Reading Textbooks in the

Natural and Social

Sciences
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Topic Bank
The inflation of prices and goods in the market.
An exploration of whether space travel is
possible.
Why Filipinos are fond of folklore and amulets?
How the British established a global empire?
What mechanisms can lessen the emission of
harmful gases?
The Nature of Knowledge in the
Natural and Social Sciences
Through continued research, the insights
promulgated by these two disciplines may improve
or even change over time if proven that another
paradigm better explains a given phenomenon.
The difference between the two, however, is
that the natural sciences are concerned with
natural phenomena and physical variables
while the social sciences deal with behaviour of
individuals and communities.
The Language of the Natural and
Social Sciences
The pieces of information are usually
presented in a deductive manner. The
overarching principles are presented, and
then later on backed up with concrete
and specific pieces of evidence in order
to lend credence to the former.
Your Opinion

Is it acceptable for you to use first

person pronouns such as, I, we, our,
and us when writing for the natural and
social sciences?
(Be ready to defend your stance)
 The heading is
comprised of the
chapter number and
the chapter title.

The brief
A. CHAPTER OPENER
explanation of the
contents of the
chapter may also be
presented in order to
set the expectations
of the readers.
 The side bar of the
chapter opener
enumerates the specific
questions to be
answered in the section
as well as their
sequence.
The picture serves
as visual
representations of the
principles and
applications tackled in
the chapter.
 A lesson opener
includes the number as well
as the title of the lesson.

The science principle or

B. LESSON main
OPENERidea governing the
discussion in the lesson is
presented at the onset.

The caption provides

crucial information on how the
science principle discussed in
the lesson applies to the object
being shown in the picture.
 The section heading
indicates the specific aspect of the
lesson being dealt within the
succeeding discussion.
The illustration provides the
visual representation of the concept
being discussed in the body of the
C. LESSON PROPER
lesson.
The body of the lesson
provides a thorough discussion of
the concept at hand.

The label provides a

conceptual reference to what the
pictures stand for.
 The guide questions are
designed to help you understand
how a science principle works in
the real world by asking for the
results you obtained in the
experiment and linking it with
the theories and principles
behind it.
Answer each of the following questions:
1. What is scientific method? What is its importance in the natural and social
sciences?
2. In what ways are the natural sciences and the social sciences similar?
3. What is a paradigm? When does a paradigm change?
4. What are usual parts of a textbook in the natural and social sciences? Briefly
describe each of their functions.
5. Describe the language used in natural and social sciences textbooks. Why do
these materials make use of such a writing style?
6. What is thesis statement? Why is it important to identify the thesis statement
of the lesson?
7. What is the importance of pictures in textbooks for the natural and social
sciences?
8. How can knowing the structure of a text help a reader locate specific
information?