands of years of
choosing the corn grass plants with the biggest seeds, or kernels, to make what we enjoy today as
corn on the cob. Now, we all know that corn is a grass.
_________4. The foundation of every pizza is the crust, and good crust comes from good
dough. In making a dough, start by adding your yeast sachet to a cup of warm water. Let the
yeast activate, then add two cups of flour, two tablespoons of olive oil, two teaspoons of sugar,
and a teaspoon of salt. Mix all of those together and wait half an hour for the dough to rise. Now,
you’re ready to roll the dough out!
________5. The purpose of any artwork is to communicate a message - to comment, scream or
sing about the world in which we find ourselves in. If there is no emotion behind the work, there
is no driving force – nothing to direct and shape your decision making. So, why do you want to
create an artwork? What is your purpose in doing such?
________6. Thousands of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol.
Lives could be saved if our city adopts a free public vehicle service. By providing such a service,
we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.
_________7. Ice-cream is a delicious frozen treat that comes in a many different colors and
flavors. Two of my favorite flavors are strawberry and chocolate. These flavors are delicious. I
love the strawberry flavor for the granules of the fruit slowly melts in my mouth as I savor the
taste. Also, chocolate flavor is mouth – watering for it gives you a bitter – sweet and creamy
tastes. Even though more chocolate ice-cream is sold across the country than strawberry, each
flavor tastes great inside of a milk shake.
_________8. People of all ages benefit from regular physical activity. Physical activity leads to
improved physical fitness. Consequently, it helps the body systems to function at their optimal
efficiency associated with an individual’s ability to work effectively, to enjoy leisure time, to
resist disease and to respond easily to emergency situations.
_________9. Linux and Windows are both operating systems. Computers use them to run
programs. Linux is totally free and open source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the
source code. Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and users are prohibited from
altering the source code.
_________10. If you use too much effort in pitching the ball without rest, a serious elbow or
shoulder may be on the horizon. If you complain of elbow or shoulder pain, see a physician
familiar with sports injuries. But then, it is recommended to warm up properly by doing body
stretching, running and gradual pitching to prevent injuries. Of course, do not play all year round
because your body needs to recover from the physical demands of playing.
FIRM UP
Text Structures
While most pieces of non- academic texts follow the same or similar general
organizational patterns, different academic texts can have different text structures. An academic
text may present a main idea and then details, a cause and then its effects, an effect and the
causes, two different views of a topic, etc. Therefore, it is important that you can recognize
common text structures found in academic texts. Recognizing common text structures found in
academic texts helps you monitor your comprehension.
Academic language includes language used in textbooks, in classrooms, on tests and
in each discipline. It is different in vocabulary and structure from the everyday spoken English of
social interactions. However, each type of communication both academic and social has its
purpose and neither is superior to the other. Thus, academic language has unique characteristics
of establishing ways in organizing writing which can affect how one reads in a text of specific
discipline. Different genres, paragraph/sentence structures, level of text difficulty, purpose,
intended audience, overall organization, and knowledge of resources for the text all affect how
one writes and reads the text of specific discipline.
Activity 1: Bring Down Your Memory Lane!
Directions: Read the selection entitled ‘From the Autopsy Surgeon’s Report’. Pick – out at least
five (5) academic terms used in the discipline and write their specific meaning. Write your
answers in the table.
From the Autopsy Surgeon’s Report Death occurred from the effects of asphyxia, cerebral
anemia, and shock. The victim’s hair was used for the constriction ligature. Local marks of the
ligature were readily discernible: there were some abrasion and a slight ecchymosis in the skin.
But, I found no obvious lesion in the blood vessels of the neck. Cyanosis of the head was very
slight and there were no pronounced hemorrhages in the galea of the scalp. I should judge that
very great compression was effected almost immediately, with compression of the arteries as well
as of the vein, and that the superior laryngeal nerve was traumatized in the effect of throwing the
victim into profound shock. The lungs revealed cyanosis, congestion, over aeration, and sub
pleural petechial hemorrhages.
Academic Term Definition
(Operational Meaning in the Discipline)
With your learning experiences in Module 1, you have learned that
understanding the meaning of words as used in context is very
important in gleaning information. Now, I am sure that you want to
learn some other ways of understanding and appreciating academic
texts. With that, let us gain knowledge on how thoughts are organized in
academic texts. Let us begin our learning journey in Module 2!
Activity 2: Pick me out!
Directions: Pick out the signal words from the list and classify them accordingly using the
boxes below.
And Similarly Consequently Or Finally
According to For example To start with So To adress
How do you classify the signal words?
Indeed, you are encouraged to think about the meaning of signal words in the activity.
