12 Department of Education

National Capital Region

SCHOOL S DIVISION OFFICE
MARIKINA CITY

Reading and Writing

Quarter 4 Module 3
Evaluative Statements

Barbara Fe A. Santoyo
Writers:
May F. Villanueva
Illustrator: Marexcza Z. Salinas
Layout Artist: Arneil A. Pagatpatan

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 What I Need to Know

I am sure you have learned a lot in the previous lesson that we had on
reasoning /evaluative statements? Do evaluative statements often seek justification?
Indeed, a good reasoning must really have reliable source and information which are
valid.
This module will help you more to understand about the lesson.

Formulate evaluative statements about a text read

EN11/12 RWS-IVac-9

Moreover, in this lesson, you will learn concepts and do practice activities that
will help you do the following which are linked to our main lesson:

1. Formulate assertions about the content and properties of a text read.

2. Formulate meaningful counterclaims in response to claims made in a
text read
3. Apply writing principles on formulating evaluative statements.

What I Know

Before you proceed to the different activities in the module, answer first the
pre-assessment activity below to find out what you already know about the topic.
Read the following statement. Match the statement with words in the box below.
______1. A statement in declarative form that claims something is true about
certain facts or ideas. That statement may either be true or false.

______2. It is a way of giving better explanations to show the strength and weakness
of something through writing. It presents a value judgement based on a set of
criteria.
______3. When someone argues to a claim, he is making______.
______4. The ability to make sense of something by explanation.
______5. Information gathered, facts and data are considered as _____.

ASSERTIONS EVALUATIVE STATEMENTS

FEEDBACKS TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
COUNTERCLAIMS REASONING
CRITICISM

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 Well, how was it? Do you think you worked well?

If all your answers are correct, very good! This shows that you already know
much about the topic.

If you got a low score, do not feel bad. This means that this module is for
you. It will help you understand important more concepts that you can apply in
your daily life. Are you ready?

Lesson
Assertions from a Text Read
1

What’s In

Reasoning is the capacity of consciously making sense of things, applying logic

and adapting or making justifications from what is presented in the existed
information.
Understanding a text is a great way to be involved in one’s writing. Then, what
he read can also be adapted to more discoveries and learning. Engaging us into wider
perspective will help us dig deeper in the challenging phase of reading and writing.
In the previous module we learn that Evaluative Statements is a way of giving
better explanation to show the strengths and weaknesses of something through
writing.
It is making value judgement based on the set of criteria or standards.
It should be supported by valid proofs. Second-hand information is a “No-No”
in an academic paper. Evidence should be data driven and everything is from true or
accurate source.

What’s New

It takes a lot for a reader to evaluate a certain text, logical ideas of the writer
must also consider as he put his claims. In writing, assertions become the basic need
for a reader in making claims.
Assertions is a statement in declarative form that claim something is true
about certain facts or ideas. That statement may either be true or false.
Look at the following statements:
1. The Filipinos’ resiliency is seen in most difficult times.
2. The popularity that we have is evident in all places.

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 3. We should continue this trait for it measures how far could we go and
how we can go through.
Try giving your response to those statements.
1.What are those difficult times that our resiliency is evident?
2.Why do we gain popularity?
3.Why do we need to continue the trait of being resilient?

What is It
There are four common types of assertion which can be judged as true or false.
The first type is fact. This statement can be proven by one’s
experience, testimonies of witnesses which can be verified true observations
or from the result of one’s research.
Example:
The healing wonder of guava leaves is proven to cure wounds.
The statement is a fact because many people have experience to see the wonders
of guava leaves.
The second type of assertion is convention. A traditional way of
something is done, similar to the old pattern. It depends on the precedent of
something historical before it could be a rule or law or even a policy,
traditions and customs. Their truthfulness is verified by how many commonly
held definition and belief were interpreted.
Example:
Filipinos can easily adapt to fast-changing worlds.

