Speaker's Claim and Evidence

Speaker's Claim, Credibility, and Evidence

by Jordan Cole

​Essential Questions

• What are interviews and how are they conducted?

• ​What exactly are claims made by a speaker or interviewee?

• ​How do we know if a claim is credible?

• ​Are there different levels of credibility?

  ​What does credibility depend on?

​Learning Intentions

• ​What are we learning today?

  • Today, we are going to learn about claims a speaker or interviewee would make. We are also going to discuss credibility and what it means for a claim to be credible versus not credible. Furthermore, we will look into how evidence can play a major role in determining a claim's credibility.

• ​Why are we learning this?

  • Just as we learned about claims last school year, this lesson will build off of what we discussed and look more in-depth at how a claim can be either credible or perhaps not. Understanding this difference will help you identify more credible sources of information.

• ​How will I know I've learned this?

  • ​You will know that you have learned a thing or two about claims and credibility if you can:

    • ​Identify the different levels of credibility

    • ​Evaluate a claim based off of credibility criteria

    • ​Evaluate hypothetical claims based off the credibility criteria

​What are interviews and how are they conducted?

​

• Interview = ​a structured conversation between two people that is presented either in written or in broadcast format.

  • ​Usually, the interviewer is a journalist, and the interviewee is a person with special knowledge.

    • ​ In print, the conversational structure is reflected in the question-and-answer format, in which both questions and answers appear in the text.

      • ​In broadcasts, the conversation is recorded for anyone to replay and listen to at their discretion.

Open Ended

What is an interview?

​​What exactly are claims made by a speaker or interviewee?

• Interviewees often express claims, or assertions of a position or truth.​

  • ​A claim can either be factual or a judgment.

    • ​Examples:

      • Claims in Advertising - 4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident.

      • ​Claims in Speeches - Martin Luther King, Jr., “I have a dream” speech

      • ​Claims in Literature - Monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or a less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience.

        • ​East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Open Ended

What is a claim?

​​How do we know if a claim is credible?

• ​In order to be credible, those claims must be supported with evidence.

  • ​Evidence - any sort of information that supports a certain claim.

    • ​Types of evidence:

      • ​quotations, opinions, facts, statistics, stories, observations, and propaganda.

        • ​Fact-based evidence includes findings from research studies, data, and other documented information.

          • ​ In interviews that involve personal experiences, evidence may involve impressions and feelings.

Open Ended

What do I need to confirm that a claim is credible? 

​​Are there different levels of credibility?

• Some kinds of evidence are more credible than others.

  • ​Strong, credible evidence supports the author’s claim and strengthens the argument.

​Credibility Levels

• Lowest credibility: A claim that is not supported by evidence from an authoritative source​

• Low credibility: A claim that is supported by evidence from what could be an authoritative source, but the source is not commonly recognize

• ​Moderate credibility: A claim that is that supported and verified by a single recognized expert or other authoritative source

• High credibility: A claim that is supported and verified by multiple recognized experts or other authoritative source

Multiple Choice

The New England Journal of Medicine is an example of what level of credibility? 

• Low Level

• Lowest  Level

• Highest Level

• Moderate Level

Multiple Choice

When you tell a lie and get caught, this is an example of...

• Least Credibility

• Low Credibility

• Median Credibility

• High Credibility

​What does credibility depend on?

• The credibility of a speaker’s claims depends on three things: logic, evidence, and sources.​

  • ​Logic: Before you evaluate a claim, first make sure that it is well-reasoned and makes sense.

  • ​Evidence: Evidence of all sorts can have varying degrees of credibility.

  • ​Sources: Sources can be in text or oral form. The best sources are recognized institutions and experts on a specific topic.

Multiple Choice

A person's position on an issue is their...

• Opinion

• Claim

• Rebuttal

• thesis

Multiple Choice

​In order to be credible, those claims must be supported with...

• Evidence

• Opinions

• Preferences

• Debates

Multiple Choice

A claim that is supported by evidence from what could be an authoritative source, but the source is not commonly recognized is an example of...

• Lowest credibility

• Low credibility

• Moderate credibility

• High credibility

Multiple Choice

To make sure a claim is well-reasoned and makes sense, it must first be considered...

• Logical

• Evidential

• Credible

• Formal