SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

THREE WAYS OF ELUCIDATING A CONCEPT

Most Essential Learning Competency:

Determine the ways a writer can elucidate on a concept

by definition, explication and clarification

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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 ACTIVITY 1: FIX ME!
Directions: Arrange the jumbled letters to form word. Use the synonym in parenthesis as
your guide in unlocking the word. Write your answer in your activity notebook.

1. T I O N F I D E N I ___________________ Hint: meaning

2. R I F I T I O N C L A C A __________________ Hint: clearing up
3. C A E X P L I T I O N __________________ Hint: explanation

THREE WAYS IN ELUCIDATING A CONCEPT

Before writing a concept paper, you must first learn how to explain your concept of your project
or research. Basically, there are three ways of explaining a concept.
1. Definition – explaining the concept by answering, “What does it mean?” This makes of an
illustrations, examples, and description to clarify the term. A definition can be done in three ways:
1. Formal – follows a patter or equation; term+genus+differentia (differentiating characteristics)
Example: Technology is the branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.

2. By synonym – using a word or phrase that shares a meaning with the term being defined.
Example: Technology – Knowledge, Computers

3. By origin or semantic history

Example: Technology comes from the Greek work tekhnologia.

4. By illustration
Example: Technology involves the use of machineries in every aspect of work.

5. By function
Example: Technology uses hi-tech machines to get the work done.

6. By analysis – breaking down wholes into parts, aspects to levels and a process into steps)
Example: Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes,
especially in industry.

7. By likeness of similarity
Example: Technology is likened to modern living where robots exist.

8. By analogy or metaphor
Example: Technology is like a robot that makes life easier.

9. By contrast – use of opposites

Example: Unlike the manual work, technology makes work efficient.

10. By negation – stating what the term is not

Example: Technology is not harmful if used properly.

Signal Words for Definition

The following signal words are useful when explaining a concept by definition.

as defined, for example, for instance, is defined as, means,

such as, to define, to illustrate

2. Explication – is a method of explanation in which sentences, verses, quotes, or phrases are

taken from a literary or academic work then interpreted and explained in a detailed way. You

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 may begin by analyzing how the text was constructed and end with a concise conclusion by
restating your major arguments. Explication not only illuminates a piece of literature, but also
serves to remind the readers about its historical setting and formal properties of style and
language.

Example:
In the final stanza of his poem The Road Not Taken, Frost talks about his dilemma of
coming upon two diverging paths, and not knowing which one to choose. The third line is very
important, as it delivers an idea of choosing between the two divergent paths.

The tone in this stanza shifts from regretful to optimistic. The two roads symbolically
represent individual choices. The mood is neither depressed nor unhappy, but the poet sighs
because he knows what the complexities our life may have for him. Whether he has chosen a
right or a wrong path, it has a compelling impact on his life. The phrase “less traveled” suggests
the theme of individualism. From: The Road Not Taken (by Robert Frost

3. Clarification – it is a method of explanation in which the points are organized from a general
abstract idea to specific and concrete examples. The analysis of the concept is done by looking at
the examples and specifying its characteristics.

Signal Words for Clarification

After all for instance namely that is
As an example in other words put another way to be specific
Consider the following example in particular specifically
To clarify for example in short stated differently

Example:

Justice is a broad concept which encompasses a wide set of ideas, most of which also branch out
into smaller notions. For instance, it can refer to the sentencing of a criminal based on due process.
When an individual gets what he deserves, even outside the hands of the law, it is also considered
justice in some context. This may come in the form of vigilante justice, in which a person dissatisfied
with the system doles out punishing to wrong-doers. Poetic justice is also another related concept
which is used in literature to show how the good is always rewarded while bad forces always meet a
grim end. In the context of this paper, justice will be clearly delineated into any instance in which the
law is successfully and fairly applied to an individual, resulting in either an arrest or a release. To
illustrate, if a theft is caught and tried in court through due process, and is found to be guilty and then
sentenced accordingly, it can be said that justice was served. However, if the same thief is caught in
the act by a band of villagers and was beaten right then and there, it will be considered justice in the
context of the paper, as the process has not undergone due process.
Source: English for Academic & Professional Purposes for SHS page

ACTIVITY: APPLY THEM

Directions: Choose one of the concepts in below that you want to work on for a concept paper. Apply
definition, explication and clarification in expounding what the concept is all about. This is only a preparatory
stage for the next lesson where you will write a concept paper. Write your answers on your paper.

Humanities Tech-Voc Science Accountancy Engineering

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 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

KINDS OF CONCEPT PAPERS

Most Essential Learning Competency:

Compare and contrast various kinds of concept papers:

Home Economics; Agri. Fishery; I.A; ICT

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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ACTIVITY 1. NAME THEM
How many concept papers have you read so far?
Directions: List them down and tell what they are about in one sentence. If you have not read one at all,
list down the reasons why you have not read any.
1. ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________

2 KINDS OF CONCEPT PAPER

A concept paper is a brief paper written by a student around a research question before undertaking
the research. The paper is about two or three pages long and provides key details about the research, such as
the question, purpose, and methods.

