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LEARNING MODULE
READING AND WRITING SKILLS

Core Subject Description:

The development of reading and writing skills as applied to a wide range of
materials other than poetry, fiction and drama.
CONTENT STANDARD
The learner understands the relationship of a written text and the context in
which it was developed; and
PERFORMANCE STANDARD
The learner writes a 1000-word critique of a selected text on the basis of its
claim/s, context, and properties as a written material; and
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
At the end of the semester the learner is expected to:
1. explains critical reading as looking for ways of thinking
2. Identifies claims explicitly or implicitly made in a written text
a. Claim of fact
b. Claim of policy
c. Claim of value
3. identifies the context in which a text was developed
a. Hypertext
b. Intertext
4. explains critical reading as reasoning
5. formulates evaluative statements about a text read
a. Formulates assertions about the content and properties of a text read
b. Formulates meaningful counterclaims in response to claims made in a
text read
10. determines textual evidence to validate assertions and counterclaims made
about a text read
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UNIT 2. TEXT AND CONTEXT CONNECTION

Competency 5. Critical Reading for Thinking and Reasoning

Learning Competency.
The learner explains critical reading as looking for ways of thinking.
(EN11/12RWS-IIIij-5).
Using Critical Reading for Thinking and Reasoning
“Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of
choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that
surrounds you when you hear an author’s words reverberating in your head.” —
Paul Auster
Reading is a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from a
text. It is and will always be considered an interaction between the text and the reader.
It is one of the most valuable skills a person can acquire. Reading is not merely an
ability to recognize written or printed words, but it also refers to putting meaning to what
you read and drawing a unified thought of what is read.
Critical Reading is a reading technique wherein one does any, if not all of these
things towards the text being read, such as evaluating claims, seeking definitions,
judging information, demanding proof, and questioning assumptions. This type of
reading goes beyond passively understanding a text, because you process the author’s
words and make judgments after carefully considering the reading’s message.
Critical reading is dissecting a reading material. It is the art of asking oneself
about the text, “why did it happen? How did it happen? What should have been done
instead, or to be done thereafter? etc.” Once this process is practiced, any reader gets
used to read between and beyond the lines. This scenario of critical reading trains a
reader to believe in his/her capacity to think beyond and later cultivate this value as it
ultimately engenders the critical thinking skills of a reader.
Why is there a need to read critically?
Reading critically means you are thinking critically. You bring to your reading
your own experience and perspective, and use these to separate yourself from the text
and judge for yourself what you consider important, logical, or right. Additionally, you
find out the author’s views on something, ask questions, evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the author’s argument and decide to agree or disagree with it.
If this skill is well developed, nurtured and enhanced, the reader is obviously
challenged to reason out and justify for his/her thoughts, ideas, and decisions. The act
and the art of reasoning brought about by critical thinking is a noteworthy
accomplishment that any reader can claim.
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It is in this context that although reading the lines of a text is important, the heart
of reading goes beyond it. To students, it is highly essential to analyze both the content
and context in order to make its meaning more alive.
Techniques to Develop Critical Reading
• Keeping a reading journal – In making a reading journal, you are writing your
feelings and ideas in reaction to your reading assignment. This allows you to develop
your impressions of the text and connect them to your personal experiences. This
allows you to better relate to the essay and understand the author’s ideas.
• Annotating the text – It simply means making notes on your copy of the
reading material. This includes highlighting or underlining important passages and
writing notes, comments, questions, and reactions on the margins.
• Outlining the text – This is done by locating the thesis statement, claims and
evidence, and then plotting these into an outline, you can see how the writer structures,
sequences, and connects his or her ideas.
• Summarizing the text – It consists of getting the main points of the essay and
important supporting details. Summarizing is a useful skill because you can better
understand the reading if you can recognize and differentiate major and minor points in
the text.
• Questioning the text – It involves asking specific questions on points that you
are skeptical about. These may be topics that do not meet your expectations or agree
with your personal views.
Below is an evaluation guide to help you develop your critical reading ability.
As you pursue any reading material, you need to check its content, objectivity,
and relevance in order for you to be able to connect and find its significance to your life.
Evaluation Guide for Critical Reading
Elements for Evaluation Explanation Guide
This is the substance of the text.
Are the input/ideas present comprehensive-covering the
Content breadth and depth of the text? Is it comprehensible? As a
whole, is it appealing to the readers?

