ENGLISH

FOR

At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 Differentiates language used in academic texts from various
disciplines
 Uses knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she
needs
Learning  Uses various techniques in summarizing a variety of academic texts
Outcomes:  States the thesis statement of an academic text
 Outlines reading texts in various disciplines

Communication –

Definition of
Terms:

The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies for a better

understanding of academic texts.

Content Standard:

The learner produces a detailed abstract of information gathered from the

various academic texts read

Performance
Standard:

LESSON 1:
LANGUAGE
 Academic Language refers to the language of the discipline that students need to learn and use to
participate and engage in meaningful ways in the content area.
The oral and written language used for academic purposes – this means by which students develop and
express content understanding.

 What is the easiest writing assignment you have done so far?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Activity 1.
__________________________________________________________________
What You
__________________________________________________________________
Now

 How about the most difficult writing assignment you have done?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

 What do you think made the writing assignment difficult/easy?

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Based on your answer, what do you think is academic writing and its differences from other kinds of
writing?
Let’s find out in this activity. Read and evaluate these four texts and answer the following questions
after reading them.
1. In your opinion, which of the texts is an academic text?
2. Why did you consider it/them an academic writing?

Why Do They Say That Our English Is

TEXT Bad?
Activity
A. (An Excerpt)
2.
Grace M. Saqueton
(1) English teachers in the Philippines often find themselves in a very frustrating situation – no matter how
hard they try to teach the rules of written English to their students, the students still commit errors in
word order, word choice, subject – verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles, punctuations, and the
like. Teachers get frustrated when they hear or read sentences such as “They decided to got married,”
“What did the students watched”?” or “Ana go to the canteen.” It is also alarming because the rules that
apply to these sentences are supposedly simple rules that the students should have learned in grade
school. Yet, here they are in college, still committing those same errors.

(2) Teachers and linguists alike have sought and probably are still seeking for ways and strategies to teach
English effectively especially in the light of teaching English as a second language or as a foreign
language. Different research studies have been conducted and different theories have been used to
 address the situation. One of the topics that the researchers have explored is the recurring errors in
phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse of second language learners. They believe
that studying these recurring errors is necessary to address the supposed grammar problems of the
Filipino college students.
(3) In a paper titled, “Why Does They Say That Our Sentences Is Wrong When We Knows English? An
Analysis of the ‘Common Errors’ of Freshmen Compositions,” Saqueton (2008) identified some of the
common errors found in the essays of first year college students. She provided explanations, using error
analysis, language acquisition theories, and Fairclough’s paradigm on the appropriacy of
“appropriateness,” as to what caused the “errors.” This is the hope of helping English teachers develop
teaching materials and devise teaching strategies that are appropriate for Filipino first year college
students of different linguistic backgrounds.
(4) Saqueton (2008) found out that among the student’s essays, errors in the use of verbs are the most
common, followed by errors in the use of prepositions, problems in word choice, and problems in
subject-verb agreement. There are also errors in the use of articles, conjunctions, pronouns; spelling
problems are also evident.
(5) These “errors” are considered errors because of certain standards that language teachers want their
students to follow. These standards are the ones prescribed by grammarians. Educators want their
students to master Standard English as second language learners of English. The problem here lies in the
definition of “Standard” English. Is there really a common standard? If there is, who uses it? Whose
standard should be followed?
(6) Answering the question would entail a lot of problems. First, there should be a clear definition of what
standard is. What kind of English is Standard English? Dr. Andrew Moody, when asked during the
International Conference on World Englishes and Second Language Teaching on how to maintain
correctness and consistency when teaching English in the Philippines, said that it would be honest to
teach Standard English as if it exists.
(7) That answer alone could raise a lot of issues. It only shows that the concept of standard is problematic.
According to Fairclough (1995), there is a need for a particular standard in order to rationalize policies
on teaching of Standard English. He further stated that appropriateness figures within dominant
conceptions of language variations (234).
(8) Is there an implied claim then that students of English as a second language or as a foreign language
speak a substandard kind of English because they do not follow the standards of General American
variety? What if they (Filipinos, for example) have accepted English and appropriated it to fit their
needs and the context of situation in their own places?
(9) Andrew Gonzales (1985), in his paper, “When Does an Error Become a Feature of Philippine English?”
pointed out that until Philippine English is really creolized English is still a second language in the
Philippines, and he believed that in teaching any second language, one must accept a standard. However,
he also stressed that no matter how hard the English teacher tries, a local variety will continue to
develop (186).
(10) There will always be different perspectives on this matter, especially that language issues seem to be a
highly emotional matter. Should language education then go for mutual intelligibility rather that
subscribe to a certain standard? Educators and language policy planners could go back to Fairclough’s
model of language learning. They have to decide how relevant English is to their students, and from
there they have to decide what to teach and how to teach it.

TEXT
B. Mother Tongue
(An Excerpt)
Amy Tan

(1) I am not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the
English language and its variations in this country or others.
(2) I am a writer. And by that definition, I am someone who has always loved language. I am fascinated by
language in daily life. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language -- the way it
can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my
trade. And I use them all -- all the Englishes I grew up with.
(3) Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use. I was giving a talk to a large
group of people, the same talk I had already given to half dozen other groups. The nature of the talk was
about my writing, my life, and my book, The Joy Luck Club. The talk was going along well enough,
until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. My mother was in the
room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of
English I have never used with her. I was saying things like, “The intersection of memory upon
imagination” and “There is an aspect of my fiction that relates to thus-and-thus” – a speech filled with
carefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened, it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms,
past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, all the forms of standard English that I had learned in school and
through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother.
 (4) Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the
English I was using, the English I do use with her. We were talking about the price of new and used
furniture and I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.” My husband was with us as well,
and he didn’t notice any switch in my English. And then I realized why. It’s because over the twenty
years we’ve been together I’ve often used that same kind of English with him, and sometimes he even
uses it with me. It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family
talk, the language I grew up with.
(5) Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have
described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always
bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and
needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. I’ve heard other terms used,
“limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s
perceptions of the limited English speaker.
(6) I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my
perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what
she had to say, that is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had
plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at
restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or
even acted as if they did not hear her.
(7) My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have
me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. In this guide, I was forced to ask for information or
even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her. One time it was a call to her stockbroker
in New York. She had cashed out her small portfolio and it just so happened we were going to New
York the next week, our very first trip outside California. I had to get on the phone and say in an
adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.”
(8) And my mother was standing in the back whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send check, already two
weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.”
(9) And then I said in perfect English, “Yes, I’m getting rather concerned. You had agreed to send the check
two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
(10) Then she began to talk more loudly. “What he want, I come to New York to tell him front of his
boss, you cheating me?” And I was trying to calm her down, make her be quiet, while telling the
stockbroker, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to
have to speak to your manager when I’m in New York next week.” And sure enough, the following
week there we were in front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet,
and my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English.

TEXT
C.
Dear Prof. Lanuza:
Congratulations for being chosen as one of the recipients of the ASEAN Educational Program Award.
You are invited to the 5th Annual ASEAN English Teachers’ Conference. Our sponsors value the
important work done by English language teachers and they are willing to support your professional
endeavors by giving financial aid in the conference.
The conference organizers and sponsors want to know more about your work and how the ASEAN
English Teacher’s Conference will be able to help you. May we ask you to complete the attached
questionnaire to help us provide that information? Also, we would appreciate the opportunity for
members of our Sponsorship Profile team to talk with you about your work and the challenges and
opportunities that you have identified in your study.

