INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL

FOR

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Prepared by:

Jameson Tan

Steph Santiago

Jean Zamora

Rica Romero

Christian Reyes

Kathleen Ursal

Jasmine Rosaroso

BSED EN 2-1D

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………………………………………….… 2

WEEK 1-3: Various Reading Strategies

Lesson 1:   Differentiating Language used in Academic texts ………………..... 3

Activities ……………………………………………………………………………..………. 5

Lesson 2:  Text Structures………………… ……………..…..…….…………….. 6

Activities ……………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Lesson 3:  Summarizing Academic Texts……………… ………………………... 8

Assessment ………………………………………………………………………………….. 14

WEEK 3-6:

Principles and Procedures of Materials Development

Lesson 4: Thesis Statement of an Academic text………………….. ………….. 16

Activities ……………………………………………………………………………………… 19

Lesson 5:  Outlining texts in Various Disciplines………………………………… 21

Activities …………………………………………………………………………………...…. 25

Lesson 6:   Critical writing a critique, review, and reaction paper ……..……….. 26

Activities ………………………………………………………………………………………. 31

Lesson 7:   Critique a work of art, an event or a program ………………………. 34

Activities ………………………………………………………………………………………. 38

2
Differentiates Language used in Academic texts from various Disciplines

Subject: English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Grade/ Level: Grade 11 / 12
Objectives:
- Learners should be able to identify the purpose of academic language.
- The students should be able to learn the structure.
- And use the requirements properly in creating essays, written reviews, research paper and other types
of academic text.

Overview
The academic language is commonly used in classrooms, assessments, textbooks and in other discipline that is
in congruence with academic texts. It is not similar with the structure of daily conversations through social
interactions nor with the vocabulary structure. It is typically used in formal way to present words and terms.
One of its important features is that they are organized in a particular way, which means they have a clear
academic structure.

Discussion
What is Academic text?
Academic writing refers to the forms of argument and expository prose used by the faculty, university
students, and researchers to create a body of information about a specific context or subject. To summarize
everything, academic writing is expected to be impersonal, objective, semi-formal and precise.

Sample Academic Text:

- Thesis
- Essay
- Movie Review
- Research Paper
- Feasibility study
- Conference Paper
- Academic Journals
- Reports

3
Definition of Academic Text:
The method of breaking down ideas and using deductive reasoning, formal speech and third-person point-of-
view is known as the scholarly text.

Six Main Text Types for Academic Text:

Textbook: this is particularly designed to learn methods and facts from a certain subject.
Essays: it is a writing piece that develops a narrative based on analysis, interpretation and evidence. And this
could also lead to an argument. There are many types of essay that a student could right, these types of essay
may vary depending on your year level and course requirement.
Theses: a long type of essay that involves personal research, a usual requirement for students in college.
Research Article: known as a primary source that reports the methods and results of an original study.
Case studies: a detailed study of a specific subject such as an event, organization, a person, place or a
phenomenon.
Report: a form of an organized writing that about identifying and examining issues, findings, and events.

Types of Academic Texts:

Descriptive
Analytical
Persuasive
Critical

The difference between Academic text and Non-Academic text

Both texts may be written with the purpose of persuading, entertaining or educating. However, academic

texts focus more on analysis, factual, and verifiable material for their content, they vary on
their approach to these objectives. Non-academic texts may often include analysis or verifiable content,
 but references to the source material are less likely to be included and may be written in a more informal
context. For a specific audience, academically and non-academic texts are both written.

Academic text is more associated with learning, while non academic text is for extracurricular activities.

Conclusion
Being able distinguish the different types of academic text and their functions is really important most
especially for students who are taking a degree course. It will always be part of their activities and

4
requirements. Knowing each usage would be a great help to differentiate the real purpose of each type.
Moreover, these types of academic texts would be helpful even when you started working already.

Activity
- Make the students watch a specific movie.
- Ask the students to create a reflection paper about what they have watched.
- Give them the guidelines or questions that is needed to be answered in their essays.

Rubric:
Content- 20
Grammar Structure- 10

5
Lesson 2
Text Structures
Summary
1. Subject(s): English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. Grade/Level: Grade 11/12
3. Objectives: The learners should be able to
a. use knowledge of text structure to glean the information they need.
b. outline and summarize texts.
c. analyze and understand texts.

Introduction
In this lesson, the students would learn about how information within a text is
organized, in short, text structure. Gaining this knowledge enables the students to
quickly understand what the main idea and other important details of a text are.

