School of Language Studies and Academics Unit 4 Examining and Evaluating Evidence CM 1190.

School of Language Studies and Academics

Unit 4Examining and Evaluating Evidence

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Introduction to Unit 4

Unit 4 will discuss:

1. Identifying Supporting Evidence

2. Following Writing Patterns

3. Evaluating Evidence

4. Evaluating Graphical Evidence

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Identifying Supporting EvidenceUnit 4.1

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Understanding Supporting Evidence

Evidence provides the basis by which we know something to be true

Supporting evidence supports the main idea; like the legs of a table or the columns of a building

Details are the individual facts that constitute (make up) supporting evidence.

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Identifying Supporting Evidence

To identify supporting evidence use: Context Clues

There are five reasons why… There are two kinds of… There are several types of…

Signal Words First… For example… Additionally… Finally…

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Practice Identifying Supporting Evidence …Identify the supporting evidence in the reading below.

Compared with other modes of transport, office buildings, and other enclosed spaces occupied by large numbers of people, today’s jetliners provide an environment that is superior in many respects. For example, in the heating and cooling seasons, most office buildings provide a far lower percentage of outside air – often as low as 20% or even less. In addition, buildings typically have a much lower air-change rate, and they’re seldom equipped with high-efficiency filters like those found in Boeing airplanes.

(Continue to next slide)

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Practice Identifying Supporting Evidence …

A further advantage for airplane passengers is that the outside air entering jetliner cabins at cruising altitudes is generally much cleaner than what is available for ventilating buildings and surface modes of transportation. Air circulation is continuous. Air is always flowing into and out of the cabin. The cabin has a high air-change rate. All of the air in the cabin is replaced by the incoming mixture of outside air and filtered air during intervals of only two to three minutes, depending on airplane size. That’s 20 to 30 air changes per hour. Outside-air mixing replenishes the cabin air constantly. The outside-air content keeps carbon dioxide and other contaminants well within standard limits and replaces oxygen far faster than the rate at which it is consumed. Replenishment also assures that the recirculated portion of air does not endlessly recirculate but is rapidly diluted and replaced with outside air.

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Practice Identifying Supporting Evidence …

Studies have confirmed the overall safety and effectiveness of cabin air systems. One of the studies, conducted for the U.S. Government, was the most comprehensive of all. It involved an independent testing service taking air samples on 92 randomly selected airline flights. The levels of pollutants such as fungi and bacteria were found to be similar to or lower than those encountered in normal indoor environments. Also, levels of carbon dioxide were found to average less than one-third the limit recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Studies conducted by Boeing and by airlines have shown similar results.

Morgan & Regan (2008)

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Resources

Morgan, D. and Regan, N. (2008). Take-Off Technical English for Engineering. Reading, UK : Garnet Publishing Ltd.

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Identifying Supporting EvidenceEnd of Unit 4.1

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Following Writing PatternsUnit 4.2

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Understanding Writing Patterns

A writing pattern is the way a writer uses supporting evidence.

A pattern is something that repeats, which causes it to be predictable.

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Understanding Writing Patterns

A writing pattern is a way of organizing and repeating elements within a piece of writing to help make the form and content predictable.

Readers read many different texts that follow different patterns. After time, readers become able to predict how different texts will be organized.

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Important Writing Patterns for Engineering Students

Engineers are primarily interested in communicating:

how things work process pattern

how things are similar or different from one another

comparison and contrast pattern

how things impact or affect one another

cause and effect pattern

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Process PatternThings come in a specific order for an important reason.Read the following text.

Why has it been ordered in this way? What clues help guide your reading?

Operation of an Air Conditioning Unit

First, the system draws in recirculated air and mixes it with fresh air. The freshened air passes through a filter which removes dust and dirt. Next, the air must be cooled to remove excess moisture so that the humidity is reduced. After cooling, the air may need to be reheated. In this case, it is passed through a hot-water coil or an electric heating element. Finally, the air is returned to the air-conditioned area by the fan.

