Writing

the Reaction
Paper/Review
and Critique
ISO 9001: 2015 CERTIFIED
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this session, participants are
expected to:
• Understand the content and performance
standards of Writing the Reaction Paper/Review
and Critique
• Comprehend essential concepts in delivering the
learning competencies to their learners; and
• Develop a 12-day plan to teach Writing the
Position Paper (EAPP Budget of Work Part 2 of
5).
 Learning Competencies
(Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique)
The learner…
1. forms opinions based on facts
2. cites specific sources to support claims
3. presents ideas convincingly
4. uses the appropriate language for specific discipline
5. raises legitimate, contrary views in an
appropriate manner
6. uses appropriate critical approaches in writing a critique such as
formalism, feminism, etc.
 ACTIVITY
1. The class will be divided into five (5) smaller
groups.
2. Each group will be given metacards, colored green
and red.
3. The teacher will then flash words/terms/ideas/
concepts/situations, and the group needs to give
their opinion.
4. Be guided by the following opinion starters.

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I FULLY AGREE ON THIS
BECAUSE…

I’M AFRAID I DISAGREE

ON THIS BECAUSE…

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NOW, LET’S START!

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 Daily Lesson
Plan/Daily Lesson
Log

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Home Visitation

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Action Research

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Time-on-Task

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Salary Increase

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 Mandatory Drug
Testing for DepEd
Employees

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 ANALYSIS
1. How was your buzzing activity?
2. How did you come up with your respective
answers?
3. Were you able to discuss your answers shortly,
before delivering your opinion publicly?
4. What were the things you consider before giving
your responses?
5. Were there concrete examples or supporting
pieces of evidence to back up your claim?

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 But how to raise legitimate,
contrary views in an appropriate
manner?

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 Things to CONSIDER
in EFFECTIVELY presenting your point:
 Language
 Viewpoints
 Counterargument
 Satire
 Straw man
 Concession
 Credibility
 Opposition
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 LANGUAGE
Favoring neither the supporting nor the
opposing viewpoint of a topic of
debate; unbiased.

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 VIEWPOINTS
The position from which something is
observed or considered; an angle,
outlook, or point of view.

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 COUNTERARGUMENT
An argument that is opposed to
another argument.

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 SATIRE
Satire can be used in less formal
essays to inject humor and relax the
reader’s defenses.

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 STRAW MAN
An insubstantial concept, idea,
endeavor, or argument, particularly one
deliberately set up to be weakly
supported, so that it can be easily
knocked down; especially to impugn
the strength of any related thing or
idea.

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 CONCESSION
A literary device in which one
acknowledges the merits of an
opposing argument.

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 CREDIBILITY
Reputation impacting one’s ability to be
believed.

Credibility is also backed up by

properly pointing the FACT or
OPINION.

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 FACT
Facts are statements that can be definitely
proven using objective data. The statement
that is a fact is absolutely valid. In other
words, the statement can be pronounced as
true or false. For example, 2 + 2 = 4. This
expression identifies a true statement, or a
fact, because it can be proved with objective
data.

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 OPINION
Opinions are personal views, or judgments. An
opinion is what an individual believes about a
particular subject. However, an opinion in
argumentation must have legitimate backing;
adequate evidence and credibility should
support the opinion. Consider the credibility of
expert opinions, as experts in a given field
have the knowledge and credentials to make
their opinion meaningful to a larger audience.

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 OPPOSITION
An opposite or contrasting position.

Argument will be much stronger if one

presents opposing viewpoints in a
sympathetic light.

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Example:
“Students claim that they cheat on
tests because they are too busy to
study. In reality, students can find the
time to study if they learn time-
management skills.”

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NOW, LET’S TRY…

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Write 3-5 paragraph essay expressing
your OPPOSING view on the
Department of Education’s
announcement that the opening of
classes will not be moved in August
despite the Private School’s and HEI’s
decision.

Be guided by the following criteria in

grading the essay.
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 CRITERIA IN WRITING AN OPPOSING
ARGUMENT ESSAY

 Raised legitimate views

 Cited contrary views
 Presented the views in an
appropriate manner
 Organization
 Grammar and Spelling
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PRESENTATION

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 Learning Competencies
(Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique)
The learner…
1. forms opinions based on facts
2. cites specific sources to support claims
3. presents ideas convincingly
4. uses the appropriate language for specific discipline
5. raises legitimate, contrary views in an appropriate manner
6. uses appropriate critical approaches in writing a
critique such as formalism, feminism, etc.
 ACTIVITY
1. The class will be divided into five (5) smaller
groups.
2. For 2 minutes, using Brainstorming Technique,
write terms, ideas, concepts or statements about
the topic to be presented.
3. Consolidate the group’s answer in 2-3 paragraphs
and be ready to report it in front of the class.