This is the stand of the author about an issue/article.

Are facts presented? Does it present both sides of the
Objectivity argument? Does the author possess ethical and moral
consideration in his/her article?

This is the intention, the entire meaning and the value of the
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issue/article to the reader’s life.

Significance Can the reader readily connect the issues to his/her life? Is it
open for interaction? How is it valuable to the reader?

Suggested Activities
1. Informal classroom debate
Point for discussion : Why is critical reading as a way of thinking and reasoning
significant especially in this era of technology?
Students seated at the left row discuss about the significance of critical reading.
Students at the right row may raise arguments and vice versa.
2. Read any recent article in the newspaper or in the internet. Identify a pressing
concern/issue of your country today. Then do the following in writing:
a. What is the central message of the article?
b. What might have caused such issue/s?
c. What feasible solutions may be offered to help resolve the issue?
3. read a national/international issue from any sources. Then imagine that you are the
president of the country. Identify your top priority for national development. Create a
program to achieve such. You may use graphic organizer and present it to the class.
Follow the tips/techniques to develop critical thinking.
Rubric:
5 4 3 2 1
The program is The program is
The program is The program is The program is
relevant, relevant, relevant and relevant not relevant
attainable, attainable, attainable but but , not
well-organized, well-organized,
not well- attainable , not attainable , not
and free from but contains
organized and well-organized well-organized
grammatical grammatical contains and contains and contains
errors. errors. grammatical grammatical grammatical
errors. errors. errors.
4. Read any local or international issue which interests you. Afterwards, identify the
cause/s of the issue/problem, your reaction towards it then propose a solution to the
problem.
Issue/problem Cause/s Reaction Proposed Solutions
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Competency 6. Explicit and Implicit Claim in a Text

Learning Competency
The learner identifies claims explicitly or implicitly made in a written text .
(EN11/12RWS-IIIij-6 )
a. Claim of fact (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-6.1 )
b. Claim of policy (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-6.2 )
c. Claim of value(EN11/12RWS-IIIij-6.3 )

Identifying and Analyzing Claims

Claim is as central argument of the t a proposition, or simply the argument. It can
also be called as thesis statement, refers to the writer’s point or position regarding the
chosen topic. This claim is what the writer tries to prove in the text by providing details,
explanations, and other types of evidence. As such, it is usually found in the introduction
or in the first few paragraphs of the text.
A thesis or claim is the key point being explained and defended, or the position
being taken in an argument. For a text or essay to be argumentative or persuasive, its
thesis or claim must be debatable. This means that the thesis or claim needs to be
something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your claim is
something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as true, there is no reason to try to
persuade people to argue with them. (Weida & Stolley,2013;Huglen,2014).
Consider the following examples:
“Pollution is bad for the environment” is an example of a claim that is not
debatable because the word pollution itself means that something is bad or negative in
someway, and all studies agree that pollution is a problem, therefore, no one could
reasonably argue that pollution is good. They simply disagree on the impact it will have
or its scope as a problem.
“At least 25 percent of the country’s budget should be spent on limiting
pollution” is an example of a debatable claim because reasonable people could
disagree with it. Some people might think that this is how we should spend the nation’s
money; other might feel that we should be spending more money on education. Still
others could argue that corporation that cause pollution, not the government, should be
paying to limit pollution.
Counterclaim
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Counterclaim provides an opposing viewpoint to the central claim. Including

counterclaim in your writing helps you to prove that yes, your opinion is best-
substantiated / most widely supported one. By giving the opposition a voice and then
knocking it down, the writer demonstrates a deep competence and familiarity with the
topic-provided that he/she can effectively address the counterclaim.
One easy way to spot counterclaim is to look for signal words like however, but,
on the other hand, yet, in contrast, otherwise, notwithstanding, nevertheless , on the
contrary.
Characteristics of a Good Claim
• A claim should be argumentative and debatable. When writers make a claim,
he/she is making a case for a particular perspective on the topic.
• A claim should be specific and focused because if not, the paper will be too
broad in scope and will lack direction and a clear connection to the support provided.
• A claim should be interesting and engaging. It should hook the reader, who
may or may not agree with you, to encourage them to consider your perspective and
learn something new from you.
• A claim should be logical. It should result from reasonable weighing of support
provided.
Explicit and Implicit Claims in a Text
Explicit claims are clearly stated in a sentence at the beginning or at the end ,
and sometimes in the middle, of the argumentative text, essay, or reading materials.
Example”
Many underdeveloped countries have a contradictory policy of
simultaneously promoting tobacco production (for economic reasons)
and discouraging tobacco consumption (for health reasons). For example,
China has revolutionized the health care of its people, and yet leads the world
in tobacco production and consumption . in many third-world countries
(including Philippines), cigarette advertising and promotions overwhelm poorly
funded anti-smoking efforts that go virtually unnoticed by the general public
(Adapted from Ferrante, 1992, p. 45 . as cited in Maker & Lenier, 1996, p. 8
and in Padilla , 2017, p. 128.)

Implicit Claims are implied rather than stated; they are understood yet not
clearly or directly stated. You have to infer or guess an implicit claim by reading
between the lines./ This means that you need to study or analyze the details, look at
how they are organized, and make an inference or a guess to determine the thesis or
claim.
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Example:
Insects outnumbered people 200 million to one.

Types of Claims
1. Claims of Fact – State a quantifiable assertion or measurable topic. They
assert that something has existed, exists, or will exist based on data. They rely on
reliable sources or systematic procedures to be validated; this is what makes them
different from inferences.
Questions to ask:
• Is this issue related to a possible cause or effect?
• Is this statement true or false? How can its truthfulness be verified?
• Is this claim controversial or debatable?

In determining the claim of fact, the following questions must also be taken into
account.
1. Did it happen?
2. Is it true?
3. How do we know this?
Examples:
1. Research studies are conducted to improve human condition.
2. Climate Change has already become an issue in the country.
3. Success of teaching depends upon the creativity of the teacher.
2. Claims of Value – It asserts something that can be qualified. They consist of
arguments about moral, philosophical or aesthetic topics. These types of topics try to
prove that some values are more or less desirable compared to others. They make
judgments based on certain standards, on whether something is right or wrong, good or
bad, or something similar.
Questions to ask:
• Which claims endorse what is good or right?
• What qualities should be considered good? Why?
• Which of these values contend with others? Which ones are more
important, and why? Whose standards are used?
• What are some concrete examples of such values?
Consider also the following questions:
1. How bad is it?
2. How moral or immoral?
3. Of what worth is it?
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4. Who say so?

5. What do these people value?
6. What values or criteria should I use to determine its goodness or
badness?
Examples:
1. Musical comedy is the best form of entertainment.
2. Staying with the family with a limited income is more valuable than
being away earning a lot.
3. Communication is better than computation.
3. Claims of Policy – It posits that specific actions should be chosen as
solutions to a particular problem. You can easily identify a claim of policy because they
begin with “should,” “ought to,” or “must.” Claims of policy because they defend
actionable plans, usually answer “how” questions.
Questions to ask:
• Does the claim suggest a specific remedy to solve the problem?
• Is the policy clearly defined?
• Is the need for the policy established?
• Is the policy the best one available? For whom? According to whose
standards?
• How does the policy solve the problem?
Here are some questions to be considered.
1. What should we do?
2. How should we act?
3. How can we solve this problem?
4. What course of action should we pursue?
Examples:
1. Fatal tissue should be banned in any research undertaking.
2. The government should continue to offer scholarship programs
especially to the poor but bright students.
3. Gender equality needs to be strengthened in the academe.
Learning Task:
Task 1. Instructions. Analyze each statement below. Identify whether it claims a Fact,
Value or Policy.
1. Technology should be used in all office transactions.
2. Using the solar energy can help homeowners save money.
3. Same sex marriage is immoral.
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4. Those who are exposed to technology have greater chances of attaining

success in the work place.
5. School should adopt a recycling program.
6. Death is inevitable.
7. Students should be trained to have savings accounts.
8. Stress causes health problems.
9. Residences in the urban areas should provide more parking spaces.
10. Stories on super heroes teach the young the value of courage and bravery.
Task 2. Instructions. Read news articles/editorials or excerpts from magazines.
Identify the type of claim/s present and support with reasons/explanations. Don’t forget
to attach the copy of the source you have taken.