The statement is convention because it is a norm that is happening right now

and cannot be verified objectively by measurements but considered as socially
accepted due to its noticeable way.

The third type of assertion is through an opinion. Opinions are based

on facts, but difficult to objectively verify because of the uncertainty of
proving, proofs are ambiguous or open.
Example:
Millennials are said to be fragile, very emotional and decisive.

The above statement is an opinion because it has to be proven through studies

and repeated observations whether to be considered as true or false.

The fourth type of assertion is preference. Preferences are based on the

personal choice. This is actually from a person’s own subjective way of
choosing but then cannot be objectively proven.

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 Example:

Living in the province is better than living in the urban, life there is simple
compared to the hustle-bustle lifestyle here in the Metro.

The statement here is an example of preferences wherein choices are

presented in the manner that comparison of two subjects are weighed. Simply
choices are made.

What’s More
Activity 1

Read the following sentences. Identify the kind of assertion if it is a fact,

convention, opinion or preferences. Write your answer on the space provided
before the number.
________1. Respect should be observed at all times.
________2. Gender equality also known as sexual equality, is the state of equal ease
of access to resources and opportunities regardless of sexual preferences.
________3. It is vital to give women equal rights as men.
________4. There are more girls in school now compared to 15 years ago, and most
regions have reached gender parity according to UNESCO.

________5. Two thirds of developing countries have reached gender equality in

primary education. Our country belongs to those countries.
Activity 2
Read the speech of Jose P. Laurel. Try to make inferences or conclusions that
you can justify based on the given text. Write them on a separate sheet of paper.

Speech of His Excellency, Jose P. Laurel, President of the Republic

of the Philippines, delivered over Station PIAM Manila, on February 29,
1944, addressed to the Filipino youth.

YOUTH OF MY BELOVED LAND:

In this critical period of our history, we need the heart, the soul and the vigor of the
youth of our land to help us build our country on the most enduring basis of
brotherhood and solidarity of all Filipinos. I am, therefore, happy to know of the
integration of the Filipino youth and that the Filipino youth is now on the march.
The question is: Where is it going? Is it marching with irresistible will and
determination toward progress and civilization, peace and order, and the prosperity
and happiness of the Fatherland? If it is, I, as the chosen head of our nation and our
people, heartily welcome it and bid it Godspeed.

It is trite saying that the future belongs to youth, especially to those dynamic,
aggressive and self-confident young men and women who have foresight. Thus, they

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have the bounden duty to ensure it. So much faith the greatest Filipino patriot and
hero, Rizal, had in the youth of the land that while he was still in his teens, he
dedicated to it his prize-winning poem entitled “To the Filipino Youth,” and he called
the Filipino youth not without reason and justification “Fair hope of my Fatherland.”

Several years later, when Rizal was in Madrid, he thought again of the Filipino youth.
On the occasion of the signal honor and distinction conferred upon the famous
Filipino painter Juan Luna, when one of his paintings was awarded the highest prize
in the artistic world, Rizal offered a touching toast. He expressed the fervent hope
that the worthy and commendable examples of Juan Luna, and Resurrection,
another famed Filipino painter, will be imitated or emulated by the Filipino youth. In
the course of a few years that youth had become to him more than the “fair hope of
my fatherland”; it had become the “sacred hope of my Fatherland.”

Rizal’s fair and sacred hope is represented by the young men and women of today,
by you, the Filipino youth on the march, you who will be either the leaders and
masters of your country and your country’s fate tomorrow or the hewers of wood and
drawers of water for other people more ambitious and far-seeing than you, men with
vision, with courage, and with an indomitable will to succeed whatever be the
obstacles.

Inspired by the same noble sentiment, the late Dr. Rafael Palma, builder of the
University of the Philippines, dedicated to the same youth, to the same “fair and
sacred hope” of the Fatherland, his last work and masterpiece, his life-size biography
of Rizal. In his dedicatory remarks he gave voice to his abiding faith and confidence
in the ability of the Filipino young men and women to make good.

