READING
AND
WRITING
WEEK 4
Contents of This Template
3RD QUARTER
LESSON 4: IDENTIFYING AND ANALYZING
CLAIMS
a. What is a claim?
b. Characteristics of good claims
c. Types of Claims
Learning
Objectives:
Students should be able to:
Define what is a claim
Give the characteristics
of a good claim
Determine the different
types of claims with the
use of the given
examples.
Wha
t is a
claim
?
Knowing how to identify explicit
and implicit information will help you
in one of the most important skills
needed in critical reading: evaluating
claims made by an author.
This involves going back to the
text to recognize the writer’s
arguments and evidence so you can
begin judging the writer’s work.
Whenever you read something, you find
yourself looking for the writer’s point or
position regarding the chosen topic.
That point is also
known as the This claim is what
the writer tries to
CLAIM, prove in the text
by providing
or the central details,
argument or explanations, and
The claim is the
thesis statement of other types of
most important
the text. evidence.
part of the text.
Example:
A teenager who wants a new cellular phone makes the
following claims:
Every other girl in her school has a cell phone.
She will be safer with a cell phone because she can
call 911.
A cell phone with Internet access will help her do
homework.
Example:
A charity applying for grant funds to increase its work
makes the following claims:
The additional funding will allow the charity to help
an additional 100 people per year.
They already have an action plan for how to use the
funding, and a method to evaluate the effectiveness
of their programming.
A recent survey shows an additional need for the
work of this charity in the community.
Now that you know what claim
is, let’s proceed to its
characteristics.
What are
the
characterist
1. A claim should be argumentative
and debatable.
When a writer
makes a claim, Readers expect to be
he/she is able to raise
making a case objections to your
for a particular claim, and they can
perspective in only raise objections
the topic. if the claim is
something that can
be reasonably
changed.
1. A claim should be argumentative
and debatable.
Claims that are
only factual or
based on
opinion, thus,
are not
debatable.
2. A claim should be specific and
focused.
If the claim is
unfocused, the
paper will be too
broad in scope and
will lack direction It may also
and a clear lead to
connection to the
support provided.
overgeneraliza
tions and
vague
3. A claim should be interesting and
engaging.
It should hook the
reader, who may or
may not agree with
you, to encourage
them to consider
your perspective
and learn
something new
from you.
4. A claim should be logical.
It should result
from reasonable
weighing of
support provided.
Now that you know the
characteristics of a
good claim, you will be
introduced to the
different types of claim
that a writer can
make: fact, value, or
policy.
NOTE:
u s u a l l y
Yo u c a n
t h i s b y
r m i n e
d et e e ty p e of
i n i n g t h
exa m t h e y
e s t i on s
q u t t h e
e r a b o u
an s w
text.
a r e th e
Wha t
s o f
type
c la i m s ?
First, CLAIMS OF FACT
State a quantifiable
assertion, or a measurable
topic.
They assert that something
has existed, exists, or will
exist based on data.
First, CLAIMS OF FACT
They rely on reliable
sources or systematic
procedures to be
validated; this is what
makes them different
from inferences.
CLAIMS OF FACT usually answer a “what”
question.
When determining whether something is
a claim of fact, the following questions
are useful:
Is this issue related to a possible cause
or effect.
Is this statement true or false? How
can its truthfulness be verified?
Is this claim controversial or
EXAMPLE OF A FACT
Cell phones pull
students away from
learning.
EXAMPLE OF A FACT
Nuclear energy is a
safe, reliable energy
source.
Next, CLAIMS OF VALUE
Assert something that can
be qualified.
They consist of arguments
about moral, philosophical,
or aesthetic topics.
Next, CLAIMS OF VALUE
These types of topics try
to prove that some values
are more or less desirable
compared to others.
They make judgments,
based on certain
standards, on whether
something is right or
CLAIMS OF VALUE attempts to explain how
problems, situations, or issues ought to be
valued.
To discover these explanations, you may
ask the following questions:
Which claims endorse what is good or
right?
What qualities should be considered
good? Why?
Which of these values contend with
others? Which ones are more
important, and why? Whose standards
are used?
EXAMPLE OF A VALUE
Keeping animals locked away
in zoos, no matter how nice
they are, is unethical and
harmful.
EXAMPLE OF A VALUE
Imposing harsh prison
sentences and fines for non-
violent crimes is wrong.
Lastly, CLAIMS OF POLICY
Posit that specific actions
should be chosen as
solutions to a particular
problem.
You can easily identify a
claim of policy because
they begin with “should”,
“ought to,” or “must”.
CLAIMS OF POLICY because they depend
actionable plans, usually answer “how”
questions.
The following questions will be useful in
evaluating a claim of policy:
Does the claim suggest a specific
remedy to solve the problem?
Is the policy clearly defined?
Is the need for the policy established?
Is the policy the best one available?
For whom? According to whose
standards?
EXAMPLE OF A POLICY
Students' cell phones should
be collected by office
personnel when they enter
school.
EXAMPLE OF A POLICY
Horry County should raise
the hospitality tax rate to
increase education funding.
REFERENCES:
Marella Therese A. Tiongson, [Link].
Reading and Writing Skills. REX Book
Store, Inc. 84-86 P. Florentino St., Sta.
Mesa Heights, Quezon City. P. 20-22
Types of Claims.
[Link]
y-esc-wm-englishcomposition1/chapter
/types-of-claims/
. (Retrieved from June 24, 2020)