Author Topic: Debate class? (any ideas) (Read 7080 times)

tomburrows · « **on:** September 26, 2011, 02:42:42 PM »

Hi all,

I am preparing an after school debate class that the students requested.
They are a good set of kids looking to learn more than they get in the class. They want to do a debate class.
has anyone done one of these before?
Also they were very specific, they want to learn the basics required for debating before actually doing the actual debates... phrases, words, or even ways to debate.

I appreciate any help at all for this

Thanks

Tom

bhogj · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2011, 03:12:53 PM »

This is one I used in class (skip to the second half). It's pretty basic, but it's a good starting point for teaching debates. Other things my book included was whether or not the school should sell soda. Good luck!

helen_chin · « **Reply #2 on:** September 27, 2011, 08:33:18 AM »

I'm thinking of holding a debate in my after school class too.

I found this..it maybe useful. You can change the subject.

http://www.eslflow.com/debatelessonplan.html

mthrl · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2011, 08:41:06 AM »

I teach 3 debate classes per week with more advanced students at my middle school.

I usually write a topic for debate up on the board, give a brief intro, and then the students split into groups of 4-5 and each group takes turns to debate the topic at the back of the class while the others write an argumentative style essay.

Argumentative essays and debates use the same set of phrases, so you could probably teach the students phrases like:
On the one hand... on the other hand...
Firstly, secondly... etc.
It is my opinion that...
I believe... , because...
I agree / I disagree
I think that

Place a lot of emphasis on backing opinions up with good reasons.

Here are some topics that have been successful in my classes:

Celebrities should be allowed more privacy
Students should wear uniforms
People who live in small apartments shouldn't keep pets.

Good luck! :D

tomburrows · « **Reply #4 on:** September 28, 2011, 08:24:53 AM »

Thank you for all your ideas!!!
really appreciated. I will make a start on these classes while I am doing my 8hr desk warming stint :D haha

holtd2 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 28, 2011, 08:29:02 AM »

Have you tried using the desert island game. It's where you give twelve people different characteristics, such as one is a doctor, another is carpenter, some are women, some are men, old/young, fat/thin etc etc. And then the class set about choosing which five get to live and the seven that have to die. You get the students to explain their reasons for choosing and it brings up some interesting results.

steves · « **Reply #6 on:** September 28, 2011, 08:32:12 AM »

There's a book that looks really good called "Discover Debate" I don't know who wrote it but it's published by Compass Publishing. It covers the basics of how to debate in an esl context.

cactus · « **Reply #7 on:** September 28, 2011, 09:35:32 AM »

I think the desert island/survivor game is a very good way to start. It is pretty straight forward and fun. Another variation on that that I've tried is a dating one. You have a list of males and females and the students have to play match-makers. You can use categories such as education, age, personality, job, interests, etc. It's interesting to see which categories the students find most important.

But yeah, it's also important, later, when you want them to get to the point of being able to debate like a debate team that you teach them some useful expressions such as mthrl posted.

Doraemon · « **Reply #8 on:** September 29, 2011, 08:21:52 AM »

thank you for the debate topics.. I'm desk warming till the 11th oct.. so I have plenty of time to work on this ^___^ thank you :D

Fritz · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2012, 12:27:07 PM »

That desert island game sounds fantastic. I'm making an activity handout for it, and I'll post it here soon. I know this is an old thread, but I found it by searching for "debate topics" so I'm sure others will find it also. :)

aalexandromoreno · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:05:17 PM »

I found this. Pretty useful, I think.
http://claweb.cla.unipd.it/home/mcanapero/debate.htm

nathanpollard · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:35:39 PM »

Hello there, I have 3 PPT's I have uploaded with topics you could use and adjust for your classes.

http://waygook.org/index.php/topic,32368.msg222038.html#msg222038

Suz-goose · « **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:42:43 PM »

I made one for my little darlings about whether foreigners should learn Korean in Korea. It's not great but if anyone can get some use out of it go ahead!

Fritz · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2012, 08:57:47 AM »

Here's the Lifeboat Game handout I made. I used it yesterday with young mid-level students, and it was lots of fun. It would probably be better with slightly higher level students. There are no instructions for the teacher, but it should be pretty straightforward. The first four pages are the handout, and the last page with the names should be cut up and put in a hat so the students can randomly draw a name. Feel free to alter this activity to better suit your class. Have fun!

Fritz · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2012, 09:19:56 AM »

Oh, and here's a debate activity I made about whether or not Korean women should also be required to serve in the military. I used it last week. It was a little difficult for my lower-level students but still generated some good discussion.

aalexandromoreno · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2012, 09:28:58 AM »

Quote from: nathanpollard on April 04, 2012, 02:35:39 PM

Hello there, I have 3 PPT's I have uploaded with topics you could use and adjust for your classes.

http://waygook.org/index.php/topic,32368.msg222038.html#msg222038

Nathan, appreciate the contribution but maybe I'm missing something. How do the PPT's you linked to relate back to debate? It seems they were mostly designed for lower level. The kids in debate class are often more advanced and would be bored with such elementary ideas as describing people with common adjectives like tall and fat. I'm having problems coming up with conversation cues to get them to discuss more abstract ideas.

nathanpollard · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2012, 11:58:35 AM »

I am sorry if you were confussed. There is a section on the post which has some ppts with topics that I thought you could use and expand upon for your class.

melanie0989 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 23, 2017, 10:04:17 AM »

Just adding my own debate class to the list so I can save it and access it. Thanks!

melanie0989 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 31, 2017, 11:33:07 AM »

Welp, I somehow managed to mix up discussion and debate. Anyway, here's an actual debate class

melanie0989 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 31, 2017, 12:23:17 PM »

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