ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

I. UNIT NO. & TITLE: Unit 1: Reading Academic Texts

II. LESSON NO. & TITLE: Lesson 1: Academic Text Structures, Language use in Academic Writing, and Academic
Reading Strategies
III. WEEK NUMBER: Week 1 (September 1- 4, 2020)
IV. MODULE NUMBER: Module 1
V. OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, students must be able to:

 Differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines; and

 Use knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs.

VI. ACTIVITY:
Directions: Write T if the statement is correct and F if it is wrong.
1. Formality in academic writing requires precision to make a legitimate piece of writing.
2. Writing is a form of communication that is shaped by the following factors: topic, role, and audience.
3. The use of personal pronouns such as I, you, and we is acceptable in academic writing.
4. “How can these problems be solved?” is an example of a critical question.
5. Because is an example of transitional device that expresses cause and effect.
6. An abstract is a summary of a novel.
7. The conclusion is the section that summarizes the main points of the essay.
8. A summary is a condensed form of a text which is usually half of the original material.
9. To introduce a topic in an essay, the writer must be able to explain its details.
10. A research paper contains background of the study, body and recommendations.

VII. DISCUSSION:

What is an Academic Text?

Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in a given field using
formal language. This means that academic texts are based on facts with solid basis. Academic writing, therefore, is
generally quite formal, objective (impersonal) and technical. It is formal by avoiding casual or conversational language,
such as contractions or informal vocabulary. It is impersonal and objective by avoiding direct reference to people or
feelings, and instead emphasizing objects, facts and ideas. It is technical by using vocabulary specific to the discipline.
To be a good academic writer, you will need to learn the specific styles and structures for your discipline, as well as for
each individual writing task. Some examples of academic writing are as follow:
Literary Analysis - A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes an argument about a literary work. As its
name suggests, a literary analysis essay goes beyond mere summarization. It requires careful close reading of one or
multiple texts and often focuses on a specific characteristic, theme, or motif.

Research Paper - A research paper uses outside information to support a thesis or make an argument. Research
papers are written in all disciplines and may be evaluative, analytical, or critical in nature. Common research sources
include data, primary sources (e.g., historical records), and secondary sources (e.g., peer- reviewed scholarly articles).
Writing a research paper involves synthesizing this external information with your own ideas.

Dissertation - A dissertation (or thesis) is a document submitted at the conclusion of a Ph.D. program. The dissertation
is a book-length summarization of the doctoral candidate’s research. Academic papers may be done as a part of a
class, in a program of study, or for publication in an academic journal or scholarly book of articles around a theme, by
different authors.

Structure is an important feature of academic writing. A well-structured text 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. These
are the two common structures of academic texts that you need to learn which depends on the type of assignment you
are required: the three-part essay structure and the IMRaD structure.
The Three-Part Essay Structure

The three-part essay structure is a basic structure that consists of introduction, body and conclusion. The
introduction and the conclusion should be shorter than the body of the text. For shorter essays, one or two paragraphs
for each of these sections can be appropriate. For longer texts or theses, they may be several pages long.

Introduction - Its purpose is to clearly tell the reader the topic, purpose and structure of the paper. As a rough guide, an
introduction might be between 10 and 20 percent of the length of the whole paper and has three main parts:

a) The most general information, such as background and/or definitions.

b) The core of the introduction, where you show the overall topic, purpose, your point of view, hypotheses and/or
research questions (depending on what kind of paper it is).
c) The most specific information, describing the scope and structure of your paper.

You should write your introduction after you know both your overall point of view (if it is a persuasive paper) and the
whole structure of your paper. You should then revise the introduction when you have completed the main body.

Body - It develops the question, “What is the topic about?”. It may elaborate directly on the topic sentence by giving
definitions, classifications, explanations, contrasts, examples and evidence. This is considered as the heart of the
essay because it expounds the specific ideas for the readers to have a better understanding of the topic. It usually is
the largest part of the essay.

Conclusion - The conclusion is closely related to the introduction and is often described as its ‘mirror image’. This
means that if the introduction begins with general information and ends with specific information, the conclusion moves
in the opposite direction. The conclusion usually begins by briefly summarizing the main scope or structure of the
paper, confirms the topic that was given in the introduction, ends with a more general statement about how this topic
relates to its context. This may take the form of an evaluation of the importance of the topic, implications for future
research or a recommendation about theory or practice.

The IMRaD Structure

The sections of the IMRaD structure are Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. The Introduction usually
depicts the background of the topic and the central focus of the study. The Methodology lets your readers know your
data collection methods, research instrument employed, sample size and so on. Results and Discussion states the brief
summary of the key findings or the results of your study.

What is an Academic Language?

Academic language represents the language demands of school (academics). Academic language includes language
used in textbooks, in classrooms, on tests, and in each discipline. It is different in vocabulary and structure from the
everyday spoken English of social interactions. Each type of communication (both academic and social) has its purpose,
and neither is superior to the other.

Academic writing is generally quite formal, objective (impersonal) and technical as illustrated in the diagram below.

