Debate lecture notes
· Why have debates?
o A debate is a way for people to have a conversation about something that they do not agree about in a polite, civil, intelligent fashion.
o They are productive and not destructive!
· There are rules!
o You must present factual information; it must come from some place respectable.
o It’s ok to admit when you’re wrong! Building on false information will only turn against you!
o Your must be polite; a strong argument does not need brutality to make its point.
o You must listen to your opponent; you must be able to defend yourself from his arguments and the best way is to answer all of his points with well rounded answers.
o You must take your turn; in order to have a well thought out debate each team with be given turns. The opening team will be given 3 minutes to present their opening argument, the second team will then be given 2 minutes to present their opening arguments and then 2 more minutes to make their rebuttal and so on the time table will look like so…
Team / Time given1 / 3 minutes of opening arguments
2 / 2 minutes for opening arguments and 2 minutes for rebuttal
1 / 3 minutes for rebuttal
2 / 3 minutes for rebuttal
1 / 2 minutes for closing arguments
2 / 2 minutes for closing arguments
Practice debate notes
· First each student will be given time to create their opening argument.
· It is important to write as much information down as possible! The more points you have the better such as:
o Cake is fluffier than and not as filling as pie.
o Cake is easier to make than pie.
o Cake isn’t as messy as pie.
· REMEMBER!!! You must be prepared to explain each of your points!
· ALLOW STUDENTS TO READ THEIR OPENING ARGUMENTS NOW
· Things to watch out for while speaking:
o Moving around too much, don’t distract the audience from what you’re saying.
o Don’t use words such as “ummm” or “like” too often.
o Make sure you’re looking at your audience so that they know you are confident in your knowledge.
· Rebuttals- this is when you defend yourself from what your opponent and present new information.
o Write down each point your opponent makes about your case and find information in your notes to counter it.
o Make sure what your opponent is saying is true; if they have no proof they have no case.
o Take what your opponent says and think of any information you can use create a new point that you had not thought of before.
· ALLOW TIME FOR THE STUDENTS TO PRESENT A REBUTTAL!
o Make sure the students remain polite and wait their turn.
o Allow time for the class to ask any questions about what you have told them.
o Allow the practice students to produce two rebuttals before moving on.
· Closing arguments- summarize your case and how you defended yourself from your opponent in a brief speech.
· ALLOW THE STUDENTS TO FORMULATE A CLOSING ARGUMENT!
· Write each student’s final points on the board as they are reading them and ask the class if they missed anything.
· Make sure the class knows that the final argument could make or break their case.
· THINGS TO DO WHILE SPEAKING
o Speak Clearly
o Don’t make too many unnecessary movements
o Make eye contact
o Posture is important, look confident!
o Be polite!!!!!
MOCK TRIAL ROMEO AND JULIET STYLE!
While reading William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, you probably noticed there was a lot of arguing. A lot of things were said and sometimes it was confusing to tell who was wrong or right. It is your turn to step into the shoes of the characters a conduct a debate to prove that which characters were right in their actions. You must divide into groups of no more than four people. You may play the role of any character in the play as long as you can find a point in the book where these characters have a disagreement of some sort and enough information can be gathered in order to back up your point! In order to be given a team divide into groups and decide what characters you would like to play, then come see me and I will flip a coin to determine who is on team 1(who gets the first opening statement) and who is on team 2(who gets the last word).
Student’s Names / CharactersTeam 1: / Team 1:
Team 2: / Team 2:
Now build a case against your opposing team. Things to consider while doing this:
o You must find information that not only proves that you were accurate in your actions but you must also present previous actions conducted by your opponent.
o You must find information that could be used against you and create a defense.
o The more information you have prepared means you are more prepared against your opponent, try to speak for as long as you can even if you must be stopped by the buzzer.
o Organize your information in a fashion that will make sure your best points in the debate are present as soon as you can.
o This is an intelligent argument; don’t plan to insult your opponent or present false information in order to damage their case.
Mock Trial Grading Sheet
Students Names: ______
Team 1 / PointsUse of time during opening arguments / Out of 5
Use of time during first rebuttal / Out of 5
Use of time during second rebuttal / Out of 5
Use of time during closing arguments / Out of 5
Over all debate manners and attitude / Out of 10
Use and proof of factual evidence / Out of 10
Evidence that the other team’s questions were acknowledged and answered / Out of 10
Total Score / Out of 50 points
Students Names: ______
Team 2 / PointsUse of time during opening arguments / Out of 5
Use of time during first rebuttal / Out of 5
Use of time during second rebuttal / Out of 5
Use of time during closing arguments / Out of 5
Over all debate manners and attitude / Out of 10
Use and proof of factual evidence / Out of 10
Evidence that the other team’s questions were acknowledged and answered / Out of 10
Total Score / Out of 50 points
Rationale
· This activity was inspired by Burke with his the Golding Trial (pg 229) and what I have observed in my field experience. I adjusted this lesson to follow my strategy of constant rotation, writing and speaking lessons. High school students love to talk and they love to talk about themselves and when you give them the ability to do almost all of that while they’re in class they are a lot more willing to participate.
· I really enjoy debates and I wish to get involved in the debate team at whatever high school I end up in and I have enjoyed putting this lesson together. High school students are at an age where they like to rebel and define who they are, by giving them the knowledge of how to clearly and intelligently compose what they want to prove into a speech they will have a better chance of being understood and respected by those around them.
· With all of the new movies coming out most high school students believe the best way to win a fight is string together the longest chain of bad words that they can think of. By teaching students how to be productive with their arguing they may be able to handle themselves better when they are in a fight they don’t want to be in. I wish nothing more than to help my students become the strong and intelligent people that they want to be.
· I think this lesson will be effective because of how brief and educational it is. It is a way for me to introduce debate to my class before capitalizing on it later on in their high school career. I want to put this lesson to the test to see if it survives.
Works Cited
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet: Cambridge School Shakespeare. 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Raugh, Ian. “How to: Conduct a Debate.”Ian Rough’s Blog. 2009. WordPress.com. September 16, 2009. <http://ianraugh.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/how-to-conduct-a-debate/