Best regards,

Prof. Hannah Lee

TEXT
D.
Republic of the Philippines
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
_________ Judicial Region
Branch ______, ______ City

EX-PARTE MOTION FOR EXTENSION

TO SUBMIT COMPROMISE AGREEMENT
Defendants, by the undersigned counsel and unto the Honorable Court, respectfully state that:
(1) On 5 January 2015, the Honorable Court, in open court, directed the Parties to submit their
Compromise Agreement within ten (10) days therefrom, or on 15 January 2015. Said day
being a Sunday, the Parties have until the next working day, 16 January 2015, to submit said
Compromise Agreement.
(2) Defendant Hannah Dy is presently abroad and needs to execute a Special Power of Attorney
authorizing her brother and Co-Defendant Roland Dy to sign the Compromise Agreement on
her behalf.
(3) Thus, the Defendants respectfully pray that the Parties be given additional fifteen (15) days
from today, or until 30 January 2015, within which to submit their Compromise Agreement.
(4) This Motion is not intended to delay the instant proceedings but filed solely by reason of the
foregoing. Moreover, the filing if the same will not result in any injustice or prejudice to any
of parties herein.

After answering the two initial questions on your own, discuss your answers with your
classmates. Compare and contrast your answers. List down the similarities and differences and try to
infer what distinguishes an academic text from other texts.
Did you choose the text that appears to be the most “serious” to you as the academic text? Are
you one of those students who think that academic texts are difficult to read?
Some students think that academic essays are difficult because they are written in long
sentences that are mostly complex or compound-complex, and use words that are hard to understand,
for instance, peruse, stipulate, erudite.
How then do you distinguish an academic text from a business letter or a personal essay? Below
is a table that will help you answer this question. Reread the four texts and fill out this table based on
your evaluation of the texts.
TEXT A TEXT B TEXT C TEXT D
What is the text
about?(subject/focus)
What is the writer’s
goal in writing the
text? (purpose)
Who is the target
reader of the text?
(audience)
What is the point of
view used in the text?
(first person, second
person, third person)
How much does the
writer know of the
subject? (writer’s
knowledge)
How did the writer
organize the text?
(style)
Did the writer write
in a formal or
informal manner?
 (tone)
How did the writer
choose the words and
organize the
sentences? Was the
language formal,
informal, or casual?

Based from the different texts that you have read, define in your own words the meaning of
academic writing.
Academic Writing is
_______________________________________________________________________
HOW CAN YOU
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Academic writing is a process that starts with posing a question, problematizing a concept,
______________________________________________________________________________________
evaluating an opinion, and ends in answering the question or questions posed, clarifying the problem, and/or
___
arguing for a stand. Just like other kinds of writing, academic writing has a specific audience, which is to
inform,
Academic to argue a specific point, and to persuade. Itwriting
also addresses a specific audience; the audiencerequires
is your
teacher (for the most part), your peers who will read and evaluate
_________________________________________________________________ your work, and the academic community
that may also read you work. The assumption is that your audience is composed of people who are
______________________________________________________________________________________
knowledgeable on the subject that you are writing about; thus, you have to demonstrate a thorough
______________________________________________________________________________________
understanding of your subject at hand. This makes academic writing different from a personal narrative or a
______________________________________________________________________________________
creative
___ essay, or a legal document, in which the knowledge of the writer is assumed to be greater than that
of the readers.
Academic writing is different from a creative essay, a business letter, and a legal document in terms of
Academic writing is thinking; you cannot just write anything that comes to your mind. You have to
______________________________________________________________________________________
abide by the set of rules and practices in writing. You have to write in a language that is appropriate and
______________________________________________________________________________________
formal but not too pretentious. You also have to consider the knowledge and background of your audience.
You have to make sure that you can back up your statement with a strong and valid evidence. Writing
academic papers requires deliberate, thorough, and careful thought and that is why it involves research.

PONDER ON THIS:
It was mentioned in Text A “Why Do They Say That Our English Is Bad?” that Filipino college students
encounter problems in grammar when they write papers. It would be interesting to find out if the same scenario
applies to you and your classmates, so why don’t you pair up with a classmate and do a quick survey on how
your classmates write their essays? Use the following questions as your guide. Note: You can do the survey
through social media – Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Twitter, and etc.
 1. What do you think are some problems that you and/or your classmates encounter when writing academic
papers?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What language do they use at home? It is English or Filipino or any other language (Chinese, Cebuano,
Bikolano, etc.)?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you think they find it difficult to express their ideas in English if they don’t speak the English
language at home? How does this affect their language and style?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Can you identify some words that are direct translation from Filipino which may affect the meaning of
sentences? For example, saying “result to” instead of “result in” or saying “open the lights” instead of
“turn on the lights.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