Discussion
Different Types of Text Structures
a. Description - This text structure gives the reader a mental picture using detailed descriptions.
Example: A text may describe a person by their facial features, height, weight, etc.
b. Cause and Effect - This text structure links two events, ideas, or concepts that shows a causal
relationship between them.
Example: How often one smokes cigarettes and whether or not they have lung cancer may be
used to show a cause and effect relationship.
c. Comparison/Contrast - This text structure presents the similarities and differences between two
or more people, ideas, etc.
Example: A text about cats may contain differences between them and dogs.
d. Order/Sequence - This text structure gives the reader an accurate time frame of events
chronologically or a step by step list of instructions or procedures.
Example: History books that lists the events year by year to show the progress of what
happened in order.
e. Problem-Solution - This text structure gives the reader a problem or problems, gives a
resolution, and finally, explains the lesson of the problem and effects of the solution.

6
 Example: A text about global warming and why it is happening may also contain potential
solutions that the author thought of.

Conclusion
At the end of the lesson, the student should learn to identify and analyze texts using the knowledge of
different types of text structures. This lesson would make them better in both reading and writing, since
they would be able to comprehend and recognize these structures in a text much easier now.

Activity
“The Boy & the Filberts” by Aesop

1. Guide the students through a careful reading of the short story.

2. Have them identify different text structures with sentence examples that they recognized in the
short story.
A Boy was given permission to put his hand into a pitcher to get some filberts. But he took such a great fistful that
he could not draw his hand out again. There he stood, unwilling to give up a single filbert and yet unable to get
them all out at once. Vexed and disappointed he began to cry.

"My boy," said his mother, "be satisfied with half the nuts you have taken and you will easily get your hand out.
Then perhaps you may have some more filberts some other time."

Do not attempt too much at once.

Assessment
1. Have the students pick one structure and have them try writing a paragraph that follows that
structure.
2. Have the students group themselves and have them discuss the different structures and make a
graphic organizer for each structure.

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

7
Lesson 3:
SUMMARIZING ACADEMIC TEXTS

OBJECTIVES: The learners should be able to,

a. Reproduce the main ideas within the given texts

b. Identify the general concepts that run through the entire piece and,
c. Express overarching ideas using precise, specific language.

OVERVIEW

Writing a summary of a source is a very similar process to teaching someone the

content and through this, students will be able to develop reading and writing skills that they can
use during and after their academic experience.

PRE-DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
DIRECTIONS: Try recalling one of your favorite novels or short stories; choose one,
then on a separate sheet of paper try to write the story using your own words.

1. Did you find the retelling of the story difficult? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________

2. What strategies did you employ in order to retell the story?

_____________________________________________________________

3. Did you find these strategies helpful? Why or why not?

_____________________________________________________________

8
INTRODUCTION
An important aspect of
reading and studying academically
is being able to make use of the
ideas given within the text. It is
important for you, as a student, to
understand the materials that you
have read and show that you can
use ideas and findings in a text in
your own way. Spack (1988, p. 42)
pointed out that a major part of a student’s academic experience is engaging in the skill that
tackles “the complex activity to write from other texts.” With this in mind, it is important that you
are using your own words, unless you are quoting the text. It must be clear when the words you
are using are your own and when they are taken from another writer as plagiarism is seen as a
very serious offence.

DISCUSSION

What is Summarizing?
A summary is defined as a concise or shortened version of a text that contains its main
points and ideas. Students are expected to be able to quickly analyze and understand materials
given to them and be able to reproduce them succinctly in their own words. A way of doing this
is by writing a summary but you must be careful not to copy the exact wording of the text you
are summarizing.

9
A summary is used to give the reader or listener an idea of what the material is saying as well
as, if and why it is worth reading and it can come in handy for a student as it can serve as a way
to quickly understand the core ideas of a text. For example:

Original text: The amphibia, which is the animal class to which our frogs and toads belong,
were the first animals to crawl from the sea and inhabit the earth.

Summary: The first animals to leave the sea and live on dry land were the amphibia.

Summarizing academic text

In the world of academics, summarizing may not differ as much but keep in mind that an
academic summary is different from an abstract, while an abstract is a brief statement of the
main results and conclusion of a study, an academic summary shows the structure of the text.

