A debate is a structured argument between two teams.

An opinion is a view or belief that a person has.

Reasoning is explaining why a person has a certain opinion.

To justify an opinion means giving clear reasoning.

Convincing someone will make them agree with your opinion.

Justifying an opinion

English

Making points and explanations in a debate

Giving proof and summarising an argument

Learning the roles in a debate and making a rebuttal

Making and responding to points of information

Preparing for a debate

Writing notes to support delivering a speech in a debate

Judging and scoring a debate

In ‘Introduction to Debate’, the pupils learn to justify their opinions with reasoning. In the Year 5 unit ‘Persuasive letter writing’, the pupils will build on this by using their justification skills to make a persuasive argument. 

In ‘Speeches’, pupils learned how to articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions, using a set structure to support them.  In this unit, they will build on that skill by learning how to prepare and participate in debates.

In this unit, pupils develop their understanding of debating conventions, including justifying, making points, giving proof, summarising, responding, judging and scoring a debate. Pupils learn how best to prepare for a debate and how to write notes to deliver a speech during a debate.

Introduction to debate

A structure is the way something is organised.

A point is an idea or reason to support your opinion.

An explanation means giving reasons to help someone understand an opinion.

Proof refers to the evidence used to support an opinion.

A summary will briefly recap the main points of an argument.

The motion is the name for the belief or proposal that is being debated.

The team that agrees with the motion is called the proposition.

The team that disagrees with the motion is called the opposition.

A rebuttal point is a counter-argument made against something specific that the opposing team has said.

An interruption is the action of stopping something from continuing.

Generate means to produce or create something.

To order is to arrange things a particular way.

To assign means to allocate or designate.

Liaise means to communicate with someone else.

Notes are brief, concise and often abbreviated records of information.

Judging means evaluating and deciding something.

Delivery is how a person presents something.

Style refers to the way that a person presents something.

Content is the substance, material and information that something is made of.

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Introduction to debate

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