EAPP Lessons 1-4 PDF

LESSON 1: ACADEMIC TEXT NATURE AND CHARACTERISTIC OF AN ACADEMIC TEXT Academic Text is a written language that provides information, which contains ideas and concepts that are related to the particular discipline. Examples: Essay, Research Paper, Report, Project, Article, Thesis, and Dissertation...

LESSON 1: ACADEMIC TEXT NATURE AND CHARACTERISTIC OF AN ACADEMIC TEXT Academic Text is a written language that provides information, which contains ideas and concepts that are related to the particular discipline. Examples: Essay, Research Paper, Report, Project, Article, Thesis, and Dissertation are considered as academic texts >STRUCTURE The basic structure that is used by an academic text has three (3) parts: Introduction, body, and Conclusion >TONE This refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. The arguments of others are fairly presented and with an appropriate narrative tone. FORMAL, DIRECT, CONSISTENT, OBJECTIVE, FACTUAL >LANGUAGE It is important to use unambiguous language. Clear topic sentences enable a reader to follow your line of thinking without difficulty. Formal language and the third person point of view should be used. Avoiding casual or conversational language, such as contractions or informal vocabulary. >CITATION Citing sources in the body of the paper and providing a list of references as either footnotes or endnotes is a very important aspect of an academic text. >COMPLEXITY An academic text addresses complex issues that require higher-order thinking skills to comprehend. EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENT What is valued in an academic text is that opinions are based on a sound understanding of the pertinent body of knowledge and academic debates that exist within, and often external to a specific discipline. THESIS-DRIVEN The starting point of an academic text is a particular perspective, idea, or position applied to the chosen research problem, such as establishing, proving, or disproving solutions to the questions posed for the topic. Features of Academic Texts 1. Complex - Written language has no longer words, it is lexically more varied vocabulary. Written texts are shorter and the language has more grammatical complexity, including more subordinate clauses. 2. Formal you should avoid colloquial words and expressions and also contractions. Language is formal because it follows the accepted rules, forms, and conventions of writing. 3. Precise- facts are given accurately and precisely. In academic writing, you need to be precise when you use information, dates, or figures. 4. Objective - have fewer words that refer to the writer or the reader. Avoid words like I, me, myself. Mostly use nouns (adjectives), rather than verbs (adverbs) 5. Explicit- it is the responsibility of the writer in English to make it clear to the reader how the various parts of the text are related. It is explicit in its acknowledgment of the sources of the ideas in the text. 6. Accurate-uses vocabulary accurately (use correct diction or exact words for the intended meaning). Academic writing uses vocabulary accurately. 7. Hedging - Express tentativeness and possibility in communication. Enables you to express a perspective on claims that have not been acclaimed yet by the discourse community. 8. Responsible must be able to provide evidence and justification for any claims you make. Acknowledge the source of this information or ideas by a system of citation. 9. Organize - It flows easily from one section to the next in a logical fashion. 10. Plan It usually takes place after research and evaluation, according to a specific purpose and plan. LESSON 2: ACADEMIC STRUCTURES 1) Narrative Narrates an event/story with characters, setting, conflict, point of view, and plot. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: Descriptive language (adjectives, adverbs, similes, and metaphors) QUESTIONS: - Who is the narrative about? - Where is it set? - What is the conflict? - Who is telling the narrative? - What is happening? 2) Sequence Presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: First, second, third... Late, Next, Before, Then, Finally, After, When, Since, Now/previously, Actual use of dates QUESTIONS: - What items, events, or steps are listed? - Do they have to/ always happen in this order? -What sequence of events is being described? -What are the major incidents that occur? - How is this structure revealed in the text? 3) Cause and Effect Provides explanations or reasons for phenomena. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: If/then, reasons why, as a result, therefore, because Consequently, since, so that, for, due to QUESTIONS: - What happened? - Why did it happen? - What caused it to happen? 4) Problem and solution Identify problems and pose solutions. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: the problem is, the dilemma is, if/then, because, so that question/answer, puzzle is solved Questions: - What is the problem? - Why is this a problem? - Is anything being done to try to solve the problem? - What can be done to solve the problem? 5) Compare and Contrast Discuss two ideas, events, or phenomena, showing how they are different and how they are similar. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: However/yet, Nevertheless, on the other hand but/whereas-similarly, although, also/likewise in contrast/comparison, different, either/or in the same way/just as QUESTIONS: - What items are being compared? - In what ways are they similar? Different? - What conclusion does the author reach about these items? 