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1. Ask one member of the group to bring out
cellphone and put it in the middle of the group.
2. Then, tell something about it.
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 Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’*
Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte has carried out a “war on
drugs” that has led to the deaths of over 12,000
Filipinos to date, mostly urban poor. At least 2,555 of
the killings have been attributed to the Philippine
National Police. Duterte and other senior officials have
instigated and incited the killings in a campaign that
could amount to crimes against humanity.
Human Rights Watch research has found that
police are falsifying evidence to justify the unlawful
killings. Despite growing calls for an investigation,
Duterte has vowed to continue the campaign.
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 Large-scale extrajudicial violence as a crime
solution was a marker of Duterte’s 22-year tenure as
mayor of Davao City and the cornerstone of his
presidential campaign. On the eve of his May 9, 2016
election victory, Duterte told a crowd of more than
300,000: “If I make it to the presidential palace I will do
just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, holdup
men, and do-nothings, you better get out because I'll
kill you.”

*Source: https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-drugs

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 ANALYSIS
1. How did the group presented your output?
2. How were the paragraphs developed?
3. Were patterns used to write an essay? If yes, what
pattern?
4. Did the presentation objective or subjective?
5. Were the presentations effective?

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FORMALIST APPROACH

It follows set of patterns

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Source:http://www.lssc.edu/faculty/danielle_reites/Docume
nts%20%20Downloads/Formalist%20criticism.pdf
Source:http://www.lssc.edu/faculty/danielle_reites/Docume
nts%20%20Downloads/Formalist%20criticism.pdf
Source:http://www.lssc.edu/faculty/danielle_reites/Docume
nts%20%20Downloads/Formalist%20criticism.pdf
Source:http://www.lssc.edu/faculty/danielle_reites/Docume
nts%20%20Downloads/Formalist%20criticism.pdf
Sample Critique: Light and Darness in Sonny’s Blues
(Book Review)

In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues” there

is a constant contrast between light and dark. Baldwin
uses this theme to highlight the struggles that the
Narrator and his younger brother, Sonny, both face.
Light represents all of the positive aspects of life.
Meanwhile, the darkness represents the constant
struggle that threatens the characters in the story.
Light and dark has a presence in both characters. The
narrator lives his life in the “light”.
He is a teacher, middleclass man, a man who has a
wife and family. For the narrator, the darkness is his
constant reflections on his brother, and his sense of
guilt or blame for being the reason why Sonny turned
to a life of drugs. The darkness represents Sonny in a
way. He is a recovering drug addict that just finished
serving time in prison. When he was released from
prison his brother was there to meet him. He finds his
reemergence into the world through his love for music.
For Sonny, music is his guiding light. From the
beginning, the narrator introduces the imagery of light
and dark that will come to be the dominating theme of
the story. In the first scene, the narrator is
contemplating Sonny's fate in the dark subway. The
"swinging lights of the subway car" allow him to read
about Sonny's arrest, while the "darkness roared
outside"
Source: https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Light-and-Dark-in-the-Book-Sonnys-PKC4GDRSVJ
 "The Lottery“
Shirley Jackson

As a tyrannical government is allowed to rule freely over

the ignorant masses, yearly tradition becomes etched into
the minds of the working class, as the old wonder with a
pessimistic eye where society is going, and reminisce
about lost days of youth spent hurling stones at their
society’s helpless sacrifice. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”
is a horrifying example of what happens when society can
only distinguish two classes, specifically the downtrodden
working class and the wealthy leader class. This is made
clear through the characterization of the higher class, as
well as the lower class, and the effects on social change
due to the class differences.
In this story, two main characters make up the leader
class: Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves. As part of the upper
class, they control all that surrounds them, including the
minds of the working class. Mr. Summers is the more
obvious example: “The lottery was conducted – as were
the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program
– by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to
civic activities”. In stating that only Mr. Summers has the
time and energy for these activities, Jackson insinuates
that he is not part of the proletariat; like most dictators, he
is extremely wealthy and has probably never worked a day
in his life, making him unable to relate to the people’s
needs and struggles.
Despite his lack of empathy, he is given absolute power
over the working class, controlling all community activities,
and, in effect, their minds. Though not as outwardly
controlling as Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves is entrusted with
several powers over the lives of the proletariat. He is Mr.
Summers’s second in command: “Mr. Summers and Mr.
Graves made up the slips of paper…”. With this, he is
essentially given power over life and death. Furthermore,
as postmaster, he controls all mail in and out of the village;
with control over communication, Mr. Graves also holds
control over the minds and free expression of the villagers.
Over all, the upper class establishes control through fear,
this being the entire point of the lottery.
The lower class, on the other hand, is composed of
downtrodden workers who are not allowed to think for
sheer lack of time and energy. It is clear that some in this
working class wish to rebel, to give up old rituals and
loyalties, and overthrow their oppressors. Mrs. Hutchinson
is the first example of this: “Just as Mr. Summers finally left
off talking and turned to the assembled villagers, Mrs.
Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square,
her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place
in the back of the crowd”. In being late to the lottery, Mrs.
Hutchinson subconsciously communicates her distaste for
the community leadership and the lottery.
She “slides into place” just as Mr. Summers has finished
speaking, showing her disrespect for his words and ideas.
Those who do not rebel against the lottery share a silent
fear of it: “A sudden hush fell through the crowd as Mr.
Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list”. Though
not explicitly stated, it is clear from the actions of the
villagers that they fear the lottery, and rightly so: they fear
for their lives. Kept tired and ignorant by their leaders, they
do not realize the true source of their problems, and do not
push for rebellion.
Because of this large difference between the classes,
social change is made extremely difficult. This is
expressed mainly through subtle symbolism; first, Mr.
Summers’s insistence that the box be changed: “Every
year after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again
about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed
to fade off without anything’s being done”. In this case, the
black box represents the old, decadent society, while the
lottery represents a sort of election. Every year after his
“election,” Mr. Summers insists for the people’s sake that
“society” must be changed; however, once he is secure in
his position, he is free to do nothing.
The masses, kept ignorant and downtrodden by their work,
simply let go of this social change, unable to see how it
could benefit them. As the box deteriorates, so does their
society. Another subtle hint is shown through Mrs.
Hutchinson’s reaction to the results of the lottery: “You
didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I
saw you. It wasn’t fair!”. Mrs. Hutchinson is essentially
stating that Mr. Summers kept her husband busy and
hurried in a ploy to prevent him from thinking. This is a
strong theme in a society where the wealthy lord over the
proletariat; without the ignorant masses, the wealthy could
not rule, and so Mr. Summers must keep them unaware of
the true workings of the lottery.
As a whole, this story was a great example of what
happens when society is radically divided between two
classes. When the wealthy are given absolute power, their
nature is to lord over the proletariat using tactics of fear
and manipulation. The proletariat is then left unable to
think for itself, mindlessly carrying on with its assigned
duties. Through characterizing the upper and lower classes
as she did, as well as showing the extreme difficulties
faced in pursuing social change, Jackson has perfectly
conveyed this idea.

Source: http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/317598/The-Lottery-Marxist-Criticism/
 MARXISM OR
SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
 Role and function in the society
 Social impact
 Economic role
 Cultural effect
 Political role

It follows set of patterns

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If I were to ask you to write a review,
or critique the following art work, how
will you write it?
 HISTORICAL CRITISIM
APPROACH
 Cultural, economic, and political context
 Artist’s society
 Representation of the societal elements

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Historical criticism seeks to understand a literary work
by investigating the social, cultural, and intellectual
context that produced it—a context that necessarily
includes the artist’s biography and milieu. Historical
critics are less concerned with explaining a work’s
literary significance for today’s readers than with
helping us understand the work by recreating, as
nearly as possible, the exact meaning and impact it
had on its original audience. A historical reading of a
literary work begins by exploring the possible ways in
which the meaning of the text has changed over time.
Source: http://www2.sdfi.edu.cn/netclass/jiaoan/englit/criticism.htm
 APPLICATION
1. The short video clip will be played.
2. Write a critique or review about the clip using your
chosen approach.
3. Take note on the conventions of the approach you
chose as you are guided with the criteria.

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 CRITERIA IN WRITING
A CRITIQUE OR REVIEW

 Critical approach used

 Focus on topic
 Raises legitimate, contrary views in
an appropriate manner (includes
language and citation)
 Organization
 Grammar and spelling
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 Writing a Critique/Review
Competency Codes Target/Performance Activities/Pedagogies Assessment
Standards

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