CARRY THIS OUT:

Based on the result of your survey and on your discussion of the features, standards, and requirements of
academic writing, write a two-to-three-page essay on what you think is the state of academic writing in the
Philippine context. Use your personal knowledge, what your hear from your teachers and on the news, and what
you have read from books to substantiate your opinion.
Consider the following areas as you write:
 Content: clarity of the purpose and the thesis statement, relevance of the supporting points to the thesis
statement, knowledge on the subject matter.
 Structure: coherence and logical sequence of the ideas.
 Language and Style: word choice, sentence construction.
 Mechanics: grammar, punctuations, capitalization, formatting, documentation

Answer each of the following questions in one paragraph. Each paragraph is worth ten
points.
Activity
3.
1. What is academic writing? What are its features?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the importance of academic writing?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 4. Why is academic writing equated to thinking?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

5. If you use the first person point of view in writing academic papers, is it still considered academic?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

Think of words that are specific (jargon) to some of your high school subjects. Share your
thoughts by completing the table. Fill in the first column with your subjects in high school.
Activity
In the second column, think of at least five words or jargon that pertains to each specific
4.
subject. The first one has been done for you.
Subject Jargon

English Infinitive, verbal, subject-verb agreement, context clues, pronoun-antecedents

agreement
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

LESSON 2:
TEXT
 The term “text structure” refers to how information is organized in a passage.  The structure of a text
can change many times in a work and even within a paragraph. Students are often asked to identify text
structures or patterns of organization on state reading tests. Also, understanding text structures can help students
make and interpret arguments. For these reasons it is important that students are exposed to the various patterns
of organization.  
CAUSE AND EFFECT
- The results of something are explained.
Example: The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t
startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to
sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.
CHRONOLOGICAL
- Information in the passage is organized in order of time.
Example: Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
- Two or more things are describe. Their similarities and differences
Example: 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.
ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
- Information is expressed as a hierarchy or in priority.
Example: Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date. First, you could tell jokes that
aren’t funny and laugh really hard to yourself. This will make you look bad. Worse though, you
could offend your date. One bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the
engagement. But the worst thing that you can do is to appear slovenly. By not showering and
properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that you can do.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
- A problem is described and a response or solution is proposed or explained.
Example: Thousands of people die each in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol. Lives could be
saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent
intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.
SEQUENCE/PROCESS WRITING
- Information is organized in steps or a process is explained in the order in which it occurs.
Example: Eating cereal is easy. First, get out your materials. Next pour your cereal in the bow, add
milk, and enjoy.
SPATIAL/DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
- Information is organized in order of space (top to bottom, left to right)
Example: When you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing you. To the right of that is a
dresser and television and on the other side of the window is my bed.

