1.

Project title

ARGUMENTATIVE SKILLS IN ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT

2. Project description

The following proyect will show the characteristics of an argumentative text, the impportance of
elements like coherence and cohesion, as well as the description for each one.Therefore, the
learner can analize the argumentative text shown at the end, in this case will be an opinion piece
about a controversial topic in Colombia. Furthermore, the student will be able to detect and
implement the elements of an argumentative text and its characteristics.

3. Project goals

The first objective of this paper is to guide the students to have a better understanting on what a
general argumentative writing must be. Also, by incentivating a critical position about the topic,
the learners will have the opportunity to discuss and use the linking words and search for more
academic ways to correct or complete the text.Which will led also to an advancement on
argumentative speaking.

Accomplish the use of academic lexic to enrich english daily speaking and writing, by
comparing academic words in spanish (on the article 117 of The colombian Plan Nacional de
desarrollo 2018-2022) and then finding a translation into english.

ARGUMENTATIVE TEXTS FUNTIONS

OBJECTIVE:

• Give valid reasons

• Defend a position about a specific topic
• Persuade or convince

RESOURCES

• Object: Controversial topic

• Reporter or person who write the text: Expresses his/her point of view
• Polemical point: Generates controversy (one or more positions)
• Arguments: a reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea or thesis.
STRUCTURE

THESIS/ DISSERTATION
Main idea or statement that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.
ARGUMENTATIVE BODY

Reflexive process that develops, bolsters,rebut or applies the main idea. The text can have 3
arguments and optional a counter-argument that can be discussed for making stronger the
other arguments
CONCLUSION
Pick up the whole text in order to restate the thesis in a persuasive and succinct manner to the
reader, it also may have a reflection.

MAIN ELEMENTS OF AN ARGUMENTATIVE TEXT

COHERENCE AND COHESION

The argumentative text also must have the elements of coherence and cohesion, that refers to
intra-text connectedness, that will make the text more comprehensible.

Coherence: Adduce to the whole sence on the writing, not sentence by sentence but the
complete piece, therefore the main idea or theme is understandable (connection of ideas at the
idea level “rethorical” aspects of the writing).

Cohesion: Make reference to the connection of the sentences of the writing. One sentence must
have sence regarding the next one. (grammatical aspects of the writing).

LINKING WORDS

(Image taken from https://www.fluentland.com/forums/topic/linking-words-phrases-in-english-6/)

ACTIVITIES

4. Seven activities (1 per learning style)

VISUAL LEARNING STYLE

1)Look at the next graphic and chart and analize the percentage of population who are currently
working

2)Point out to the population group in which you and each of the members of your family are.

3) Then find the article 117 on the ‘Plan Nacional de desarrollo 2018-1022’ and highlight the 5
academic words that appear more than 5 times (Using the control+ f tactic,to develop a semantic
analisys)

You can find the document on the next link https://www.larepublica.co/economia/estos-son-los-

cambios-pensionales-que-trae-el-articulado-del-plan-nacional-de-desarrollo-2835650
(Taken from https://www.larepublica.co/economia/estos-son-los-cambios-pensionales-que-trae-el-
articulado-del-plan-nacional-de-desarrollo-2835650)

AURAL LEARNIGN STYLE

1)With the words found on the last point on the article in spanish, find the translation for them in
english and then search for the correct way of saying them. Pronounce them and find the
similarities of the sounds and what changes from one word to another.

VERBAL LEARNIGN STYLE

Read the next opinion piece, find the main idea and add the linking words when missing.

Is the government trying to score a goal behind us?

It is no secret to anyone , how the Government makes transcendental changes that affect
our way of life without asking us and almost like a ninja leaves no trace about the manner in
which it develops its acts, acts of which results are seen after that the damage or action is
already irreversible.

Article 117 of the development plan is not the exception to the ninja method used by the
government, and is that this is to expropriate nothing more or nothing less than the pension
savings of those who fail to quote the stipulated weeks to retire To address such a
hypothetical situation (if the article is accepted), it is necessary to compare it with the current
circumstance, and that is that today, if a person does not retire, because he does not reach
the weeks, but if he meets the age; The amount saved is returned. Regardless of the
pension fund to which this is linked. Thus, for example, if a person is quoting in
Colpensiones, the amount saved is returned. Case that is repeated if a person is in a
private fund, is returned the amount saved plus the interest of the same. In addition, and the
event of death the amount is delivered to the inheritors.

While with article 117 of the national development plan of our current and "beloved"
government, several things would change:

1. If you do not reach the weeks to retire, you have only 10 days to ask for the refund, if
the person did not notice, it was passed for some reason or was not well advised,
that money was saved with much effort throughout life to ensure a dignified old age,
stops being of the person and ...
 2. ..It goes to the famous system of BEPs (Periodic Economic Benefits), these are
programs that the government claims to help people mostly in informality, to whom it
is difficult to get to retire.

3. The money ceases to be of the contributor, ceases to be inheritable, yes! .. if the

contributor dies the amount saved is not delivered to his heirs, which definitely a total
impudence.

4. When the money goes to the BEPs, the person will wait for a check every month.
The amount of this check will then depend on the amount of money saved.
Therefore,you would be given $ 40,000 a month at best, and I will explain what I
mean by "the best"

*The panorama TODAY is that the monthly outgoing monthly payment of the BEPs is
$ 40,000. Now, if article 117 wins, the monthly fee would not be based on the national
average, but rather on what the contributory savings during his life.*

*[Of the returns that occurred last year, which were more or less than 1 million people,
770,000 were from private funds. The average return in this population was $ 35,000,000
pesos.]

Let's put it in context and develop an example, with this article, if I, Laura Castiblanco, can
not reach retirement, I would only have:

• Only 10 days to claim the return of my money.

• If I did not claim during those 10 days, I will receive a monthly check. If my saving
was $ 35,000,000 (based on the national average of last year's return on private
funds), I would only get a check for $ 145,000. Not to mention that the picture can be
even darker, seeing that the average return in the public sector (Colpensiones) was $
4,000,000 or $ 5,000,000, in this case the value of the check drawn monthly by the
BEP would range between $ 16,000 to $ 18,000, the question is, what is going
through the heads of the government to think that someone can live with that amount
per month. That is to say that in the end it will depend on what the person saved
during his life and if he was quoted by half of a private fund or the public sector.
The government's argument is that they want to reach a higher percentage of the
pensioned population, the labor minister of the Duque government says that "14
million workers do not pay for pensions, a situation that, according to them, is very
worrying".

Pretty questionable situation is of the concern of the government. I wonder, is not it

worrisome to take the money saved with effort throughout the life of Colombians to
cover up the shortcomings of the same government, wanting to be very "equitable"
and in the end really do not know the money to those who say it are they going to
supply? Another question that arises is, Who do you think that live with $ 16,000 or $
40,000, is guaranteed with that amount a dignified old age?

What I encourage with this article is for us as a population to be well informed, and as a
conclusion rather than inviting, it would be to demand from our government not to put that
goal with that article, we want to make a pension reform, This is a subject that should be
dealt with publicly, that should be addressed head-on, not by means of a "ninja maneuver"
with an article so that when people realize they have already lost their money.

Laura Castiblanco
Opinion Piece Article # 117 of ‘Plan Nacional de Desarrollo de Colombia’ 2018-2022. By the
current president of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez.