LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS IN ENGLISH 8

Quarter 4 Worksheet No 1

Learner’s Name: ____________________________________________

Grade level/Section: _________________________________________
Date: _____________________________________________________

I. LEARNING SKILLS:
A. Most Essential Learning Competency
Use appropriate grammatical signals or expressions suitable to each pattern
of idea development: (EN8G-Ia-7)
 General to particular
 Claim and counterclaim
 Problem-solution
 Cause-effect

B. Objectives
1. Determine the types of claim.
2. Recognize general and specific ideas.
3. Identify appropriate grammatical signals or expressions showing general
to particular and claim and counterclaim relationships.
4. Use appropriate grammatical signals suitable to: general to particular and
claim and counterclaim patterns of idea development.

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

When we write sentences to form a paragraph, it is best that we use grammatical

signals or expressions. These are words used by writers or speakers in sentences that
give their readers or listeners a signal of what will follow an idea. These are words that
connect or link ideas in sentences or texts.

Example:
We easily get sick because our immune system is weak.

The grammatical signal or expression used in the sentence is BECAUSE. This word
signals that the CAUSE of the given action (our getting sick easily) follows. What is the
cause of our getting sick? OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS WEAK.

We should also be aware of the pattern of idea development used in a paragraph for
us to give the suited grammatical signals or expressions. The pattern of idea development
is the manner or method by which a writer or speaker explains his main idea about a topic in
a paragraph or paragraphs. There are four commonly used patterns of idea development.
These are:
 General to particular/specific
 Claim and counterclaim
 Problem-solution and
 Cause-effect
This time, you will learn the first two patterns of idea development which are
GENERAL TO PARTICULAR and CLAIM AND COUNTERCLAIM and the appropriate
grammatical signals used for these patterns of idea development.
GENERAL-TO-PARTICULAR PATTERN of idea development is the method of
explaining by starting with broad (big) idea and by following it with particular (small)
ideas in support to the broad idea. This is sometimes called as deductive method.
 Here are some commonly used grammatical signals or expressions for GENERAL-TO-
PARTICULAR PATTERN.

Additionally further moreover besides

first, etc.
In addition furthermore similarly also
lastly
For example/instance namely in fact such as
like
In other words that is indeed

Study the given sample paragraphs that made use of these grammatical signals.

Social media have positive Social media have positive

impact on us. They are a good tool for
communication, as social networking
websites serve as one of the best
platforms for people to communicate
and stay in touch with friends.
Additionally, they improve
technological skills of an individual as
social media networking aids in
enhancing technological skills of a
student. Further, they benefit
business operation, since social
networking enables businessman to
market their service to a wide range of
online audience. Moreover, they
promote better connectivity, as
through these media, people form
part of the world that can connect
with anybody. Furthermore, they aid
learning as these media make them
convenient for people to learn and
teach.
impact on us. First, they are a good
tool for communication, as social
networking websites serve as one of
the best platforms for people to
communicate and stay in touch with
friends. Second, they improve
technological skills of an individual
OR media networking aids in
as social
enhancing technological skills of a
student. Third, they benefit business
operation, since social networking
enables businessman to market their
service to a wide range of online
audience. Fourth, they promote
better connectivity, as through these
media, people form part of the
world that can connect with
anybody. Lastly, they aid learning as
these media make them convenient
for people to learn and teach.

Source: www.helpguide.org
The first sentence: SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT ON US is the big idea in the
passage. While the succeeding sentences are considered to be the small ideas. Take note
that in presenting the small ideas, the sentences are connected with grammatical signals
like additionally, further, moreover and furthermore. In the next sample, these
grammatical signals can also be replaced by the words first, second, third, fourth and
lastly.

CLAIM-AND-COUNTERCLAIM PATTERN of IDEA DEVELOPMENT is the manner or

method of explaining by stating someone else’s claim, by stating your counterclaim in
relation to the claim and by giving reasons/evidence to support your counterclaim.
A claim is an arguable idea used to support or prove an argument.
 Ex. In relation to social media and mental health, one may claim that…

CONSTANT USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA LEADS US TO SELFISHNESS.

There are three types of claims:

1. Claim of Fact – is an idea that can be proven to be true or false with factual
evidence.
Ex. Social media makes us feel lonelier. (Based on a study conducted by the
University of Pennsylvania, social media increases feelings of loneliness.)

