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Foreword by Konrad Hack
MASTERING THE COMPETITIVE
CULTURE OF THE HOMESCHOOL SPORT
Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool
Speech & Debate
Mastering the Competitive Culture of the Homeschool Sport
Chris Jeub
Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
4th Edition
Published by
Monument Publishing
P.O. Box 3527
Monument, CO 80132
Copyright © 2011 by Chris Jeub
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise,
except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the
prior permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be either
addressed through mail at the address above, or through email at info@monumentpublishing.com.
Library of Congress Control Number:
ISBN: 978-1-936147-31-1
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Printing, July 2011
www.monumentpublishing.com
Contents
Foreword by Konrad Hack, M.A.!....................................................................................5
Introduction!.......................................................................................................................9
1. The Christian Homeschooler!...................................................................................15
Speech & Debate in Your Homeschool!..........................................................................17
2. Organizations!............................................................................................................21
NCFCA!................................................................................................................................21
Stoa !......................................................................................................................................23
Other Organizations!.........................................................................................................26
3. Speech!..........................................................................................................................31
Limited-Preparation!..........................................................................................................33
Impromptu .......................................................................................................................34
Extemporaneous ..............................................................................................................34
Apologetics ......................................................................................................................36
Platform Speaking!.............................................................................................................36
Original Oratory (Stoa only) ............................................................................................37
Expository (Stoa only) .....................................................................................................37
Illustrated Oratory (NCFCA only) ...................................................................................39
Persuasive ........................................................................................................................39
Biographical Narrative (NCFCA only) ............................................................................40
Literary Interpretation!......................................................................................................41
Humorous Interpretation .................................................................................................43
Dramatic Interpretation (Stoa only) .................................................................................43
Duo ..................................................................................................................................43
Original Interpretation (NCFCA only, Stoa Wild Card) ..................................................44
Open Interpretation ..........................................................................................................44
Resources to Help!..............................................................................................................45
“Gold” = Extemp and Impromptu ...................................................................................45
“Silver” = Apologetics ....................................................................................................46
“Platinum” = Platforms ...................................................................................................47
“Emerald” = Literary Interpretation ................................................................................48
4. Debate!..........................................................................................................................51
Team-Policy Debate!...........................................................................................................52
Team.................................................................................................................................53
Policy ...............................................................................................................................55
“Blue” = Team-Policy Debate .........................................................................................55
Lincoln-Douglas!................................................................................................................57
One-on-One Format ........................................................................................................57
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4
Keys to Interp
Values...............................................................................................................................58
“Red” = Lincoln-Douglas Debate....................................................................................58
Parliamentary Debate (Stoa only)!...................................................................................59
“Gold” (also) = Parli ........................................................................................................61
Summary!............................................................................................................................62
5. Tournaments!...............................................................................................................65
Calendar!.............................................................................................................................65
Script Submission!..............................................................................................................66
Ethical Evidence!................................................................................................................67
Read the Rules!...................................................................................................................67
Adjudication!.......................................................................................................................67
Registration Deadlines!.....................................................................................................69
Judging Requirements!......................................................................................................69
Family!.................................................................................................................................70
6. Good to Great!............................................................................................................73
Camp!...................................................................................................................................74
Finding Good Coaching!....................................................................................................76
Curriculum!..........................................................................................................................77
How the Ironman Is Set Up .............................................................................................78
Sourcebooks & Textbooks!................................................................................................79
Speechranks.com!................................................................................................................80
Aim for Nationals!..............................................................................................................82
7. Conclusion!..................................................................................................................87
Beyond Competition!.........................................................................................................88
www.trainingminds.org
FOREWORD BY KONRAD HACK, M.A.
Director of Forensics, Concordia University Irvine
If you are interested in giving your child THE VERY BEST preparation, both
for the world of work and serving Christ and His church, then this book is for
you.
Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech and Debate will help you discover the lifechanging activity of forensics competition, referred to here as “Speech and
Debate.” Chris Jeub has masterfully produced this book that introduces you
to the world of speech and debate competition. You will be introduced to a
host of resources, including information about where you can compete, the
kinds of events offered, tournament structure and best practices, and even
advanced techniques. As you read this text, you will discover why so many
of Mr. Jeub’s students do so well in national-level competition (see
Chapter 6).
Having just completed my fifteenth year of collegiate-level speech and debate
coaching, I can attest firsthand to the life-changing power of this activity. Like
Mr. Jeub, I have also been fortunate enough to coach national champions.
These opportunities were certainly gratifying. More importantly, I have seen
numerous shy, inarticulate, timid boys, girls, and college students blossom
into articulate and intelligent speakers and debaters. Their academic
performance improves, they are more socially and emotionally aware, and
they become change agents in a world that desperately cries out for
leadership. This activity changes lives, and Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech
and Debate teaches you how it’s done.
