Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region XII
Mamali National High School
Mamali, Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat

LESSON PLAN
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Quarter II: Writing a Position Paper
I. Objectives
Performance Standard- The learner presents a convincing position paper based on
properly cited factual evidence.
Content Standard- The learner understands the principles and uses of a position
paper.
LEARNING COMPETENCY- Identifies situations in which a position paper may
be effectively used in our present society (CS-EN11/EAPP-IIa-d-2)
A. Instructional Objective :
Specifically, you are expected to:
a. explain what is a position paper is;
b. write a position paper; and
c. give the importance of position paper
II. Subject Matter: Position Paper
A. References:
Department of Education (December 2013). K to 12 Senior High School Applied
Track Subject-English for Academic and Professional Purposes. Curriculum Guide
Laurel, M.C., Luceno, A.F., & Bumantay-Cruz, R.T. (2016). English for Academic and
Professional Purposes, Reader. Department of Education
Laurel, M.C., Luceno, A.F., &Bumantay-Cruz, R.T. (2016). English for Academic and
Professional Purposes, Teacher’s Guide. Department of Education
Valdez, P.N. M. (2016). English for the Globalized Classroom Series. English for Academic and
Professional Purposes. Quezon City: The Phoenix Publishing House Inc. B.
Teaching Materials: Power Point Presentation
III. Procedure:
A. Preliminary Activities:
a. Prayer
b. Review
The student will read and analyse the following statements very carefully. Choose
the correct answer from the given choices. Write your answer on the space
provided before the number.
1. What do you call an academic paper that aims to present the stand of the author
or a person on an issue?
a. concept paper b. position paper c. essay d. journal
2. These are contents of a position paper, EXCEPT
a. thesis statement b. arguments c. counterclaims d. opinion
3. Which of the following should NOT be included in the introduction of a
position paper?
a. claims b. topic c. thesis statement d. background information
4. How many claims or arguments are necessary or ideal in defending a stand on
an issue?
a. two b. three c. four d. one
5. This is the last part of a position paper that includes the restatement of the
thesis statement, arguments and plan of action.
a. body b. introduction c. conclusion d. claims
B. Presentation:
Fast Talk:
 Students will be asked to answer questions quickly.
1. Are you in favor of death penalty?
2. Do you allow your parents to interfere with the course you are going to
pursue?
3. Are you in favour of lowering the age of criminal liability?
4. Do you think implementing dress code in school would improve students
‘performance?
5. Are you in favour of the inclusion of ROTC in our K-12 curriculum?
C. Teaching/Modelling:
The teacher will explain why students give different answers. There are many issues
in our school or community wherein we have to make our stand. The position paper is
devoted to a discussion of one side of an issue for the author to convince the reader to
take his side by presenting credible evidence.

D. Practice
An issue is developed into an argumentative thesis that states the stand of the author
on the issue.
Example:
The establishment of commercial buildings especially poultry near school should be
prohibited because of the risks it poses to the health of our students and the
discomfort it brings to the environment.
Claims- These are statements that support the author’s stand. The author cites risks
to the health of the students and the environment as well to strengthen his point or
stand.
Evidence- These are proofs to strengthen the author’s claim.
1. Evidence from survey, library research, and experiments.
2. Evidence from informant interviews (those who have direct experience related
to the problem or issue).
3. Evidence from expert interviews.
E. Independent Practice ( once the skill is mastered , can also be the evaluation)
Given the issue, stand, and claims, write a thesis statement.
Example:
Issue: Cycling to commute to work or school
Stand: In favour
Claims: Health benefits, saves money, environment-friendly
Thesis statement: Cycling as a mode of transport should be promoted since it has
several health benefits. It can help save non-renewable resources and can be
financially rewarding.
1. Issue: Additional 2 years in K to 12 education system in the Philippines
Stand: Against
Claims: Lack of facilities, inadequacy of teacher training, increased expenses of
parents
Thesis statement: Adding 2 years in K to 12 education will be another head ache
of both parents, learners and government.
IV. Evaluation:
I. Read thoroughly and understand very carefully the position paper in the next
page, then on a separate sheet, copy and fill out the given template that follows
with the needed information from the position paper.

The Great Global Warming Swindle by S. Fred Singer

INTRODUCTION
What is the topic?
Did the writer
provide
 background
information of the
topic and the
issue? If YES, cite
one line from the
text; if NO, give
your suggestion
on what
information
should be given as
the background
information
What is the thesis
statement?
BODY
What
counterclaims
were provided by
the author? Cite at
least two. If
there’s none, give
your suggestion on
what
counterclaims
should be given to
improve the text.
What are the Argument 1:
arguments of the
author?
What evidence Evidence:
is provided?

Argument 2:

Evidence:

Argument 3:

Evidence:

CONCLUSIONS
How did the
author conclude
his/her paper?

II. Make a stand on the given issue, provide three claims, craft your thesis statement and
write your own position paper. Use a separate sheet. Be guided by the rubrics given in
this module. Topic: Same-Sex Marriage Issue: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in the
Philippines
Your stand: (decide if you are in favor or not)

Claims:1)
2) ____________________________________________________________________
3)
 Thesis statement: ____________________________________________________________
III. Additional Activities:
Research any position paper, if possible, one that is related to your track or strand. Read the article and
give your reaction on or strand. Read the article and give your reaction on it.