Identify the types of text structure based on the following statements below. Encircle the
letter of the correct answer.
Activity
1.
1. All matter, all things can be changed in two ways: chemically and physically. Both chemical and
physical changes affect the state of matter. Physical changes are those that do not change the make-
up or identity of the matter. For example, clay will bend or flatten if squeezed, but it will still be
clay. Changing the shape of clay is a physical change, and does not change the matter's identity.
Chemical changes turn the matter into a new kind of matter with different properties. For example,
when paper is burnt, it becomes ash and will never be paper again. The difference is that physical
changes are temporary or only last for a little while. Chemical changes are permanent, which means
they last forever. Physical and chemical changes both affect the state of matter.
 a. Chronological Order
b. Compare and Contras
c. Problem and Solution
d. Order of Importance
e. Spatial
2. Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago. Yet he unlocked the secrets of chess in a Brooklyn
apartment right above a candy store. At the age of six he taught himself to play by following the
instruction booklet that came with his chess board. After spending much of his childhood in chess
clubs, Fischer said that, "One day, I just got good." That may have been a bit of an understatement.
At the age of 13 he won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship. He was the youngest Junior
Champion ever. At the age of 14 he won the U.S. Championship, also becoming the youngest U.S.
Champion in history. Fischer even went on to become the World Champion of chess, but he would
also grow to become his own worst enemy. He forfeited the championship to the next challenger
without even making a move. The rise of a chess superstar ended with a fizzle.
a. Sequence/Process Writing
b. Cause and Effect
c. Chronological Order
d. Problem and Solution
e. Compare and Contrast
3. Don't let the tigers vanish. These majestic beasts are disappearing at an alarming rate. We should
write to our congress people. If we let them know that we demand the preservation of this species,
maybe we can make a difference. We should also donate some of our money to Save the Tigers.
Help support those who fight the hardest to preserve the tigers. We owe it to our grandchildren to do
something.
a. Order of Importance
b. Descriptive Writing
c. Problem and Solution
d. Chronological Order
e. Sequence/Process Writing\
4. Many people are confused about why our economy went to shambles in 2008. The crisis was
actually the result of many complex factors. First, easy credit conditions allowed people who were
unworthy of credit to borrow. Even people who had no income were eligible for large loans. Second,
banks bundled these toxic loans into packages and sold them. Third, large insurance firms backed
these packages. They misrepresented these high-risk loans as safe investments. Fourth, rapid growth
in the housing market lead to people buying too many houses. All these factors created bubbles of
speculation. The bubbles burst, sending the whole market into a downward spiral. Employers lost
capital and laid off employees. Consumer spending plummeted. Businesses suffered. The economy
is like a big boat, and once it gets moving quickly in the wrong direction, it's hard to turn it around.
a. Spatial Organization
b. Chronological Organization
c. Problem and Solution’
d. Cause and Effect
e. Compare and Contrast
5. Many people are confused about why our economy went to shambles in 2008. The crisis was
actually the result of many complex factors. First, easy credit conditions allowed people who were
unworthy of credit to borrow. Even people who had no income were eligible for large loans. Second,
banks bundled these toxic loans into packages and sold them. Third, large insurance firms backed
these packages. They misrepresented these high-risk loans as safe investments. Fourth, rapid growth
in the housing market lead to people buying too many houses. All these factors created bubbles of
speculation. The bubbles burst, sending the whole market into a downward spiral. Employers lost
capital and laid off employees. Consumer spending plummeted. Businesses suffered. The economy
is like a big boat, and once it gets moving quickly in the wrong direction, it's hard to turn it around.
a. Cause and Effect
b. Compare and Contrast
c. Descriptive Writing
d. Sequence/Process Writing
e. Order of Importance
6. Dinosaurs existed about 250 million years ago to 65 million years ago. This era is broken up into
three periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The Triassic Period lasted for 35 million years
from 250-205 million years ago. Planet Earth was a very different place back then. All the continents
were united and formed one huge land mass known as Pangaea. The Jurassic Period was the second
phase. The continents began shifting apart. The time scale for this famous period is from 205 to 138
 million years ago. The Cretaceous Period was the last period of the dinosaurs. It spanned a time from
138 million to about 65 million years ago. In this period the continents fully separated. However,
Australia and Antarctica were still united.
a. Spatial Order/Descriptive Writing
b. Cause and Effect
c. Compare and Contrast
d. Problem and Solution
e. Chronological Order
7. The Cretaceous Period was filled with dangerous predators. Two of the most feared hunters were the
tyrannosaurs rex and the velociraptor. The tyrannosaurs rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever
walk the Earth. He was 20 feet tall and weighed seven tons. His jaws could shut with 3,000 pounds
of force, enough to smash the bones of his prey. The velociraptor was very small compared to rex.
Raptors only stood three feet tall and weighed merely 35 pounds. But the velociraptor was fast.
Scientists think that raptors could run 24 miles per hour and turn on a dime. Both dinosaurs had eyes
on the front of their heads, which helped them track prey. Both dinosaurs used their jaws to kill prey.
The raptor had a secret weapon though: a retractable toe claw that he pulled out like a knife to slash
at his prey. If these two dinosaurs had fought, it would be difficult to say which would win.
However, the last raptor died ten million years before the first tyrannosaurs was born. So they
probably never fought.
a. Compare and Contrast
b. Problem and Solution
c. Sequence/Descriptive Writing
d. Cause and Effect
8. Wouldn't you like a scary dinosaur model on your desk to protect your pencils and textbooks? You
can make one by following these simple directions. First, bend your pipe cleaners to make the frame
of your dinosaur. I suggest you create a tyrannosaurus frame by using one long pipe cleaner as his
neck, spine, and tail. Then bend another into a u-shape to make his feet. Wrap the feet around the
spine piece. Next, roll out clay to wrap around the pipe cleaners. Let the clay dry overnight. The next
day you may want to paint your dinosaur using non-toxic paint. Feel free to color your dinosaur as
you wish. Nobody really knows how dinosaurs were colored. So don't let anyone tell you that your
dinosaur can't be pink. Lastly, put him on your desk and watch as he or she scares away bullies and
pencil thieves.
a. Compare and Contrast
b. Cause and Effect
c. Process/Sequence Writing
d. Problem and Solution
e. Order of Importance
9. Our entire village, each and every person, depends on you performing guard duty correctly. If you
notice that dinosaurs are about to attack the village, make sure the gate is closed. If the gate is open,
the dinosaurs will surely invade. Once you have made sure that the gate is closed, press the alarm.
This will alert others that we are under attack. Finally, begin shooting at the dinosaurs. You should
be able to kill them or scare them off. Do not attempt to shoot the dinosaurs until you have made
sure that the gate is closed and the alarm is activated. You cannot count on your aim to save us.
Count on us to save us. Also count on our strong gate.
a. Order of Importance
b. Compare and Contrast
c. Cause and Effect
d. Spatial / Descriptive Writing
10. The cave was overwhelmingly blue. It was dark, except for a few small pinholes of light pouring
through the ceiling. The stalactites on the ceiling dripped with humidity. The stalagmites on the floor
of the cave glistened sharp and looked like teeth. In the middle of the cave was a lone dinosaur
licking his wounds. Blood trailed from where he sat to the mouth of the cave. A drum beat in the
distance.
a. Spatial/Descriptive Writing
b. Problem and Solution
c. Order of Importance
d. Compare and Contrast
e. Sequence / Process Writing