Don’t you know that signal words play an important role in organizing your thoughts? All words
are powerful, but some words have superpower. Consider words and phrases indicate
connections of ideas like however, in addition, in contrast, as a result, furthermore, specifically,
currently, while, eventually, in the same way, later, next, and on the contrary. These are signal
words and they are sentence superheroes which help you in understanding and organizing
academic texts.
Thus, you have to take note that in reading academic text you
have to slow down when you see signal words and think about what is
coming next. The same advice applies when you write, but be careful –
not all signal words are equal even those in the same category. To
reinforce these ideas, let us learn how signal words help in
understanding someone’s thoughts and organizing your own.
Have you ever wonder how are the thoughts in academic texts
organized? Now, let us learn how academic texts are structured.
Common Text Structures
Text structure is how information in a text is organized. Being able to identify the
structure of a text can greatly increase students' comprehension of the materialbeing read.
According to Taylor (1992), students who are taught to identify the structure of expository and
narrative texts have been found to have better comprehension than students who have not
received such instruction. The followingare the six basic structures that are commonly found in
textbooks and/or academic texts.
1. Compare-Contrast Structure. This type of text structure examines the
similarities and differences between two or more people, events, concepts, ideas, etc. The
selection below uses compare and contrast sentence structure.
Example:
Most mobile phones sold today have an operating system that is either designed by Apple
or Google. Both of these operating systems allow users to connect to application stores and
download applications. However, one major difference between these two operating systems is
that Apple makes the iOS operating system powering their iPhones and iPads. In other words,
the iOS operating system only appears on products created by Apple. On the other hand, Google
makes the Android operating system that can be found on many different mobile phones and
tablets like Samsung, Sony and LG. So, which operating system do you prefer - Android or iOS?
Obviously, the sample text presents a compare - contrast structure. How do the signal words help
in developing the structure of the text? How are the similarities and differences of mobile
phone’s operating system elaborated? Analyze the graphic organizer that follows to further
understand the structure of the text.
2. Cause-Effect Structure.
This structure presents the causal relationship between a specific event, idea, or concept
and the events, ideas, or concept that follow. An action and its results are explained.
Example: In the Philippines, it is the brown race that constitutes the majority and the
white or mestizo is the minority. It follows, therefore, that the mean and measure in judging
beauty is the Malay skin, hair, eyes, nose, lips, body, and stance. As a result, film producers and
directors consciously build up stars whose dominant features are Malay like Nora Aunor, Angel
Locsin, John Lloyd Cruz and Daniel Padilla. If the text uses cause – effect structure, what do you
think is the cause? How about the effect? Have you spotted some signal words which help to
elaborate the causal relationship of ideas? The causal relationship presented in the text is
simplified in the following graphic organizer:
3. Sequence Structure.
This text structure gives readers a chronological order of events or a list of steps in a
procedure.
Example: Egg is good for our health. One of the simplest recipe for egg is omelette. It
sounds like an expensive dish but actually it is very affordable and easy to cook. To make an
omelette like a pro, precook the toppings such as minced onions and garlics, shred cheese, sliced
tomatoes and other fresh herbs. Next, crack the eggs into a bowl and add a splash of water. The
steam from the water makes the omelette light and fluffy. Then, whisk the egg-water mixture
vigorously with a fork until the whites and yolks are completely blended. After that, heat the pan
and add enough oil or butter in it. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan and let the egg set along
the edges. After few seconds, sprinkle the precooked toppings. Don’t forget then to season with
salt and pepper. That’s it! You have made the perfect omelette for breakfast. How is the text
mainly structured? Yes, you are right! The text uses sequence structure. It presents the list of
steps on how to make a perfect omelette for breakfast. Take a look in the following graphic
organizer to learn sequence structure in details.
4. Descriptive Structure.
This type of text structure describes something in order of space and how something
looks. It features a detailed description of something to give the reader a mental picture.
Example: Galileo was a thoughtful youth and doubtless carried on a rich and varied reverie. He
had artistic ability and might have turned out to be a musician or painter. When he had dwelt
among the monks at Valambros, he had been tempted to lead the life of a religious. As a boy, he
busied himself with toy machines and he inherited a fondness for mathematics. All these facts
are of record.
Can you picture out the subject described in the text? How is the subject being described? To
answer these questions, let us study the following graphic organizer:
5. Problem-Solution Structure.
This type of structure sets up a problem or problems, explains the solution, and then discusses
the effects of the solution.
Example: Dr. Ramos doesn’t want the eagles to vanish. These Philippine giant birds are
disappearing at an alarming rate. Dr. Ramos thinks that we should demand the government to
plan for immediate action in the preservation of this specie. He also thinks that we should donate
to Save the Eagles. Our donations will help to support and empower those who are fighting the
hardest to preserve the eagles. With this, we can make a difference. We owe it to our helping and
caring hands to do something.
Based on the text, what is the problem discussed? What are the recommendations drawn to
address the problem? The graphic organizer below shows the specific problem and solutions
presented in the text:
6. Question - Answer
Structure. This text structure starts by posing a question then goes on to answer that question.