Summarizing is pausing in order to get ahead; summarizing academic text can have
many functions for a student. You may need to summarize past lessons to prepare for an exam
as a way of having a more concise review guide, you may be asked to summarize text in
preparation for a discussion or you can summarize text to be able to determine and use certain
data for writing your own academic text (i.e., essay, thesis)

An academic summary can serve three functions:

1. Explaining a text
- intended to explore the text type, the main themes, and the theoretical
framework; focuses on the general content (annotated bibliography).
2. Replacing a text
- extracts the most important (sub)themes of a text based on a well-considered
selection (extract, exam preparation, reading report)
3. Discussing a text
- a critical report with a substantiated final conclusion (review, essay, final
paper, preparation for a group discussion)

Note: the purpose may still vary depending on what is being asked of you, so remember to
always thoroughly look at the given instructions thoroughly before you start reading and
summarizing!

10
Here is an example from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology:

Original text:

America has changed dramatically during recent years. Not only has the number of graduates in
traditional engineering disciplines such as mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, and
aeronautical engineering declined, but in most of the premier American universities engineering
curricula now concentrate on and encourage largely the study of engineering science. As a
result, there are declining offerings in engineering subjects dealing with infrastructure, the
environment, and related issues, and greater concentration on high technology subjects, largely
supporting increasingly complex scientific developments. While the latter is important, it should
not be at the expense of more traditional engineering.

Rapidly developing economies such as China and India, as well as other industrial countries in
Europe and Asia, continue to encourage and advance the teaching of engineering. Both China
and India, respectively, graduate six and eight times as many traditional engineers as does the
United States. Other industrial countries at minimum maintain their output, while America suffers
an increasingly serious decline in the number of engineering graduates and a lack of well-
educated engineers. (169 words)

(Source: Excerpted from Frankel, E.G. (2008, May/June) Change in education: The cost of sacrificing
fundamentals. MIT Faculty Newsletter, XX, 5, 13.)

One-paragraph Summary:

In a 2008 Faculty Newsletter article, “Change in Education: The cost of sacrificing

fundamentals,” MIT Professor Emeritus Ernst G. Frankel expresses his concerns regarding the
current state of American engineering education. He notes that the number of students
focusing on traditional areas of engineering has decreased while the number interested in the
high-technology end of the field has increased. Frankel points out that other industrial nations
produce far more traditionally-trained engineers than we do, and believes we have fallen
seriously behind. (81 words)

11
Now, how can we say that this is a good summary?

 The summarized version of the original text was able to identify the source, when it was
published, and who wrote it.
 It was also able to present the key ideas from the text as well as the authors point of view
using original words and was able to do so in a neutral manner.
 Shows that the you have understood the text.

Keep in mind, the length of your summary may vary depending on what is being asked by your
teacher.

Getting to the point

DOs and DON’Ts in summarizing academic text:

DOs:

 Read the whole text, reading comprehension is an integral part of summarizing.

 Identify the purpose of the text.
 Take notes
 Find the main ideas. “What is important?”
 Distinguish between main and subsidiary information

12
  Change the structure of the text; simplify the text by reducing complex sentences and
phrases, this can be done by changing the grammar and identifying the relationship
between words/ideas.
 Check your work. Make sure your words are your own and your points are clear while
still keeping the meaning of the text the same.

DON’Ts:

 Copy exact wording of the original text; be sure to use your own words in expressing
the ideas and information you gathered from the text.
 Include unnecessary information; leave out the discussions and irrelevant explanations.

 Add opinions, personal experiences, or biases; even if you disagree with the text you
must only relay facts.

Difference between paraphrase and summary

PARAPHRASE SUMMARY

 contains only the most

 Contains all the
important information of the
information in the
original.
source.  It does not have to follow the
 No part of the organization or order of the
original is left out. original. You do not change

 Writer rephrases the meaning of the original,

and
original in their
 you must give clear
. words.
references as to the origin of
the ideas.

13
 CONCLUSION
It is important for students to recognize that the word choice, sentence structure, and
style are of great importance when writing a summary of an academic text. You should
remember that the text should be easy to read and understand. Moreover, your usage should
match your intended/ readers. It is best not to use inappropriate or vernacular language such as
slang, its is important to keep the academic style of writing, which is objective to keep your
formulation accurate but still your own.