Have they made good or are they making good? Were Rizal living today would he be
proud of them? Would he say, if he could see them from beyond the tomb, that he
did not die in vain, that his country’s sacred and beautiful hope has not disappointed
him and those who like him had given their full measure of sacrifice for the glory of
their Fatherland?

How fare the youth of the land? Are they planting the seeds that will make their
country great? Do they realize the serious problems that now confront the Republic
of the Philippines, which is their Republic, and are they contributing to the fullest
extent to the solution of such problems? Are they putting their strong and broad
shoulders on the wheel of progress and prosperity? Are they helping actively in the
complete restoration of peace and order in their country and in the gigantic
reconstruction work which both the people and the government must undertake?
Are they doing their duty as citizens of the Republic, working for the common
happiness and welfare of their respective communities?

As ye sow, so shall ye reap. Are the Filipino young men and women of today sowing
the seeds of peace and prosperity so that they will reap the fruits of progress and
tranquility? Man is the archetype of society. Both society and the nation grow as the
individuals grow. Unless our youth prepare for the future, there will be no future for
them.

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“I want to let those who deny us every feeling of patriotism,” wrote Rizal, “that we
know how to die for our duty and for our convictions. What matters death if one dies
for what one loves, for one’s country, and for those one adores?”

In one of his parting letters he wrote “My future, my life, my joys, all I have sacrificed
for my love for her”—referring to the Philippines. “Whatever be my fate, I will die
blessing her and wishing her the dawn of her redemption.” That, you will agree, is a
wonderful sentiment. Does the Filipino youth of today feel and cherish it?

Isagani, one of the youthful characters that stand out in bold relief in Rizal’s NOLI,
once called on one of the leading lawyers in Manila for an advice. The lawyer advised
Isagani to follow the line of least resistance. “Why fight, why think,” he argued, “when
somebody else will do the fighting and thinking for you? Prosperity, happiness, and
peace of mind,” the legal adviser pointed out, lie in the direction of the current.
“Believe me,” he concluded, “you will remember me and think me right when you
have gray heirs like mine.”

What was Isagani’s retort? “When I have gray hairs like yours,” he answered, “and I
look back upon my past and see that I had worked only for myself, without having
done what I could well have done and should have done for the country which has
given me everything, then, every gray hair of mine will be for me a thorn and instead
of being proud of my gray hairs, I shall be ashamed of them.”

Do the Filipino youth of today talk and feel that way? Are they fully aware of the
tremendous responsibility placed upon them by Rizal when he called them “fair and
sacred hope of the Fatherland?” Are they willing to die for their convictions, to fight
hunger and poverty and all the other evils that hard times bring in their train so that
their country, their people, their Republic, might live in peace and in abundance?

Contrasting his age and that of his son, the father of Ibarra, Rizal’s hero in the NOLI,
said: “The future opens itself for you; for me it is closing. Your affections are being
born; mine are dying. Fire burns in your blood; frost is congealing in mine; and yet
you cry and do not know how to sacrifice the present for the future, a future which
will be useful to you and your country.”

“You do not know how to sacrifice the present for a useful, fruitful future.” Surely,
the youth of today cannot and will not accept that serious charge. They cannot and
will not disappoint their greatest hero, martyr and model. They are ready and willing,
I take it, to do their part, to work with their duly constituted leaders for the salvation
of their country especially during these days of supreme ordeal when the fate of the
Philippines is at stake as a result of the scarcity of food and the continued pernicious
and disloyal activities of some of our citizens.

I am taking the liberty, therefore, on this occasion to invite and call upon all the
youth of the land to join hands with the forces of the government to stimulate food
production, to restore complete peace and order throughout the length and breadth
of the Philippines, and to work actively and persistently for the welfare, progress and
prosperity of the Republic. The Republic is not of this generation to keep, but it is
particularly for the young generation and future generations to preserve and to enjoy.

