Introduction to Debate
Why Debate?
Participating in debate makes you a better
thinker & communicator.
You & your friends & teammates get to spend
time surfing the web to find evidence to support
your arguments.
Why?
Debate is a very social activity, & the benefits
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are often fun.
It contributes to your personal growth & sense
of self.
When debating, you are the center of attention
& everyone listens while you suggest plans to
solve real problems that policymakers &
politicians grapple with every day.
Speaking publicly & convincingly will help you
develop self-confidence.
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What is debate?
A common misconception is that debate is just
a couple of people arguing over some subject.
Debate actually offers a highly structured
environment in which two individuals or two
teams, often called the proposition or
affirmative & the opposition or negative, take
turns presenting speeches in favor & against a
specific topic proposition called a motion or
resolution.
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Debaters make two kinds of speeches.
1st - each team presents constructive
speeches to establish arguments the teams
hope to win.
2nd - They attack the other team’s arguments &
solidify their team’s position in rebuttal
speeches.
The two teams clash, or directly attack, each
other’s arguments to convince the judge or
audience to vote for their side.
Topics & Propositions
Topics & propositions are related to each other but are
slightly different in their scope.
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Topics are broad subjects while propositions, called
motions or resolutions depending on the debate format,
address the specific parts of an issue the speakers will
debate.
Arguments
Debaters present their side of the debate in
cases & counter cases, specific plans that each
side proposes in which they suggest actions
people should take.
Each side explains how these plans should be
implemented.
These cases are supported by arguments,
which in debate are not verbal fights between
people but are proofs offered to support a case.
Arguments actually consist of many small parts.
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Argument checklist
● a statement
● a definition
● reasoning
● evidence
● impact
Statements
These sentences summarize what your
argument will be about.
Definitions
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- not necessarily what you find in a dictionary.
It tells the judge & the other team what you
mean be a certain word or phrase.
These expand on your statements & give a
judge the context of what you are talking about.
Reasoning
This explains the logic or thought
process behind an argument. You
have to tell a judge why she should
care about your argument. You must
explain to the judge WHY your
argument is the best one.
Evidence
It is very important to find multiple pieces of
evidence for each argument your team plans to
make in a debate.
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Evidence
When the first person on your team presents an
argument, she will use one piece of evidence to
support it. The other team will then try to knock
that argument down.
Evidence
When your team’s turn to speak comes again,
you will want to rebuild that argument - a great
way to show that your argument really is
superior is to present another piece of evidence
to back it up.
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Impact
Impact connects your argument to possible
consequences. You want to show what the
long-term & far-reaching effects will be.
Impact
You can show impact negatively by explaining
all the bad things that could happen.
Basically, by not supporting you, the judge is
supporting something that we know is not good.
Impact
Show positive impact by presenting all the good
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that could result if the judge listens to your side.
All five parts are needed to make a single
complete argument.
When practicing, be careful to make complete
arguments & not just wimpy statements.
Causation versus Correlation
When developing your arguments, be careful to
distinguish between causation & correlation.
They both involve relationships between two or
more events.
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Causation says that one event or action causes
a subsequent event.
Correlation says that, while two things
happened around the same time, one does not
cause the other.
When debating, link situations
by causation when making
your arguments.
When knocking down an
opponent’s argument, you
want to try to show that her
arguments are based on
correlation.
Clash in debate requires that what
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you say in response to the other
team must directly address what
your opponent has said.
To create clash, the opposition team must
argue directly against this idea.
The best way to ensure that you are
prepared with vigorous rebuttals is to take
good notes. If you know what everyone has
said, including the arguments of your team &
the other team, then you will know what you
have to clash with.
Debate formats
Formal debate occurs in many different formats, each of
which has its own proponents. The two most common in
U.S. middle school debate are Policy Debate & American
Parliamentary Debate.
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The two differ slightly, but are united in requiring research
on a topic, the creation of solid arguments, & the ability to
directly clash with the opponent.
Preparing to Debate
All debaters need to complete several tasks when
preparing for a tournament:
● Develop their vocabulary
● keep abreast of current affairs
● research their topic
● narrow topics & motions
● create cases & counter cases
-To expand your vocabulary - read!