6) Definition Describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples. TRANSITIONAL WORDS: for example, characteristics, for instance, such as, including, to illustrate QUESTIONS: - What are the most important characteristics? - How is it being described (what does it look like, how does it work, etc.)? - What is important to remember about it? LESSON 3: Summarizing WHAT IS SUMMARIZING? -reducing text to one-third or one-quarter its original size, clearly articulating the author's meaning, and remaining main ideas. (Buckley, 2004) -involves stating a work's thesis and main ideas "simply, briefly, and accurately" (Hacker, 2008) REMEMBER the following: 01) Read the work first to understand the author's intent. 02) You can present information through facts, skills and concepts in visual formats. 03)Know the main points and the supporting details. You can exclude any illustrations, examples, and explanations. 04) Think what information you will put in your summary. 05) Use your own vocabulary but be su... retain the information. 06) Write down all the information in a coherent and precise form. BASIC RULES IN SUMMARIZING 1) Erase things that don't matter. Delete trivial material that is unnecessary. 2) Erase things that repeat. Delete redundant material. In note taking, time and space is precious. 3) Trade general terms for specific names. Substitute superordinate terms for lists. 4) Use your own words to write the summary. Write the summary using your own words but make sure to retain the main points. SUMMARIZING TECHNIQUES 1. Skim and scan the text -Before delving into the details of the text, it is useful to skim and scan the text to get a sense of its structure and main ideas. 2. Identify the thesis statement -The thesis statement is the central argument of the text. Identifying it will help you understand the main point of the text and the arguments. 3. HIGHLIGHT THE KEY POINTS -Identify and highlight the key points that support the thesis statement. These may include evidence, examples, and important concepts. 4. Create an outline -Organize the key points into a logical outline. This will help you to see how the different pieces of information fit together and to identify any gaps in your 5. Paraphrase -Use your own words to restate the information in a concise manner. Paraphrasing helps to ensure that you have to understand the material and can communicate it. SUMMARIZING TECHNIQUES 1)SOMEBODY WANTED BUT SO 2)SAAC METHOD 3)5 W'S, 1 H 4)FIRST, THEN, FINALLY 5)GIVE ME THE GIST 1. Somebody Wanted But So - The strategy helps students generalize, cause recognize effect find and relationships, main ideas. - is an excellent It summarizing strategy for stories. Each word represents a key question related to the story Somebody (Who is the text about?) Wanted (What did the main character want?) But (What was the problem encountered?) So (How was the problem solved?) Then (Tell how the story ends.) 2. SAAC METHOD SAAC is an acronym for "State, Assign, Action, Complete." This method is particularly helpful in summarizing any kind of text. -This method is particularly helpful for students who are learning the format of a summary. - doesn't include clear guidance about which details to include. State (the name of the article, book, or story) Assign (the name of the author) Action (what the author is doing (example: tells, explains) Complete (complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important details) 3. 5 W's, 1 Η This technique relies on six crucial questions: who, what, when where, why, and how. Who is the story about? What did they do? When did the action take place? Where did the story happen? Why did the main character do what s/he did? How did the main character do what s/he did? 4) First Then Finally This technique helps students summarize events in chronological order. in The three words represent the beginning, main action, and conclusion respectively. of a story, 5. GIVE ME THE GIST When someone asks for "the gist" of a story, they want to know what the story is about. They want a summary—not a retelling of every detail. LESSON 4: THESIS STATEMENT THESIS STATEMENT: DEFINITION -It is a complete sentence that contains one main idea. -The idea controls the content of the entire essay. -A thesis statement that contains sub points also helps a reader know how the essay will be organized. Features: -states the main idea of the essay in a complete sentence, not in a question. -states an opinion or attitude on a topic. It doesn't just state the topic, itself. -does not directly announce your main topic. Feature states the main idea of the essay in a complete sentence, not in a question. -Since the thesis statement is the main statement for the entire essay, it should express a complete thought and be a complete sentence. The thesis statement is asserting an opinion or idea, so it should not be a question. states an opinion or attitude on a topic. It doesn't just state the topic, itself. -Good thesis statements often express a writer's opinion or attitude on a particular topic. This makes the thesis statement more specific and requires the writer to explain or prove his/her opinion in the essay. does not directly announce your main topic. -In thesis statements, you should avoid using statements like, "This essay will discuss..." or "I'm going to write about...". Try to write thesis statement that captures your reader's attention without announcing your main topic and stating the obvious.