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I thank you for this opportunity of addressing the youth of the land on this
memorable occasion. I shall be happy to say a few words to you later in connection
with the integration movement of the Filipino youth not only in the public and private
schools but of all Filipino young men and women all over the islands so that the
youth of the land may be not only a strong factor in supporting this government and
in making this Republic an enduring nation but also so that with the help and
cooperation and loyalty of the Filipino youth, we may be in a position to transmit as
a heritage to future generations a country, a people, compact and united in the bonds
of a common affection.

I thank you.

Source: Office of the Solicitor General Library

Sav

Activity 3
Upon reading the speech of Jose P. Laurel. Answer the following by providing
assertion of each type. Write a short sentence explaining your answer on a sheet of
paper.
STATEMENT OF FACT: __________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF CONVENTION:_____________________________________________
STATEMENT OF OPINION: _________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF PREFERENCE: ____________________________________________

What I Have Learned

In this lesson, it is important to remember that:
* Evaluative statements can be done by formulating assertions about the
content and the properties of a text read.

*Assertion is a statement in declarative form that claim something is true

about certain facts or ideas. That statement may either be true or false.
*There are four types of common types of assertion which can be judged as
true or false.
The first type is through a fact. This statement can be proven by one’s
experience, testimonies of witnesses which can be verified true observations or from
the result of one’s research.

The second type of assertions is convention. A traditional way of something is

done, similar to the old pattern. It depends on the precedent of something historical
before, it could be a rule or law or even a policy, traditions and customs. Their
truthfulness is verified by how many commonly held definition and belief were
interpreted.

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 The third type of assertion is through an opinion. Opinions are based on facts,
but difficult to objectively verify because of the uncertainty of proving, proofs are
ambiguous or open.

The fourth type of assertion is preference. Preferences are based on the

personal choice. This is actually from a person’s own subjective way of choosing but
then cannot be objectively proven.

What I Can Do

Look for an editorial and select from the said discourse the different types
of assertions. After doing this, rewrite the assertions you have chosen
and compare whether they convey the same message and impact to the
readers.

Assessment
Read the following lines and choose the correct answer from the box below.

___________1 It is a statement in declarative form that claim something is true about

certain facts or ideas. That statement may either be true or false.

___________2. A traditional way of something is done, similar to the old pattern. It

depends on the precedent of something historical before, it could be a
rule or law or even a policy, traditions and customs. Their truthfulness
is verified by how many commonly held definition and belief were
interpreted.

___________3. This is actually from a person’s own subjective way of choosing but
then cannot be objectively proven.

___________4. Opinions are based on facts, but difficult to objectively verify because
of the uncertainty of proving, proofs are ambiguous or open.

___________5. This statement can be proven by one’s experience, testimonies of

witnesses which can be through observation or from the result of one’s
research.

ASSERTIONS ASSERTION OF FACT

ASSERTIONS OF PREFERENCES
ASSERTIONS OF FACTS ASSERTIONS OF OPINION
CLAIMS

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 Additional Activities
Write a paragraph by presenting your evaluative statements from the speech
of Jose P. Laurel. Be sure to follow guidelines to be observed in making an
Evaluative statements or Reasoning. Use a separate sheet of paper.

Lesson
Counterclaims Made in a Text Read
2

What’s In
In the previous lesson, you studied about the different claims. It is expected
that you learn the topic by heart so that you will be able to connect with the new
topic. But I know that every person is unique and that we have our own strengths
and weaknesses as a person and of course, as a learner.

It is not enough that you know or how to recognize claims and assertions. The
ability to further is a skill that should be developed.

As we read, we can recognize and formulate counterclaims and make reactions

to an argument.

What are some issues that hits the news recently? How about the ABS-CBN
shut down? Congressmen who voted NO for the renewal of franchise of the said
network?

It is good to know that you are able to express yourself freely through giving
your opinions or feedbacks about this. We will have more of these in this lesson.