Note: It is formal by avoiding casual or conversational language, such as contractions or informal vocabulary. It is
impersonal and objective by avoiding direct reference to people or feelings, and instead emphasizing objects, facts
and ideas. It is technical by using vocabulary specific to the discipline.
Furthermore, you can make your writing more formal, objective and technical by following examples below.
 FORMAL OBJECTIVE TECHNICAL

Choose formal instead of informal Move information around in the You need to develop a large vocabulary
vocabulary. For example, ‘somewhat’ is sentence to emphasize things and for the concepts specific to the discipline
more formal than ‘a bit’, ‘insufficient’ is ideas, instead of people and feelings. or specialization you’re writing for. To do
more formal than ‘not enough’. For example, instead of writing ‘I this, take note of terminology used by
believe the model is valid, based on your lecturer and tutor, as well as in your
these findings’, write ‘These findings readings.
indicate that the model is valid’.

Avoid contractions. For example, use Avoid evaluative words that are based Be careful about the meaning of technical
‘did not’ rather than ‘didn’t’. on non-technical judgments and terms. Often the same word has a
feelings. For example, use ‘valid’ or ‘did different meaning in another discipline.
not demonstrate’ instead of ‘amazing’ or For example, ‘discourse’ is a technical
‘disappointment’. term used in multiple disciplines with
different meanings.

Avoid emotional language. For example, Avoid intense or emotional Use the key categories and relationships
instead of strong words such as evaluative language. For example, in your discipline, that is, the way
‘wonderful’ or ‘terrible’, use more instead of writing ‘Parents who information and ideas are organized into
moderate words such as ‘helpful’ or smoke are obviously abusing their groups.
‘problematic’. children’, write ‘Secondhand For example, in the discipline of Law,
smoke has some harmful effects law is separated into two types:
on children’s health’. common law and statute law.

Instead of using absolute positives and Show caution about your views, or to Knowing these distinctions will help you
negatives, such as ‘proof’ or ‘wrong’, allow room for others to disagree. For structure your writing and make it more
use more cautious evaluations, such as example, instead of writing ‘I think technical and analytical.
‘strong evidence’ or ‘less convincing’. secondhand smoke causes cancer’,
write ‘There is evidence to support the
possibility that secondhand smoke
increases the risk of cancer’.

Find authoritative sources, such as

authors, researchers and theorists in
books or articles, who support your
point of view, and refer to them in your
writing. For example, instead of writing
‘Language is, in my view, clearly
something social’, write ‘As Halliday
(1973) argues, language is intrinsically
social’.

What are the Different Reading Strategies?

Strategies differ from reader to reader. The same reader may use different strategies for different contexts because
their purpose for reading changes. Ask yourself “why am I reading?” and “what am I reading?” when deciding which
strategies to try.

What are the Purposes of Reading?

People read different kinds of text (e.g., scholarly articles, textbooks, reviews) for different reasons. Some purposes for
reading might be

 to scan for specific information

 to skim to get an overview of the text
 to relate new content to existing knowledge
 to write something (often depends on a prompt)
 to critique an argument
 to learn something
 for general comprehension
 So, it is important that you adjust your reading strategies to your purpose of reading. Here’s how to do it.

Before Reading:

 Establish your purpose for reading

 Speculate about the author’s purpose for writing
 Review what you already know and want to learn about the topic (see the guides below)
 Preview the text to get an overview of its structure, looking at headings, figures, tables, glossary, etc.
 Predict the contents of the text and pose questions about it. If the authors have provided discussion
questions, read them and write them on a note-taking sheet.
 Note any discussion questions that have been provided (sometimes at the end of the text)

During Reading:

 Annotate and mark (sparingly) sections of the text to easily recall important or interesting ideas
 Check your predictions and find answers to posed questions
 Use headings and transition words to identify relationships in the text
 Create a vocabulary list of other unfamiliar words to define later
 Try to infer unfamiliar words’ meanings by identifying their relationship to the main idea
 Connect the text to what you already know about the topic
 Take breaks (split the text into segments if necessary)

After Reading:
 Summarize the text in your own words (note what you learned, impressions, and
reactions) in an outline, concept map, or matrix (for several texts)
 Talk to someone about the author’s ideas to check your comprehension
 Identify and reread difficult parts of the text
 Define words on your vocabulary list and practice using them.

VIII. PRACTICE/APPLICATION/SYNTHESIS: See worksheet no.1 and answer activity no. 1

IX. ASSESSMENT: See worksheet no.1 and answer activity no. 2

X. REFLECTION: See worksheet no.1 and answer activity no. 3

XI. FEEDBACK: Teacher’s comments or reactions after submission and checking.

 Worksheet No. 1
Name: Date:
Year & Section: Teacher:

Activity 1: Answer the following questions as briefly and as accurately as possible.

1. How do you prepare an academic text?

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2. Why is it important to identify the specific structure of an academic text?

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Activity 2: Use the given subject and verb in constructing your own sentence. Observe subject-verb agreement in your sentences.
You may add “s” or “es” to the verb.

SUBJECT VERB SENTENCE

United States Make

The students Excel

 English Help
language

The books Improve

The journey Enhance

The patient Cry

Mrs. Cruz Appeal

Filipino Provide
people

A child Love

The lecturer Explain

Activity 3: Complete the paragraph with the necessary words or sentences that best describe what you have learned from
the discussion. Follow the format below.

I have learned that academic writing…..

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