2. Claim of Value- is an idea that something can be proven to be good or bad.

Ex. Excessive use of social media is bad to our mental health.

3. Claim of Policy- is an idea that something should be done.

Ex. Our government should design laws to protect users from cyber-bullying.

A counterclaim is an idea that opposes or is against a claim. In other words, it is an

idea that states that a particular claim is invalid, false or weak.
Ex. To the claim that the government should design laws to protect users
from cyber-bullying, some may counterclaim this by saying…

While this is true, some may argue that creators of social media, not the
government, should be required to create policies that will protect their users from
cyber-bullying.

GRAMMATICAL SIGNALS FOR CLAIM AND COUNTERCLAIM

COUNTERCLAIM STATING EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT FOR A

COUNTERCLAIM
 While it is true to some…  According to (author, research, study,
 It might be true, but… or survey)
Or however,  Evidence shows that….
Nevertheless,  A study reveals that…
Yet,  The work of (author) indicates that…
On the other hand,  Report states…
Nonetheless,
still
 There is an argument that…

Take a look at this sample paragraph for claim and counterclaim.

1- states the claim 3- states the reason/evidence
2- states the counterclaim 4- re-states the counterclaim

(1) Many claim that one need not go to college to be successful. (2) While this is
true to some, many will agree to the notion that college education results in better
employment. (3) According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 73% of
young adults with a bachelor’s degree worked full time, year- round in 2014, compared to
65% of young adult high school graduates. (4) Therefore, it can be said that college
education is a pre-requisite to attain success in life.

III. ACTIVITIES
A. Practice Tasks
Task 1 (A)
Directions: Read the sentence in each item. Identify what type of claim is presented
in each number.
 Example: Cancer is a common disease, but it is not contagious.
Answer: Claim of Fact

___________ 1. Uniforms should be required at all public high schools.

___________ 2. Natural gas is the best energy source.
___________ 3. Adoption of vegetarian diet leads to a healthier life. (The author of
Vegetarian Lifestyles says so.)
___________ 4. Abortion is morally wrong.
___________ 5. Laws should be passed to stop the sale of cigarettes.

Task 1 (B) Directions: Read and understand the paragraph below. Answer the
questions after the paragraph by circling only the letter of your choice.

(1) Animals should not be kept in zoos because it does not give people a
chance to learn about them. (2) While this may be true to some, many will agree to
the idea that animals in the zoo gives people a lot of knowledge about them. (3) The
article entitled Zoos and Aquariums Have a Positive Impact on Visitors states that
visitors at a zoo improve their understanding of exotic animals and environments
these animals live in (Dunhil 4). (4) This means that zoos are useful because they
often have education programs that put a spotlight on animals that need help and
environments that are at risk. (5) Because of zoos, more people know how to help
animals that can’t help themselves. (6) To sum up, zoos teach people about animals
and their habitats, but some people ignore that advantage.

1. In which part of the text did the writer state the claim?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
2. In which part did he state his counterclaim?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
3. In which part did he provide reasons/evidence to support his counterclaim?
A. 1, 2,6 B. 3, 4, 5 C. 4,5, 6 D. 2,3,4
4. In which part did he re-state his counterclaim?
A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 6
5. Which grammatical signals or expressions did he use when stating evidence in
support for his counterclaim?
A. Therefore C. To sum up
B. This means that… D. The article entitled___states that…

Task 1 (C) Directions: Analyze the text below and answer the questions that follow.

Tea is the world’s most common drink. There is only one tea plant, but there
are many different varieties of tea. The varieties can be divided into two main types:
green and black. First, green tea is picked and then processed immediately. Second,
black tea is processed about 24 hours after it is picked.

1. What is the general/ big idea in the text?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What are the two specific ideas in the text?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. What are the grammatical signals used in the text?