What’s New
Making counterclaims to locate information to an argument is a big task. That
is why it is important that you examine different perspective and not only taking into
the account the writer’s claim.

This is the reason why when we read something, we always seek the point of
the discussion in a text, explanations and other evidence that might convince us to
find reason to believe.

What is the author’s point of view?

What is his stand on the issue presented?

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 Precisely, when we are giving our reasons to certain topic, we really wanted
to hear out our side. This is really the struggle in making your writing effective, but
you can write effectively if you are good enough in making valid points which mean
information are properly stated, details are factual, points were given emphasis as
well as readers get to the point to decide in what they have to believe.

What is It

What are Counterclaims?

Counterclaims as defined by Tiongson (2016) are “claims made to rebut a

previous claim”. This point of view is in contrast to previous claims made by the
author.
In every argument there is always two sides of the topic. The claims and the
counterclaims. The one who negates and disagree with the statement is considered
as Counterclaims.
A counterclaim is a statement that has been an argument opposing a claim.
Example:
Statement: How cellphones distract students’ attention inside the school?
Claims: Schools should prohibit the use of cellphone especially during
class hours.
Counterclaim: Prohibiting the use of cellphones does not guarantee students’
100% attention in class.

It does not mean that when you are giving opposite view you are really
contradicting in the author’s point of view, it helps you to realize what the text is all
about. Then it makes you unbiased or uninformed.
The following questions will help you formulate a counterclaim:
>What particular point do I disagree with the topic?
> What is the strongest argument in this topic?
> What did they say about this view?
> What are the lines which I strongly disagree?
> What is the basis of those statements?
Rebuttal are evidences that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim.

All counterclaims should be followed by a rebuttal that strengthens your

position and explains why readers should believe you.

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 Example: Covid Virus is still a present problem that reaches all over the world.
Many people lose their jobs due to factories and business establishments shut down.
However, people can still work in the comfort of their houses, wherein they will not
suffer hard time to go to their workplace with the hassle in traffic. Working at home
is more convenient in such away food is always available in your kitchen. What more!
working overtime is safe because you are inside your house, no need to worry of
travelling to go home in late night duties.

The statements in yellow are the counterclaims and those highlighted in green
are rebuttal statements.
Common Expressions
Counterclaims Rebuttals

While critics may argue ….. However…..

While there may be some validity to the statements…. But…..

It is easy to think …… Yet….

While some researches found out that……. The evidence shows…

Yes, some might say… In reality……

What’s More

Activity 1
Go back to the speech of Jose P. Laurel. What are the claims and
counterclaims in the speech. Write them below and try to write a short explanation
about it.
CLAIMS OF THE TEXT: ___________________________________________________
REASON : ________________________________________________________________
MY COUNTERCLAIM(S): __________________________________________________
REASON:
__________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2

Read the article below and write your counterclaims from the text you have
read.

MANILA — Philippine lawmakers on Friday formally shut down the country’s

largest broadcast network, the latest major blow against the news media as
President Rodrigo Duterte cracks down on outlets that have been critical of
his leadership.

After 13 hearings, a committee of the House of Representatives — most of

whose members are allied with Mr. Duterte — voted by an overwhelming

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majority to deny ABS-CBN’s application for renewal of its broadcast franchise.
The network had been forced off the air in May, after the franchise expired.

“We remain committed to public service, and we hope to find other ways to
achieve our mission,” said Carlo Katigbak, ABS-CBN’s president and chief
executive, in a statement on Friday. He said the network was “deeply hurt.”

The president’s spokesman, Harry Roque, sought to distance Mr. Duterte from
the decision.

“The palace has maintained a neutral stance on the issue as it respects the
separation of powers between the two coequal branches of government,” he
said. “Much as we want to work with the aforesaid media network, we have to
abide by the resolution of the House committee.”

Mr. Duterte has accused ABS-CBN of bias, including favoring a political

opponent in the 2016 election, and had earlier warned that he would not allow
the renewal of its franchise.