-Familiarize yourself with current events by
reading newspapers, magazine, & reliable
news blogs. You might also want to watch
television news.
-Since no team can be sure which side of a
debate it will be given in a tournament, all
debaters need to research & prepare both
sides of a given topic or motion. Research is a
must!
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This is our plan for Mrs. Schiesher’s
debate room:
Three people per team.
One team is called the proposition; the other
team is called the opposition.
One student is known as the first speaker for the team; one
is the second speaker for the team; & the third student is
the team’s rebuttal speaker.
When two people debate,
one of them makes an
argument, and the other
follows with a rebuttal,
which, plainly put, is the
"no, you're wrong and this
is why" argument.
Speaking Order & Time Limits
First Speaker, Proposition Team 5 min.
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First Speaker, Opposition Team 5 min.
Second Speaker, Prop. Team 5 min.
Second Speaker, Opp. Team 5 min.
Rebuttal Speaker, Opp. Team 3 min.
Rebuttal Speaker, Prop. Team 3 min.
The first four speeches are called constructive
speeches. Here, each team will construct, or
build, its arguments. New arguments may be
introduced in any of these speeches.
The final two speeches of the debate are called rebuttal
speeches. These are the final speeches of the debate for
each side. They are summary speeches; the debaters try to
make the best case for its side of the debate. They also try
to eliminate the major points of the other team.
No new arguments are permitted in the rebuttal speeches.
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Preparation Period
A topic will be be selected for each team.
Debaters will have two days (only) with the
Chrome books to conduct research.
Debate materials
Before a debate, students may review any & all
information that would help them prepare for a
debate. They may review books, current
events, websites, class notes, or speak to
teachers, coaches, parents, etc.
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Once the debate begins, however, students
MAY NOT REVIEW OR USE any notes that
were not prepared during the preparation time
period.
Points of Information & Heckling
A POI is a request by a member of one team to
the person who is speaking to give some of her
speaking time to the other team to make a
comment or ask a question about her speech.
This may be accepted or rejected !
POI
If the speaker accepts the point, the opposing
team’s point may not last longer than 15
seconds. The speaker accepts only a single
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point at a time.
The person making a POI may not interrupt the
speaker’s answer to the point, make a two-part
question, ask a follow-up question, or make any
other comment unless the speaker agrees to it
by accepting another POI.
Heckle
A heckle is an interruption of a speaker during
her presentation. Responsible heckling is not
only permitted, but also encouraged, in the
MSPDP style. Students heckle to applaud
teammates & opponents before & after their
speeches.
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Heckling is done by pounding on a desk or
tabletop with an open palm, slapping one’s
hand 3-4 times. This is a sign of respect for
your friends & opponents.
During a partner’s speech, it is appropriate to
slap the table in support of a particularly clever
or winning argument. The members of the team
supporting the speaker may also add a shout of
“Hear! Hear!” to the pounding.
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During an opponent’s speech, it is appropriate
to say, “Shame!” if you strongly disagree with
the opinion of the speaker.
Pounding on the table is applause only.
POIs make the debate exciting, interactive, &
fun! It lets debaters stay involved in the debate
both before & after their speeches.
POIs & heckling should be used strategically to
show the judge that your opponent cannot
defend an argument or has made an error
during a speech.
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Use these techniques carefully, however, & do
not use them to distract a speaker or
continually interrupt a presentation. Debaters
should not get carried away with using POIs &
heckling.
A judge may deduct individual speaker points
for rude behavior during an opposing team’s
speeches. A judge may also reward individual
speakers & teams for the effective use of POIs
& heckling.
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Debate Do’s
● Be polite and courteous.
● Listen attentively
● Be respectful and supportive of peers.
● Avoid inappropriate noises.
● Speak only when recognized by the moderator.
● Allow others to express their opinions; do not monopolize the debate.
● Use grammatically correct language.
● Speak clearly, slowly, and loud enough to be heard by the audience.
● Speak with passion and excitement.
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Debate rubric
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