Quarter 1 - Module 1:

Reading Academic Texts

 Learning Competencies

• Differentiates language used in academic texts from various disciplines

• Uses knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-4)
• Uses various techniques in summarizing a variety of academic texts
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-4)
 The following lessons:

• Lesson 1 – Academic Language used from Various Disciplines

• Lesson 2 – Text Structure
• Lesson 3 – Techniques in Summarizing Variety of Academic Texts
 Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lessons, you will be able to:

1. Differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines.
2. Determine the structure of a specific academic text.
3. Explain the specific ideas contained in various academic texts.
4. Use knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs.
5. Use various techniques in summarizing a variety of academic texts.
Let’s see what you know.
 Direction: Categorize the information based on their characteristics below
by filling in the table to differentiate academic text from non-academic text.

Everyday Events To inform and/or validate idea

To entertain Scholarly audience Contains
slang and colloquialisms Subjective Related literature
Introduction-Body-Conclusion No fixed
structure Research papers, Reports Diaries, Informal essays
Objective Public
Formal
Characteristics Academic Text Non-Academic Text
Audience
Purpose
Structure
Language
Style
Source of Content
Examples
Direction: Read the passages and determine how the information is being
organized. Choose your answer from the list of words below.

a. Narrative
b. Cause and Effect
c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive
e. Problem-Solution
f. Compare & Contrast
 a. Narrative b. Cause and Effect c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive e. Problem-Solution f. Compare & Contrast

1. Ice-cream is a delicious frozen treat that comes in a many different

colors and flavors. Two of my favorite flavors are strawberry and
chocolate. Though both of these flavors are delicious, strawberry may
contain pieces of fruit while chocolate usually will not. Even though more
chocolate ice-cream is sold across the country annually than strawberry,
each flavor tastes great inside of a milk shake.
 a. Narrative b. Cause and Effect c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive e. Problem-Solution f. Compare & Contrast

2. The ice-cream shop around the corner from my house has the best ice-
cream in the city. When you first walk inside, there is a long chrome
counter with matching stools extending to alongside the far wall. Right
where the counter stops, the booth seating begins. There are lots of old-
timey knickknacks on the walls and chrome napkin holders on all the
tables. My favorite part of the shop is behind the counter glass, where they
keep all of the icecream flavors. A rainbow of delicious sugary flavors is
kept cool and delicious behind the counter glass.
 a. Narrative b. Cause and Effect c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive e. Problem-Solution f. Compare & Contrast

3. Freezer burn may have wasted more ice-cream than sidewalks. If you
don’t know, freezer burn is when ice crystals form on the surface of ice-
cream. These ice crystals can ruin the texture and flavor of the ice cream.
But you can prevent freezer burn. Since freezer burn is caused when melted
ice-cream is refrozen, rather than eating your ice-cream from the container
as it melts, scoop your icecream into a bowl and put the container back in
the fridge immediately. Doing this ought to help you solve your issues with
freezer burn.
 a. Narrative b. Cause and Effect c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive e. Problem-Solution f. Compare & Contrast

4. Have you ever had an ice-cream headache? That’s when a painful

sensation resonates in your head after eating something cold (usually ice-
cream) on a hot day. This pain is produced by the dilation of a nerve center
in the roof of your mouth. The nerve center is overreacting to the cold by
trying to heat your brain. Ice-cream headaches have turned many smiles to
frowns.
 a. Narrative b. Cause and Effect c. chronological/sequence
d. Descriptive e. Problem-Solution f. Compare & Contrast

5. One time my mom and I made ice-cream. We added sugar and cream into
a big glass bowl. We kept it frozen in the middle of a bigger glass bowl.
While it froze, I stirred the mixture with a hand mixer. It was the first time
that had I used one and it splattered ice-cream mixture all over the kitchen.
The rest of the mixture finally froze, so we ate some ice cream, and then
put the remaining portions in the freezer so that it wouldn’t get freezer
burned. That was a good day.
 Direction: Summarize the paragraph below in 2-3
sentences.
“The Northern Lights”
There are times when the night sky glows with bands of color. The bands may begin as
cloud shapes and then spread into a great arc across the entire sky. They may fall in folds
like a curtain drawn across the heavens. The lights usually grow brighter, then suddenly
dim. During this time the sky glows with pale yellow, pink, green, violet, blue, and red.
These lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Some people call them the Northern Lights.
Scientists have been watching them for hundreds of years. They are not quite sure what
causes them. In ancient times people were afraid of the Lights. They imagined that they
saw fiery dragons in the sky. Some even concluded that the heavens were on fire.
Lesson 1 – Academic Language used from
Various Disciplines
 Read the passages below. Then, identify whether each passage can be an
academic text or non-academic text. Write A if it is academic and N if it is
nonacademic.
_____1. Some educators suggest that the distinction between conversational and academic
language is somewhat arbitrary and that it is the situation, community, or context that is either
predominantly social or academic.
_____2. The current study showed that COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affected the academic
performance of most participants with varying degrees.
_____3. In his reverie he remembers how nature marked the season it happened.
_____4. I believe they are the first and last and the closest things I have to say about my own life.
_____5. The current study showed that the most popular device that students used to access the
online materials was the smart phone followed by laptop, while the least used tool was the
personal computer.
1. What is the easiest writing assignment you have done so far?
2. How about the most difficult writing assignment you have done?
3. Based on your answer, what do you think is academic writing and its
differences from other kinds of writing?
Nature and Characteristics of an Academic Text

