Evaluating a Speaker's Argument
Aligned to SL.11-12.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Critical listening means separating a speaker's stance from their reasoning and testing whether the evidence and rhetoric actually hold up. You weigh the premises, the logic, and the loaded words behind the delivery.
Worked example
A speaker's smooth phrase 'everyone agrees' hides a missing premise — that agreement, if real, still would not make the claim true.
Practice questions
- State a speaker's stance and the premise it rests on.
- Test whether the evidence supports the conclusion.
- Identify one word chosen to sway rather than inform.
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.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Evaluar el Argumento de un Orador
Escuchar con criterio significa separar la postura de un orador de su razonamiento y comprobar si la evidencia y la retórica realmente se sostienen. Sopesas las premisas, la lógica y las palabras cargadas detrás de la exposición.
Ejemplo: La frase fluida de un orador 'todos coinciden' oculta una premisa faltante: que ese acuerdo, si fuera real, aun así no haría verdadera la afirmación.
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