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Debate Unit Objectives

Learning Standards
1.B.3d  Read age-appropriate material with fluency and accuracy.
1.C.3c  Compare, contrast, and evaluate ideas and information from various sources and genres
1.C.3d  Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material
1.C.3f  Interpret tables that display textual information and data in visual formats
3.C.3a  Compose persuasive messages for a specified audience
4.A.3d  Demonstrate the ability to identify and manage barriers to listening (note taking)
4.B.3a  Deliver planned oral presentations
4.B.3c  Develop strategies to manage or overcome communication anxiety and apprehension
5.A.3a  Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions through research
5.A.3b  Design a project related to contemporary issues using multiple sources
5.B.3a  Choose and analyze information sources for academic purposes
5.B.3b  Identify, evaluate, and cite primary sources
5.C.3c  Take notes, conduct interviews, organize and report information in oral, visual, and electronic formats

Instructional Goals:  Students will

Writing/Speaking
•    Take notes on note cards
•    Organize and prepare a 4 minute constructive speech
•    Create a complete Works Cited
•    Take flow notes and evaluate a winner for each debate
•    Speak extemporaneously to answer rebuttal questions

Reading/Listening
•    Find sources pertaining to student’s debate topic
o    books, periodicals, electronic database, etc.
•    Evaluate sources for bias and the 4 r’s (reliable, relevant, representative, recent)
•    Read for evidence to support both sides of arguments
•    Listen to debates and be able to outline arguments and evidence on flow notes
•    Listen to debate opponent and be able to formulate rebuttal questions/evidence

Debate Structure and Terms

A debate begins with a resolution.  The resolution is a statement proposing a change from the current situation.

The affirmative speaker agrees with the resolution.

The negative speaker agrees with the resolution.

Structure of the Debate--

The Affirmative Constructive speech is first.  The affirmative speaker gets 4 minutes to present his/her argument.  Nobody interrupts the speaker during his/her speech.

The Negative Constructive speech is second.  The negative speaker gets 4 minutes to present his/her argument.  Nobody interrupts the speaker during his/her speech.

The last part of the debate will be 4 minutes of Rebuttal.  During the rebuttal period, opponents can ask questions about each other's informaiton.  Listeners may also ask questions of the debaters.  Listeners may not join the debate themselves by trying to offer their own information or opinions.  Listeners ask questions only to clarify points or see if debaters might have additinl information to refute their opponent's claims.

While pairs are debating, listening students will conduct flow notes as a method to follow and evaluate each debate.

Debate Sources

For this debate you will consult at least 6 sources for your evidence cards.  For a debate, both opponents must have equal access to sources; thus, all sources must be available to the general public.

Acceptable Sources
non-fiction books (hard or electronic copies)
magazine articles (hard or electronic copies)
newspaper articles (hard or electronic copies)
movie or television documentaries
websites (if you can establish their credibility)

Unacceptable Sources
fiction books
personal interviews
personally conducted surveys
fiction television or movies
personal web pages when you cannot establish the author's credibility
dictionaries or encyclopedia.

Remember the 4 R's:  Recent, Reliable, Representative, Relevant.

Students must also keep track of all sources used on a gold Bibliography sheet.

Debate Evidence Cards

You must have at least 25 evidence cards for your debate.

An evidence card has three parts:  main idea, source information, and 1 fact, quote, statistic, or example.  You can summarize the author's statement, or you can directly quote the article (with quotation marks).  If the article quotes somebody other than the author, be sure to identify who the speaker is and why he/she is a credible expert.  Here are examples for an article about school uniforms:
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Students are individuals

Jennifer Perillo.  "Dressed for Success?"  Scholastic Choices, Sept. 1995

Jay Miller, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Illinois said school uniforms "strip students of their individuality."

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Violence decreases

Jennifer Perillo.  "Dressed for Success?"  Scholastic Choices, Sept. 1995

According to Dick Van Der Lann, Information Officer at the Long Beach
Unified School District, school violence has gone down greatly since
students started wearing uniforms.
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Debate Research Plan

Students will be working in the computer lab at school to find sources, and they should be reading and working on note cards at home every night.  Students may also access sources from home via the computer.  To do so they can go to the Geneseo Schools website (Middle School-->Library-->Online Resources).  Students have received the school passwords in order to access the following helpful electronic databases:

SIRS
EBSCO (Student Research Center of EBSCOHOST)
First Search

These databases are the first place students should start because they give up-to-date, professional reviewed sources.  After that point, students can use general web-based searches such as Ask or Google.  Students may also access my page of "Debate Research Links".





 


Last update: Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 1:51:47 PM
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