The Great Debate

Do your students love to argue?

Do you often hear, "Maybe, BUT..."

Then, this is an assignment they will thoroughly enjoy!

The Great Debate allows them to think on their toes and consider the pros and cons of a proposed argument.

Without any discussion (almost like a pop quiz), I'll tell them to bring up their Great Debate lesson. On the board, I'll quietly write down the proposed argument.

 Some arguments we've made include:

* Digital books are better than physical ones.

* Halloween should be permanently moved to a Saturday. 

* Money can buy happiness.

* The 1920s era was better than the 1960s.

* The Ghostbuster's Law is fair.

The timer is set to five minutes, during which the kids pick their side and defend their stance. After the timer goes off, I reset it for five more minutes, and they switch sides and defend the other side of the argument. Good grammar is not the focus of this activity, so I overlook that and focus on the point they're making. 

An example:

What I love most about this activity is that they must apply what they've learned through prior discussion and research to their argument. Then, they must put themselves in the opposite shoes and play Devil's Advocate. It allows them to see both sides and broaden their perspective. It's interesting how often they change their stance after seeing both sides.

The 1920s vs. 1960s debate was done around the time we finished reading The Outsiders and The Great Gatsby.

Whether they were in favor of Money Can Buy You Happiness or not was assigned a couple weeks after reading this article:

The Aesthetics of Joy

Associating the argument with something they've recently learned is a great way to supplement the prior lesson and see what they've retained or grasped. 

It's a great lesson to help them strengthen their critical thinking skills and one where they are in control and can share their own thoughts. 

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