Article (excerpt)
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.

Type of Claim
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________.

Reasons/Explanations.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________.
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Competency 7. Context of Text Development

Learning Competency
The learner identifies the context in which a text was developed
(EN11/12RWS-IIIij-7 )
a. Hypertext (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-7.1 )
b. Intertext (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-2.2 )

Identifying the Context of Text Development

Context is defined as the social, cultural, political, historical, and other related
circumstances that surround the text and form the terms from which it can be better
understood and evaluated. Knowledge of the text’s context helps in appreciating the
text’s message more deeply.
Questions to ask:
• When was the work written?
• What were the circumstances that produced it?
• What issues does it deal with?

Intertext
Intertextuality is the modelling of a text’s meaning by another text. It is defined
as the connections between languages, images, characters, themes, or subjects
depending on their similarities in language, genre, or discourse. This is seen when an
author borrows and transforms a prior text, or when you read one text and you
reference another. This view recognizes that the text is always influenced by previous
texts and in turn anticipates future texts. A text contains many layers of accumulated
cultural, historical and social knowledge, which continually adds to and affects one
another. Thus, intertextuality becomes a dialogue among different texts and
interpretations of the writer, the audience and the current and earlier cultural contexts.
Intertextuality is the literary device that creates an ‘interrelationship between
texts ’ and generates related understanding in separate works (“intertextuality”, 2015).
These references are made to influence that reader and add layers of depth to a text ,
based on the readers’ prior knowledge and understanding.
Intertextuality is a literary discourse strategy utilized by writers in novels,
poetry, theater, and even non-written texts such as performance and digital
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media).Examples of intertextuality are an author’s borrowing and transformation of prior

text, and a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another. Intertextuality does not
require citing or referencing punctuation (such as quotation marks) and is often
mistaken for plagiarism. Ivanic, 1998.

Hypertext
Hypertext is a nonlinear way of showing information, graphics, videos and music
– information is not simply related to text. This information appears as links and is
usually accessed by clicking. The reader can jump to more information about a topic,
which in turn may have more links. This opens up the reader to a wider horizon of
information or to a new direction. For instance if you are reading an article about
marine mammal bioacoustics, you may be interested in seeing a picture of a dolphin or
you may want to hear the sound it makes. Or you may even interested in seeing what a
marine mammal “looks like” in spectrogram. You might even want to find out more
about sounds made by other animals in the sea, thus leading you on a completely
different, detailed path. As you can see by these examples, this medium is not limited
simply to text. In can incorporate pictures, sound, even video. So it presents a
multimedia approach to gaining information—hypermedia.
Moreover hypertext is used because in general, humans learn better
associatively. That is, we are better able to figure out materials if we are allowed to
move at your own pace, investigating that which interests us, and stimulating more
senses through multimedia.
Hypertext is particularly useful as a way to introduce a computer-mediated
dialogic interaction in any writing class because it can be applied in much the same way
in a non-networked classes alike (both with and without access to the web). Thus, even
computer facilitated-classrooms which have no access to email much less MUDs or
Electronic discussion groups) can move computer-facilitated pedagogy from simply
using word-processors in class to providing a collaborative, interactive mode of
composition by using hypertext.
There are three main pedagogical benefits provided by the incorporation of
hypertext in the composition class:
1. Hypertext promotes dialogue.
2. Hypertext can be constructed as a collaborative medium, and it makes
possible forms of collaboration that emphasize the social construction of
meaning.
3. Hypertext can be used in nearly any computer-facilitated classroom.
Learning Tasks
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Task 1. In the Venn diagram, cite the similarities and differences between Intertextuality
and hypertextuality.
Task 2. Read any topic of your interest. Enhance it either through intertext or
hypertext.
Competency 8. Critical Reading as Reasoning
Learning Competency
The learner explains critical reading as reasoning (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-8 )