Example: Why do we have schools? Schools deal important role in the society and they have
three main functions. First, students learn skills that will help prepare them for society. Writing,
reading, and mathematics are essential in global market and workplace and individuals likely
learn these skills in schools. Second, schools serve communities by providing safe havens for
students in temporary living situations. Third, schools provide a conducive environment for
children to engage in productive activities during many days of the year while their adult
caretakers may be working. These are the reasons why we have schools in our society.
Looking closely at the text, have you seen some signal words used in this structure? Have you
found these signal words - first, second and third? These signal words are used to enumerate the
answers of the question posted. Do the details in the text support and provide answers to the
question? Check out the graphic organizer on the next page to help you find answer with the
latter.
At this
stage, you should have several ideas on the common text structures used in academic texts. Keep
in mind these ideas because you are going to use your knowledge on text structures for
enhancing your skills in gleaning information.
ACTIVITY
DEEPEN
What’s More?
Eventually, you are ready to prove your understanding about the topic and
this can be realized by getting involved in the following activities.
Activity 3: Read to find out!
Direction: Read the text entitled Studying for a Test and answer the questions that follow.
1.
What does the author want to convey to the readers?
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2. How does the author present his ideas?
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3. What are the signal words used in the text?
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4. How do the signal words help in organizing the author’s ideas?
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You’re doing great! How do you find the activities? Do they help you learn more about the
lesson? Indeed, the activities help you understand more about academic text structures.
ASSESSMENT
TRANSFER
What I Can Do !
Obviously, you are aware that our lives and our ways of living have drastically changed
when the COVID-19 pandemic came unexpectedly. Share your thoughts and experiences about
it. Try structuring your own text.
Activity 6: Structure your essay!
Direction: In the space provided, write an essay/article about COVID – 19 pandemic
using a specific text structure of your choice. You may use a separate sheet if necessary. Please
be guided by the suggested criteria for scoring. Criteria for Scoring:
Appropriate Use of Text Structure………20 pts.
Mechanics………….…………......................15 pts.
Creativity and Presentation……….…......15 pts.
_________________________________
Total………………………….............………50 pts.
Passage 1
Earthquakes happen all over the world in areas called seismic zones. Seismic zones occur where
the plates of crust covering the Earth’s surface meet each other. Inside the Earth, the mantle is
always moving, which in turn moves the plates. These plates push against each other, building up
tension between them. When the tension between plates becomes too great, they grind against
each other, causing the Earth’s surface to tremble and shake.
Passage 2
I have noticed that a lot of people are confused about mobile data and Wi-fi. Some people think
that they’re the same thing. Both mobile data and Wi-fi allow you to connect to the internet.
However, there are some important differences between them. Mobile data is provided by the
mobile phone company. Whereas, Wi-fi is comes through cable or phone lines. Mobile data
gives you internet access anywhere that your phone can get a signal. But, you can only get Wi-fi
access when you are near a router. Customers are usually given a nearly unlimited amount of
Wi-fi data, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. On the other hand, mobile data is often sold in limited
portions, like an expensive restaurant. It is important to know which you are using so that you
aren’t charged additional fees for going over your mobile data plan limits.
Passage 3
In the center of Luna’s Spoliarium painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman
soldiers. At the left side, spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants of their
metal helmets and other armory. In addition, emotions are featured on the left and the right side
presents a sober mood. It can be seen also in the right side; an old man carries a torch perhaps
searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her loved one.
Passage 4
The first step of changing oil in a car is to gather supplies. After you have collected all of the
tools and supplies, prepare your vehicle. Start the car and let it run for one to two minutes to
warm the oil and the engine. Then, find a flat surface to jack the vehicle from the center under
the engine. Next, locate the oil filter and oil drain plug. Put on work gloves to protect your hands
and position an oil drain pan under the engine then remove the plug the rest of the way.
Passage 5
What is an ice cream headache? It is when a painful sensation resonates in your head after eating
something cold (usually ice cream) on a hot day. This pain is produced by the dilation of a nerve
in the roof of your mouth. The nerve center is overreacting to the cold by trying to heat your
brain. It is an ice cream headache when you feel those sensations which have turned many smiles
to frowns. roof of your mouth. The nerve center is overreacting to the cold by trying to heat your
brain. It is an ice cream headache when you feel those sensations which have turned many smiles
to frowns.
Passage 6
Some students have poor attendance. The school has tried many ways of addressing this such as
teachers have sent letters and/or have talked to parents immediately, school has scheduled parent/
teacher/ guidance counsellor/ school prefect of discipline conferences with students who are
habitually absent. Hopefully, this will help more students get to school every day.
Thank you and Congratulations!
_____________________________________
Signature over Printed name
