Becoming an advanced-level speaker of Spanish requires the speaker to be able to present a point of view and defend it. Ideally, there will also be the acknowledgement of the other point of view in a counterclaim.
Developing this level of skill is, in my opinion, best done in the context of high-interest content. These themes can be a bit controversial, of course, so consider your audience.
This frame to develop an argumentative paragraph is ideal after a reading and/or viewing on the topic in Spanish. Try searching YouTube with keywords such as “la belleza entre culturas”, “la belleza por la historia”, “belleza y la autoestima” or “la belleza y la cirugÃa plástica” to find material suitable for you or your audience. I suggest using the transcript to help with comprehension and serve as a source to refer back to during writing.
After viewing and building comprehension of the material, a discussion in which learners share their opinions after understanding the content of the material. is ideal before writing. If it is in a classroom environment, making a simple T-chart with ventajas and desventajas is great. This will help people develop how to express their opinions.
After spending some time thinking and talking through it all, learners will write. See the frame below to organize the paragraph.
| En mi opinión, la cirugÃa plástica (es / no es) una buena opción para mejorar la autoestima porque… In my opinion, plastic surgery (is / is not) a good option to improve self-esteem because… Yo creo que… I believe that… |
Esto es importante porque… This is important because… La razón principal es que… The main reason is that… Además… Additionally… / Furthermore… |
Por ejemplo, muchas personas… For example, many people… Un ejemplo claro es… A clear example is… Según… (una encuesta / algunas personas / estudios), … According to… (a survey / some people / studies), … |
Por otro lado, algunas personas dicen que… On the other hand, some people say that… Sin embargo, otros piensan que… However, others think that… |
| Aunque esto puede ser cierto, yo pienso que… Although this may be true, I think that… A pesar de este argumento, es más importante considerar que… Despite this argument, it is more important to consider that… |
En conclusión, la cirugÃa plástica… In conclusion, plastic surgery… Por estas razones, yo creo que… For these reasons, I believe that… |
la autoestima – self-esteem la presión social – social pressure la salud mental – mental health los estándares de belleza – beauty standards la inseguridad – insecurity los beneficios / los riesgos – benefits / risks la apariencia – appearance sentirse seguro/a – to feel confident cambiar / mejorar / aceptar – to change / to improve / to accept |
Use elements from each box. Include a counterclaim (see box above). |
This frame can be used for any argumentative paragraph – just replace the content/theme.
Here are some of my favorite resources to engage and inspire learners, to include my lifelong language learning journey.
Building Proficiency for World Language Learners: 100+ High-Interest Activities
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5 Weeks of No and Low Prep Fun
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100s of videos to learn Spanish:
