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

Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating

English

What is a formal debate?

Creating and presenting opening arguments for a debate

Responding in debates: effective rebuttals

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

understanding your position (for or against the motion)

listening to the opposing team's arguments

What is one of the first steps in preparing for a debate?

What is an important reason to reflect on your debate performance after it's finished?

Is the answer true or false? When writing and preparing debate notes, you should write out the whole script.

Which of the following is **not** an example of efficient note-taking?

Which of these would **not** be part of a success criteria to judge a debate?

to expect something and prepare for it in advance

What does 'anticipate' mean in the context of debating?

gathering information and evidence from various sources

making up information to support our arguments

When we research a topic, what are we doing?

to support your claims and make them more convincing

to show off your knowledge without needing to debate

Why might it be considered essential to use evidence in your arguments during a debate?

Is the answer true or false? The word objection is a synonym for the word rebuttal.

Which word beginning with 'm' refers to the topic or statement that is being argued in a debate?

Is the answer true or false? The person who moderates and organises the debate is called the opposition?

use specific examples and evidence to support

be chatty and use slang to engage your audience

Which of these is **not** part of the success criteria for creating an effective opening argument in a debate?

Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating

Lesson outcome