English for Academic and

Professional Purposes
Quarter 1 - Module 2
Academic Writing in Practice

Senior High
These competencies are covered in the following lessons:
1. How to Express Personal Opinion
2. Approaches in Literary Criticism
3. Writing a Reaction Paper/ Review / Critique
Module 2.1: How to Express Personal
Opinion

Let us start this module, by doing lesson 1 which is focused on objective

assessment. The most important thing to do in this lesson is to be able to assess what
you are reading objectively.

The activities you will do will help you go through the journey one step at a time
so you have to accomplish them with care. Have fun!

Source: English for Academic and Professional Purposes Teaching Guide, Department
of Education, 2016)

What’s New

Activity 1. Take a look at this picture. What can you say about it? In the box below,
write words you think describes the picture.

Photo Credit: https://elearningindustry.com/online-teaching-during-covid-19-lockdown conduct-classes

1. What are your bases of listing down those words?

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2. Are your lists based on facts? How do you know?

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3. Do you consider your lists as your opinions? Why?

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What Is It
You have listed some opinions. Opinions are your own views of certain issues or
concerns. There are words that you can use when expressing your opinion. Here are
some phrases that you can use:
I think… From my point of view
I believe… From my perspective
I feel… In my view
In my opinion… It seems to me that
I would say…
These are examples of ways to express your opinion:

I think technology is harmful.

In my view, technology is not useful and helpful.
In my opinion, technology is very important nowadays.

You may also just state your opinions without using those phrases. You can just say,
Technology is harmful but only when you are in an informal situation. If you are in a
formal setting, it would be appropriate to use those phrases.

You are entitled to your own opinions but these opinions must be based on facts so
that you will not be biased.

It is very important that you will not be focused only on giving opinions. You must
also look for information that will help support your opinion because

- this will add to the credibility and validity of your opinion,

- more will believe you if what you express is strongly supported with
information that are true and correct.

(Source: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/how-to-express-your-opinions-in
english/4755937.html)

A very important expository discourse that you must learn how to write is the
reaction paper, review, or critique. It is mainly written to communicate a fair assessment
of situations, people, events, literary and artistic works and performances. Whether a
 social commentary, or a critical judgment, it conveys incisive insights into its analysis of
events, its interpretation of the meaning or importance of a work or artifact, or its
appreciation of the moral or aesthetic values reflected in the work or performance. It
may include the main purpose of the event; the devices and strategies employed; an
evaluation of its success or failure; and an assessment of its significance and relevance,
timeliness or timelessness. (English for Academic Purposes Teacher’s Guide, DepEd,
2016)

What’s More
Activity 2

What is your opinion about the issue revealed by the picture in the previous activity?
What do you think about online class? Write your answers on the space.

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__________________________________________________________________Acti
vity 3

Research online or look into some books for facts to support your opinions. Write
the facts in the second column and explain how these facts support your opinions.
Follow the format below:

Printed Source:

Title
Author
Year of Publication
Volume number (if magazine or encyclopedia)
Page numbers

Online Source:

Author or Editor
Title of page or website
Company or Organization
Link or Url
Date you got the source
Look for five or more facts.
Source Facts that support your opinion Explanation
why the facts
support the
opinions

Example: According to export.gov, 5.8 percent This fact

annual growth rate is slower than supports my
https://
originally expected and this is opinion
www.export.gov/ar
ticle?id=Philippines because the Philippine consumer is because it
Information-and more inclined to invest on a shows
Communications smartphone first as opposed to a statistical data.
Technology PC. This shows that
consumers
(mention your source or whoever invest more on
said it)
smartphone
than PC.

Activity 4

Now that you have listed your opinions and gathered facts to support your
opinions, you can start presenting your ideas to convince others to agree with you. How
can you do this? Follow these steps:

1. Write your opinions in complete sentences.

2. Add the facts and your explanation to support your opinions.
3. Write your opinions and facts in an organized way by starting with your main point.
Arrange your facts according to degree of importance.
4. Summarize the ideas towards the end of what you are writing. 5.
Review what you wrote to check if you did not miss anything.
Are you ready to start expressing your ideas in writing? Write in the given space
below.