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/text-structure/
 LESSON 3:
VARIOUS

What is summarizing?
- Summarizing reduces a text to its main idea and necessary information. Summarizing differs from
paraphrasing in that summary leaves out details and terms.
- Summarizing helps you understand and learn important information by reducing information to its
key ideas. Summaries can be used for annotation and study notes as well as to expand depth of your
writing.
- A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. It is a
fairly brief restatement – in your own words – of the contents of a passage. Note: You simply report
back what the writer has said, without making value judgments.
Characteristics of a Good Summary
- Can be understood without reference to the original;
- Is a faithful reproduction of, or contains only the ideas or information of, the original:
- Is brief without any unnecessary detail;
 - Is a readable unified whole
Techniques in Summary Writing
1. Paraphrasing
To paraphrase means to completely and correctly express other people’s ideas in one’s own words.
Examples:
1. You’ve cooked us all a hot potato. (A troublesome person or issue.)
2. Prevention id better than cure. (It is better to prevent something unpleasant from
happening than try to put it right afterwards.)
The Importance of Paraphrasing
 It helps us understand the original better.
 It helps us grasp the central idea and the main points.
 It helps us write summaries that are brief and to the point, and in our own words.
Steps of Paraphrasing
 Read the original carefully and comprehend its meaning wholly and carefully.
 Consider the original as a whole, not in isolated sentences.

2. Grouping the Central Ideas

3. Ways of Condensation
 Use synonyms or synonymous phrases
- He had a good command of English. (He knew English well.)
 Change the structure of simple sentences
- My brother has an appreciation of modern art. (My brother appreciates modern art.)
 Turn Complex Sentences into Simple Sentences
- He received a welcome that was a cold as ice. (He received an icy welcome.)
 Combine the Sentences
- Hurry up. If you don’t, you’ll miss the train. (Hurry up or you’ll miss the train.)