Write here the main arguments of the writer. Cite at least three.
First Claim:

Your comment (Do you agree or disagree?; Write your rebuttal or counterclaim)

Write here the main arguments of the writer. Cite at least three.
Second Claim:_

Your comment (Do you agree or disagree?; Write your rebuttal or counterclaim)

Third Claim:

Your comment (Do you agree or disagree?; Write your rebuttal or counterclaim)

V. Assignment (Optional)
VI. Reflection (After teaching the lesson)

Prepared By:

MAE ANN N. TOLENTINO

Teacher-II

Checked and Observed by:

SALVADOR F. MOVILLA
Principal

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth has met its match: a devastating documentary recently shown on British
television, which has now been viewed by millions of people on the Internet. Despite its flamboyant title,
The Great Global Warming Swindle is based on sound science and interviews with real climate scientists,
including me. An Inconvenient Truth, on the other hand, is mostly an emotional presentation from a
single politician.
The scientific arguments presented in The Great Global Warming Swindle can be stated quite briefly:
1. There is no proof that the current warming is caused by the rise of greenhouse gases from human
activity. Ice core records from the past 650,000 years show that temperature increases have preceded—
not resulted from—increases in CO2 by hundreds of years, suggesting that the warming of the oceans is
an important source of the rise in atmospheric CO2. As the dominant greenhouse gas, water vapor is far,
far more important than CO2. Dire predictions of future warming are based almost entirely on computer
climate models, yet these models do not accurately understand the role or water vapor—and, in any case,
water vapor is not within our control. Plus, computer models cannot account for the observed cooling of
much of the past century (1940–75), nor for the observed patterns of warming—what we call the
“fingerprints.” For example, the Antarctic is cooling while models predict warming. And where the
models call for the middle atmosphere to warm faster than the surface, the observations show the exact
opposite.
The best evidence supporting natural causes of temperature fluctuations are the changes in cloudiness,
which correspond strongly with regular variations in solar activity. The current warming is likely part of a
natural cycle of climate warming and cooling that’s been traced back almost a million years. It accounts
for the Medieval Warm Period around 1100 A.D., when the Vikings settled Greenland and grew crops,
and the Little Ice Age, from about 1400 to 1850 A.D., which brought severe winters and cold summers to
Europe, with failed harvests, starvation, disease, and general misery. Attempts have been made to claim
that the current warming is “unusual” using spurious analysis of tree rings and other proxy data.
Advocates have tried to deny the existence of these historic climate swings and claim that the current
warming is "unusual" by using spurious analysis of tree rings and other proxy data, resulting in the
famous “hockey–stick” temperature graph. The hockey-stick graph has now been thoroughly discredited.
2. If the cause of warming is mostly natural, then there is little we can do about it. We cannot control the
inconstant sun, the likely origin of most climate variability. None of the schemes for greenhouse gas
reduction currently bandied about will do any good; they are all irrelevant, useless, and wildly expensive:
Control of CO2 emissions, whether by rationing or elaborate cap–and–trade schemes
Uneconomic “alternative” energy, such as ethanol and the impractical “hydrogen economy”
Massive installations of wind turbines and solar collectors
Proposed projects for the sequestration of CO2 from smokestacks or even from the atmosphere
Ironically, even if CO2 were responsible for the observed warming trend, all these schemes would be
ineffective—unless we could persuade every nation, including China, to cut fuel use by 80 percent!
3. Finally, no one can show that a warmer climate would produce negative impacts overall. The much–
feared rise in sea levels does not seem to depend on short–term temperature changes, as the rate of sea–
level increases has been steady since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago. In fact, many economists argue
that the opposite is more likely—that warming produces a net benefit, that it increases incomes and
standards of living. Why do we assume that the present climate is the optimum? Surely, the chance of this
must be vanishingly small, and the economic history of past climate warmings bear this out.
But the main message of The Great Global Warming Swindle is much broader. Why should we devote
our scarce resources to what is essentially a non–problem, and ignore the real problems the world faces:
hunger, disease, denial of human rights—not to mention the threats of terrorism and nuclear wars? And
are we really prepared to deal with natural disasters; pandemics that can wipe out most of the human race,
or even the impact of an asteroid, such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs? Yet politicians and the
elites throughout much of the world prefer to squander our limited resources to fashionable issues, rather
than concentrate on real problems. Just consider the scary predictions emanating from supposedly
responsible world figures: the chief scientist of Great Britain tells us that unless we insulate our houses
and use more efficient light bulbs, the Antarctic will be the only habitable continent by 2100, with a few
surviving breeding couples propagating the human race. Seriously!
I imagine that in the not–too–distant future all the hype will have died down, particularly if the climate
should decide to cool—as it did during much of the past century; we should take note here that it has not
warmed since 1998. Future generations will look back on the current madness and wonder what it was all
about. They will have movies like An Inconvenient Truth and documentaries like The Great Global
Warming Swindle to remind them.