LESSON 1: Making Connections between Texts to Particular Social Issues, Concerns or Dispositions in

Life
As a reader, we should be able to make connections between what we read and what we know.
This is actually a good strategy to clearly understand the text we read, and make reading more
purposive.

There are three ways on how we make connections:

1. Text to Self. Relating information and insights from a text to our personal experiences.
2. Text to Text. Relating information and insights from a text to another text previously
read.
3. Text to World. Relating information and insights from a text to what we know about the world, like
social issues, real life situations and events, and other things happening around us.

LESSON 2: Distinguishing Relevant and Irrelevant Information

 Finding Information
Information nowadays is so accessible that we can get them at our fingertips through the gadgets we use like smart
phones and computers. The World Wide Web or the Internet is a vast ocean of different information that we need to
navigate in our daily lives to thrive in this digital world. However, not all information is needed. One needs to be keen
which of this information fits to the needs. The search for information should provide huge and various sources. The
following are the criteria to be considered in getting information from a source.
a. Currency. It is important to get the newest information especially if the topic is changing and developing rapidly.
Checking the copyright date, publication date, or, for a website, the date the page was last updated can help to see how
current the information is.
b. Relevance. Asking oneself how related the information will save time in searching information. Those that are not
relevant can easily be taken away.
c. Authority. It is the credibility of the source which includes the expertise and the involvement the author or the
source to the field of specialization. The authority of an institution or website over an information is considered to be
valid if they are able to back up their proposed ideas with concrete evidences and studies.
d. Clarity. It is more than how clear the information is. Clarity includes the motive of the source in disseminating the
information. Information should be free from biases so as not to affect its reliability.

Distinguishing Relevant and Irrelevant Information Read the sample text below:

The text is about ants, but more importantly the specific details about ants will tell us more about the text as
whole. Looking closely at its details, we may find an idea in it that seemed to be out of tune or out of topic. In this text,
Sentence II is irrelevant or incoherent with the whole text. While the other details elaborate the abilities of the ants,
Sentence II tell us otherwise. The information it gives us is about the ant colony and the types of ants that live in it.
 The relevance of the ideas in the text is also known as coherence. For one to know if all ideas are relevant or
coherent, it is important to have an overview of what the text is all about. It will be easier to find the irrelevant part of a
text when we know the main idea or the main topic of the text.

LESSON 3: Making Decisions Based on What is Listened To

In listening, making decisions play an important role. Many decisions made are based on some form of critical
analysis. It requires thinking about consequences which can possibly arise after a decision is made. Today, let us talk
about Making decisions based on what is listened to. Read and examine the lyrics of the song “A Family is What You
Make It” by Jim Rule. If you are familiar with the song, you can sing as you read and give it your own version.

A Family Is What You Make It

Jim Rule
I used to believe that a family
Was a mom, and a dad, and 2.3 kids,
and a great big station wagon or a mini van
And a house and a dog and a cat.
But now that I've seen lots of families,
I know it's not always like that,
Because a family is what you make it.
It's you and your loved ones, whoever they are.

You've got to give and take it.

With understanding and love, your family's gonna go far.
With understanding and love, your family's gonna go far.
I used to believe I was normal
Now I don’t know what that means.
‘Cause if your family keeps you cozy and warm all right
and fits you like a pair of your favorite jeans
That’s what’s important. That makes it right,
Snug as a bug on a cold winter’s night.
Someone to love you and someone to fight
for your right to be just who you are.

1. With understanding and love, your family's gonna go far.

2. What is the singers’ idea of a family before?
- The family is only about a mom, a dad and kids, a house, a car and a dog.
3. After observing different families, what is his new idea of a family?
- That a family is what you make. It’s your loved one’s whoever they are that you accept and take.
4. According to the song, how will a family be able to surpass trials?
- With understanding and love of one another, a family will be able to make it in any circumstance.
5. What is the message of the song?
- A family assures you of being accepted at all times whatever you may be and that it will fight for you and
protect you whenever needed.

Active listeners make decisions to better understand ideas. They listen critically to observe the facts spoken in a careful
manner. When making decisions, we use one of the organizational patterns of comprehensive listening strategy. One of
the organizational patterns of comprehensive listening strategy is comparison and contrast.

 What is comparison and contrast?