A. Assertion
Assertion is a stylistic approach or technique involving a strong declaration, a
forceful or confident and positive statement regarding a belief or a fact. Often, it is
without a proof or any support. Its purpose is to express ideas or feelings directly, for
instance, “I have put my every effort to complete this task today.”
Identifying Assertions – Any writer would want the reader to consider – and possibly
agree with – the claims that he or she puts forward. In expository writing, assertions
become the primary channel for a reader to assent to a claim. Assertions are
declarative sentences that claim something is true about something else. Simply put, it
is a sentence that is either true or false.
Types of Assertions
Fact – This type of assertion is a statement that can be proven objectively by direct
experience, testimonies of witnesses, verified observations, or the results of research.
Because statements of fact can be doubled-checked for accuracy, there is general
agreement about the truth they posit.
Convention – A convention is a way in which something is done, similar to tradition and
norms. Conventions depend on historical precedent, laws, rules, usage and customs.
Thus, their truthfulness is verified by how commonly held definitions and beliefs are
interpreted.
Opinion – Opinions are based on facts but are difficult to objectively verify because of
the uncertainty of producing satisfactory proofs of soundness. Opinions result from
ambiguities; the more ambiguous a statement, the more difficult it is to verify.
Preference – Preferences are based on personal choice; therefore they are subjective
and cannot be objectively proven or logically attacked.

B. Formulating Assertions About Text Content

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C. Formulating Counterclaim

Being able to recognize and formulate counterclaims in reaction to an argument

is a characteristic of a good critical reader. Counterclaims are made to rebut a previous
claim. They provide a contrasting perspective to the main argument.

Questions to ask:

• What are the major points on which you and the author can disagree?
• What is the strongest argument? What is being said to defend the position?
• What are the merits of their view?
• What are the weaknesses or shortcomings in their argument?
• Are there any hidden assumptions?
• Which lines from the text best support the counterclaim you have formulated?

Competency 9. Determining Textual Evidence

Learning Competency
Formulates evaluative statements about a text read. (EN11/12RWS-IIIij-9 )
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To better evaluate the author’s argument, you should be able to determine the
evidence from the text. This will allow you to validate the assertions of the author and
your own counterclaims as a response to reading. Evidence is defined as the details
given by the author to support his/her claim. It reveals and builds on the position of the
writer and makes the reading more interesting. Evidence is crucial in swaying the reader
to your side.
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Evidence includes the following:

• facts and statistics (objectively validated information on your subject);
• opinion from experts (leading authorities on a topic, such as researchers or
academics); and
• personal anecdotes (generalizable, relevant and objectively considered).

Questions to ask:
• What questions can you ask about the claims?
• Which details in the text answer your questions?
• What are the most important details in the paragraph?
• What is each one’s relationship to the claim?
• How does the given detail reinforce the claim?
• What details do you find interesting? Why?
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REFERENCES

A. BOOKS
Ang, J.G.(2016).Reading and Writing Skills for Senior High School. Manila:
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Antonio, MT.M., Sarte, M.B., Iñigo & Tangonan, O.L. . (2017). Reading and
Writing Skills for Senior High School Students. Malabon City: Mutya
Publishing House, Inc.
Castigador, A.C. & Buco, L. C. (2008). Self Instructional Modules in
Communication Skills 1. Bulacan: Art-Deck Printing Shop & Services.
Custodio, E.S., Achas, A.P., Barlan, J.M., & Nolasco, MF.T. (2012). Study and
Thinking Skills. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Dagaybil, F.T., Abao, E.L. & Bacus, R.C. (2016). Critical Reading and Writing for the
Senior High School. Metro Manila: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
Gabelo, N.C., et.al. (2016). Reading-Writing: The Effective Connection for Senior High
School. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Padilla, M.M, Dagdag, L.A, Roxas, F.R. & Jugo, R.R. (2017). Read Critically and
Write Effectively in School and at Work. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House,
Inc.
Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition (3rd Edition). (2010). Singapore: Pearson
Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar: Communication in Action (Platinum Level).
(2004). Philippines: Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
Tiongson, MT. A. & Rodriguez, MR.C. (2016). Reading and Writing Skills. Manila:
Rex Book Store, Inc.
B. SLIDE SHARES/POWER POINT
Slide shares used in Reading and Writing Skills classes at Ayala NHS Senior High
School, School Year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.
C. INTERNET
www.google.com. Retrieved October 20,2019.
http://grammar.about.com/bio/Richard.Norquist-22176.htm
www.spinedu.com/building-student-center-writng