21 st Century Debate League

Fill Out a Index Card…  Upper left corner  Name (F&L)  School  Debate Experience  None  1-3 rounds  4-8 rounds  9+ rounds  Upper right corner  If I were an animal, I would be a…  My favorite color is… Kari StrebigQuokka Merrill High SchoolRed Coach

 Student Empowerment  21 st Century Skills:  Critical Thinking  Oral & Written Communication  Problem Solving  Collaboration  Media Literacy  Lifelong Learning  For coaches: Cost Effective

 The Pro  Agrees with the resolution and needs to persuade the judge that the resolution is true  Needs to tear apart the Con arguments  The Con  Disagrees with the resolution and needs to persuade the judge that the resolution is false  Needs to tear apart the Pro arguments

 In the room are the two teams (Pro & Con) and a judge, who will decide the winner.  Before the round the two teams flip a coin. The winner of the flip gets to decide either:  Pro or Con  Whether to speak first or second  The loser of the flip gets to decide the other question  Team A, 1 st speaker 4 min  Team B, 1 st speaker 4 min  Crossfire (between A1 and B1) 3 min  Team A, 2 nd speaker 4 min  Team B, 2 nd speaker 4 min  Crossfire (between A2 and B2) 3 min  Team A, 1 st speaker summary 2 min  Team B, 1 st speaker summary 2 min  Grand Crossfire (all speakers) 3 min  Team A, 2 nd speaker Final Focus 1 min  Team B, 2 nd speaker Final Focus 1 min  Each team may use up to two minutes of prep time (before speeches or crossfires)

 Every argument starts with a claim. This is the point you are making. A claim is an idea you are putting forth as fact.  Remember that your main claim is either for or against the resolution, but within the case you will claims the support your side  Basic argument example:  Pizza is the best food on the planet.

 While your ideas are fantastic, you need evidence to support your ideas. The best evidence comes from researched, professional sources.  You need to internally cite your sources in your case – and have the citation available, if requested.  According to John Smith of the World Wildlife Fund…  John Smith of the Washington Post reports…  Etc…  Example continued:  Congress has approved pizza as a vegetable for school lunches, claiming tomato paste as a vegetable. This overrides the USDA  Jalonick, Mary Clare. "Pizza Is a Vegetable? Congress Says Yes." MSNBC.com. Msnbc Digital Network, 15 Nov Web. 09 Aug

 Reasoning ties your evidence to your claim. This is the explanation that strengthens your point. This basically is your explanation of how your evidence proves the point you are trying to make. This is where you should be noting how this proves the resolution to be true or not true.  Example continued…  School lunches are meant to be evenly balanced for a student’s nutritional needs. Pizza acting as a vegetable shows the nutritional value of this food. This nutritional value exceeds other foods, and makes it the best food there is.  Note how I tie back to my claim – My reasoning needs to explain how my evidence supports my claim.

 The counterclaim is the answer to claim, usually achieved by refuting the evidence and/or reasoning.  If you have time, try to address arguments the other side may make against you, and preemptively answer them. Either way, it’s good to do this work, so your 2 nd speaker is prepared for the debate.  Example continued…Counterclaim – Some may say that pizza has a high fat content because of the cheese, and this is not a nutritious choice. But if you limit the cheese and fatty meats, focusing on vegetables on your pizza, it can be a nutritious choice.  Note that a counterclaim is not just that some other food is the best – it needs to tie specifically to your argument. Otherwise it’s just two arguments passing in the night.

 Introduction  Attention-getter (Fact, Quote, Story, etc…)  Thesis (resolution)  Preview of the main points (claims) you’ll be making. (Usually three)  Main points (usually three) – set up as arguments  Remember to internally cite your evidence  Conclusion  Review the points you have made and tell the judge why they should vote Pro/Con

 We are going to pair you up and with your new partner you will write a quick case  Use your experience as evidence  Then we’ll do two rounds for fun – no pressure – just see what it’s all about  Resolved: Every high school student should be given a laptop for academic use by their school district.

 Vote for one of the following resolutions:  Resolved:

 November 1 st - Open Date…  WHSFA State Tournament Ripon is a go!  Coaches will be registering teams the Wednesday before a tournament  First tournament – September 27 Merrill  We will set resolutions for the rest of the season. a suggestion for each category to Kari by September 24 th  Domestic, Foreign, Science/Tech, Historic