CurriculumGrade 7English Language Arts

Evaluating a Speaker's Argument

Aligned to SL.7.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

When someone argues a point, break their argument into claims, then judge whether the reasoning makes sense and the evidence actually supports it.

Worked example

A speaker says, 'We should cancel recess — kids fall down.' Claim: cancel recess. Reason: injuries. But is the evidence strong? A few scrapes don't outweigh exercise — the reasoning is weak.

Practice questions

  1. Listen to a short persuasive speech or ad and state its main claim.
  2. Identify one reason or piece of evidence the speaker gives.
  3. Judge whether that evidence truly supports the claim, and explain why or why not.

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 argumento de un orador

Cuando alguien defiende una idea, separa su argumento en afirmaciones y juzga si el razonamiento tiene sentido y si la evidencia de verdad lo respalda.

Ejemplo: Un orador dice: 'Hay que quitar el recreo — los niños se caen.' Afirmación: quitar recreo. Razón: lesiones. ¿Es fuerte la evidencia? Unos raspones no superan el ejercicio; el razonamiento es débil.

More Speaking & Listening lessons

Discussion & Evidence-Based PresentingSL.7.1Analyzing Media MessagesSL.7.2Presenting Claims ClearlySL.7.4Multimedia in PresentationsSL.7.5Adapting How You SpeakSL.7.6

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