POST DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

Rubric:
Sugar Industry
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and Coronary
and accurately Heart Disease
summarize Research: A Historical Analysis of
the text.
Content/analysis-5 points
Internal Industry Documents
Organization-5 points
Mechanics-5 points Early warning signals of the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk of sugar
(sucrose) emerged in the 1950s. We examined Sugar Research Foundation (SRF)
internal documents, historical reports, and statements relevant to early debates
about the dietary causes of CHD and assembled findings chronologically into a
narrative case study. The SRF sponsored its first CHD research project in 1965, a
literature review published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which
singled out fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of CHD and downplayed
evidence that sucrose consumption was also a risk factor. The SRF set the
review’s objective, contributed articles for inclusion, and received drafts. The
SRF’s funding and role was not disclosed. Together with other recent analyses of
sugar industry documents, our findings suggest the industry sponsored a
research program in the 1960s and 1970s that successfully cast doubt about the
hazards of sucrose while promoting fat as the dietary culprit in CHD.
Policymaking committees should consider giving less weight to food industry–
funded studies and include mechanistic and animal studies as well as studies
appraising the effect of added sugars on multiple CHD biomarkers and disease
development.

14
Reference:
Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Publication Name. URL
Kearns CE, Schmidt LA, Glantz SA. Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research: A Historical Analysis of Internal Industry
Documents. JAMA Intern Med. 2016. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2548255

(2020, July 2) Writer's Manual: Academic Summary Department of Languages, Literature and Communication
https://libguides.library.uu.nl/c.php?g=254844&p=1699413

Gillett, A. (2020, October 5). Summarizing & note-taking. Using English for Academic Purposes For Students in Higher Education.
http://www.uefap.com/reading/notetake/summary.html

Academic integrity at MIT: A Handbook for Students. Summarizing.

https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/summarizing#:~:text=A%20summary%20is%20a%20synthesis,wording%20of%20the
%20original%20source.

Shaik, N. (2017, October 5). Reading Comprehensions: Summarizing. Toppr. https://www.toppr.com/guides/english/reading-

comprehension/summarizing/

Freedman, L. Writing Advice: Summarizing. University of Toronto. https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/summarize/

15
Lesson 4:

Thesis Statement of an Academic Text

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

EAPP Kathleen V. Ursal 11/12 December

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

 Come up with a good essay.

 Apply the knowledge about thesis statement when writing an
essay.
 Write an argumentative and effective paper for the readers.

Overview

In this lesson, we will learn how to use and apply thesis statement in an
academic text. How it affects and helps the entire text or essay. We will also
discuss the meaning, characteristics, and tips on writing it.

Discussion

What is a Thesis Statement?

16
It is a sentence that states the main idea of your essay. It also helps to control the
ideas in a text. The thesis is located somewhere at the first or introductory
paragraph because this will help the readers to follow

 the development of the readings and also to provide them a clear

sense of what it is about. A thesis statement serves as a map that
directs you and maintains you to focus.

Example:
Vaccination should be compulsory in Malaysia.

Thesis Statement:
Some parents refuse vaccination to their children due to sanitary, religious, and
political objections; however, vaccination should be made compulsory in Malaysia
as it prevents the spread of fatal illnesses and saves future medical cost.

Characteristics of a Thesis Statement

 Clear
 Precise
 Restricted

1. CLEAR
- It should be easy to understand and must lead the main topic.

2. PRECISE
- To allow for a coherent argument and remain focused on the topic. It
must be straight to the point.

3. RESTRICTED

17
 - It must stick with the topic and not going over far beyond. It also
gives more relative and clear scope of the topic.  The
more restricted the thesis, the better the chances are for supporting it
fully.
Tips on Writing a Thesis Statement

 Know the topic. Research and reflect on your personal experience to help
you know the topic more. It is hard to write a thesis statement that you
know nothing about.
 Limit your topic. Writing papers and essays include specified length. You
must know how to limit the scope of the subject. A broad scope will
generally require a longer paper, while a narrow scope will be sufficiently
proven by a shorter paper.
 Brainstorm. Take a piece of paper and jot down everything that comes into
your mind about the topic. Connect those things and generate an idea to
process your paper. This will help you to deepen the topic’s potential.

Conclusion
At the end of this lesson, students should learn how to write a thesis statement for
an effective paper using the knowledge that was discussed earlier. This lesson will
make them better in writing and will be easier for readers to understand their text.

18
Activity 1
Choose the strongest statement based on the topic idea provided.

1.Based on the topic choice of teacher pay, which thesis would be the strongest?
a. I think teachers are hardworkers.
b. This paper will explore reasons why teachers across the country should be
paid higher wages.
c. Teachers make less money than most people think.
d. Teachers have the important job of educating our children and should be
paid higher wages to reflect the importance of this task.