I firmly believe that no other activity compares in preparing students for
success. So much so that I suggest the following:
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
If your son or daughter is not involved in competitive speech and debate, I
respectfully submit that, as a parent, you are not providing your child with the
best preparation for their lives.
Yes, that’s a strong claim, but I’ve got some proof to back that up. I’m a
teacher of argument, right? Please allow me a couple more pages to present
two propositions for your consideration.
Proposition #1: Students MUST Develop Communication
and Thinking Skills
You know the world we live in. Employers prize communication skills more
than any other skill.
Two significant studies of managers and company CEOs 1 both found that the
skill employers most wanted was the ability to communicate orally. Followed
closely behind in both reports is the ability to think critically. In fact, the 21st
Century Skills Report puts it this way: “Professionalism/Work Ethic,
Teamwork/Collaboration and Oral Communications are rated as the three
‘most important’ applied skills needed by entrants into today’s workforce.”
Proposition #2: Forensics Competition Develops
Communication and Thinking Skills
Compared to their non-participating counterparts, speech and debate
students demonstrate a number of gains. Again, the scholarly research
supports this.
Forensics students show superior communication skills (Colbert & Biggers,
1985), writing and organizational skills (Matlon & Keele, 1984), critical
1
Raising The Bar: Employersʼ Views On College Learning In The Wake of the Economic
Downturn, 2009, and Are They Really Ready to Work? Employersʼ Perspectives on the
basic Knowledge and applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century US Workforce,
2007.
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Foreword
7
thinking skills , research skills (Hunt, 1994), knowledge of the world
(Shroeder & Shroeder, 1995) and leadership ability. In fact, forensics
competition accounts for a 44 percent increase in critical thinking ability
(Allen, Berkowitz & Louden, 1995).
These studies are revealing, but any layman can recognize the value of
forensics in our history. Many, many prominent leaders had their beginning
with forensics competition, including eight United States Presidents in the
20th century (Carter, Clinton, Johnson, Kennedy, Nixon, Roosevelt [FDR &
Theodore] and Wilson). Forensics competitors spread throughout our
government: chamber speakers (e.g. Tom Foley), Secretaries of State (e.g.
Hillary Clinton), generals and admirals, First Ladies, and numerous federal
judges. According to one source, over 80 percent of congressional members in
the early 1980’s were former forensics competitors (Swanson, 1983). In the
private sector, CEOs of major corporations and hundreds of prominent
lawyers (Parcher, 1998) all took their forensics opportunities seriously in their
preparatory education.
This data is compelling, but I believe that the most compelling reason to train
students with speech and debate competition is to fill a need, that of genuine
biblical leadership. Both our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul knew the
truth and were able to communicate that truth to the lost and dying world of
their time. Specifically in Acts 17, the Apostle Luke tells us,
“And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned
with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for
the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead…” (ESV, v 2-3).
Notice the importance of the skills learned in forensics: reasoning, proving
and explaining. These skills are needed more than ever in OUR lost and
dying world.
Parents, I implore you to give your children the tools they need to
communicate with our world. Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech and Debate
will help you with that journey. Students, scour this text to learn about the
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
various events that are offered in speech and debate leagues across the nation
that will give you the skills to speak truth into darkness.
The exciting part is this: there are thousands of other homeschool families
who have decided to jump in and give their children the best. I am glad
you’ve decided to join them. Your journey down that road begins with the
book in your hands.
May God richly bless you as you become equipped to serve Him in His
Kingdom.
Konrad Hack announcing breaks at the Concordia Classic in Irvine, California.
Konrad has hosted some of the largest homeschool forensics competitions in history.
www.trainingminds.org
INTRODUCTION
It has been 20 years since my wife and I started homeschooling, and 10 years
since I started writing editions of Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate.
This book is the flagship publication for everything surrounding 1 Peter 1:13,
the key verse to the ministry I run. “Train the mind for action,” it reads (sic.),
a mandate to Christians to prepare for the good work God calls His people. It
lends to quite a vision I would like to share with you, but it will take a step
back into the last couple of decades for you to fully understand.
In 1992 I was a public school teacher homeschooling my own children. (Talk
about a values clash!) If I were to explain my own teaching pedagogy—the
reason I cared so much about the education of young people—it would
probably have been this:
I want young people to harness proper thinking skills on which they can ride into
adulthood as godly leaders, parents, pastors and teachers.
