Class 7
FOR SEATTLE U TOURNAMENT PREP
Elementary Debate Instruction

 

 

10 minutes before Class:

--Assist in greeting parents and students and bring them into the building

--Go to your room

--Greet Kids and do attendance at the beginning of your lab

USE Climb Entries Seattle U Tournament - Google Sheets TO DO ATTENDANCE

 

Then Prepare the students for the Tournament:

 

1. Go over Logistics with the students.

Make each kid show you their Tournament Dashboard and that it is favorited/bookmarked.

DASHBOARD SU SPEECH DEBATE EVENTS

Go through each relevant part of the Dashboard—clicking it and showing what is there.

Answer student questions.

 

2. Get the kids into their teams.

Identify—means you have the kids raise their hands and write it down!

Identify who is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th speaker.

Identify who gives 2 speeches if you have 3 speakers.

Get the teams together.

 

3. Make the kids show their Pro and Con Contentions on each topic. IT IS BEST THAT each team member have different contention arguments. Work with the kids to achieve this.

Many of the kids’ cases are too short! Give some time for kids to embellish, add facts, etc. to their cases so the script is FULLY filled out and will give the kid a 1.5 minute speech. Hopefully just a few kids do not have a case or cases. Tell them they have to get it done.

SCRIPT: new-format-scripts.docx     new-format-scripts.pdf

 

Can you use your script on your computer instead of printing? Yes.

 

4. Practice having the kids respond to contentions and setup a shared set of responses.

State a contention (on one of the topics), have one kid respond.

Comment on the kids’ responses. LOOK FOR THESE 2 KEY THINGS:

1. They need AT LEAST 2 AND PREFERABLY 3 RESPONSES

2. Their responses must as a whole, show their opponent’s argument is wrong, not very strong/important, that their case idea better solves the issue raised in the contention, and/or their arguments are more important than the opposition’s contention.

Then go to the next kid and state a different contention (on one of the topics).

Go through each and every kid doing this.

 

5. Practice defending contentions.

Instructor: Ask student what their contention is, you as the instructor, make 2 responses against it. Go through each and every kid doing this.

Then, each kid presents their defense.

Comment on the kids’ responses. LOOK FOR THESE 2 KEY THINGS:

1. They need to restate their contention—making it persuasive again.

2. They need to respond convincingly to each of the opponent’s responses

3. They point out Dropped arguments and they show why their argument is still true AND why it is so important.

 

6. Practice weighing.

Instructor: Tell the kids that they’ve heard the contentions people are presenting. They need to show why their/their team’s contentions are stronger and more important than their opponents.

Then, each kid presents their weighing.

Comment on the kids’ weighing. LOOK FOR THESE 2 KEY THINGS:

1. They need to briefly state their strong argument is stronger than ___ they should VERY briefly restate the title of their opponent’s best argument(s).

2. They should give reasons their ARGUMENT is stronger.

NOT GOOD REASONS
“We worked harder.”
“We had better sources.” (unless the opponent sources are REALLY bad, no one cares)

“We had more arguments.” (so what? 18 weak arguments does NOT outweigh 1 very strong argument)

YES GOOD REASON

“Saving lives is more important than cost because 1) human lives are valuable and people can handle the cost; 2) we showed the cost is a good investment that will benefit people and the economy; and 3) we ultimately save money because less health issues, better productivity.”

.

7. Practice Question and Answer.

Instructor: Have one kid present their case. Have the other kids ask questions for 2 minutes.

Then, break into 2 people. One person presents their case. The other person asks questions. Then, switch.

 

Sign up to Judge at Seattle U Tournament

 

 

Elem Pro Con New Format.pdf