4. Finding the Topic Sentence and Making an Outline

- Topic sentence/Outline
How to Write a Summary?
1. The importance of summary writing
2. Necessary elements for a good summary
 Proper Citation
- Title, author, source; date of publication and the text (journal articles)
 Thesis Statement
- The topic or general subject matter of the text;
- The author’s major assertion, comment, or position on the topic.
 Supporting Details
- Major supporting ideas;
- Relationships among these ideas
- No specifics
- The author’s purpose in writing
- No personal opinions, ideas, and inferences.
 Grammar and the Structure of Writing
- Avoid direct quotation;
- Use transitional words
 Length
- 1/4 to 1/3 of the original
3. Steps in Writing a Summary
 Read the Article
To understand the Article and find the general theme
 Reread the Article
Divide into sections and label each section.
Understand the important parts.
 Write One-Sections Summaries
Summarize each section of thought.
  Formulate the Thesis Statement
Weave the one-sentence, section-summaries together.
 Write the First Draft
A. In the first sentence or two:
1. The author’s name
2. The article’s or chapter’s name
3. The author’s thesis statement
B. Then the summary sentence for each paragraph or section.
C. Express in your own words, to avoid plagiarism.
D. Occasional supporting ideas if necessary.
Note:
1. Eliminate unnecessary words and repetitions.
2. Eliminate personal ideas and inferences.
3. Use transitions for a smooth and logical flow of ideas.
4. Conclude with a ‘summing up’ sentence.
 Edit the draft
- Is all the important information in the summary?
- Am I listening things out?
- Am I saying the same thing over and over again?
- Have I left out my personal views and ideas?
- Does my summary ‘hang together’?
- Is my grammar, punctuation, and spelling correct?
 Write the final draft

Read each passage and…

- Create a title for the passage related to the main idea.
- Accurately summarize the text.
Activity
- Your summary must describe all key ideas from the text.
1.
- Do not include opinions or personal information in your summary.
- Highlight or underline key ideas in each passage.

Picture this: a herd for of elephants flies past you at sixty miles per
hour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns.
What do you see? It must be a circus train! One of the first uses of the circus
train is credited to W.C. Coup. He partnered with P.T. Barnum in 1871 to
expand the reach of their newly combined shows using locomotives. Before
circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of their animals,
performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there
were no highways,
Performing at manythese voyages
of these were
small roughwas
towns andnot
took a long
very time. Circuses
profitable. Because of these limitations,
would stop at many small towns
circuses could not grow as large cities. between the large venues.

Picture this: a herd of elephants flies past you at sixty miles per
hour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns. What do you see? It must be a circus train!
One of the first uses of the circus train is credited to W.C. Coup. He partnered with P.T. Barnum in 1871 to expand the
reach of their newly combined shows using locomotives. Before circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of
their animals, performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there were no highways, these
voyages were rough and took a long time. Circuses would stop at many small towns between the large venues.
Performing at many of these small towns was not very profitable. Because of these limitations, circuses could not grow
as large as the imaginations of the operators. After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their
show to large cities. These performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even
bigger and better circus. Multiple rings were added and the show went on. Today, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey
Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/reading-comprehension-worksheets/summarizing-
worksheets-and-activities/

7 Summary Strategies
We gathered best summarizing techniques for everyone, the essence of those approaches is that some of them
come in the kind of game form, not leaving the chance to get bored quickly during the brainstorming.

1. Somebody-Wanted-But-So
4. Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then tactic (MacOn, Bewell & Vogt, 1991) is used during or after reading.
Commonly used in social studies and in history based subjects. Students use a chart or a folded piece of
paper. The task is to identify who wanted something, what they wanted, what conflict arose, and the
resolution.
5. “Somebody Wanted But So Then” is an excellent summarizing strategy for stories. Each word
represents a key question related to the story's essential elements:

 Somebody: Who is the story about?

 Wanted: What does the main charter want?
 But: Identify a problem that the main character encountered.
 So: How does the main character solve the problem?
 Then: Tell how the story ends.

