LEARNER’S ACTIVITY SHEET

READING AND WRITING SKILLS

Week 1
January 18-22, 2021

Name: __________________________________________ Grade Level: __________________ Section: ________________

Subject: Reading and Writing Skills

Learning Competencies:
 Compare and contrast patterns of written texts across disciplines.
Let’s Learn This!
Understanding Reading and Writing Differences Across Disciplines
Critical reading requires more than understanding new vocabulary words and identifying the main idea and supporting
details. Effective readers know that they must use different strategies when they approach different types of writing.
Depending upon which academic field you find yourself in, you will find that each discipline has its own way of
communicating. Even when writing on the same topic, historians, scientists, artists, and psychologists will tackle the
topic differently. In this lesson, you will learn how to approach three particular disciplines—science, history, and pop
culture.
Whenever you approach a piece of writing in a particular discipline, consider these six aspects:

 Writer's purpose  Specific language

 Writing tone and style  Organization
 Reader's goal  Discipline-specific features
The writer's purpose for writing. Writers change their purpose for writing depending on the discipline they are writing
for, the topic they will cover, and the goals of that particular writing task.
The writing tone and style. When you speak with someone, you listen for what is said, but you also listen for how it is
said. People's tones often reveal more than their words, and the same holds true in writing. Different disciplines will
have different tones depending on the material they need to present and their audience. For example, when a writer
creates an article for a science journal that updates a new finding, the tone will reflect the information or educational
goal by presenting the information in a straightforward, possibly formal manner. This would differ from a writer who
wants to create enthusiasm for a topic or persuade the reader to take an action. The same is true for style. An article in a
science journal would be written in a formal academic style with distinct sections including an abstract, research and
methods, findings, and conclusions. An article in a popular magazine or website, on the other hand, would follow a
more entertaining and approachable style.
The reader's goal for reading the text. Your goal as a reader will change depending upon what you are reading. When
you understand your goal in picking up a biology text or historical journal, you will save time because you can more
quickly find what you should be looking for.
The specific language that the writer uses. Just as Italian is spoken in Italy and Spanish in Spain, all academic
disciplines have their own jargon and language particulars. When you understand these specifics, you will be one step
closer to understanding the text.
The organization of the reading. Just as poetry and short stories are structured differently, readings across all
disciplines are also organized and structured in specific ways. Becoming familiar with these differences will help you
find the essential information while using pre-reading strategies as well during active reading.
The discipline-specific features of the text. Lastly, each discipline has traits that are specific to that particular field. For
example, scientific writing often includes charts and figures that you will not see in a pop culture piece.
SCIENCE HISTORY POP CULTURES
Writer's Purpose Makes claims based on facts. Uses the facts of history to Explains, outlines, and/or
  make a logical argument that analyzes current trends in
Acknowledges limitations. X, Y, and Z happened as well music, fashion, film,
  as why they happened. literature, etc.
Puts focus on research.    
  Uses logic and intuition to Main purpose is to entertain.
Uses concrete evidence and make sense of the facts.  
examples.   Leans to light, current, and
Engages in a larger subjective topics.
discussion with other  

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Writing tone and style Writing tends to be dense,
stiff, and formal.
 
Objective tone;
straightforward and
informative.
 
Historically has favored the
passive voice; however,
active voice is now being
used.
 
Avoids first- and second-
person pronouns, i.e. "I" and
"you."
Reader's goal Identify how the writer
reached his/her conclusion.
 
Understand the methodology.
 
Understand whether or not it
is significant/reputable.
 
Look for the proof.
 
Understand when it was
written so that you can
determine whether it is still
significant.
Specific language Likely to have words that
might not be in the dictionary
because science vocabulary
evolves quickly.
 
Language is precise. Writers
choose to use the most
specific word rather than use
a word that may be more
familiar.
 
Many words, including the
new words, are derived from
Greek and Latin; when you
see an unfamiliar word, you
may be able to piece it
together if you know Latin
and Greek word parts.
Organization Taxonomists use
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historians.
 
Tells what happened.
Explains why it happened.
Avoids first- and second-
person pronouns, i.e. "I" and
"you."
 
More subjective than
scientific writing; however,
opinions/interpretations need
to be backed by evidence.
Can use an informative,
persuasive, or entertaining
tone depending on the writer,
reader, and topic.
Understand the argument that
the author is trying to make.
 
Separate the facts from the
author's interpretation.
 
Find any flaws in the
author’s reasoning.
Infer and understand the
logic between relationships.
Remember that history is not
static, and be open to new
interpretations of long-
known facts.
Understand the author’s
potential biases.
Older primary sources will
contain archaic language that
will make understanding
more difficult.
 
Uses verbiage that may only
have been used in a
particular period. Its use may
have died out or changed in
meaning.
 
Current sources that discuss
past events will focus on the
language of causes and
consequences of certain
events.
Historians organize by
Relies heavily on testimonies
and examples as evidence.
Writing tends to be less
formal and more friendly.
 
Uses first- and second-person
pronouns, i.e. "I" and "you."
 
More subjective than history
and scientific writing.
Addresses the reader.
 
Must be attention-grabbing
because there are many
options (think about
magazines at the grocery
store checkout line) and
topics change quickly.
Understand when the pop
culture piece was written as
the period will influence your
interpretation. This is true
with many types of writing,
but pop culture writing, like
pop music, is especially of its
own time.
Words are specific to both
the time and place of the
piece.
 
Language needs to be
interpreted in light of when it
was written.
 
