CurriculumGrade 10English Language Arts

Evaluating a Speaker's Reasoning

Aligned to SL.9-10.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and evidence, and name any fallacy or distorted data. Separate a persuasive delivery from a sound argument — a confident tone is not proof.

Worked example

A speaker who says 'everyone already agrees, so the debate is over' uses the bandwagon fallacy; popularity is offered where evidence should be.

Practice questions

  1. Summarize a speaker's main claim and the reasoning behind it.
  2. Identify one weak link, fallacy, or distorted piece of evidence.
  3. Write a question that would test the soundness of their argument.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Evaluar el Razonamiento de un Orador

Evalúa el punto de vista, el razonamiento y la evidencia de un orador, y nombra cualquier falacia o dato distorsionado. Separa una presentación persuasiva de un argumento sólido — un tono seguro no es prueba.

Ejemplo: Un orador que dice 'todos ya están de acuerdo, así que el debate terminó' usa la falacia del efecto de arrastre; ofrece popularidad donde debería haber evidencia.

More Speaking & Listening lessons

Leading Collaborative DiscussionSL.9-10.1Integrating and Vetting SourcesSL.9-10.2Digital Media in PresentationsSL.9-10.5Adapting Speech to ContextSL.9-10.6

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