following set rules, traditions or an official way of doing things

having knowledge or information about something, usually because you've learned or researched it

a statement that a claim or criticism is not true

a statement that is being discussed and argued for or against in a debate

What is a formal debate?

English

Creating and presenting opening arguments for a debate

Responding in debates: effective rebuttals

Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating

In 'Participating in effective debates', pupils begin to confidently deliver complex ideas and arguments through spoken language. In 'The language of change' pupils will analyse, create and develop a presentation for delivery in a formal setting.

In 'The fundamentals of effective discussion', pupils begin to develop their spoken language skills through discussion, understanding how to develop and challenge other speakers using evidence. In 'Participating in effective debates' pupils will use their developing spoken language skills in a formal debate setting, creating effective arguments and rebuttals to ensure confident participation.

In this unit, pupils learn about debate and practise having debates. They first learn what a debate is, before presenting arguments for a debate and then learning how you create rebuttals in debates. Pupils then finish the unit by having a debate.

Participating in effective debates

the side that supports the topic or motion being discussed

the side that disagrees with the topic or motion

when an argument follows a sequence of ideas that are connected and easy to understand

the emotion or attitude in a speaker’s voice

a response or argument that challenges or disproves another person's statement or claim

in a debate, being critical means thinking deeply about an argument to spot any flaws or weak points

a statement in which someone shares their personal experience or opinion to support something

to expect something to happen and prepare for it in advance

in note-taking, this means quickly capturing key information in a clear and organised way without wasting time or writing too much

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