Recent events and trends are
quickly included in the
vernacular.
Uses a variety of

Discipline-specific features
classification.
 
Primary research arranged
around the scientific method:
observe, research, form
hypothesis, test hypothesis,
analyze results, and draw
conclusions.
Figures, tables, graphs, and
charts
 
Often requires basic to
advanced levels of
mathematical literacy to
understand.
categories of action and not organizational strategies,
chronological order; that is, including comparison and
all events relating to narration.
technology may be grouped  
together, while all education- Depends heavily on hooks
related events are grouped and story-like qualities that
separately. create an interesting and easy
  flow.
Within the each category of
action, events are arranged
chronologically; uses
narrative.
Overall, historians make an
argument and support it with
evidence.
Will reference primary Pop culture moves
sources, that is, texts written progressively from local to
in the time you are studying. national to international
For example, it you are levels.
learning about the Civil War,
a primary text could include
a letter from President
Lincoln to a Union soldier.
References to other historic
events.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Giving the "ok" symbol (formed by creating a circle with your thumb and index finger) is a very positive sign in the
United States. It lets others know that you and/or they are doing well. However, if you make that same exact sign in
Brazil, you will not make friends because Brazilians understand that sign in the same way Americans would if someone
raised a middle finger at them!
Reading discipline-specific texts can be equally confusing if you don’t understand how to read them. You risk spending
time and effort focusing on the wrong details. As a result, you will not understand the author's purpose or main ideas.
In your career, you may have to read different sources to gather information for projects or plans. It is important to
recognize what type of discipline you are reading for your research. For example, reading a pop culture magazine article
on the economy when compiling a report on the financial outlook of your company is probably not the right choice.
Instead, you should look for information in peer-reviewed economic journals or other more fact-based sources.
EXAMPLE
Below are two introductory paragraphs to two readings that both approach the same topic with two different discipline-specific
tactics. Read each passage, and consider the following questions about the intended audience, purpose, and differences in the
readings.
A. In the early days of World War I, German submarines devastated the British and American fleets. Submariners would sneak
up on a moving ship, watch it just long enough to figure out its speed and direction, and then fire torpedoes into the ship's path.
There was little that surface boats could do to hide from submarines. Although the military was very good at camouflaging
troops and tanks on land, ships couldn't be painted to blend into the background because the colors of the sea and the sky are
always changing. But then the British had a startling idea—if they can’t hide them, why not make the ships stand out instead?
They decided to paint them in contrasting colors and random patterns, like zebras and giraffes, animals that are easy to spot but
hard to track because the patterns they wear break up their outline. The Navy called this disruptive camouflage razzle dazzle:
odd, irregular patterns and colors that would confuse enemy gunners and throw off their aim by disguising the shape and motion
of their ships.

B. Looking for a red carpet transformation? It's tempting to reach for the go-to tools. After all, a dangerously high heel can
make a short frame statuesque, and industrial shape wear can turn a pear into an hourglass. But combine stilettos with a cincher
and a swanky affair could end in a visit to the emergency room. Thankfully, this season's hot trend offers an alternative for
literal fashion victims in the form of high-contrast stripes and strategic color-blocking all perfectly placed to minimize, enhance,
elongate, and taper.
1. Who is the intended audience for passage A and B?

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 Passage A is beneficial for the reader who has a basic understanding of WW I. It introduces an idea that may have
given the British an advantage in the war.
Passage B is written for the reader who is concerned with looking good, especially in regards to her figure. With its
discussion of stilettos, it seems to be intended more for women.
2. What is the intended purpose of passage A and B?
Passage A provides needed context to introduce the idea of razzle dazzle.
Passage B uses a question to draw the reader in to the article. It is also trying to convince the reader to abandon high
heels and corsets in favor of outfits with stripes and color-blocking.
3. What are the major differences in passage A and B?
Passage A tells a story. While overall, much of the language is objective, the author also inserts subjective language,
such as startling and devastated.
Passage B uses more informal and friendly writing. Overall, its language is heavily subjective.
Activity 1
Let’s Do This! Directions: Read each passage, and answer the following questions about the intended audience,
purpose, and differences in the readings.

A. There are many different methods of camouflage. Octopi and lizards match the color and texture of their skins with nearby
rocks and vegetation to blend into the background, and manmade hunting gear is painted or woven to do the same thing.
Zebras have wild stripes that disrupt their outlines, especially when they move in groups, and so did dazzle-painted
warships in World War I. Moths and caterpillars are shaped like leaves and twigs to fool predators, while cell phone towers
are built like trees to hide their industrial clutter from neighbors. Gazelles and whales have counter-shaded sides that flatten
and minimize rounded shapes, as do color-blocked dresses.
B. Applying the razzle dazzle idea took a lot more than handing sailors buckets of paint and letting them have it. First, a
wooden model of each ship was built to scale and then handed off to artists who designed and painted individualized
patterns. Next, the dazzled model was placed next to a matching one painted plain gray and then the two were placed in
front of various simulated backgrounds of water and sky. Designers studied the pair through periscopes to judge how well
the camouflage worked and made adjustments as needed. After the pattern was approved, precise plans of the color scheme
were drafted and sent to where the actual ship was docked.
1. Who is the intended audience for passage A and B?
2. What is the intended purpose of passage A and B?
3. What are the differences in organization between passage A and B?
Activity 2
Directions: Answer the following questions.
1. How would you alter your strategies to read a psychology text?
2. What about literature or other creative writings?

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