LESSON 1 • is generally quite formal, objective(impersonal) and technical

LANGUAGE - is the most powerful and dominant system of 1. DESCRIPTIVE - simplest type of academic writing
communication
2. ANALYTICAL - includes descriptive writing, but also requires
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE - represents the language demands of you to re-organize the facts and information you describe into
school(academics). Academic Language includes language used in categories, groups, parts, types or relationships.
textbooks, in classrooms, on texts, and in each discipline.
3. PERSUASIVE - has all the features of analytical writing, with
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY ‐ is used in all academic disciplines to the addition of your own point of view.
teach about the content of the discipline
4. CRITICAL - common for research, postgraduate and
In Academic Writing the language that we should use are generally advanced undergraduate writing; has all the features of
quite formal, objective(impersonal), and technical. persuasive writing, with the added feature of at least one
another POV.
FORMAL - Choose formal instead of informal vocabulary
3 PART ESSAY STRUCTURE:
OBJECTIVE - Move information around in the sentence to
emphasize things and ideas, instead of people and feelings. INTRODUCTION - 10 and 20 percent of the length of the whole
paper and has 3 main parts
TECHNICAL - You need to develop a large vocabulary for the • background
concepts specific to the discipline or specialization you're writing for. • overall topic/core
• scope and structure

LESSON 2 THE BODY - elaborate directly on the topic sentence by giving

definitions, classifications, explanations, contrasts, examples and
STRUCTURE evidence
• Refers to the way an author arranges information in his writing
• Provides the format and enables writers to organize their thoughts CONCLUSION - related to the introduction and is often described as
as they write its "mirror image"
• A well-structured text enables the reader to follow the argument
and navigate the text
LESSON 3
ACADEMIC TEXT - D, A, P, & C
• critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or WHAT IS SUMMARIZING?
professionals in a given field using formal language - defined as taking a lot of information and creating a condensed
• based on facts with solid basis version that covers the main points
 LESSON 4
SUMMARIZING HAS 2 AIMS:
THESIS STATEMENT - is the main idea or main point of
1. to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text, identifying the informational text. it serves a roadmap of the text you are reading
general concepts that run through the entire piece
2. to express these overarching ideas using precise, specific In academic writing, the thesis is often explicit; academic writing
language sometimes relies on implicit thesis statement

5 EASY TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING VARIOUS ACADEMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT:

TEXTS: • takes a stand on the prompt
• specific
TECHNIQUE 1 - Somebody But So Then • unified and expresses one main idea
• does not simply state a fact but sets the stage for analysis of a
TECHNIQUE 2 - SAAC Method topic
• State
• Assign KEY ELEMENTS FOR A STRONG THESIS STATEMENT
• Action
• Complete 1. It is not a fact - a fact is irrefutable. writing a fact as a thesis
statement makes no argument
TECHNIQUE 3 - 5W's and 1H 2. It is not a question - a question simply does not express
• Who one's claim or comment about a topic
• What 3. It is not an announcement - avoid saying what you will
• When discuss in the text
• Where 4. It is not too broad - avoid making vague and confusing
• Why thesis statements by making specific and focused thesis
• How 5. It is a complete sentence - a phrase does not convey
complete ideas or thought
TECHNIQUE 4 - First, Then, Finally 6. It requires support - to make your thesis statement
• summarize events in chronological order persuasive, facts, surveys, reports, etc.
7. It takes a stand - The thesis should clearly show your claim
TECHNIQUE 5 - Give me the Gist about a subject/topic
• summary/synopsis 8. It is arguable - the thesis should be contestable, debatable,
or argumentative.
LESSON 5 CRITIQUE - displays the writer's ability to evaluate and pass sound
and critical judgment on the issue or matter at hand; offer more
WHAT IS AN OUTLINE? depth to the analysis; may offer recommendations based on the
• shows what information each section or paragraph will contain, conclusion derived from the analysis
and in what order.
• most outlines use numbers and/or bullet points to arrange CRITICAL APPROACHES:
information and convey points
• Skeleton of an Essay FORMALISM - emphasizes the form of a literary work to determine
its meaning, focusing, on literary elements and how they work to
FORMAT OF AN OUTLINE - when preparing an outline, you can create meaning. Focus on the elements, structure, and principles
either use a decimal outline or alphanumerical outline that govern a certain text, artworks, movie, book, poems, etc.

