11

READING AND WRITING

SKILLS
Quarter 3 – Module 5
(Critical Reading as a Form of Reasoning)

1
NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
English – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 5 on Critical Reading as a Form of Reasoning)
Second Edition, 2021

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any
work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government
agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such
work for profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition
the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright
holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these
materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not
represent nor claim ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Teofan C. Gallosa
Editor: Ellen E. Edrial EdD
Jerome Reso-or

Reviewer: Ellen E. Edrial EdD

Illustrator: None
Layout Artist/Typesetter: MIch Izen I. Paña
Management Team: Senen Priscillo P. Paulin, CESO V Rosela R. Abiera
Joelyza M. Arcilla EdD Maricel S. Rasid
Marcelo K. Palispis EdD Elmar L. Cabrera
Nilita L. Ragay EdD
Anna Lee A. Amores EdD

Printed in the Philippines by

Department of Education –Region VII Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Office Address: Kagawasan, Ave., Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tele #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117
E-mail Address: [email protected]

i
 Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can
continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as
you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM. This
will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask
your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson. At
the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check your learning.
Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you will be honest
in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also provided to
our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can best help
you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part of this
SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And read the
instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the tasks in
this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENT PAGES

TITLE PAGE ------------------------------------------------ I

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE ------------------------------ --- ii

For the Facilitator --------------------------------- ii
For the learner ----------------------------------------- ii

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW --------------------------------- 1

Learning Competency --------------------------------- 1
Learning Objectives --------------------------------- 1

WHAT I KNOW ------------------------------------------------ 1

Task 1 1

WHAT’S IN ------------------------------------------------ 2
Task 2 2

WHAT’S NEW ------------------------------------------------ 2

Task 3 2

WHAT IS IT ------------------------------------------------ 4

WHAT’S MORE ------------------------------------------------ 5

Task 4 5

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED --------------------------------- 6

Task 5 ------------------------------------------ 6

WHAT I CAN DO ---------------------------------------- 7

Task 6 7

ASSESSMENT ------------------------------------------------ 9

GLOSSARY ------------------------------------------------ 11

ANSWER KEY ------------------------------------------------ 12

REFERENCE LIST -------------------------------------------- 13

iii
 WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Critical Reading as a Form of Reasoning

Information cannot always be trusted.

As a critical reader, you should be able to use textual evidence to support implicit
and explicit information presented in the text. This is needed to assess the overall quality
of the text.

This lesson helps you to carefully and critically evaluate texts in order to
formulate sound judgment that can be supported by valid reasons or proofs. A reader
gets an edge in ensuring that information is reliable, true and credible only after
validating and crosschecking of the text.

Learning Competency

 Explains critical reading as a form of reasoning. EN 11/12RWS-IVac-8

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. explain why critical reading is imperative to sound reasoning;

2. respond to questions asked; and,
3. use critical thinking in accomplishing tasks.

WHAT I KNOW

Task 1

Directions: Analyze the statements below. In your notebook, write whether

the statement is FACT or BLUFF.

1. Critical reading requires distinguishing between facts or opinions.

o Fact ȯ Bluff
2. It is a must that main arguments be supported by factual information.
o Fact ȯ Bluff
3. Always take the author’s own statement as true.
o Fact ȯ Bluff
4. Academic reading needs concentration and comprehension.
o Fact ȯ Bluff
1 NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
 5. Questioning both the text and our own reading of it is reading critically.
o Fact ȯ Bluff
6. Critical reading means criticizing the text.
o Fact ȯ Bluff
7. Opinions are not reliable unless supported by giving evidences and citing
sources.
o Fact ȯ Bluff

WHAT’S IN

Task 2

Directions: Write in your notebook your insights on the quotation below.

“Reading is asking questions of printed text.”

-Frank Smith in Reading without Nonsense (1997),

Insights:

WHAT’S NEW

Task 3
Directions: Read the short selection carefully and reflect on the ideas
presented in the essay. Then, fill out the matrix found below.

This is your teen's brain, growing up

March 05, 2013|By Geoffrey Mohan

Wondering where your teen's mind is?