________________________________
(Write your own title)

Introduction: _____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Body: _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Conclusion: __________________________________________________________
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You have just supported your opinions with facts and this is very important in
being objective in your assessment. You are now ready for the next activity.

Activity 5

The previous activities helped you take the first steps in making an objective
assessment. Let us apply this skill further by reading a short text about technology. But
before you read it, let us define these words first. Get the meaning of these words from
any dictionary:
 WORDS MEANINGS FROM THE DICTIONARY

Equity

Exponentially

Instantaneously

Disparities

Exacerbate

Authentic

If you have already clearly understood what the words mean, you can read the
text entitled, “The Digital Divide: The Challenge of Technology and Equity.” This is
an example of how one expresses an objective assessment.

The Digital Divide: The Challenge of Technology and Equity Source:

English for Academic and Professional Purposes Learner’s Material, DepEd, 2016

(1) Information technology influences the way many of us live and work today.
We use the internet to look and apply for jobs, shop, conduct research, make airline
reservations, and explore areas of interest. We use E-mail and internet to communicate
instantaneously with friends and business associates around the world. Computers are
commonplace in homes and the workplace.
(2) Although the number of internet users is growing exponentially each year,
most of the world’s population do not have access to computers of the internet. Only 6
percent of the population in the developing countries are connected to telephones.
Although more than 94 percent of U.S households have telephones, only 56 percent
has personal computers at home and 50 percent has internet access. The lack of what
most of us would consider a basic communication necessity -the telephone-does not
occur just in developing nations. On some Native American reservations only 60
percent of the residents have a telephone. The move to wireless connectivity may
eliminate the need for telephone lines, but it does not remove the barrier to equipment
costs.
(3) Who has internet access? The digital divide between the populations who
have access to the internet and information technology tools and those who don’t is
based on income, race, education, household type, and geographic location, but the
gap between groups is narrowing. Eighty-five percent of households with an income
over $75,000 have internet access, compared with less than 20 percent of the
households with income under $15,000. Over 80 percent of college graduates use the
internet as compared with 40 percent of high school completers and 13 percent of high
school dropouts. Seventy-two percent of household with two parents have internet
access; 40 percent of female, single parent households do. Differences are also found
among households and families from different racial and ethnic groups. Fifty-five
percent of white households, 31 percent of black households, 32 percent of Latino
households, 68 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander households, and 39 percent of
American Indian, Eskimos, or Aleut households have access to the internet. The
number of internet users who are children under nine years old and persons over fifty
has more than triple since 1997. Households in inner cities are less likely to have
computers and internet access than those in urban and rural areas, but the differences
are no more than 6 percent.
(4) Another problem that exacerbates these disparities is that African American,
Latinos, and Native Americans hold few of the jobs in information technology. Women
about 20 percent of these jobs and receiving fewer than 30 percent of the Bachelor’s
degrees in computer and information science. The result is that women and members of
the most oppressed ethnic group are not eligible for the jobs with the highest salaries at
graduation. Baccalaureate candidates with degree in computer science were offered the
highest salaries of all new college graduates.

(5) Do similar disparities exist in schools? Ninety-eight percent of schools in the

country are wired with at least one internet connection. The number of classrooms with
internet connection differs by the income level of students. Using the percentage of
students who are eligible for free lunches at a school to determine income level, we see
that the higher percentage of the schools with more affluent students have wired
classrooms than those with high concentrations of low-income students.
(6) Access to computers and the internet will be important in reducing disparities
between groups. It will require higher equality across diverse groups whose members
develop knowledge and skills in computer and information technologies. The field today
is overrepresented by white males. If computers and the internet are to be used to
promote equality, they have to become accessible to schools cannot currently afford the
equipment which needs to be updated regularly every three years or so. However,
access alone is not enough; Students will have to be interacting with the technology in
authentic settings. As technology has become a tool for learning in almost all courses
taken by students, it will be seen as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. If it
is used in culturally relevant ways, all students can benefit from its power.

