1. Learn about figurative and literal language.

2. Learn about claims and counterclaims.

FIGURATIVE vs. LITERAL

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FIGURATIVE or LITERAL?

CLAIMS and COUNTERCLAIMS

Example

Claim: Green-backed herons in Japan imitate people who feed bread to fish found in ornamental lakes.

Reasons and Evidence: Those clever birds use pieces of bread to bait fish within easy reach. Egrets in the Caribbean also use bread to lure fish. These birds even catch fish using their yellow feet. They stand in low water on one foot while they wag their other foot in the water to attract the attention of nosy fish.

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CLAIM or COUNTERCLAIM?

Counterclaim signal words.

Problem solving signal words.

In the early 1800s, the country needed room to grow. The problem was most people lived in the East. The cities were crowded. New land was expensive. Young families couldn’t afford to buy farms. Then, as a solution, the government purchased land from France. The government also acquired land from Mexico. Soon, the country stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean. People looked to the setting sun with outstretched arms and said, “Go west!” Settlers rode in wagons or on horses. They followed long, dusty trails across hot plains for thousands of miles. There was no shelter. People slept in tents on the ground. They had to watch out for wild animals like wolves and snakes. The trip west could take months. Then a railroad was built that stretched from the East Coast to the West Coast. The railroad made travel faster. More people poured into the new lands. The settlers quickly built small towns where the farming, fishing, and mining were good.

Find the claim and the statement that shows the reason or evidence for the claim.

The fourth strongest earthquake ever recorded anywhere in the world hit Japan. It caused an enormous tsunami and powerful aftershocks that continued to sow fear into people for weeks. Some 20,000 people were killed or are missing although thousands survived. Tadayuki and his wife, Harumi, were at home when they heard a rumbling and their house started to shake violently. They rushed outside and were shocked to see their house swing back and forth as thick black dust gushed from the walls like smoke.

Overwork can also be deadly. One report estimates that in Japan, about 10,000 people die annually from overwork, as many as those who die in automobile accidents in that country every year. This phenomenon—labeled karoshi, “death from overwork”—stretches far beyond Japan. Chronic overwork has been linked to obesity, alcoholism, heart disease, workplace accidents, drug dependency, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and many other stress-related disorders.

Loneliness is not the same as aloneness. In big cities, thousands of people live closely. Illogically, this cramming of people together creates widespread loneliness. The hustle and bustle of city life can prevent many from really getting to know their neighbors. Thus, city dwellers end up living among strangers. More so, the all-too-common distrust of strangers and the desire to protect one’s privacy may truly play a big role in the rate of loneliness in big cities.

Christmas celebration has even spread to non-Christian lands. In Japan, most families now celebrate Christmas, not because of its religious meaning, but purely as a merrymaking occasion. According to Wall Street Journal, Santa Claus’s cheery red face is plastered in shop windows in major cities of China. Yes, the Christmas fever is capturing China’s newly rising urban middle class as an excuse to shop, eat, and party.

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