What is a debate?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can define a 'debate' and an 'opinion'.
Key learning points
- A debate is a structured argument between two teams.
- An opinion is a view or belief that a person has.
- An important aspect of debating is justifying opinions.
- It is important to speak in a loud, clear voice, make eye contact with the audience and stand up straight.
Keywords
Debate - a structured argument between two teams
Opinion - a view or belief that a person has
Reasoning - explaining why a person has a certain opinion
Justify - giving clear reasoning for an opinion
Common misconception
Pupils may think that an opinion has to include 'my' or 'I'.
Explain to pupils that an opinion is a view or belief that a person has. 'Tennis is the best sport' is an opinion because it is not a fact. Someone else may think differently.
Teacher tip
Clearly model the top tips to becoming a successful speaker. You may wish to display these with visuals somewhere in the classroom for pupils to refer to.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.An opinion is ...
Q2.Which of the following are opinions?
Q3.What does it mean to make 'eye contact' with someone?
Q4.Which of the following sentences is written in the first person?
Q5.What is an audience?
Q6.Which of the following is a subordinating conjunction?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are facts?
Q2.Which of the following help you to be a successful speaker?
Q3.Which of the following are reasons why someone might debate?
Q4.Match the opinion to the justification.
Q5.What should we do when someone is sharing their opinion?
Q6.Which of these is a fact and not an opinion?
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: What is a debate?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: What is a debate?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Getting ready to debate unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.