Anchor chart story elements 9th grade how to#

Use current events and topics of interest for debates, such as:Įngaging students in debates is such a valuable educational tool, fostering critical thinking and communication skills.Tie seasonal debates with history: Thanksgiving Debate and Columbus Day Debate.Who doesn't love April Fools' Day: Debating over Pranks Being Played at School.Perfect for the long winter and Groundhog Day: Debating over Winter or Spring.Use the holidays and seasons to engage students in meaningful topics to debate:.Make it fun! Make the kids laugh and giggle at YOU by dressing up as a judge complete with a gavel to take the pressure off the kids!.Since speaking in front of their peers can be intimidating, help them feel positive by giving a lot of encouragement and positive praise.Encourage students to practice their debate speeches within their small groups several times before presenting to help build their confidence.Instead, have students write their speeches in bullet form to help them read it fluently while they are presenting. Do not try to have students memorize their speeches.Assign cooperative group roles to help students stay on track! I have found the best roles to use for debating units are recorders, time keeper, and speakers.This is a great way to differentiate for your top writers, too.

Allow students to pick their own side or mix it up by randomly assigning which side they will be 'for'.Help students prepare for the debate by creating a checklist to keep them organized.Conclusion: Restate your claim and points and then thank the audience with eye contact.Rebuttal: Address and state a reason that will counter what the opposing side is claiming.Support Your Idea: Have 3-4 strong and relevant points to support your claim.Introduction: Introduce yourself, the topic and the side you will be arguing for, and your claim.Here is the debate structure I use with my students: The idea of a rebuttal is new for upper elementary students so it takes center stage of my lessons. The major difference is the rebuttal component. This is the same structure that students use when writing about reading. It begins with an introduction, requires supporting details, and ends with a conclusion. For example, In my opinion, Consequently, Therefore, Specifically, That is why, are some key words to help you get started brainstorming with your own students.ĭebate speeches are organized in a familiar format for students. Together as a class we brainstorm persuasive writing words that would help them successfully write an organized debate speech. Just like other writing genres have key words to signal key points, so do debates. Help students get over any insecurities and fear by having them work in groups to debate different topics throughout the year. Students need a lot of time to practice speaking in public. Additionally, by practicing public speaking in the form of a speech, students' fear of speaking in front of peer groups will decrease. They begin to understand both sides of an argument and gain perspective from their peer's point of view. When students participate in debates they develop listening and speaking skills. Why Participate in a Debate? It is important to me to let students in on the 'why' behind the lessons that I teach. A debate is a formal argument in which there are two sides that take opposing viewpoints and discuss them in an organized and structured way while trying to persuade listeners to share the speaker's point of view.Persuasive writing is a form of opinion writing used to convince others to think in a certain way and persuade the readers to share the writer's point of view.Here is how I define both persuasive writing and debates for my students: I love that debates give students the opportunity to use their persuasive writing skills in real-world situations. Writing debates is always part of our persuasive writing unit.

What is a Debate? What is Persuasive Writing? Here is how I break down and explain this genre of writing for my upper elementary students to help them understand the nuances specific to debates, as well as make connections to persuasive writing.

Anchor chart story elements 9th grade how to#

By directly teaching students how to participate in a debate even your most timid students and reluctant writers will be ready to participate.

The best part about holding debates is that it is naturally engaging for students.