Morgan & Regan (2008)

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Process Pattern

Common process pattern clues include:

Colons (:), semicolons (;), or numbers Transition phrases like ‘first’, ‘next’, and ‘finally’ References to steps, dates, or times Words like ‘series’, ‘process’, or ‘sequence’

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Comparison and Contrast PatternThings are presented in terms of similarities, differences or both.Read the selection below. What is being compared or contrasted? How do you know?

Halon differs from all other extinguishing agents in the way it puts out fire. Its essential extinguishing ability lies in its capacity to chemically react with the oxygen and put out the fire immediately, without leaving the kind of mess and damage that can be caused to electrical equipment by water, foam or dry powder. Like carbon dioxide, halon is unsuitable for use in open areas. If you spray it into the open air, it disperses almost as soon as it is sprayed, but it is highly effective in closed areas. Carbon dioxide works by displacing all of the oxygen in the compartment, suffocating the fire. Halon, on the other hand, works by chemically interrupting the burning process, which means that it requires a fraction of the amount.

Morgan & Regan (2008)

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Comparison and Contrast Pattern

Common comparison and contrast pattern clues include:

Compound sentences Comparison expressions like ‘similarly’,

‘likewise’, and ‘both’. Contrast expressions like ‘on the other hand’,

‘although’, ‘unlike’, and ‘however’.

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Cause and Effect PatternThings are discussed in terms of conditions, reasons, or results.Read the following text. What is the cause? What is the effect? How do you know?

Emergency Landing Gear

When the engine-powered hydraulic system is operating, a pipeline from the system pressure line directs hydraulic pressure fluid to the emergency package. The result is that nitrogen pressure is maintained at 3,000 psi.

If the main hydraulic system goes down for any reason, sufficient hydraulic fluid is retained in the oil head to open the main landing gear doors, lower the landing gear and extend the flaps. Because the piston is driven by the high-pressure nitrogen in the accumulator, it pressurizes the fluid at 3,000 psi, enabling it to operate the flap and landing gear actuators.

Morgan & Regan (2008)

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Cause and Effect Pattern

Common cause and effect pattern clues include:

Look for complex sentences – especially “If…then” or “When…then”.

Transition words like because, consequence, result, effect, cause, due to, etc.

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Resources

Morgan, D. and Regan, N. (2008). Take-Off Technical English for Engineering. Reading, UK : Garnet Publishing Ltd.

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Following Writing PatternsEnd of Unit 4.2

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Evaluating ArgumentsUnit 4.3

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Evaluating Arguments

An argument consists of three parts:

1. Claims are statements that the author tries to convince the reader of.

2. Data are the pieces of evidence the author uses to support the claim.

3. Warrants connect the data to the claims through inference.

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Claims

‘Claims’ answer the question:

What are you trying to get me to believe?

Ahmed is studying electrical engineering.

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Data

‘Data’ answer the question:

What evidence do you have to support this?

Ahmed is registered in the Electrical Engineering Technology program.

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Warrants

‘Warrants’ answer the question:

How do the data lead to the claim?

If you are registered in the Electrical Engineering Technology program, then you will study electrical engineering.

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Evaluating Arguments

Once you have determined the claim, data, and warrant of the argument you should ask:

Does the data support the claim?

What are the author’s assumptions about the data?

Are those assumptions warranted?

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Find the Claim, Data, and Warrant

Read the passage below and determine the claim, data, and warrant.

By 2015, if General Electric has their way, all our homes will be running on smart grids with mini-turbines and solar panels to produce electricity, consuming zero net energy in the process.

GE says that their smart energy system, dubbed the net zero home project, will center around a $250 central management hub that will allow all of a home's networked appliances and on-site power-producing equipment talk to each other, as well as to the smart grid outside the home.

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Find the Claim, Data, and WarrantRead the passage below and determine the claim, data, and warrant.

GE's push comes at a time when power conservation is valued more than ever, and smart energy innovations are pouring in by the day.

The goal here is to make people more conscious of how much power they're using and how often they're doing it. By enabling a home's appliances to scale down their performance or power state during peak hours, cities will not only conserve energy, but consumers will save money.

Adrian Covert, Popular Science, July 15, 2009

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Evaluating ArgumentsEnd of Unit 4.3

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End of Unit 4Examining and Evaluating Evidence

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