Lesson 3 Ж Fourth and Fifth Class
Me and the Sea: The Sea and Me
DEBATE CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
In this exercise the students will be divided into 6 groups to explore 3 different issues related to the marine environment. These issues include (i) waste disposal (ii) fish farming (iii)
plastic pollution. For each of these issues, there will be a group of students that will be presenting the argument “FOR” the issue, and a group “AGAINST” the issue.
Objective: Through exploring the facts around a topic of concern to the marine environment,
and then participating in a debate, the students will gain an understanding of both the topic
itself and of the complexity of the issues. They will also learn the basic principles of a debate, and some tools for how to effectively use their voices to convey one side of an argument
AND how to listen and effectively respond.
Time: Anywhere from 1 hour to 1 week, depending on how much research is put into the topic
beforehand and also how much time is spent on the subject of debating itself. There are many
excellent resources on the internet on the subject of debating—
www.primarydebatingireland.com is a good place to start.
Materials:

General principles of debate (on reverse, or included as separate sheet for handouts)

Debating for Dummies video

3 issue cards
“The Ocean is a good place to dump our litter – it has to go somewhere!”
“Fish farming is a great idea”
“Plastic should be banned”

3 sets of “cheat sheets”, including
1 page of ARGUMENTS FOR and
1 page of ARGUMENTS AGAINST
each of the issues listed above
Method:
1)
Talk through, or hand out, the general principles of a debate.
2) Show them the DEBATING FOR DUMMIES video, which demonstrates the very simple
rules of communication for being an effective debater.
3) Break the class into 3 groups. Each group must have at least 1 arbitrator (rule keeper and
manager of the debate!).
4) Divide the remaining students in each group into 2 equal sized teams – one team will argue
“for” the argument, and the other team will argue “against” the argument.. You can either
allow the teams time to research the topic, or give them the enclosed “cheat sheets” to
help them work out some of their arguments. Depending on the students, and how much
research/discussion you have done on debating, you may wish to assign one particular
argument from the cheat sheet to each student.
5)
6)
7)
Lay out the rules—e.g. the time limit per speaker, no interruptions, with the arbitrator
being the one to make sure the teams stay in control and follow the rules—and then let
the debate begin!
Let the rest of the class pick the winning team, allowing time for them to share their
reasons why. They may need guidance on this, and you should remind them that their decision is not based on what they actually believe, but rather which team gave the best argument,.
Discuss the issues raised by the debate – how do the students feel about that issue?
Was there any argument that made them change their mind? Is there any argument that
they think is important to the issue that was not mentioned?
General Principles of Debating
What is Debating?
A debate is a structured argument. Two sides take turns speaking for and against a particular
argument usually based on a well known issue. Unlike the arguments you might have with your
family or friends however, each person is allocated a time they are allowed to speak for and
any interruptions are carefully controlled by a neutral person who oversees the debate (the
arbitrator). For the purpose of the debate, you may find yourself having to support ideas with
which you do not normally agree. You also have to argue as part of a team, being careful not to
go against what others on your side have said.
Why debate?
It is an excellent way of improving speaking skills and is particularly helpful in providing experience in putting together a convincing argument. Those of you who are forced to argue
against your natural point of view realize that arguments, like coins, always have at least two
sides.
Who Decides?
At the end of the debate a winning team is selected, on the basis of how much the audience
was convinced by their argument, NOT on the basis of whether or not the audience actually
believes that argument to be true! For example, it might be very hard to believe that we
should use the ocean as a place to dump our litter BUT the team arguing this might give some
good points for this argument, might say their points in a very convincing way, and work well
together as a team.
The Basic Debating Skills
Style
Style is the manner in which you communicate your arguments. You want to seem intelli
gent and honest. This is the most basic part of debating to master.
Speed and Volume
It is vital to talk at a pace which is fast enough to sound intelligent and allow you time to
say what you want, but slow enough to be easily understood. It is also very important
that the audience can hear what you are saying, but that you are not shouting at them!
Be clear
The ability to clearly talk about issues is what debating is all about. It is important to
keep it simple. While long words may make you sound clever, they may also make you hard
to understand
Use of notes and eye contact
Use notes if you need to and make eye contact with the audience! But don’t stare!