2.Based on the topic choice of vegetarian diets, which thesis would be the
strongest?
a. This essay is about the reasons why you should consider a
healthier, vegetarian diet.
b. A well-balanced, vegetarian diet provides significant health
benefits, and Americans could benefit from becoming
vegetarians.
c. It is not right for so many people to eat so much meat.
d. Vegetarians live longer lives. .

3. Based on the topic choice of childhood obesity, which thesis would be the
strongest?
a. There are many solutions to the problem of childhood obesity.
b. The percentage of children in the United States who are obese
increased from seven percent in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2008
(CDC, 2012)

19
 c. With the number of children with obesity on the rise in the U.S.,
parents need to be better educated about the causes if childhood
obesity.
d. I know a lot of parents who are really struggling with the issue of
childhood obesity.

4. Early in life, people develop an admiration for heroes. In a well-developed essay,

discuss a person you admire and why you chose this person.
a. One person I admire is Babe Ruth, who played baseball from 1914 until
1935.
b. One person I admire is Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of
all time.

5. Discuss the social, political, and economic effects of World War II on the United
States.
a. World War II was a costly war that had a major impact on the
economy of the United States.
b. World War II not only affected the economy of the United States,
but also altered the role of the American government and the
American people forever.

Assessment

As a group, work on a graphic organizer in which you include:

1. One clear thesis statement.

2. Three topic sentences, one for each of the body paragraph.
3. One concluding statement.

20
Lesson 5:

Outlining texts in various disciplines

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

EAPP Jean Paula L. 11/12 December

Zamora

Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the learner should be able to:

 Identify the importance of outlining.

 Differentiate the purpose of reading outline and writing outline.
 Formulate a writing outline and use reading outline in a text.

Overview

Outlining is one of numerous ways to prepare create an essay. This is

also be used in threading details in an essay. Through outlining, thesis statement is
identified, main ideas are distinguished, supporting details are sorted, which
efficient in analyzing and understanding a certain text. Therefore, using writing and

21
reading outline exudes a better performance in students’ writing and speaking
skills.

Discussion

What is Outline?

An outline is the framework of an essay. It shows the correlation of

paragraphs with each other whilst identifying them. Through outlining, different
parts of the essay are identified, sorted out according to their categories. This is
important in providing a visual as to where a certain sentence or idea is appropriate
in the essay.

I.
A.
B.
C.

II.
A.
a.
b.
B.
a.
b.
C.
a.

III.
A.
a.
B.
C.

22
 There are two types of an outline: reading outline and writing outline. The
reading outline gathers and sort out information of an already written text. This
helps properly identify the thesis statement, main ideas, and supporting sentences
of an essay efficient in students’ learning and critical thinking. On the other hand,
writing outline serves as a skeletal of a proceeding essay. Unlike reading outline,
writing outline provides as a starting point of writing an essay.

Kinds of Outline

1. Topic outline- sorts out the text through phrases and keywords. Efficient in
identifying the concepts.

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1357555/pages/b-dot-6-2-topic-and-sentence-outlines-which-type-of-
outline-is-best-for-the-assignment?module_item_id=13261248

23
 2. Sentence outline- identify the text through sentences. Useful for detailed essays.

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1357555/pages/b-dot-6-2-topic-and-sentence-outlines-which-type-of-
outline-is-best-for-the-assignment?module_item_id=13261248

Steps in Writing Reading Outline:

1. After reading the text thoroughly, scan the selection once again.
2. Identify the thesis statement.
3. Identify the main ideas of each paragraph in the essay.
4. Group the succeeding paragraph according to their categories (i.e. chronological,
conceptual, etc.)
5. Review the text for missing details.
6. Check your created outline and finalize.

24
 Tips in creating a writing outline:
1. Determine the purpose of the text- topic, readers, and goal.
2. Reread your first draft and notes.
3. Start with a thesis statement.
4. Sort the helping sentences accordingly- details, examples, quotations and citations,
etc.
5. Check for unnecessary information.
6. Recheck your outline.
7. Consult your teacher, classmates, and other helpful people.

Conclusion
It is significant to learn writing an outline in order to understand the given
text and properly create a well-written essay. Through this, the learners can easily
formulate their own essay and segregate their ideas. Moreover, it is also helpful in
application to different disciplines necessary in further learning.

