Public Forum Debate Topic & Deadlines

The next debate topic for all classes is:

Resolved: same sex couples should not have the legal right of marrage.

Assignments include:

4 Articles--Find and print or bookmark 2 Affirmative articles and 2 Negative articles--40 pts (Due 3/4 or 3/5)

40 Evidence Cards--Create 20 Affirmative and 20 Negative Evidence cards. Refer to the format from earlier blog site posts--80 pts. (Due 3/9 or3/10)

2 Sentence Outlines--Create 1 Affirmative and 1 Negative sentence outline for the debate resolution.--50 pts. (Due 3/15)

Debate--Debate against another person--100 pts (Begins 3/16)

Sample Evidence Card

This is the ONLY acceptable format for an evidence card. For the Public Forum Debate, each individual will need to show 20 Affirmative and 20 Negative evidence cards.

Sample Evidence Card for Debate…



MARRIAGE IS MEANT TO PROTECT WOMEN (Tagline-7 Words or less that summarizes the evidence)


Women Should Not Support Same-Sex Marriage. Sam Schulman.
Opposing Viewpoints: Feminism. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008.
(Source—Information where the evidence originates; use APA or MLA format)


A woman can control who is the father of her children only insofar as there is a civil and private order that protects her from rape; marriage is the bulwark of that order. The 1960's feminists had the right idea: the essential thing for a woman is to control her own body.(Data—Passage or quote from document giving the evidence you want to use for the debate

Public Forum Debate Topic

Right now 1st, 4th, 5th, and 8th Period classes voted for the following topic:

Resolved: Same-sex couples should not have the legal right of marriage.

I am recommending students go to www.myilibrary.org/Shortridge to the electronic database when at school. Then students can go to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. You enter the search phrase, "same sex marriage." You will then have plenty of documents available for this debate topic.

Individual Public Forum Debate

The next group of debates will be individual contests in a Public Forum format. Each class is voting on their debate resolution from three options I previously posted. The format for this debate is as follows:

Coin Flip--Coin Flip determines who is negative or affirmative and the order of speaking.

First Constructive-5 min.
Crossfire--3 min.
Second Constructive--5 min
First Rebuttal--3 min.
Second Rebuttal--3 min.
Grand Crossfire--2 min.
First Final Focus--1 min.
Second Final Focus--1 min.

Assignments

Show Teacher 4 Articles-2 Affirmative, 2 Negative--40 pts.
Evidence Cards/Sheets (MUST BE IN PROPER FORMAT) 20 Aff. & 20 Neg.--80 pts.
Sentence Outlines (One Affirmative and One Negative)--50 pts.
Debate--100 pts.
Self-Critique--50 pts.

I will post the due dates for each assignment next week.

Next Debate Topics

Each class will vote on the three options for the next debates:

#1--Same-sex couples should not have the legal right of marriage
#2--Indianapolis is a model of a great American city
#3--Events like Black History Month, Womens' History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month are prime examples of tokenism.

4th Period and 8th Period voted for option #1. For these debates, it will be individuals (one on one).

Mid-Term Grades

Mid-term grade will be entered on Tues. night. As of now, your major assignments and point values are as follows:

Data Sheet--75
Definitions of resolution words--25
2 Articles Related to Resolution--25
15 Aff. & 15 Neg. Evidence Cards--60
Aff. & Negative Outline--50

There are material checks which will factor into your grade but the number vary by class.

While currently assigned, these tasks will NOT be counted for your mid-term grade:

Terminology Assignment--80
1st Team Debate--100

Terminology Assignment

A handout was passed out on 2/9-10 for an assignment on terms relating to debate, speech and writing. The assignment is due 2/18-19 and is worth 80 points. You are to use a dictionary and write out the definition using a full sentence.