Do you agree with what the text says? What is your assessment of the text?

The text is a good reaction paper due to the following reasons:

1. The text tells us of the author’s opinions about how technology affects lives of people
especially students. You may agree or disagree with what the author says and your
reaction would depend on how the author supported his ideas with facts.
2. The text contains statistical data and these are good evidences which helped in
making the opinions strong. Without those data, you might think that the author is just
inventing ideas.
3. Even your personal experience can be used as support because it was also mentioned
that students use the internet and computers.
4. You will most likely agree with the author. But if you disagree, it is alright as long as
you also have enough facts to support why you disagree with the author.
5. The most important thing to note is facts are necessary in supporting opinions
because this will make your opinion objective and not biased.

What I Learned
You have learned the following important points in this lesson:

1. Opinions must be based on facts to make it objective or not biased. 2.

Sources must be cited to support the claims given.
3. Ideas should be presented in an organized way.
4. To convince your readers, opinions and facts must be well-written.

What I Can Do
Write a paragraph expressing your opinion of the text that you have read.
Use the given outline guide below to organize your ideas. You can use a scratch
paper first before you finalize your outline.

Outline:

I. Introduction (This will tell the main idea of your assessment) A.

What it says (Write own subtitle)
1.
2.
B. What you think about what it says (Write own subtitle)
1.
2.
3.
II. Body
A. Facts to support what listed in A number 1-2
1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________ B.
Facts to support what you listed in B number 1-3
1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________ C.
Summary of facts to support both A and B
1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________

III. Conclusion
 A. (summary of introduction and body)
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ B.
(your stand and assessment)
________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

After creating your outline, write what you have written in the outline in
paragraph form. Use the given space below. Follow the order in the outline when you
write your sentences. Do it on a separate sheet of paper.

Paragraph form:

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(Title)

Introduction: _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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Body: ___________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________

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Conclusion: _____________________________________________________________

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Scoring Rubric
Source: https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=ZX43238&
INTRODUCTIO Nice try Getting Good Job Excellent
N/ (1) better (2-3) (4) Work (5)
CONCLUSION
W/ OPINION; Lacks an Has an Has a Has a strong
FORMAT introduction or introduction or strong introduction
conclusion with a conclusion introductio and
an opinion. with an n conclusion
Ideas do not opinion. Uses and/or with an
flow at least three conclusion opinion.
throughout paragraphs. with an Groups ideas
paragraphs. Most ideas opinion. into at least
Does not flow Groups three
contain at throughout ideas into well-formed
least three paragraphs. at least paragraphs
paragraphs. three well using
formed transitional
paragraphs. words and
statements.

REASONS Does not state Somewhat Clearly Clearly states

any reasons states a states reasons that is
that are easy reason(s) that reasons easy to
to is easy to that identify and
identify. Does identify. are easy to it is well
not follow their Follows most identify. written.
opinion of their Follows Follows their
throughout the opinion their opinion
essay. throughout opinion throughout the
most of the throughout essay without
essay. the essay. wavering.

EVIDENCE/ Uses no or Uses general Uses Uses specific

EXAMPLES very little evidence specific evidence to
general from the evidence support
evidence from text(s) to to opinion and
the text(s) to support support explain
support opinion opinion and opinion and thinking. Uses
and explain explain factual
explain thinking. Can thinking. information to
thinking. Most be from further
information is writer's support
from writer's mind, not opinion.
mind, not factual
factual evidence.
evidence.
MECHANICS/ Many errors Many errors Some errors Little or no
GRAMMAR occur in occur in occur in errors occur in
spelling, spelling, spelling, spelling,
punctuation punctuation punctuation punctuation
and grammar and grammar, and and grammar,
that that grammar, but
greatly somewhat but they do they do not
interfere with interfere with not interfere interfere with
meaning. meaning. with meaning.
Uses little to no Uses few meaning. Uses precise
precise precise Uses some language and
language and language and precise linking words
linking words linking words language to connect
to connect to connect and linking ideas.
ideas. ideas. words to
connect
ideas.