Comparison and contrast is a common mental process that we use in our day to day lives. It is a form of
analysis. It helps us isolate ideas while comparing their similarities. When we shop, watch TV, or take a vacation, we
often make a choice based on comparing and contrasting.
Going back again to our song “A Family Is What You Make It”, let’s try to answer few more questions

o If you were the singer, will you choose his 1st idea or 2nd idea of a family? - Comparing a family with parents, kids,
pets, and a car I decided to choose a family with unity and cooperation.
o Why is it important for the family to have a harmonious relationship? - The family is everyone’s home. Everyone
should feel safe in their homes. This is where one should find peace and love whatever they may have experienced
outside. It’s where everyone is accepted without judgement but only love.

LESSON 4: ACCEPTING OR REJECTING IDEAS MENTIONED

To Accept
Formal: That would be nice.
Formal: Yes, if you don’t mind.
Formal: Yes, I’d love some.
Neutral: Yes please.
Neutral: Sure. Thank you.
Neutral: That’s a good idea.
Neutral: Sounds good/nice/great!
Informal: Yes, let’s do it. /let’s go for it.

To Reject
Formal: No, thank you.
Formal: No thank you, I don’t want to disturb.
Formal: That’s very kind. Unfortunately, ____ (reason)
Formal: I’d like to, but ____ (reason)
Formal: I won’t be able to attend.
Neutral: I’m okay/fine, thank you.
Neutral: I’m sorry, but I can’t.
Neutral: No, but thank you for asking.
Neutral: Thank you but you don’t need to worry.
Informal: Thanks, but ____________.
Informal: No, thanks.
Informal: That’s alright.

5 Ways to Respond When Someone Rejects Your Idea

1. Press to pause
When someone objects to
an idea you’ve proposed–even if
you haven’t even finished
presenting it–don’t rush to
respond. These valuable seconds
may seem short, but they can
help you reduce your stress and defensiveness as you collect yourself. Pausing rather than reacting quickly to halfway
resolves a
problem especially to a person raising an objection.

2. Reframe the objection as a question.

While pausing, convert the
objection into a question. For
example, “This idea isn’t consistent
with our goals,” instead, hear him
asking, “Can you help me connect
your idea with our goals?”
Converting what sounds like an outright rejection into a request
for more information helps soften the sharp edges so you can respond
as a helpful adviser, rather than just being defensive.

Converting what sounds like an outright rejection into a request for more information helps soften the sharp edges so
you can respond as a helpful adviser, rather than just being defensive.

3. Agree/Empathize.
Say something like, “I
understand why you might
feel that way,” or “I see how
that might be something
you’re concerned about.”
Agreeing with concerns
show that you’re listening,
and that you see the decision-maker’s perspective. “It changes
communications from combative to collaborative and opens door for
deeper dialogue.”

4. Ask to hear more.

If somebody you’re
trying to win over your idea
expresses doubt, chances are
they need more information to
see your side. That’s a pretty
good sign that it goes both
ways in understanding their worries: “Could you tell me more about
the problems?”
5. Respond with “because”.
If you have a ready response to an
objection, calmly state your case. Just be
sure your reply includes the reason
behind it, especially if that wasn’t clear
yet by the time someone objected.

LESSON 4: Inferring Thoughts, Feelings and Intentions

 How do you infer thoughts, feelings and intentions of the speaker? Usually, the author or speaker does not state all the
information you need to know. So, you are expected to “read between the lines” using the details in the text read or listened to. To
understand the strategies and techniques on inferring thoughts, feelings and intentions, let’s use the statement of the official from
the Department of Transportation who recovered from COVID19 as an example.

Based on the speaker’s statement, you can infer that the she wants the readers to be optimistic or positive in the midst of
global health crisis. The speaker wants you to realize that if you contract a deadly disease like COVID19, you shouldn’t lose hope
nor think that it’s the end of the world already for you. The intention is to give hope and encouragement to those readers like you to
be strong and think of the things that will dispel or get rid of your anxieties to speed up recovery. You use the message of the
speaker or textual evidence in order to understand the speaker’s thoughts, feelings and intentions.
Let’s have another example.

You can infer that the speaker is determined to help the Department of Education and other stakeholders address the
challenges brought about by the pandemic as stated in the first sentence. He gave primary importance to education by assuring
students that they’ll receive learning packets and tablets for their online learning. Also, he is optimistic about what the future may
hold for students because the local government will do everything to extend help in order to reach out to them. For the last
example, let’s have this excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech “I Have a Dream”.