1. Implicit – implicit is, “implied or understood though not plainly or directly expressed.” Something is,
therefore, implicit when it is not directly stated but is either suggested in the wording or necessary to effectuate
the purpose.
Example: Technology caused horrors in some aspects.

2. Explicit – “to fully and clearly express something, leaving nothing implied.” Something is explicit when it is
cleared stated and spelled out and there is no room for confusion, as in the writing of a contract or statute.
Example: Technology is harmful to us.

READING EXAMPLES OF CONCEPT PAPER

Directions: Read to find out how the writer expounds the concept. There may be some difficult words you will
encounter. Refer to the dictionary for better understanding.

CONCEPT PAPER 1
BOONDOCKS FROM AN AVALANCHE OF ANORAKS

(1) Reading material comes from Malay bamboo, “a large, hollow bamboo.” The young shoots are eaten as a
vegetable or are pickled and candied. Some species of bamboo grow to a height of 120 feet.
(2) Boondocks (1944), a remote rural area, back country, an isolated or wild region filled with dense brush,
comes from Tagalog bundok, “mountain.” An “s” was added, since English has the tendency to affix that letter
to locations, as in the sticks (a synonym for the boondocks), the damps, and the woods. While the word means
“mountain” to the people of the Philippines, American soldiers extended the meaning to any kind of rough
country or out-of-the-way locale. Used by servicemen during World War II, the word boondocks first came to
the attention of the American public during an investigation into the brutal methods of training used by the
Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. According to the official records, young recruits were regularly
subjected to forced night marches “into the boondocks” (of places like Paris Island), which included some low-
lying swampy areas where at least one Marine recruit died. The investigation ended, but the word remained. Its
infamous history all but forgotten, the word boondocks is now synonymous with any rural area distant from the
excitement of big cities or large towns. By the 1950s, shoes suitable for rough outdoor use were regularly
called boondockers, as can be seen from Leon Uris’s adventure packed novel of World War II Marines, Battle
Cry: “Andy Hookans was dumping a can of foot powder into his boondockers.” About the same time, boonies
had become the slang equivalent of the boondocks.
(3) Caddy (1792), a small box, or chest used for keeping tea leaves, is borrowed from Malay kati, a weight
used in China and the East Indies equal to slightly more than a pound avoirdupois. A tea caddy probably

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derived its name from the fact that the little box or chest that held the measure (approximately one and one-
third pounds of tea) was confused with the measure itself. The caddy that carries tea leaves is in no way
related to the caddy (or caddie) who carries clubs and balls for a golfer. The latter caddy is derived from
French cadet, as in a military cadet.
(4) Camphor (1313), derived from Malay kapur, “chalk lime” via Arabic kāfūr, is a whitish, translucent, tough,
volatile, pleasant-smelling crystalline compound obtained from the wood and bark of the camphor tree.
Camphor is used primarily as a moth repellent in the manufacture of celluloid; and in medicine as a liniment, a
counterirritant for infections, and a mild antiseptic. It used to be taken internally as a heart and circulatory
stimulant, and as an anti-diarrhetic; it is no longer taken internally, since it is mildly toxic, and indigestion may
produce harmful effects, especially in infants and children. It is also no longer used as an anti-aphrodisiac –
something to counteract sexual desire.
(5) Cassowary (1611), a large flightless bird of Australia, New Guinea, and the neighboring islands, related to
the ostrich, is borrowed from Malay kasuari. Cassowaries often weigh as much as 140 pounds and are
dangerous. Capable of killing even full-grown men, these sometimes-pugnacious birds usually leap feet first on
their adversaries and then attack with their claws. Their wings, completely useless for flight, are covered with
stiff, featherless quills, like spines, which also serve as weapons. Females lay three to eight green eggs at a
time, which the males incubate.
(6) Gingham (1615), a cotton or linen cloth, woven of dyed yarn, often striped or checked, comes, via Dutch
gingang, from Malay genggang, meaning “with space between,” hence, “striped” or “checkered.” Because the
colored lines of gingham are always on the grain, gingham fabrics have no right and wrong side in terms of
color. Gingham was memorialized in “The Duel,” one of the most popular poems written by Eugene Field
(1850-1895) for children. It begins: “The gingham dog and the calico cat/Side by side on the table sat.”

Reflection questions: Write your answers on your notebook.

1. What is the concept paper about?
2. How did the writer expound on the concept?
3. What kind of concept paper is this? Why?
4. Do you think it is a good concept paper? Why?

