ACTIVITY I

Directions. Place a checkmark for good practices in writing and an X mark for bad practices.

1. X - Use websites whose content can be edited by visitors as sources of information.

2. ✔ - Localize your examples to the setting and culture of your audience.

3. ✔ - Remain faithful to the ideas of the author you cited.

4. X - Cite sources for some claims and miss out on others.

5. ✔ - When reading claims and assertions, look for proof.

6. ✔ - Achieve a balance between Internet and printed sources.

7. ✔ - When you cite other people's ideas, give the author's due credit.

8. ✔ - Use ".edu" references, especially those from reputable educational institutions.

9. X - Share and repost articles that have interesting claims but unclear evidence on social
media.

10. X - Make claims without providing proof.

ACTIVITY 2

Direction: List four claims presented by the writer in the following text. Afterward, formulate your
counterclaim for each claim. (3 points each) Do it using a table.

There is a distinct difference between parents who are just setting their expectations for their
children and those parents who put too much pressure on their children. I know no parent would
wish anything bad for their children's future. All parents want their children to achieve success
and become the best that they can be. Hence it is only typical of parents to remind their children
once in a while about their responsibilities at home and to check their children's progress in
school. These acts are not done by parents to put too much pressure on their children but rather
to show their care and concern for their children's welfare and to encourage children to reach
their dreams. In contrast, those parents who put too much pressure on their children tend to
isolate their children from the others.

They prohibit their children from watching television, surfing the internet, and spending time in
other activities that their children are doing. They push their children to focus on studying at
home. They do not allow their children to do some activities that they think might negatively
affect their children's academic performance.
 CLAIM COUNTERCLAIM

Parents who remind their children about their While parents may intend to show care and
responsibilities and check their progress are concern, constant reminders and checks can
showing care and concern, not applying create stress and pressure, negatively
pressure. impacting a child's well-being and autonomy.

Parents who prohibit their children from Restricting children from various activities can
watching TV, surfing the internet, and lead to burnout and decreased motivation, as
engaging in other activities believe these well-rounded development includes leisure
restrictions will enhance academic and diverse interests beyond academics
performance.

All parents want their children to achieve Some parents might define success in
success and become the best they can be. narrowly academic terms, overlooking the
importance of emotional and social
development, which are also crucial for a
child's overall success.

Parents who put too much pressure on their Not all parents who emphasize academics
children tend to isolate them from others. isolate their children; some balance academic
expectations with social interactions,
recognizing the importance of social skills.

ACTIVITY 3

Directions. For the given claims, provide possible proof/evidence. The proof/evidence may be in
the form of an experience, an observation, or a documented source. Answers should be in a
complete sentence.

Documented success stories of entrepreneurs and professionals, such as Steve Jobs or Oprah
Winfrey, reveal how having clear goals and working diligently towards them significantly
increases the likelihood of achieving success.

CLAIMS PROOF/EVIDENCE
 1. The environment will soon be unable to Scientists have observed rising global
sustain human life. temperatures, increasing frequency of natural
disasters, and significant loss of biodiversity,
all indicating that the environment is
approaching a tipping point where it may no
longer support human life as we know it.

2. Greed and want for money cause many Historical and contemporary examples, such
people to be poor as the 2008 financial crisis, demonstrate how
the excessive greed of a few can lead to
widespread economic hardship and poverty
for many, due to economic inequalities and
exploitation.

3. Ambition can cause others to be bad. Literature and historical accounts, like
Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" and various
political scandals, illustrate how unchecked
ambition can lead individuals to engage in
unethical or harmful behaviors to achieve
their goals.

4. A lazy student will not succeed in life. Observations in educational settings show
that students who consistently neglect their
studies and fail to develop a strong work ethic
often struggle to succeed academically and
professionally, limiting their future
opportunities.

5. Knowing what you want in life and exerting Documented success stories of
effort to achieve it bring you closer to entrepreneurs and professionals, such as
success. Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, reveal how
having clear goals and working diligently
towards them significantly increases the
likelihood of achieving success.

ACTIVITY 4

Directions. Provide a counterclaim for each claim. Write your counterclaim in the column
provided. On the third column, search for references to validate your claims. You can search for
printed materials or log on to the Internet to find two references per counterclaim.
CLAIM COUNTERCLAIM REFERENCE

1. Staying up late to review Staying up late can lead to https://aasm.org/college-

for an exam is the best way sleep deprivation, which students-getting-enough-
to prepare. negatively affects cognitive sleep-is-vital-to-academic-
function and memory success/
retention, making it less
effective for exam https://news.mit.edu/2019/
preparation. better-sleep-better-grades-
1001

https://www.med.upenn.edu/
csi/the-impact-of-sleep-on-
learning-and-memory.html

2. Playing before working is Playing before working can https://

better since you condition lead to procrastination and www.psychologicalscience.or
your body and mind first. reduce the time available for g/observer/why-wait-the-
completing tasks, which can science-behind-
increase stress and reduce procrastination
the quality of work done.
https://www.techradar.com/
pro/playing-games-at-work-
could-actually-help-boost-
productivity

3. Having incomplete school While having complete https://sites.psu.edu/ceepa/

materials-like books, and materials can aid learning, 2015/06/07/the-importance-
uniform-is a certain way to fail many students succeed of-school-facilities-in-
in learning. through resourcefulness and improving-student-outcomes/
utilizing available digital
resources, demonstrating that https://
determination and www.theclassroom.com/
adaptability can overcome importance-learning-
material shortages. materials-teaching-
6628852.html

4. A person who does not Many self-taught individuals https://www.kiplinger.com/

have a diploma is not and those with informal slideshow/business/t049-
learned. education, like Steve Jobs s001-successful-
and Mark Zuckerberg, have entrepreneurs-without-a-
demonstrated high levels of college-degree/index.html
knowledge and expertise,
showing that learning can https://
occur outside formal smartandrelentless.com/100-
educational systems. ultra-successful-people-who-
did-not-get-a-college-degree/
5. An average student is An average student may not https://files.eric.ed.gov/
worse than a lazy student. excel in every subject or fulltext/EJ1071154.pdf
aspect of academics, they
typically possess a consistent
work ethic and willingness to
learn. In contrast, a lazy
student may have moments
of brilliance but lacks the
discipline and dedication
needed for long-term
success. Therefore, it's
arguable that an average
student's overall performance
and potential for growth
surpass that of a lazy
student.