PPT

1. READING &
WRITING 11
MODULE 2

2. Defining
Claims
Evaluating the claims made by
an author is one of the most
important skills needed in critical
reading. Your ability to identify the
explicit and implicit information in a
text will help you recognize the
writer’s arguments and evidence so
you can begin judging the writer’s
work.

3. Whenever you
read something, you
find yourself looking
for the writer’s point
or position regarding
the chosen topic.
That point is also
known as the claim,
or the central
argument or thesis
statement of the text.

4. The Filipino culture I have learned is one that is a
very vibrant and alive. It is a blend of many cultures that
have come to our shores & rooted in our own native
Filipino culture. Many scholars say that culture is
constantly changing that is why it is very hard to define.
While this is true, sometimes, it is not changing for the
better. In some ways, I believe this is happening to Filipino
culture. Filipinos tend to put more importance to foreign
culture and things as compared to our own. Many foreign
ideas and ways of thinking is what we, Filipinos believe will
bring the country progress. However, this is a mistake
because our culture is such a rich melting pot from which
we can draw inspiration and ideas.
• -The Importance of Recognizing Our Culture by Pammy Macasaet

5. • When reading a
long argument,
start by skimming
the first couple
paragraphs (and
last paragraph if
necessary) to figure
out what the
author is trying to
persuade you to
believe or do. There
may be more than
one claim in a long
argument so find
the most important
claim.
• The claim is the
most important
part of the text. It
defines the quality
and the complexity
of the reading as it
gives direction and
scope to the text.
The claim is a
sentence that
summarizes the
most important
thing that the
writer wants to say
as a result of
his/her thinking,
reading, or writing
• It may help to pay
attention to certain words
that tell you that the
statement is a claim.
Claims sometimes begin
with words that indicate
that it is a claim such as
"therefore", "so", and "thus".
Claims often include
qualifiers such as "maybe",
"probably", "perhaps",
"usually", "often", "I
believe", "I think", "in my
opinion". But these
qualifiers are used for
reasons as well. So be
careful relying on them.

6. Characteristics of a Good Claim
A claim should be
argumentative and
debatable.
•When a writer makes a
claim, he/she is making a
case for a particular
perspective on the topic.
Readers expect to be able
to object to your claim, and
they can only raise
objections if the claim is
something that can be
reasonably challenged.
Claims that are only factual
or based on opinion, thus,
are not debatable.
A claim should
be specific and
focused.
• If the claim is
unfocused, the
paper will be too
broad in scope
and will lack
direction and a
clear connection
to the support
provided. It may
also lead to over
generalizations
and vague
assertions.
A claim should be
interesting and
engaging. It should
hook the reader, who
may or may not
agree with you, to
encourage them to
consider your
perspective and
learn something new
from you.
A claim should be
logical. It should result
from a reasonable
weighing of support
provided.
•Here are some questions to
help you determine the
writer’s claim while you are
reading a text:
•What is the author’s main
point?
•What is the author’s
position regarding it?

7. There are three
common types
of claims:
They are claims of fact, policy, and value.
First, a claim of fact states a quantifiable
assertion or a measurable topic. They assert that
something has existed, exists, or will exist based on
data. They rely on reliable sources or systematic
procedures to be validated; this is what makes them
different from inferences.
First, a claim of fact states a quantifiable
assertion or a measurable topic. They assert that
something has existed, exists, or will exist based on
data. They rely on reliable sources or systematic
procedures to be validated; this is what makes them
different from inferences.

8. Claims of fact usually answer a “what” question. When determining whether
something is a claim of fact, the following questions are useful:
• Is this issue related to a possible cause or effect?
• Is this statement true or false? How can its truthfulness be verified?
• Is this claim controversial or debatable?
•Take a look at the two examples below. What makes the claims of fact?
1. Smoking causes cancer.
2. People can reduce the severity of depression by increasing their sunlight
exposure each day.
In the first claim, what causes cancer? The answer is smoking. Is it true? Can it be
verified? How? Does it exist? Is this debatable? Is there someone saying otherwise?
•If most of your answers to these questions are yes, then it is a claim of fact.
• How about the second claim? How will you prove its type? Can you use the
same process of questioning? The answer is yes.

9. The claim of value asserts something that can be qualified. They
consist of arguments about moral, philosophical, or aesthetic
topics. These types of topics try to prove that some values are
more or less desirable compared to others. They make judgments
based on certain standards, on whether something is right or
wrong, good or bad, or something similar.
• Claims of value attempt to explain how problems, situations, or
issues ought to be valued. To discover these explanations, you
may ask the following questions:
• Which claims endorse what is good or right?
• What qualities should be considered good? Why?
• Which of these values contend with others? Which ones are more
important, and why? Whose standards are used?
• What are some concrete examples of such values?