The president’s critics say he has gone after media outlets that closely
documented his drug war, which has left thousands of people dead since he
took office in 2016.

ABS-CBN ceased operations of its free TV and radio channels by government

order after its 25-year franchise expired in May. ABS-CBN still operates a
cable channel and internet sites, but the company has told its 11,000
employees that they could be let go by August if its broadcast franchise was
not renewed.

After the network went off the air, there was a backlash from millions of
Filipinos who rely on it for news, forcing the lower house of Congress to rush
hearings on the franchise renewal.

The government has accused ABS-CBN of illegally operating a cable channel,

as well as hiding behind what it called a “corporate veil” that allowed foreign
investors to own part of the firm. ABS-CBN has denied the allegation.

Fourteen lawmakers who sponsored bills backing the network argued that the
hearings had not proven that ABS-CBN broke any regulations that warranted
its closure.

“Seventy million Filipinos tune to its programs weekly,” they said in a joint
statement. “Now more than ever, in the time of a pandemic, we need a vibrant
and independent source of information and news to tell the people what is
going on.”

Nonoy Espina, who heads the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines,
said that lawmakers who were seeking to block the franchise renewal had

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“gripes” to settle. By voting to shut down ABS-CBN, Mr. Espina said, the
House “has lost all claim to represent the people and our interests.”

The congressional hearings did shine a light on some shortcomings of big

media networks, including unfair labor practices and a lack of self-regulation,
analysts said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/world/asia/philippines-congress-
media-duterte-abs-cbn.html
______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Activity 3

Choose any topic that you may want to give Evaluative Statements. Write a
paragraph about your views on the topic you have chosen and apply the use of claims
and counterclaims/rebuttals expressions in your work.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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 What I Have Learned
In this lesson, it is important to remember that:
* Counterclaims as defined by Tiongson (2016) are “claims made to rebut a
previous claim”. This point of view is in contrast to previous claims made by the
author.
* In every argument there is always two sides of the topic. The claims and the
counterclaims. The one who negates and disagree with the statement is considered
as Counterclaims.
*A counterclaim is a statement that has been an argument opposing a claim.
* Rebuttal are evidences that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim.
*All counterclaims should be followed by a rebuttal that strengthens your
position and explains why readers should believe you.

What I Can Do
Choose a known personality be it in showbiz or politics who became famous
about what he or she believes in. Rebut the said opinion or belief of that person
by writing a two-paragraph essay which has all the pertinent information to
back up your rebuttal.

Assessment
Showcase the knowledge and skills you have learned in this lesson by
answering the assessment activity.
Read the following lines and choose the correct answer from the box below.

___________1. This point of view is in contrast to previous claims made by the writer.
___________2. These are evidences that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim.
___________3. It is a statement in declarative form that claim something is true about
certain facts or ideas. That statement may either be True or False.
___________4. The ability to understand certain topics and make necessary feedback.

___________5. One is able to understand, interpret and go beyond engaging himself

to a text read.

COUNTERCLAIMS REBUTTAL MAKING INFERENCES

ASSERTIONS ANALYZING

WRITER CRITICAL READER

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 POST-TEST
Post-Test Quarter 4 Module 3
Evaluative Statements and Counter Claims

The following are quotes. Develop a paragraph from the quotes below. Underline
all the evaluative statement that you will use. Put in bold the rebut section of your
essay. This essay should be 5 paragraphs with 5 to 8 sentences. Please be guided
with the rubric below.