1. affirmative
2. negative
3. constructive
4. rebuttal
5. fallacy
6. objective
7. subjective
8. thesis
9. paradigm
10. induction
11. deduction
12. assertion
13. conclude
14. sequence
15. interpret
16. justify
17. define
18. classify
19. compare
20. contrast
21. synthesize
22. evaluate
23. identify
24. discuss
25. illustrate
26. infer
27. summarize
28. trace
29. claim
30. warrant
31. predict
32. speculate
33. analyze
34. examine
35. decode
36. investigate
37. dissect
38. criticize
39. assess
40. compose

Observing/Participating in Speech/Debate Tournaments

Remember it is a requirement for high school credit to attend one speech or debate tournament this semester. The remaining tournament dates and locations are as follows:

2/27--HS Speech Tournament @ Kokomo

3/20--HS State Speech Tournament @ Fishers

3/27--HS State Debate Tournament @ Kokomo

Remaining Tournaments to Attend

As stated from the beginning of the semester, in order to earn high school credit in debate this semester, you must attend (either compete or observe) at least ONE speech or debate tournament this Spring. Here are the remaining tournaments I am taking students:

2/6--State Debate Tournament at Ben Davis

2/27--Kokomo Speech Tournament

3/20--State Speech Tournament at Fishers

I already took students to the Carmel Middle School Speech Tournament and the Carmel High School Speech Tournament this semester.

You need to sign up outside Rm 214 and pick up a Field Trip form.

Case Outline Assignment--Due 2/4 or 2/5

Assignment is worth 50 points...

Each TEAM is to turn in one Affirmative case outline and one Negative case outline. Refer to the instructions on the post, Case Structure, for the specifics on an outline.

Cross Examination

Each speaker in a round will question another speaker and be questioned by his/her opponent. The cross examination period is two minutes. Some recommendations about cross-examination include:

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO...

1. Have at least 3 questions ready to ask before the round begins
2. Use closed-ended questions (Questions that require "yes" or "no" answers or short responses)
3. Create questions that set up your arguments in later speeches
4. If you asked the questions you needed and there is still time remaining, it is ok to sit down.

WHAT TO AVOID...

1. Asking very generic questions unless necessary (What are your sources?, Why are you speaking "for/against" the resolution?)
2. Asking open-ended questions (Questions that require long answers.)
3. Making statements instead of asking questions
4. Not ask any questions

Case Structure

The case structure is the foundation of your success in a debate. No structure or poorly formed arguments will result in confusion and shows a lack of preparation. Good case structure shows the team is prepared for competition and makes judging much easier.

The main determination about your case structure is your time limits. For this debate, the time limit for the 1st. Aff. speaker is 4 min. The other constructive speeches in the round will prepare cases 2 1/2-3 min. long. The remaining time is used to refute the arguments of the opposing team.

Due to the time limit, you should prepare a two-point argument. The outline looks like this:

Introduction--15-30 sec.

State Position in Round, Important Definitions, and Thesis--15 sec.

1st Main Point--Use major argument found in your evidence cards (You should have at least 3-5 evidence cards supporting this main point.) 45 sec.--1 1/2 min.

A. Subpoint--Use relevant evidence card to support the main point
B. Subpoint--Use another evidence card to support the 1st main point

2nd Main Point--Use another major argument found in your evidence cards (You should have at least 3-5 evidence cards supporting this main point.) 45 sec.--1 1/2 min.

A. Subpoint--Use relevant evidence card to support the 2nd main point
B. Subpoint--Use relevant evidence card to support the 2nd main point

Review Thesis and Conclusion--3o sec.

The evidence cards in your initial case should NOT be your best evidence cards. You want to save your best evidence for your rebuttal or to respond to what your opponent says against your case.

Topic Analysis

Team Debate Resolution--Resolved: School uniform policies significantly improve student learning.

There seems to be two keys to the resolution: 1. At what point does one reach, "significant improvement?" and 2. How does one define/measure, "student learning?" Determining the definition of both phrases are central to the case for affirmative and negative teams.

Possible Affirmative Arguments for this Resolution can include...

1. Statistics showing improved student performance (reading, writing, math scores on standardized tests.) after school uniform policies were implemented.

2. Studies or Statistics showing improvement in school safety (decreased violence, improved attendance, reduction in office referrals, suspensions, expulsions)

3. Improvement in school pride and school environment

4. Reduced cost for school clothing

Possible Negative Arguments can include...

1. Studies or statistics showing no change or a reduction in school performance after implementing school uniform policies.