This is why I gravitated so easily toward speech and debate, and for the most
part, homeschooling. The Good Lord pushed me along a bit by making sure
my first teaching job included the position of debate coach. I can’t begin to
tell you how quickly I realized that debate—and later speech—had built into
it all the leadership skills I desired to teach young people. I remember
observing my first debate round, jaw dropped to the ground, barely able to
comprehend what these 14- to 16-year-old kids were jabbering about. I was
struggling to keep up with these little geniuses.
And they weren’t necessarily “gifted and talented”; they were just regular
kids who participated in the activity of speech and debate. They were
brilliant because of the activity, not in the activity because they were brilliant.
Naturally, when the Home School Legal Defense Association started its own
debate league in 1996, I jumped on board. But though the activity had the full
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
support of the HSLDA, it was difficult to show kids how to participate. In the
organization’s second year, I wrote what is now popularly known as Blue
Book. Consisting of 50 pieces of evidence and a handful of theory articles, I
sold copies to eager parents across the country. The money I made from the
writing project helped finance my travels across my home state to start
debate clubs and qualify teams to nationals.
In 2000 I brought my entire family to the last HSLDA debate tournament at
Point Loma Nazarene University in California, the birthplace of the National
Christian Forensics and Communications Association. My eldest daughter
(then 16 years old) had qualified in original oratory. The tournament was
much larger than the first tournament, and the excitement for cultivating
forensics competition in our homeschool students was high.
Clearly, homeschoolers had something going here, and after receiving
pointed advice from ministry friends, I started Training Minds Ministry. It
made sense to create a nonprofit organization that “trained minds for action.”
I had been using 1 Peter 1:13 as the verse that justified to parents why speech
and debate was worth pursuing. And the organization allowed other likeminded educators to jump into the action (like Vance Trefethen, who has been
co-authoring Blue Book with me since 2001). We do anything our budget
allows: run camps, teach classes, develop lessons and online communities.
We can’t get enough of coaching speech and debate!
Today, my life is totally wrapped up in speech and debate. Training Minds
Ministry hires the finest coaches for its camps and classes. Its sister
publishing company, Monument Publishing, contracts with dozens of the
best competitors and coaches to pump out curriculum, sourcebooks,
textbooks, online resources and supplies to assist students and coaches in
preparing for competition. I do this full time, traveling across the country
from tournament to tournament—usually with a team of Jeubs or kids from
my club in Monument (called “Monumentum”)—selling books along the
way and promoting our camps and programs.
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Introduction
11
There are so many opportunities for homeschoolers today that stem from
speech and debate. Students who pour themselves into this activity end up
the smartest, most trained leaders and communicators; as I said, it is
inherently in the activity itself. More so (or because of it), speech and debate
students end up with scholarships, high-paying jobs, entrepreneurial vision,
and opportunities unparalleled with their status quo counterparts.
Most people assume I debated as a young person, but allow me to share with
you a secret of my past: I never debated in high school. I do remember—to my
shame—being invited to join the debate club. But I was “too cool” to be on
the debate team. What a significant regret that has become in my life. Today I
write curriculum for debaters, so you can imagine how much better I would
be at what I do if I had the firsthand experience of competition. (This is why I
hire people like Vance to do the hard work of brief writing. He’s reliving his
glory years, as he was a debater in the 1980s.)
My pedagogy hasn’t changed much over the years. I want to “train minds for
action” more than ever. But I’m following up my pedagogy with a call to
action. It’s a resolution for the homeschool student, and it isn’t impossible to
accomplish. Here goes:
Resolved: Every homeschool student in the United States should do speech and
debate.
That’s right, all 2 million of them. Can you imagine a few hundred thousand
homeschool graduates every year—empowered with the leadership and
speaking skills taught in this “uncool” activity—infiltrating colleges,
seminaries, businesses and entrepreneurial markets? That gives me shivers
up my spine! If anything ought to be called “cool,” that is.
I’ll be doing this for another 20 years. It’s in my blood, written all over my
heart. Besides, my wife and I had our 16th child in April this year. Trust me,
I’ll be doing tournaments for many years to come, likely with a half-dozen
Jeubs on the roster. Training Minds Ministry and Monument Publishing will
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
continue to flesh out new camps, programs and resources to help make
speech and debate an easier venture for other homeschool families.
And one final thought: If you are one of those 2 million who are just starting,
this book is especially for you. You’re just getting to know the community
you will be participating in—the materials, the vocabulary, the rules. It’ll be
overwhelming at first, but hang in there. Your kids can make it through and
they will shine brighter than you ever dreamed possible. Remember, it’s
inherent in the activity.
Enjoy the journey, and see you at some tournaments!
www.trainingminds.org
CHAPTER
1
The Christian Homeschooler
Readers of Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate fall into one of three
audience groups. These are:
1.
Students
2.
Teachers
3.