Activity
1. Pick an essay on different disciplines and create its reading outline.
2. Choose among the thesis statement and formulate an outline accordingly:
 Coronavirus has affected the economy and personal state of the Filipino people
tremendously.
 The Philippine government should impose academic freeze with the current
situation of education.
 The current resources and support of the Philippine government are enough to
apply online learning in schools.

Rubric:
10 - content
10 – organization
10 - mechanics

Total- 30 points

25
Reference
Topic and Sentence Outlines: which type of outline is best for the assignment?.
Retrieved from https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1357555/pages/b-dot-
6-2-topic-and-sentence-outlines-which-type-of-outline-is-best-for-the-
assignment?module_item_id=13261248

Lesson 6:

Critical writing a critique, review, and reaction paper

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

EAPP Jameson Tan 11/12 December

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

 Cognitive= use a variety of approaches, strategies, and techniques to construct a formal

critique, review, and reaction paper.
 Psychomotor= demonstrate the importance of formal and critical writing of critique,
review, and reaction paper for the readers and fellow classmates.
 Affective= To understand the importance of writing a critique, review, and reaction
paper and have a newfound understanding in critical writing.

Overview

26
 Writing a critique, review, and reaction paper are all essential in improving
one’s work and articulating your thoughts. Through these papers, it allows
writers to express their views, enabling others as well to share either the same
or contrary viewpoints. A critique is important and necessary for the design
process of all forms of work, whether it be in art, cooking, movies, games,
etc., it is important. A review can influence the consumer decision as well as
gain their trust in any form of industry. Lastly, reaction papers deepen your
thinking and allows you to formulate

your analysis to a given body of material such as readings, lectures, and

presentations.

Discussion

What are Reaction Papers, Reviews, and Critiques?

A reaction paper, a review, and a critique are specialized forms of writing in which a
reviewer or reader evaluates any of the following:
 A scholarly work (e.g., academic books and articles)
 A work of art (e.g., performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)
 Designs (e.g., industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)
 Graphic designs (e.g., posters, billboards, commercials, and digital media)

Reaction papers, reviews, critiques usually range in length from 250-750 words.
They are not simply summaries but are critical assessments, analyses, or
evaluation of different works. As advanced forms of writing, they involve your skills
in critical thinking and recognizing arguments. However, you should connect the
word critique to cynicism and pessimism.

CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

27
There are various ways or standpoints by which you can analyze and critique a
certain material. You can critique a material based on its technical aspects, its
approach to gender, your reaction as the audience, or through its portrayal of class
struggle and social structure.

4. Formalism- claims that literary works contain intrinsic properties and treats
each work as a distinct work of art. In short, it posits that the key to
understanding a text is through the text itself; the historical context, the author,
or any other external contexts are not necessary in interpreting the meaning.
Following are the common aspects looked into formalism:
 Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within the work
 Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work
 Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its aesthetic quality
 Relationship of the form and the content
 Use of imagery to develop the symbols in the work
 Interconnectedness of various parts of the work
 Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work
 Unity in the work

5. Feminist Criticism-also called feminism, it focuses on how literature presents

women as subjects of socio-political, psychological, and economic oppression. It
also reveals how aspects of our culture are patriarchal, i.e., how our culture views
men as superior and women as inferior. The common aspects looked into when
using feminism are as follows:
 How culture determines gender
 How gender equality (or lack of it) is presented in the text
 How gender issues are presented in literary works and other aspects of human
production and daily life
 How women are socially, politically, psychologically, and economically
oppressed by patriarchy
 How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence

28
 6. Reader-Response Criticism- is concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an
audience of a work. This approach claims that the reader’s role cannot be
separated from the understanding of the work; a text does not have meaning
until the reader reads it and interprets it. Readers are therefore not passive and
distant, but are active consumers of the material presented to them. The common
aspects looked into when using reader response criticism are as follows:
 Interaction between the reader and the text in creating meaning

 The impact of the reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals on enhancing and
changing meaning

7. Marxist Criticism- is concerned with differences between economic classes

and implications of a capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between
the working class and the elite. Hence, it attempts to reveal that the ultimate
source of people’s experience is the socioeconomic system. The common aspects
looked into when using Marxist criticism are as follows:
 Social class as represented in the work
 Social class of the writer/creator
 Social class of the characters
 Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

Note that these are not the only critical approaches you can use. Other approaches
in writing a critique include postmodern criticism, post-colonial criticism,
structuralism, psychological criticism, gender criticism, ecocriticism, biographical
criticism, historical criticism, mythological criticism, and deconstructionist criticism

STRUCTURE OF A REACTION PAPER, REVIEW, OR CRITIQUE

You have to follow a logical organization and structure for your reaction paper or
review to be able to present your critical evaluation effectively.