Here is an example of this strategy in action:

 Somebody: Little Red Riding Hood

 Wanted: She wanted to take cookies to her sick grandmother.
 But: She encountered a wolf pretending to be her grandmother.
 So: She ran away, crying for help.
 Then: A woodsman heard her and saved her from the wolf.

After answering the questions, combine the answers to form a summary:

Little Red Riding Hood wanted to take cookies to her sick grandmother, but she encountered a wolf.
He got to her grandmother’s house first and pretended to be the old woman. He was going to eat Little
Red Riding Hood, but she realized what he was doing and ran away, crying for help. A woodsman heard
the girl’s cries and saved her from the wolf.
2. SAAC Method
The SAAC method is another useful technique for summarizing any kind of text (story, article, speech,
etc). SAAC is an acronym for "State, Assign, Action, and Complete." Each word in the acronym refers
to a specific element that should be included in the summary.

 State: name of the article, book, or story

 Assign: the name of the author
  Action: what the author is doing (example: tells, explains)
 Complete: complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important details

This method is particularly helpful for students who are learning the format of a summary and need
reminders to include the title and author's name. However, SAAC does not include clear guidance about
which details to include, which some students might find tricky. If you use SAAC with your students,
remind them of the types of details that belong in a summary before instructing them to work
independently.

Here is an example of SAAC in action:

 State: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

 Assign: Aesop (a Greek storyteller)
 Action: tells
 Complete: what happens when a shepherd boy repeatedly lies to the villagers about
seeing a wolf

Use the four SAAC cues to write out a summary of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" in complete sentences:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, by Aesop (a Greek storyteller), tells what happens when a shepherd boy
repeatedly lies to the villagers about seeing a wolf. After a while, they ignore his false cries. Then, when
a wolf really does attack, they don’t come to help him.

3. 5 W’s, 1 H
The 5 W's, 1 H strategy relies on six crucial questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. These
questions make it easy to identify the main character, the important details, and the main idea.

 Who is the story about?

 What did they do?
 When did the action take place?
 Where did the story happen?
 Why did the main character do what he/she did?
 How did the main character do what he/she did?

Try this technique with a familiar fable such as "The Tortoise and the Hare."

 Who? The tortoise

 What? He raced a quick, boastful hare and won.
 When? When isn’t specified in this story, so it’s not important in this case.
 Where? An old country road
 Why? The tortoise was tired of hearing the hare boast about his speed.
 How? The tortoise kept up his slow but steady pace.

Then, use the answers to the 5 W's and 1 H to write a summary of in complete sentences.

Tortoise got tired of listening to Hare boast about how fast he was, so he challenged Hare to a race. Even
though he was slower than Hare, Tortoise won by keeping up his slow and steady pace when Hare
stopped to take a nap.

4. First Then Finally

The "First Then Finally" technique helps students summarize events in chronological order. The three
words represent the beginning, main action, and conclusion of a story, respectively:

 First. What happened first? Include the main character and main event/action.
 Then. What key details took place during the event/action?
 Finally. What were the results of the event/action?

Here is an example using "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

First, Goldilocks entered the bears' home while they were gone. Then, she ate their food, sat in their
chairs, and slept in their beds. Finally, she woke up to find the bears watching her, so she jumped up and
ran away.
5. Give Me The Gist
When someone asks for "the gist" of a story, they want to know what the story is about. In other words,
they want a summary—not a retelling of every detail. To introduce the gist method, explain that
 summarizing is just like giving a friend the gist of a story, and have your students tell each other about
their favorite books or movies in 15 seconds or less. You can use the gist method as a fun, quick way to
practice summarizing on a regular basis.

Bales, Kris. "5 Easy Summarizing Strategies for Students." ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020,
thoughtco.com/summarizing-strategies-for-students-4582332.

https://www.summarizing.biz/all-summarizing-strategies/

http://explainwell.org/index.php/table-of-contents-synthesize-text/types-of-summaries/#:~:text=The%20main%20types
%20of%20informative,parts%20of%20the%20written%20material.