2. Loss of privacy and/or freedom of expression

3. Increase cost of student clothing

4. Studies or statistics showing no change or reduction of school safety indicators

Debate Format

The team debate for class follows this structure:

1st Affirmative--4 min.
Cross Examination (CX)--2 min.
1st Negative--4 min.
CX--2 min.
2nd Affirmative--4 min.
CX--2 min.
2nd Negative--4 min.
CX--2 min.
1st Negative Rebuttal--3 min
1st Affirmative Rebuttal--3 min.
2nd Negative Rebuttal--3 min.
2nd Affirmative Rebuttal--3 min.

Prep Time per Team--3 min.

Evidence Assignment--Due 1/27-28 (60 pts.)

For the assignment, you need to collect and write out 15 Evidence Cards that are Affirmative and 15 Evidence Cards that are Negative related to the School Uniform Policy resolution. The format for an evidence card is as follows:


Tagline--7 Words or Less That Summarizes your Data

Source--Name, Date, Page # of publication used for your data

Data--Quote or summary of passage used for your data

Most likely you will need 5-8 articles on the debate topic to collect the assigned number of evidence cards.

Example: (Do Not Use This As One of Your Cards)

Tagline--School Uniforms Reduce Violence in Schools

Source: Newsweek 12/14/09 p. 36

Data--"According to a study performed by the University of Chicago's Department of Urban Education, two years after Chicago Public Schools implemented a school uniform policy in all its schools, reports of violence dropped 25%."

First Two Assignments

Read post for the first assignments:

DEFINITION ASSIGNMENTS

1. Using at least THREE different dictionary sources, write out the definition for each word in the resolution. Be sure to list the title of the source with each definition.

2. Identify the PART OF SPEECH for each word in the context of the resolution. The part of speech refers to whether the word is a noun, verb, adjuctive, adverb, preposition, etc. If you have no clue what I am talking about, show this to your language arts teacher or speak with me one on one.

ARTICLE ASSIGNMENT

1. Locate and print out 2 articles related to the debate topic. One article should support the resolution and one article should be negative against the resolution.

BOTH ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON WED. JAN. 20TH FOR 4TH, 5TH, AND 8TH PERIOD AND THURS. JAN. 21ST FOR 1ST AND 3RD PERIODS.

First Debate Topic

For the first debate of the Spring semester, we will use the following resolution:

Resolved: School uniform policies significantly improve student learning.

If you want to work ahead, the first assignment for this topic is....

1. Using at least THREE different dictionary sources, write out the definition for each word in the resolution. Be sure to list the title of the source with each definition.

2. Identify the PART OF SPEECH for each word in the context of the resolution. The part of speech refers to whether the word is a noun, verb, adjuctive, adverb, preposition, etc. If you have no clue what I am talking about, show this to your language arts teacher or speak with me one on one.

First Two Weeks of Class

For the first two weeks of the semester, students will be studying learning theory and participate in activities related to the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. They will take surveys to find out their preferred learning style and how they process information. Additionally they will receive the course syllabus and complete a data survey with their parent/guardian.

Welcome to Spring Semester!!!

I welcome the new students to the Spring edition of Debate class at Shortridge Magnet High School! During the semester we will participate in a variety of activities including:

Researching using electronic databases
Evaluating articles and information for evidence
Outlining and developing briefs for arguments
Debating other students
Attending speech and/or debate tournaments
Learning how people learn
Setting your own goals and communicating your own purpose or mission.

Debate is a high school credit class and will count towards the 42 credits you need to graduate from high school.

You will use this blogsite frequently for information and resources related to assignments. Be sure to check this site when instructed or at least weekly.

The next two weeks will include the following:

1. Taking a survey evaluating how you learn
2. Finding out about different styles of learning
3. Learning why teachers create a variety of different assignments
4. Knowing the difference between a goal and a mission
5. Finding out the different roles you have during a day
6. Developing your own mission and goals

Final Assignment Changes

Due to the changes in the schedule the last week of the semester, I had to alter our final assignments. For the final debates, you have the following assignments:

1. Final Debate against a classmate--100 pts. possible
2. Completing a debate ballot--50 pts. possible
3. Reflective Writing Final--100 pts. possible

Nearly all students have participated in at least one debate. Nearly all students have completed at least one ballot. The reflective writing is due by the end of the school day on Thursday (No late work accepted after Thursday at 2:30 PM).