29
Structure for Critiques of Academic Researches and Articles
Introduction (around 5% of the paper)
o Title of the book/article/work
o Writer’s name
o Thesis Statement
Summary (Around 10% of the paper)
o Objective or purpose
o Methods used (if applicable)
o Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
Review/Critique (in no particular order and around 75% of the paper)
o Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments (for books and
articles) or appropriateness of mode of presentation (other works)
o Theoretical soundness, coherence of ideas
o Sufficiency and soundness of explanation in relation to other available
information and experts
o Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
o It is best to ask the following questions during this part:
 Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
 What are the assumptions (i.e., scientific/logical/literary explanation
without evidence) mentioned in the work? Are they explicitly
discussed?
 What are the contributions of the work to the field where it belongs?
 What problems and issues are discussed or presented in the work?
 What kinds of information (e.g., observation, survey, statistics,
historical accounts) are presented in the work? How are they used to
support the arguments or thesis?
 Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside
from the information used in the work? Is the author or creator silent
about these alternative ways of explanation?
Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)
o Overall impression of the work

30
 o Scholarly or literary value of the reviewed article, book, or work
o Benefits for the intended audience or field
o Suggestion for future direction of research

For other types of reviews, there is no prescribed structure, but the

following sections are almost always present.
Introduction
o Basic details about the material, such as its title, director or artist, name of
exhibition/event, and the like
o Main assessment of the material (for films and performances)
Plot Summary/Description
o Gist of the plot
o Simple description of the artwork
Analysis/Interpretation
Discussion and analysis of the work (you may employ the critical approach here)
It is best to ask the following questions during this part.
o What aspects of the work make you think it is a success or failure?
o Were there unanswered questions or plot lines? If yes, how did they affect
the story?
o Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced through
analogies, metaphors, or other figurative devices? How does this
contribute to the meaning?
o How does the work relate to other ideas or events in the world and/or in your
other studies?
o What stood out while you were watching the film or the performance?
Conclusion/Evaluation
o Reinforcement of main assessment
o Comparison to a similar work
o Recommendation of the material (if you liked it)

Conclusion
It is important for the students to recognize the importance of critique,
review, and reaction papers in the formulation and the organization of
thoughts as well as the expression of their opinions, criticism, and ideas to a
specific material. This lesson aims to determine what a critique, review, and
reaction paper is, its importance, and how to write properly, critically, and
concisely.

31
Activity 1: Let’s Write it!
Write a review/reaction paper about a specific book, movie or play that you
watched before. You will be graded according to the rubric below.

Rubrics:
Content/analysis – 5 points
Organization – 5 points
Mechanics – 5 points

Assessment
Group Project: Make a food review about your favorite restaurant and present it to
the class. Please provide a written output of your review following the structure
that was previously discussed in the lesson. You will be graded accordingly.

Rubrics:
Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs
Improvement
Students properly Students properly Students needs to The students
displayed the generated the be more concise were unable to
review around the review, however with the review display properly
Contents of topic they have there are some and should be able the review of the
chosen. The points that were to generate more topic that was
the Review review was both lacking information chose
concise and properly
informative that
viewers
Students were Students were able Students need to The students
able to engage as to engage the be briefer in their were unable to
well as provide an class, however explanation and display the review
Presentation informative and there are a few should have a properly and did
well-structured points missing in more informative not engage the
review of the their review and engaging class
restaurant and discussion
food that was
chosen

32
 All of the assigned All of the assigned Written output was Written output
written output written outputs 2 days late after was passed 3 or
were completed were passed; the deadline of more days after
Timeliness and were passed however, it was 1 submission the deadline of
on time. day late after the submission
submission

The review clearly The review The review The review didn’t
shows creativity displays some level displays creativity display any level
and neatly. The of creativity, however it lacks
of creativity on
Creativity students allowed however there vivid imagery to
the engagement of were some design engage the class their review
the class through that were out of
vivid imagery place

References:
https://www.scribd.com/document/327255046/EAPP-HANDOUT-WRITING-A-
REACTION-PAPER-REVIEW-AND-CRITIQUE-docx#:~:text=Reaction%20papers%2C
%20reviews%2C%20critiques%20usually,critical%20thinking%20and
%20recognizing%20arguments.