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests

adolescents may be quite busy adding brain cells during puberty, and it might
just have to do with sex. "In school we were always taught the cells you're born
with are pretty much all you get," said Margaret Mohr, a doctoral candidate in
neuroscience at Michigan State University and one of the study's authors.
2 NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
 "We're finding that's not true at all." Adults can add neurons in the
hippocampus, an area associated with learning and memory. But enough
about your hippocampus. Let's talk about your teen's amygdala, which
processes memory and emotional reaction, and "kind of helps teens redirect
their social communication," Mohr said. Your amygdala might pick up on
someone's sexual interest, perhaps. Or read that someone is spoiling for a
chance to prove his dominance. All of that is useful around the time children
are about to transition into the tricky social interactions of adulthood.
Researchers don't use real teens or 'tweens, even if parents would volunteer
them. They used the next best thing: a pubescent male hamster. They injected
the rodents with a commonly used substance that helps mark the birth date of
cells, then put them in different environments— an "enriched" one with a wheel
to run on, another without much to stimulate them. Then researchers gave all
the male hamsters, now a few weeks older, a shot at a sexually available
female. Then they killed the male hamsters and took a close look at their brain
cells. Sure enough, those cells born during puberty showed clear signs of
activity. The fact that cells known to have been born in puberty were active
during these interactions suggest, that cells had been incorporated into the
circuits that drive male sexual behavior. Having a wheel to run around on
made a difference too. Those hamsters in such an "enriched" environment were
more likely to retain these teen cells into adulthood, the study found. The
study and Mohr were silent on the specific parenting issues the study might
raise. "In humans, exercise and social interactions are important for your well-
being," Mohr said. "We know exercise helps these new cells survive."

Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/05/news/la-sn-teen-brains-20130304

MATRIX

What does the What Do you agree with

writer want you to reason/supporting the author’s idea?
believe? evidence does Explain.
the writer provide?
Do they seem
credible?

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
3
 WHAT IS IT

To read critically, it is vital that one knows what correct and incorrect reasoning is.
“Reasoning is the ability of your mind to think and understand things in a logical way to form
a conclusion or judgment” (Padilla, Mely M., et al, 2017). According to Harris and Hodges
(1981), ―it is the process of making judgments in reading: evaluating relevancy and adequacy
of what is read.

Furthermore, this facilitates engagement with what you read. To do this, it is pivotal to ask
the following questions:

*What is the author trying to say?

*What is the main argument being presented?
*Does the text use statements or evidences that support its conclusions?
*Do the evidences include reasons that justify your beliefs?

With all these questions answered, you get to evaluate and assess the veracity/ truthfulness,
reliability, credibility of the statements, hence arms you to make your own standpoint about
the matter that is discussed.

Characteristics of Critical Readers

Schumm and Post (1997) enumerated the characteristics of critical readers:

1. Spend time reflecting on the reading material

2. Evaluate and solve problems rather than simply compiling certain facts
3. Think logically
4. Seek out the truth
5. Eager to express their thoughts
6. Look at alternative views about a topic.
7. Open to new ideas
8. Base their judgments on evidence
9. Recognize errors and good arguments
10. Willing to take on critical stance on issues
11. Ask pertinent questions
12. Willing to change their ideas whenever new set of information is introduced
13. See connections between topics and use knowledge from other disciplines to enhance
their experiences

Ways to become a Critical Reader

1. Annotate what you read- writing on the text

2. Outline the text- identify the main points
3. Summarize the text- Get the main gist or point of the text read.
4. Evaluate the text- use the other 3 ways. Question the purpose, intention, and
assumptions. Check if there are pieces of evidence that are valid and credible.

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
4
Steps in Critical Reading

1. Before you read

Scan it and look for important information that will give you an idea of its subject as
well as the arguments that it presents. Reading the introductions and subheadings
can provide insight about the material at hand.

2. While you read

Ensure interaction with the author by taking note of important information or writing
annotations on the material. The annotations can be in the form of questions that
enter one’s mind on the arguments, ideas, or reasoning of the writer. Highlight, mark
or circle information or details which are particularly striking, significant, or unclear.

