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• Is animal testing a justified?

• Is the death penalty appropriate? Or should it be banned?


Should cell phones be used during class?
Should laptops be allowed in classrooms?
Is global warming an issue?
• Is there good reason for the American war on terror?
• Does school detention do any good in high schools?
What impact does social networking and social networking sites have on
society?
• Is euthanasia justified?
Are video games containing violence appropriate for children?
• Are single sex schools more effective than co-ed schools?
• Is television an effective tool in building the minds of children?
Should jobs be subcontracted into developing countries?
Is cloning animals ethical?
• Is the grading system used in high school effective?
Do celebrities get away with more crime than non-celebrities?
• Is it justified to develop nuclear energy for commercial use?
• Is it effective to censor parts of the media?
Are humans to blame for certain animal extinctions?
Are alternative energy sources effective and justified?
Do school uniforms make school a more effeétive place to learn?
Is drug testing athletes justified?
• Is it appropriate for adolescents to be sentenced to life without parole?
Should high schools provide daycare services for students who have
children?
Debate Format
OpeningStatements
I. Openingstatement from agree/pro team.
2. Disagree/con team asks any clarifying questions
3. Openingstatement from disagree/con team.
4. Agree/pro team asks any clarifying questions

Rebuttal
1. Agree/pro team repeats their opponent's arguments and tells
what is wrong with their position
2. Disagree/conteam repeats their opponent's arguments and tells
what is wrong with their position

FinalStatement
1. Agree/pro team summarizestheir position by speakingto their
opponent's counterpoints and closes with why their argument is
the best
2. Disagree/conteam summarizestheir position by speakingto their
opponent's counterpoints and closes with why their argument is
the best

Questions from the audience

Debate Preparation
1. Brainstorm and note evidence you can use to support your
position. Think of evidence from the story, your personal life, or
society.
2. Pick your strongest pieces of evidence to use and elaborate on
them.
3. Formulate a 2-3 minute opening statement arguing your position
on the topic.
4. Brainstorm points that your opponent may bring up; these will
help you refute their arguments in the rebuttal.
Debate Topics

TOPIC PRO CON DATE


School l. 1.
uniforms
promote unity 2. 2.
among
students
The graduated 1. 1.
licensing
program 2. 2.
should be
abolished
The death 1. 1.
penalty deters
crime 2. 2.
Government 1. 1.
money spent
on housing 2. 2.
prisoners is
bein wasted
Skateboarding l. 1.
should be
allowed on 2. 2.
ublic roads
Teenagers 1. 1.
should be able
to make their 2. 2.
own decisions
regarding
serious choices
Debate topics
Topic 1: Reputation should always be taken into
account when considering the testimony of a witness.

Topic 2: People cannot resist the allure of wealth and


power.

Topic 3: People inherently think in rigid terms of black


and white, right and wrong.

Topic 4: Societies try to suppress individual freedom to


maintain social order.
Debate Rubric:

1.2.2Explain Opinions

Demonstrates limited skill in Explains opinions by Demonstrates superior skill in


Explaining opinions. Provides providing logical support explaining opinions by providing
limited support or reasons; or reasons; can recognize relevant and specific support or
seldom recognizes other other viewpoints reasons; can recognize and
viewpoints accept other viewpoints.

1.2.3 Combine Ideas

Rarely connects ideas and Demonstrates the ability Demonstrates superior skill in
experiences in able to gain a to connect ideas and connecting ideas and experiences
better understanding when experiences through a through a variety of means to gain
generating and responding to standard range of means understanding when generating
texts to gain understanding and responding to texts
when generating and
responding to texts

3.1.1Use Personal Knowledge


Student has difficulty Student is able to determine Student is able to determine focus
determining focus of inquiry focus of inquiry based on of inquiry based on personal
based on personal expertise personal expertise and is able expertise and is able to clearly
and is unable to clearly to clearly express their express their research ideas with
express their research ideas research ideas confidence and sophistication

3.2.4 Access Information


Student demonstrates limited Student is able to Student is able to independently
skill in independently independentlyaccess access useful information from a
accessing information using information using a variety of large variety of tools and sources
tools and sources tools and sources (ex:
libraries, internet, media...)

3.2.5 Make Sense of Information


Student demonstrates limited Student is able to identify and Student is able to identify and
skill in identifying and record useful information from record useful information with
recording useful information a variety of sources ease and precision from a variety
from sources of sources

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