33
Lesson 7:

Critique a work of art, an event or a program

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

EAPP Jasmine Joy 11/12 December

Rosaroso

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

 know strategies on how to critique a work of art, an event or a

program.
 apply all the strategies in creating a good critic paper and;
 would be able to create an objective/balanced review or
a critic paper of an art, an event or a program.

Overview

34
 To know how to write a formal analysis of a work of art is a fundamental skill and
needed to be developed. These strategies will help you end up with a detailed analysis
and evaluation. In this way, you can make your critic paper more effective. In any
analysis, keep in mind the following: HOW and WHY this specific work of art is
significant?

Discussion

What is an Art Critique?

An art critique means a detailed analysis and evaluation of a work of art.

Apparently, no two people will have the same reaction to a work of art, or even
interpret it the same way. There are a few basic guidelines you can follow to
achieve a thoughtful, thorough critique. These are the basic elements of an art
critique: description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.

Part I – General Information

1. In many cases, this information can be found on a label or in a gallery guidebook.
There may be an artist’s statement available in the gallery. If so, indicate in your
text or by a footnote or endnote to your paper where you got the information.

2. Subject Matter -who or what does the artwork represents for?

3. Artist -who or what group of people made this work of art?

4. Date -when was this made? Is it a revised copy of an older artwork?

5. Provenance -where was this art work made? Is this kind of artwork made in that
place?

6. Location- as of today, where’s the artwork? Is it considered a big artwork in the

place it is in right now?

35
 7. Technique and Medium- what are the materials used in making the art? What
techniques does the artist use??

Part II – Brief Description

This part isn’t the analysis yet. This is where you give a small introduction about the
art. What does it look like? What does it represent? What are the dominant elements on
it? Give the reader a heads up of what the art looks like.

Part III – Form

This is the longest part of the analysis paper. Be sure and think about whether the work
of art selected is a two-dimensional or three-dimensional work considering it’s elements
and principle of design

Art Elements

1. Line (straight, curved, angular, flowing, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, contour,

thick, thin, implied etc.)

2. Shape (what shapes are created and how)

3. Light and Value (source, flat, strong, contrasting, even, values, emphasis,
shadows)

4. Color (primary, secondary, mixed, complimentary, warm, cool, decorative,

values)

5. Texture and Pattern (real, implied, repeating)

6. Space (depth, overlapping, kinds of perspective)

7. Time and Motion

Principles of Design
1. Unity and Variety

2. Balance (symmetry, asymmetry)

3. Emphasis and Subordination

4. Scale and Proportion (weight, how objects or figures relate to each other and the
setting)

36
 5. Mass/Volume (three-dimensional art)

6. Rhythm

7. Function/Setting (architecture)

8. Interior/Exterior Relationship (architecture)

Part IV – Opinions and Conclusions

Finally, this is where you go beyond the description you gave in the parts 1, 2 and3.
This is where you give a conclusion of your own. But, always remember that whatever
you put in here should be based in the part 3.

1. You can discuss how and why the key elements and principles of art used by the
artist create meaning.

2. It’s a must that you always should use facts to support your opinions so you’ll be
credible.

Conclusion
There will be no same reaction or critique in a work of art. It will be
always different. But the art itself has its own reason why it’s made,
elements and principle of design that is constant and can’t be change.

Activity 1: Give It a Write!

Write a 300 word-balanced critic paper about the Filipino Film, On the Job
by: Erik Matti. You will be graded according to the rubric below.

Rubrics: (total of 100 points)

Content and analysis. 50 points
Following instructions and be able to 30 points
use the strategies discussed.
Use of words and organization of 20 points
sentence.

37
Assessment
Group Project: Visit one of the National Museums of the Philippines and choose an
artwork (painting, sculptures, or any other work of art) and make a balanced
critique paper out of it. Make sure the paper has all the strategies followed. And
this will be presented to the class. You’ll be graded with stars which are equivalent
into 5 points each.

Rubrics:

Needs
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Improvement

Content of
the critique
paper

Cooperation
of group
members

Presentation
and
Creativity

38
 Have used all
the
strategies

Reference:
Medford. K. (2020, September 03). How to Critique Art Work.
https://www.wikihow.com/Critique-Artwork
University Avenue Little Rock (Department of Art and Design) https://ualr.edu/art/art-
history-resources/papers-and-projects/guidelines-for-analysis-of-art/

39