3. After you read

Revisit the annotations placed on the margins to get an over-all idea of the text and
summarize the material to fully understand its message.

4. Responding the text

After all the steps, one can now start evaluating and analyzing the arguments as well as
the reasoning of the author. He can now develop his own ideas or even write an essay
that expresses his opposition or agreement to the author’s ideas.

WHAT’S MORE

Task 4

Directions: In your notebook, answer the question below.

Excerpt from a speech of Manuel L. Quezon:

The Filipino of today is soft, easy-going. He has tendency

towards parasitism. He lacks earnestness. His sense
of righteousness is often dulled with his desire for personal
gain. He is never courageous. His greatest fear is not to do
wrong but of being caught doing wrong. He is inconstant.
He lacks perseverance and he easily admits defeat. The
patriotism of the Filipino of today is skin-deep, incapable of
inspiring heroic deeds.

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
5
 The Filipino of today is soft, easy-going.

Evidence from the text:

a.
b.
My evaluation:

My sample evidence:

My reason:

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

Task 5

Directions: Reflect on what you have learned after taking up this lesson.
Write this in your notebook.

I thought

I learned that

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
6
 WHAT I CAN DO

Task 6

Directions: Read the selection found below and answer the questions that
follow.

Why Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends with Students

Since the times when Facebook and other social media networks gained
popularity, the word ―friends has evolved. Along with the traditional meaning, it
also started to mean people whom you get online updates and messages from,
whom you inform about your recent activities, whom you get in touch with
virtually, and so on. At the same time, a ―friend on Facebook can actually be a
random person, a stranger whom you have seen only once or twice. People add
new ―friends easily; this is related especially to teenagers and students, who
tend to ―friend everyone they meet, including their teachers. Some people see it
as a positive sign, assuming that virtual friendship will help make studying
more fun and simple. However, there are strong reasons behind teachers’
decisions not to add students as friends on Facebook or other social media
platforms. The most significant concern is privacy, and perhaps teachers are
more vulnerable in these terms than teenagers. Through Facebook and other
social media platforms, students might learn details from the lives of their
teachers which they are not supposed to learn: information about intimate
relationships, vacations, and so on. This does not mean a teacher has no right
to spend time the way he or she wants, and share information about it; it
means that before doing this, teachers have to consider the possible effect and
the consequences of such sharing (KidsSafe Foundation). This connection
works both ways though: a teacher might use Facebook to see the details of
their students’ most recent party on campus, for example. Needless to say that
instead of making relationships between teachers and students easier, such
exposure only makes them more intense: both teachers and students become
vulnerable, and bear more risks or harassment of different kinds. This problem
logically transforms into disciplinary issues. The teacher-student relationship is
often built on a hierarchical basis: students recognize their teacher as an
outsider imbued with certain authority; this is a natural border helping
establish discipline. However, by becoming digital friends with their students,
teachers exhaust these borders and may lose authority. It becomes more
difficult for them to discipline and reason with students, because they are (kind
of) personally acquainted, and have a (sort of) relationship beyond the
classroom. Besides, students with personal Facebook relationships with their
teachers could be given extra credits or benefits in terms of studying
(Patch.com).

Erasing borders between teachers and students might lead to unexpected

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
7
and inappropriate consequences, including sexual relationships, which is not
just illegal, but also considered immoral by many people. Cases of such
relationships are numerous; for example, in 2013, a former cheerleader and a
high school teacher, Sarah Jones, pleaded guilty to having sex with a 17-year-
old student, Cody York, who was careless enough to upload photos of himself
and his teacher on Facebook. These photos went viral, causing a scandal and
drawing attention to the problem of student-teacher relationships once again
(The Current). It does not mean that Facebook relationships usually transform
into personal or sexual ones; it means, however, that relationships beyond the
borders established by a society might end up in an unexpected and
inappropriate way that can hurt both a student and a teacher.

There exist at least several significant reasons why teachers should not
add their students as friends on Facebook. One of them is privacy concerns:
teachers who share their lives on Facebook—as well as students doing the
same—cannot feel safe knowing their posts might be seen by the wrong
audience. Also, erasing borders between students and teachers might not only
lead to a drop of discipline, but sometimes transform into personal
relationships, which usually tends to end up in a scandalous and/or painful
way. Therefore, teachers and students should keep a certain distance, and
communicate mostly within the limits of studying.

References

Pablo, Aileen. “Teachers and Students Shouldn’t Be Friends on Facebook:

The Controversial Debate.” Patch. N.p., 03 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Nov.
2015.

“To Friend the Teacher or Not to Friend the Teacher, That Is the
Question.”KidSafe Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

“Point-Counterpoint: Teachers and Students Should Not Be Friends on

Facebook.” The Current. N.p., 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Courtesy of: https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/teachers-

friend.html#sthash.5GJE3PFo.dpuf

Questions

1. What is the main idea or claim of the text?

2. Which type of claim does this text use?
3. What are the supporting evidences?
4. How valid, reliable and credible are the references used?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the main argument of the writer? Explain your answer.

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
8
 ASSESSMENT

Task 7
Directions: Fill out the matrix found below based on the short selection.

Laughter is the Medicine

Laughter is one of the greatest healing devices known to man. Laughter is powerful and can
help people in many different ways. It has the power to cure something as little as a bad day or
to heal the wounds of a terminally ill person. Laughing has helped create the smile which is the
universal sign of well-being. Generally, individuals who do not laugh live miserably and have
unhappy lives. Dr. Robert Holden found out that smiling and laughing release endorphins in the
brain which give people an overall happy well-being. Using comedy, many doctors have
stimulated the healing process in manic depressants and fatally ill patients giving them hope
and ambition. In many clinics, laughter is being used in replacing anti-depressants and reduces
the need for painkillers (Dr. Gael Crystal). Take comedians for example, they usually live long
and happy lives. Putting a smile on faces and laughs in souls is what makes life complete.
Laughter helps heal people and brightens spirits for a better and healthier life.
Laughing is a sign of joy and hope and keeps people normal and the world happy. Using the
techniques of laughter and happiness is the best medicine known to man. Laughter is
the universal sign of well-being and happiness within health. Laughing brightens the spirit and
heals the mind and body of people who allow it to overcome them. So try to smile and laugh to
live a longer and happier life with loved ones.

~© Jace Oeleis 2005~

Courtesy: http://english120.pbworks.com/w/page/19007010/persuasion%20paragraph

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
9
What does What Do you agree with
the writer reason/supporting the author’s idea?
want you to evidence does
believe? the writer provide?
Do they seem
credible?

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
10
 GLOSSARY

Burgeoning. Growing, expanding, or developing rapidly.

Novice. A person new or inexperienced in a field or situation.

Obstacles. Thing that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress

Satire. The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to explore

and criticize people.
Skeptics. Persons who question the validity of something.

Synthesize. Combination of parts or elements to form a whole.

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
11
 NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
12
REFERENCES

Barrot, Jessie S. Academic Reading and Writing. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc., 2016.

Jones, Katherine. "Reliable Sources:Promoting Critical Thinking." The Teaching Professor. 2017.
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/promoting-critical- thinking-
misinformationage/?utm_campaign=Faculty%20Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_me
dium=email&utm_content=58923364&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8SyA5AogKWd- 60ucNAh6oPnyRIU-
VT47QYQWzO8Rn.

Laughter is the Best Medicine. n.d.

http://english120.pbworks.com/w/page/19007010/persuasion%20paragraph.

Mohan, Geoffrey. "This is your teen's brain, growing up." Los Angeles Times. 2013.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/05/news/la-sn-teen-brains-20130304.

Padilla, Mely M., Lourdes A. Roxas, Flordelis R. & Jugo, and Rhodora R. Read Critically and Write
Effectively. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House,Inc., 2017.

"Why Teachers Should not be Facebook Friends with Students." 2015.

https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/teachers- friend.html.

NegOr_Q3_RWS_Module5_v2
13
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Kagawasan, Avenue, Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tel #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117

Email Address: [email protected]
Website: lrmds.depednodis.net