You can infer that the speaker experienced racial injustice during his time and he was persistent and defiant on his clamor
or demand for racial justice and democracy. His intention is to show the people or readers like you that they have to fight for their
rights, stop all forms of discrimination and everyone must live in harmony regardless of age, sex, race and social status in life.
From the three given examples, that should have given you an idea on inferring thoughts, feelings and intentions of the
speaker. Here are the things that you should remember:
 Read and view the text carefully. Understand the message of the speaker.
 List down or pay attention to relevant details found in the text and put these details together.
  Determine what these details mean with the use of your background/ previous knowledge and infer the speaker’s
thoughts, feelings and intentions using these details.

LESSON 6: Valuing Other People and Their Various Circumstances in Life

These pictures show us segregation in terms of using different public facilities, like drinking fountain,
classrooms and rest rooms. This is what we call “racial segregation”. Apart from these places, racial segregation was
also rampant in buses, restaurants and other establishments. Between 1849 and 1950, blacks were segregated from
whites by law and private action in transportation, public accommodations, armed forces, recreational facilities, prisons,
… (http://nationalbusinesspks.com/docs/article.php?70d48f=segregation-in-the-1950s)

“Colored” refers to black people, and “White” pertains to Americans who have fair skin. Racial segregation is one form of
“racial discrimination”. Racial Discrimination is any discrimination against individuals on the basis of their skin color, or
racial or ethnic origin.

The poem that we’ll have today is entitled, “Mother to Son”. This is written by Langston Hughes. Langston
Hughes is a Black American poet, a social activist, a novelist, a playwright, a columnist and one of the earliest
innovators of the “jazz poetry”. In jazz poetry, the rhythm of the poem, when spoken aloud, resembles the sounds that
jazz music makes. Jazz poetry became popular during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the
development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City as a black cultural mecca in the early 20th Century and the
subsequent social and artistic explosion that resulted. Lasting roughly from the 1910s through the mid-1930s, the period
is considered a golden age in African American culture, manifesting in literature, music, stage performance and art
(https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance).
Hughes is especially known to have a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays,
and children's books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture,
humor, and spirituality.

“Mother to Son” is an example of a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a poem in which an imagined
speaker addresses, usually not the reader, but a silent listener. The poem is didactic in approach. Didactic Poetry
provides knowledge on philosophy, religion, arts, Science, skills and even morals.
One noticeable attribute of “Mother to Son” is the mother’s manner of speech. As you read through the poem,
I’m sure that you’ve noticed that the speaker’ s way of speaking is very much alike to how a female black American
speaks.
 The poem articulates the heartfelt and loving advice a wise black woman gives to her son about being black in
America. She wants him to know that nobody is going to make his path easy. Her advice shows her character and her
courage. This poem is applicable to anyone facing a hard struggle in life. The poem makes use of extended metaphor to
create a comparison between the stair in the poem and the struggles that the mother has to go through in life in order to
survive.

LESSON 7: Analyzing Literature as a means of Discovering Oneself

We have learned that VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Volatility
Volatile also means changing, unstable or fluctuating. For example, prices or brands can be erratic. Even people’s
attitudes and opinions can be different from one day to the next. The keyword “stakeholder” and the way it is dealt
with is increasingly moving into the forefront in projects. Dangers that result from the volatility of the VUCA world are, for
example, outdated information, slow feedback loops and fear of risks.

Uncertainty
It is difficult to plan in detail when uncertainty and ambiguity are everywhere. This means having to deal with the
associated risks. How useful can classical project management be under these circumstances? The uncertainty
of the VUCA world might mean working with incomplete information or reverting to old, “proven” methods.
Complexity
The volume of information is always increasing, and it is no longer independent – all the information is
connected with each other. There are dependencies everywhere that must be taken into account. For example,
when a business is active in many different countries with different regulations, or with extremely different
cultures. The complexity of a VUCA world often means that only the symptoms are treated through short-term
bug fixes or things become stiff because analysis seems impossible.
Ambiguity
In a VUCA world, there is a lack of clarity. Information has multiple meanings and it can be difficult to make
decisions. This situation can occur, for example, when a business wants to tap a growing market. In projects,
ambiguity can be found in ambiguously formed requirements. The inability to gauge the sustainability of events,
unfit measures emerging or wrongly interpreting information are all risks of ambiguity in a VUCA world.