• Poems
TYPES OF OUTLINES ACCORDING TO CONTENT: • Books/Stories
• Movies
1. TOPIC OUTLINE - an outline that consists of a short phrase. it • Artistic Expression
provides a quick overview of topics to be included in an essay
2. SENTENCE OUTLINE - an outline that is done in full sentences. BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM - emphasizes the importance of the
it forces part of the essay to be written out in sentences before the author's life and background into account when analyzing a text.
first draft focus on the life and background of the writer/artist and connect it to
the subject of your review or critic

LESSON 6 Ex: How did the life of Dr. Jose Rizal affect his written works

REVIEW/REACTION PAPER/CRITIQUE - mainly written to HISTORICAL CRITICISM - posits that every literary work is the
communicate a fair assessment of situations, people, events, literary product of its time and its world
and artistic works and performances
Ex: How did Victor Hugo show the hardships and triumph during the
REVIEW - is an evaluation or assessment of something, often a French revolution, in his work, 'Les Miserables'?
product, service, book, movie, or performance, where the reviewer
shares their opinions, insights, and judgment; they aim to inform MARXIST CRITICISM - emphasizes on how power, politics, and
others about the quality, value, or usefulness of the subject being money play a role in literary texts and amongst literary societies and
reviewed. character.

REACTION PAPER - a written assignment where you share your FEMINISM - emphasizes on the roles, positons, and influences of
personal opinions about a specific piece of work women within literary texts. focus on how women are portrayed
READER - RESPONSE CRITICISM - emphasizes that the meaning C. BY ORIGIN OR SEMANTIC HISTORY(Ex. Technology comes
of a text is dependent upon the reader's response to it. from the Greek word...)

D. BY ILLUSTRATION(Ex. A forest is a complex environment where

LESSON 7 trees are the dominant life form, but also includes various other
plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms)
WHAT IS A CONCEPT PAPER?
-a concept paper is a summary document of a project proposal that E. BY FUNCTION(Ex. Technology uses hi-tech machines to get the
tells what the project is all about, the reasons for conducting the work done
project, and how it will be carried out.
F. BY ANALYSIS - breaking down wholes into parts, aspects to
IT HAS SEVERAL USES: levels and a process into steps

• serves a foundation of the full proposal G. BY LIKELINESS OR SIMILARITY(Ex. Technology is likened to

• determines whether the project is feasible or not modern living where robots exist)
• piques the interest of the potential funding agencies
• obtains informal feedback on the ideas before preparing the full H. BY ANALOGY OR METAPHOR(Ex. Technology is like a robot
proposal that makes life easier)
• helps in addressing social issues that plague our society
I. BY CONTRAST - USE OF OPPOSITES(Ex. Unlike manual work,
CONCEPT - something conceived in the mind: THOUGHT OR technology makes work efficient)
NOTION
J. BY NEGATION - stating what the term is not
THREE WAYS OF ELUCIDATING A CONCEPT
1. Definition EXPLICATION - is the process by which concepts are defined for
2. Explication scientific purposes. "To Explicate" something is, in the most general
3. Clarification sense of the term, to spell out its implications.

DEFINITION CLARIFICATION - is a method of explanation in which the points are

organized from a general abstract idea to specific and concrete
A. FORMAL - follows a pattern or equation; term + genus + examples.
differentia(differentiating characteristics)

B. BY SYNONYM - using a word or phrase that shares a meaning

with the term being defined