THE LANGUAGE OF

DEBATE
WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF A

CLAIM?
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A

CLAIM:
▸ Controversial statement

▸ Must have at least two sides

▸ A debater supports or refutes with evidence or reasoning

▸ Which one of the following statements is a CLAIM?

▸ “Schools should run year round.”

▸ “Wednesday comes after Tuesday.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WORD

WARRANT MEANS?
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR

WARRANT:
▸ Information used to support a claim

▸ Examples of types of evidence:

▸ Testimonial - an account from someone else

▸ Statistics - measurements, numbers & percentages

▸ Anecdotal - first-hand experiences or observations

from the debater
FOR A CONSTRUCTIVE ARGUMENT, TRY THESE

SENTENCE STARTERS:
▸ I believe…
▸ I think…
▸ I agree with this statement because…
▸ My reason for thinking this is…
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A

CLAIM:
▸ Chocolate
milk should
be banned
from
school
cafeterias.
$29

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LET’S CONTINUE…
IS THIS A GOOD

SOLUTION?