An academic text is a written language that provides information, which

contain ideas and concepts that are related to the particular discipline.
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 is consist of three (3)
parts introduction, body, and conclusion which is formal and logical. This
kind of structure enables the reader to follow the argument and navigate the
text. In academic writing a clear structure and a logical flow are imperative
to a cohesive text.
 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. When presenting a position or
argument that disagrees with one’s perspectives, describe the
argument accurately without loaded or biased language.
 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.
Technical language appropriate to area of study may also be used,
however, it does not mean using “big words” just for the sake of doing
so.
 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. It is essential to always acknowledge the source of any ideas,
research findings, data, or quoted text that have been used in a paper as a
defense against allegations of plagiarism.
 Complexity

An academic text addresses complex issues that

require higher-order thinking skills to
comprehend.
Evidence-based Arguments

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:
 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
and more passives.
Features of Academic Texts:

2. Formal
- Should avoid colloquial words and
expressions.
Features of Academic Texts:

3. Precise
- Facts are given accurately and precisely.
 Features of Academic Texts:

4. Objective
- has fewer words that emphasize on the information you want to
give and the arguments you want to make
- mostly use nouns (adjectives), rather than verbs (adverbs)
 Features of Academic Texts:

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.
 Features of Academic Texts:

6. Accurate
- Uses vocabulary accurately
- Most subjects have words with narrow specific
meanings.
 Features of Academic Texts:

7. Hedging
- It is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a
particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making.
 Features of Academic Texts:

8. Responsible
- You must be responsible for and must be able to
provide evidence and justification for any claims you
make.
 Features of Academic Texts:

9. Organize
- Well-organized.
- It flows easily from one section to the next in a logical
fashion.
Features of Academic Texts:

10. Plan
- Well-planned.
- It usually takes place after research and evaluation,
according to specific purpose and plan.
 Purposes in Reading an Academic Text

1. To locate a main idea;

2. To scan for information;
3. To identify gaps in existing studies;
4. To connect new ideas to existing ones;
5. To gain more pieces of information;
6. To support a particular writing assignment; and,
7. To deeply understand an existing idea.
Factors to Consider in Writing Academic
Text
1.State critical questions and issues;
2. Provide facts and evidence from credible sources;
3. Use precise and accurate words while avoiding jargon;
4. Take an objective point of view;
5. List references; and,
6. Use cautious language.
 Academic language
Academic language is the language needed by students to do the work
in schools. It includes, for example, discipline-specific vocabulary,
grammar and punctuation, and applications of rhetorical conventions
and devices that are typical for a content area (e.g., essays, lab
reports, discussions of a controversial issue.) Students who master
academic
language are more likely to be successful in academic and
professional settings.
 Social language

Social language is the set of vocabulary that allows us to

communicate with others in the context of regular daily
conversations.
 Here are some of the differences between
social and academic language includes:
Social Language Academic Language
In everyday interactions in spoken/written form In textbooks, research papers, conferences in spoken/written
form
For everyday conversation Used in school/work conversations
Used to write to friends, family, or for other social Appropriate for written papers, classwork, Homework
purposes
Informal, such as words like ''cool,‘’ ''guy,'' ''kidding'') Very formal and more sophisticated in its expressions, such
as words like ''appropriate,'' ''studies,'' ''implementation''
Can use slang expressions Don't use slang
Can be repetitive Uses a variety of terms
Can use phrases Uses sentences
Sentences don't follow grammar conventions necessarily, Sentences begin with appropriate transitions, like,
with phrases like, ''you're hungry?'' ''moreover'' or ''in addition'')
 Characteristics of Academic Language

A. Formal
- It should not sound conversational or casual. Colloquial, idiomatic,
slang or journalistic expressions should particularly be avoided.
Examples:
Use… Instead…
Consider, monitor Look at
Revise, review Go
over
Solve, repair, amend Fix
Characteristics of Academic Language

B. Objective
- This means it is unbiased. It should be based
on facts and evidence and are not influenced by
personal feelings.
Characteristics of Academic Language

C. Impersonal
- This involves avoiding the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’.
For example, instead of writing ‘I will show’, you might write
‘this report will show’. The second person, ‘you’, is also to be
avoided.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
 Instruction: Write TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if is not.
1. Students who master academic language are more likely to be successful in academic and
professional settings.
2. An academic text makes use of complex jargons to promote a higher level of comprehension.
3. Academic text uses words which tones up claims expressing certainty.
4. Both academic and non-academic texts can be used to inform.
5. The language used in academic texts should be conversational.
6. In reading an academic text, it helps acquire new information.
7. An academic text needs less concentration and focus because the terms are simple.
8. Itis in academic text that issues are stated to provoke information discussion.
9. A magazine is an academic text.
10. Academic language should be objective, precise, impersonal and formal.