10. • Consider this example: Your idea is valuable to the
project. What makes this claim a value? Aside from the
give-away term valuable, the question that will guide you
is “Whose standard is it valuable?
• When trying to find value claims look for terms like
"valuable/ beautiful/ interesting", "good/ bad/ evil",
"right/ wrong", "superior/ best/ worse".

11. The claims of policy attempt to persuade you or others to take
some action or change a behavior usually to solve a problem. You
can easily identify a claim of policy for it uses terms like "should",
"ought" and "must".
•The following questions will be used in evaluating a claim of
policy.
• Does the claim suggest a specific remedy to solve the problem?
• Is the policy clearly defined?
• Is the need for the policy established?
• Is the policy the best one available? For whom? According to whose
standards?
• How does the policy solve the problem?
•Now, study the two ideas below. What makes the claims of
policy?

12. Now, study the two ideas below. What makes the
claims of policy?
1. Voluntary prayer should be permitted in public
schools.
2. Smoking should be prohibited in public places.

13. READING &
WRITING 11
MODULE 3

14. Critical Reading

15. After going
through this
learning
material, you
are expected to:
Explain critical reading as a form of
reasoning (EN11/12RWS-IVac-8);
Formulate evaluative statements about
a text read (EN11/12RWS-IVac-9):
• Assertions about the content and properties of
a text read
(EN11/12RWS-IVac-9.1); and
• Counterclaims in response to claims made in the
text read (EN11/12RWS-IVac-9.2).

16. “Reading is thinking cued
by written language.
Effective readers think
within the text. Effective
readers think beyond the
text. Effective readers
think about the text.” –
Cidro et al. (2016)

17. What is Critical Reading?
Reading critically does
not, necessarily, mean being
critical of what you read –
about some idea, argument,
or piece of writing - claiming
that it is somehow faulty or
flawed.
Critical reading means
engaging in what you read by
asking yourself questions
such as, ‘what is the author
trying to say?’ or ‘what is the
main argument being
presented?’

18. Evaluative
Statements
An evaluative statement
is a way of giving a better
explanation to show the
strength and weaknesses of
something through writing.
It presents value judgment
based on a set of criteria. It
is the writer’s way of
explaining why strength is
strength and weakness is a
weakness based on the
evidence gathered (Belino,
2017).

19. Identifying
Assertions
A way to convince a critical
reader to accept the writer's claims
to formulate assertions.
Assertions, as defined by
Tiongson (2016), are “declarative
sentences that claim something is
true about something else.” These
sentences may either be
statements of truths or opinions.

20. There are four common types of assertions
enumerated by Tiongson:
The first type of assertion is a fact. This is a claim or statement which can produce objective proof or
evidence through direct experience, testimonies of witnesses, verified observations, or results of research.
The second type is an assertion of the convention. This is referred to as “a way in which something is
done, similar to traditions or norms.
The third type of assertions is an opinion. This statement is based on facts. While facts can be proven to
be objective, opinions are hard to prove as this would have to rely on reliable and soundproofs.
The fourth type of assertion is preference. Preference relies on personal choice. These are completely
subjective assertions that cannot be objectively proven.

21. In writing
believable
assertions,
you must need
to take note of
the following
tips:
Be knowledgeable. To make the reader believe in what
you are trying to stand up for, examine the topic
thoroughly. Explore both sides of the topic, research as
much information as you can.
Back it all up. To make your assertion stable and solid, it
must have strong foundations in the form of research
findings. Be careful and leave out any irrelevant evidence
referenced in the text to avoid confusion for the readers.
Be clear and concise. Get straight to the facts. Let them
know what you want them to know and present them
complete with supporting details to your claim/s.

22. Formulating
Counterclaims
A critical reader
does not only focus on
the claim of a written
text. Analyzing an
argument must also
involve the
understanding of the
evidence presented by
the writer as well as its
counterclaims.

23. • 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.

24. Tiongson gave
the following
questions that
can help you
formulate a
counterclaim:
• What are the major points on
which you and the author can
disagree?
• What is their strongest
argument? What did they say to
defend their position?
• What are the merits of their
view?
• What are the weaknesses or
shortcomings in their argument?
• Are there any hidden
assumptions?
• Which lines from the text best
support the counterclaim you
have formulated?

25. You must recognize the value of
hedges when you state your
counterclaims. According to Belino
(2017), a hedge is a word or phrase
that minimizes the negative impact of
criticism. It is used to give a courteous
tone in your writing.
Hedges could come in different
forms such as a) modals – may, could,
would, should, etc.; b) Frequency
adverbs – usually, generally,
commonly; and c) Probability adverbs
– probably, possibly, presumably.