___________________________________________________________________
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Task 2 Directions: Identify the grammatical signals used in the following sentences.
Write GP if it is for general to particular and CC if it is for Claim and Counterclaim.
Example: Angelo can play a number of musical instruments such as the violin, the
guitar, the saxophone and the piano.
Answer: such as- GP
1. This toy helps children to discover their abilities; in other words, children can learn
new things from the toy. ___________________________
2. Overwork can also be deadly. One report estimates that in Japan, about 10,000
people die annually from overwork, as many as those who die in automobile
accidents in that country every year. ______________________________
3. Christmas celebration has been spread to non-Christian lands. In Japan, most
families now celebrate Christmas, not because of its religious meaning, but purely as
a merrymaking occasion. According to Wall Street Journal, Santa Claus’s cheery red
face is plastered in shop windows in major cities of China. Yes, the Christmas fever
is capturing China’s newly rising urban middle class as an excuse to shop, eat and
party. ________________________________
(Adapted from: WBT Society, Pennsylvania (www.jw.org)
4. The agents, namely Pat, Mora, Levi and Osram are given special assignments.
They will be sent to far flung barangays. ____________________________
5. Rare indeed is the chance to witness the breathtaking power of storm surge.
_______________
6. The car looked good; moreover, the price was right. ________________________
7. Tobacco serves different purposes. Some tobacco products are even sold in
health food and herbal medicine stores. But according to the World Health
Organization all forms of tobacco are considered as lethal.
__________________________
8. There are ways that vitamins are lost from foods. First, some vitamins dissolve in
water. When vegetables are cooked in water, the vitamins go into the water. If the
water is thrown away, the vitamins are lost. ___________________________
Task 3 Directions: Complete the following sentences by using the appropriate
grammatical signals. Choose your answers from the word pool.

According to my research It might be true, but Such as

For instance Furthermore

1. Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd or bitter wild cucumber, has traditionally
been used as medicine for diabetes in Asia, South America, and East Africa. It has
antidiabetic and blood sugar-lowering properties, earning it the nickname “vegetable
insulin”. _________________, it also provides a good source of vitamin C and folate
and contains various phytonutrients with antioxidant properties.
2. Car companies _________ BMW and Ford produce sports car in America and
Asia.
3. I believe that Japanese literature was heavily influenced by cultural contact with
China and their literature because the early Japanese literary works were often
written in classical Chinese. _________________________________, it was Indian
 literature that had an influence on Japanese literature through the propagation of
Buddhism in Japan.

4. Students should not be permitted to use cellphones in school.

__________________________many will argue to this. According to an article on 12
Positive Effects of Cellphones in School, it states that various studies have shown
that using mobile phones in schools can lead to improved learning outcomes.
Students who are allowed to use cellphones will be motivated during lectures.
5. Cats are creatures of habit. In a recent survey of hundreds of cat owners, more
than 90% indicated that their cats demanded to be fed at the same time every day,
and more than 95% said that their cats sleep in the same spot day after day.
___________________, Sadie, a little black cat waits for her people at the top of the
basement steps every morning and runs right to the refrigerator for her snack. She
also prefers to sleep either on her humans’ bed or on her recliner in the family room.
B. Assessment:
Write a paragraph with six to eight sentences about one of the given topics
below or you may choose to have your own topic. In presenting your ideas,
choose whether to use the general to particular idea of development or claim
and counterclaim idea of development. Use appropriate signals or
expressions in your text.

Suggested Topics:
1. Community Pantry
2. COVID 19 Vaccination
3. Face to Face Classes in the Next School Year
4. Others, _______________________________
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Rubric for Scoring
Be guided by the given rubric.

CRITERIA EXCELLENT VERY SATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY

10-9points 8-7 points 6-5
Use of The paragraph The paragraph made The paragraph did not use
grammatic made use of at use of at least one to any grammatical signal words
al signals least three to five two grammatical signal or expressions for the pattern
grammatical signal words or expressions of idea development selected.
words or for the pattern of idea
expressions for the development selected.
pattern of idea
development
selected.
Organization The ideas in the The ideas in the The ideas in the paragraph
paragraph were paragraph were fairly were not organized.
well-organized. organized.

IV. References:

De Vera, E.E., Francisco, N.R., Gonzales, C.T., Yu, P.R. (2017). Essential
English Worktext in Literature and Language. Manila: Rex Printing Company, Inc.
Radd, S. (2018, October). Bitter Melon for Better Blood Sugar. Health and Home,
Volume 59 ( September- October 2108 ), 36-37.

https://study.com
https://addictiontips.net
https://quizlet.com
https://www.sccollege.edu
www.helpguide.org
www.jw.org
https://youtu.be/_fz7fuxj0cc
http://repository.ut.ac.id