CONCEPT PAPER 2

KETCHUP

(1) The sauce that is today called ketchup (or catsup) in Western cultures is a tomato-based sauce that is quite
distinct from the Eastern ancestors of this product. A sauce called ke-tiap was in use in China at least as early
as the seventeenth century, but the Chinese version of the sauce was made of pickled fish, shellfish, and
spices. The popularity of this Chinese sauce spread to Singapore and Malaysia, where it was called kechap.
The Indonesian sauce ketjab derives its name from the same source as the Malaysian sauce but is made from
very different ingredients. The Indonesian ketjab is made of cooking black soy beans, fermenting them, placing
them in a salt brine for at least a week, cooking the resulting solution further, and sweetening it heavily; this
process results in a dark, thick, and sweet variation of soy sauce.
(2) Early in the eighteenth century, sailors from the British navy came across this exotic sauce on voyages to
Malaysia and Singapore and brought samples of it back to England on return voyages, English chefs tried to
recreate the sauce but were unable to do so exactly because key ingredients were unknown or unavailable in
England; chefs ended up substituting ingredients such as mushrooms and walnuts in an attempt to recreate
the special tastes of the original Asian sauce. Variations of this sauce become quite the rage in eighteenth-
century England, appearing in a number of recipe books and featured as an exotic addition to menus from the
period.
(3) The English version did not contain tomatoes, and it was not until the end of the eighteenth century that
tomatoes became a main ingredient, in the ketchup of the newly created United States. It is quite notable that
tomatoes were added to the sauce in that tomatoes had previously been considered quire dangerous to health.
The tomato had been cultivated by the Aztecs, who had called it tomatl; however, early botanists had
recognized that the tomato was a member of the Solanacaea family, which does include a number of
poisonous plants. The leaves of the tomato plant are poisonous, though of course the fruit is not.
(4) Thomas Jefferson, who cultivated the tomato in his gardens at Monticello and served dishes containing
tomatoes at lavish feasts, often receives credit for changing the reputation of the tomato. Soon after Jefferson
had introduced the tomato to American society, recipes combining the newly fashionable tomato with the
equally fashionable and exotic sauce known as ketchap began to appear. By the middle of the nineteenth
century, both the tomato and tomato ketchup were staples of the American kitchen.
(5) Tomato ketchup, popular though it was, was quite time-consuming to prepare. In 1876, the first mass-

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produced tomato ketchup, a product of German-American Henry Heinz, went on sale and achieved immediate
success. From tomato ketchup, Heinz branched out into a number of other products, including various sauces,
pickles, and relishes. By 1890, his company had expanded to include sixty-five different products but was in
need of a marketing slogan. Heinz settled on the slogan “57 Varieties” because he liked the way that the digits
5 and 7 looked in print, in spite of the fact that this slogan understated the number of products that he had at
the time.
From: EAPP Learners’ Material

Reflection questions: Write your answers in your notebook.

1. What is the concept paper about?
2. How did the writer expound on the concept?
3. What kind of concept paper is this? Why?
4. Do you think it is a good concept paper? Why?

ACTIVITY 1: COMPLETE ME
Directions: Complete the table with the needed information based on the two samples. Write your answer
on your answer sheet.

How would you

CONTENT In what field of Describe the
describe the style
What kind of concept discipline is the language use on
CONCEPT PAPER paper is presented? concept paper
and approach of
each type of
the presentation
applicable? concept paper.
of ideas?

BOONDOCKS

KETCHUP

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 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

CONCEPT PAPER

Most Essential Learning Competency:

Presents a novel concept or project with accompanying

visuals/ graphic aids

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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 What I Can Do

ACTIVITY 2: My Novel Concept

Based on what you have learned about a concept paper, present a creative and informative article
about the top 5 reasons why and how concept papers can contribute to societal change. Provide specific
scenarios or various statistics to support your answer. Your presentation is rated using the rubrics below.
Content Guide Questions Score (1-5)
1.Does the paper clearly provide an overview of the project or research?
2.Does the paper state the significance of the project?
3.Are the claims supported by facts and statistics?
4.Are the objectives and goals clear?
5.Are references properly cited?
Organization 1. Does the paper use organizational patter and structure appropriate for the genre?
2. Are the ideas correctly placed which improves the paper’s organization?
3. Is the flow of ideas smooth and easy to read?
Style 1. Does the paper showcase the writer’s voice?
2. Does the paper use language appropriate to context?
3. Does the paper use variety of sentence structure?
Visual 1. Does the paper/powerpoint/video introduce the details of the concept paper in an
Presentation effective manner or style?
2. Does the paper/powerpoint/video showcase important concepts of the
presentation?

TOTAL SCORE

Summary
To summarize, the entire Module 3 of this subject has taught you to understand one of the academic
writings which is a concept paper. Moreover, you have learned its salient parts as well as its contents. Without
knowing, you have developed your writing skills and styles by the knowledge of definition, explication and
clarification, the ways of developing a concept effectively. After all, you were able to present a novel concept or
project you have in mind with the integration of visuals and graphics. Congratulations for finishing the task!

Assessment (Post Test)

ANSWER KEY
A. Reflection Questions
LESSON 8 Answer may vary.
ACTIVITY 1: FIX ME!
1. DEFINITION B. Reflection Questions
2. EXPLICATION Answer may vary.
3. CLARIFICATION
ACTIVITY 1: COMPLETE ME
ACTIVITY: APPLY THEM Answer may vary.
Answer may vary.
LESSON 10
LESSON 9 ACTIVITY 2: My Novel Concept
ACTIVITY 1. NAME THEM Answer may vary.
Answer may vary.