Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can effectively plan and confidently participate in a debate, and use a success criteria to evaluate my contribution.
Key learning points
- Planning is an important part of the debating process.
- Being prepared will mean you can confidently deliver your arguments and rebuttals.
- Positive body language can help if you feel nervous.
- It’s important to reflect after a debate so you can understand what to improve next time.
Keywords
Initial - at the beginning; first
Anticipate - to expect something to happen and prepare for it in advance
Efficient - in note-taking, this means quickly capturing key information in a clear and organised way without wasting time or writing too much
Common misconception
I do not need to plan for a debate.
To participate effectively in debate you will need to have clear arguments and rebuttals, that are backed up with evidence. Planning will ensure you can do this confidently.
Teacher tip
If you are planning this lesson in advance, you may wish to set the pupils a research task to gather information on the motion before the lesson or set independent research as part of Task A. You may also wish to change the motion depending on the interests or curriuclum focuses of your class.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When we research a topic, what are we doing?
Q2.Why might it be considered essential to use evidence in your arguments during a debate?
Q3.Is the answer true or false? The word objection is a synonym for the word rebuttal.
Q4.Which word beginning with 'm' refers to the topic or statement that is being argued in a debate?
Q5.Is the answer true or false? The person who moderates and organises the debate is called the opposition?
Q6.Which of these is not part of the success criteria for creating an effective opening argument in a debate?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is one of the first steps in preparing for a debate?
Q2.What is an important reason to reflect on your debate performance after it's finished?
Q3.Is the answer true or false? When writing and preparing debate notes, you should write out the whole script.
Q4.Which of the following is not an example of efficient note-taking?
Q5.Which of these would not be part of a success criteria to judge a debate?
Q6.What does 'anticipate' mean in the context of debating?
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating, 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 3 English lessons from the Participating in effective debates unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.