1. We have to invest in our greatest asset- the Filipino people.

-Benigno Aquino III

2. The cancer that demands our urgent attention is corruption and poverty.
- Miriam Defensor-Santiago

3. Erosion of faith and trust in government – that is the real problem that confronts
us.
- Rodrigo Duterte

Description Exceptional Skilled Proficient Developing Inadequate

15 12 10 8 5
Claim: The text The text The text The text The text
The text introduces a introduces a introduces a contains an contains an
introduces a compelling precise claim claim that is unclear or unidentifiable
clear, arguable claim that is that is clearly arguable and emerging claim or vague
claim that can clearly arguable and takes a claim that position. The
be supported arguable and takes an position. The suggests a text has
by reasons takes a identifiable text has a vague limited
and evidence. purposeful position on an structure and position. The structure and
position on an issue. The text organization text attempts organization.
issue. The text has an that is aligned a structure
has a effective with the claim. and
structure and structure and organization
organization organization to support the
that is that is aligned position.
carefully with the claim.
crafted to
support the
claim.
Counter The text The text The text The text There is no
claims: showed a very showed a clear showed showed vague rebuttal or
The text clear and and logical somewhat and not so counterclaim
showed a clear logical rebuttal of the clear and logical made by the
and logical rebuttal of the writer. logical rebuttal of the writer.
rebuttal of the writer. rebuttal of the writer.
writer. writer.
Development: The text The text The text The text The text
The text provides provides provides provides data contains
provides convincing sufficient and sufficient and and evidence limited data
sufficient data and relevant relevant data relevant data that attempt and evidence
and evidence data and and evidence and evidence to back up the related to the
to back up the evidence to to back up the to back up the claim and claim and
claim while back up the claim and claim and unclearly counterclaims
pointing out claim and fairly fairly addresses or lacks
the strengths skillfully addresses addresses counterclaims counterclaims
and addresses counterclaims counterclaims or lacks . The text may
limitations of counterclaims . The . The counterclaims fail to
both the claim . The conclusion conclusion . The conclude the
and conclusion effectively effectively conclusion

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counterclaim. effectively reinforces the reinforces the merely argument or
The text strengthens claim and claim and restates the position
provides a the claim and evidence. evidence. position.
conclusion evidence
that supports
the argument.
Cohesion: The text The text The text uses The text The text
The text uses strategically skillfully uses words, contains contains few,
words, uses words, words, phrases, and limited words, if any, words,
phrases, and phrases, and phrases, and clauses as well phrases, and phrases, and
clauses as well clauses as clauses as well as varied clauses to link clauses to link
as varied well as varied as varied syntax to link the major the major
syntax to link syntax to link syntax to link the major sections of the sections of the
the major the major the major sections of the text. The text text. The text
sections of the sections of the sections of the text. The text attempts to does not
text, creates text. The text text. The text connects the connect the connect the
cohesion and explains the identifies the claim and claim and claims and
clarifies the relationships relationship reasons. The reasons. reasons.
relationship between the between the text links the
between the claim and claim and counterclaims
claim and reasons as reasons as to the claim.
reasons, well as the well as the
between evidence. The evidence. The
reasons and text text effectively
evidence, and strategically links the
between links the counterclaims
claims and counterclaims to the claim.
counterclaims. to the claim.
Style and The text The text The text The text The text
Conventions: presents an presents a presents a illustrates a illustrates a
The text engaging, formal, formal tone. limited limited
presents a formal and objective tone. The text awareness of awareness of
formal, objective tone. The text demonstrates formal tone. or
objective tone The text demonstrates standard The text inconsistent
that intentionally standard English demonstrates tone. The text
demonstrates uses standard English conventions of some demonstrates
standard English conventions of usage and accuracy in inaccuracy in
English conventions of usage and mechanics standard standard
conventions of usage and mechanics while English English
usage and mechanics while attending to conventions of conventions of
mechanics while attending to the norms of usage and usage and
while attending to the norms of the discipline mechanics. mechanic
attending to the norms of the discipline (i.e. MLA, APA,
the norms of the discipline (i.e. MLA, APA, etc.)
the discipline (i.e. MLA, etc.)
(i.e. MLA, APA, APA, etc.).
etc.).

Source: Adapted rubric from csun.edu

City of Good Character 16

DISCIPLINE • GOOD TASTE • EXCELLENCE