Coaches
Think about which one (or ones) you are. It’ll make your experience through
the wonderful world of speech and debate much richer, easier, and more
successful. This book is designed for each of these audience groups.
The student is the child or teen who will work through the book to gain the
knowledge necessary to build a speech and debate education. The
organizations this book caters to (NCFCA and Stoa) offer speech and debate
to 12- to 18-year-old secondary homeschool students. The student may be
self-taught, part of a class or club, seeking supplementary knowledge on
topics already known, or receiving personal coaching from someone who
knows speech and debate very well. Wherever the student is in his or her
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
academic career, Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate is the text that will
guide the student to excellence in speech and debate.
The teacher is driving the student (or classroom of students) to learn the ins
and outs of speech and debate, basically the material in this book. The teacher
understands the purpose of speech and debate, and likewise captures the
vision for excellence. No doubt that Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
will bring some new vision to the teacher’s perspective. The best kind of
teacher is one who doesn’t care so much about individual talent, but sees
potential in every student. If you have this perspective as a teacher, you will
find Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate perfect for your classroom. It
will give you the fundamentals for a successful academic speech and debate
atmosphere.
The coach is what I hope everyone reading this book eventually becomes.
You see, there is much more about speech and debate than what is covered in
Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate. This is hardly the “complete”
guide. Public speaking and the arts of persuasion are lifelong journeys, more
“art” than “curriculum.” Students who apply the teaching of this book may
become champions, and teachers will undoubtedly be empowered to teach
the students. I hope, then, that both become coaches.
This 4th edition is specifically tailored to train students, teachers and coaches
the fundamentals—the “keys”—to establishing a successful speech and
debate academic career. Naturally, there is crossover in all three audience
groups. Consider:
•
A student attends a homeschool co-op class, “Introduction to Speech
& Debate.” She is shy and fearful, but her parents recognize the need
to gain a credit for her homeschooling in speech. Jeub’s Guide to
Homeschool Speech & Debate is her text that starts her venture.
•
A student has no speech and debate club in his area, but he desires to
compete and make an attempt to get to the national tournament. His
parents know nothing about forensics, so he picks up Jeub’s Guide to
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The Christian Homeschooler
17
Homeschool Speech & Debate to gain the knowledge necessary to make
his ambitions a reality.
•
A teacher has students (whether in homeschool or not) who desire to
build speaking skills, but she feels inadequate in teaching. She’s a
good teacher but lacks the understanding of how to effectively engage
in speech and debate. She needs to become a student of the skills—
learn as she goes—to be able to best teach her own students.
•
A coach is a teacher at heart, but also a cheerleader. He prepares the
way for a successful speech and debate competitor, and continues to
refine the skills of the competitor as time goes by. A teacher may find
himself coaching his students more than he thought he would … and
that is good.
Most exciting is this: The student who grows to be the teacher and the coach.
I have seen this in all the speech and debate communities throughout my
decades of teaching and coaching. Some who have experienced success—
some all the way to top awards at national events—can’t help but return to
the classroom or club and teach and coach those coming down the pike.
S p e e c h & D e b a t e i n Yo u r
Homeschool
Homeschoolers are busy people, wholeheartedly dedicated to the education
of their children. Admittedly, there are only so many school hours in the day,
and the thought of “fitting in” speech and debate is often daunting to
parents.
This is actually one of the biggest reasons families hesitate before getting
involved. They see the benefits—great communication skills, scholarships,
leadership and character building—but are caught between reaping those
benefits and fulfilling their other homeschool commitments.
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
It may come as a surprise, but these activities can actually lift educational
burden from parents. Go ahead and doubt me (so many parents do at first).
It’s easy to judge from the outside looking in: students pouring hours into
research, begging to work on their speeches, looking forward to club every
week more than any of their other activities. It looks like speech and debate
consumes the students!
Ask yourself: Are these things worthy of complaint? Home education fits speech
and debate like a glove, and it actually serves as a conduit for everything we
wish to teach in the first place. Speech and debate hardly takes away from
your school work; they are your schoolwork.
Those who have been involved for a while know exactly what I’m talking
about. Homeschool moms and dads begin to realize that this community of
training that we call speech and debate is really where our pedagogy should
settle. They see the tremendous benefits and are challenged to make speech
and debate their paradigm.
New parents in my club last year shared their perspective with me. They
joined club thinking speech and debate would be a nice “extracurricular”
venture. Their son and daughter (both quiet kids, somewhat shy) fell in love
with it. They spent a lot of their schooltime studying the philosophical
challenges of the Lincoln-Douglas debate topic and working on their oratory
speeches. Much of their conversation around the dinner table wasn’t about
their schoolwork, but about preparation for the next tournament.
“My goodness,” my friends first thought. “What about school? This speech
and debate stuff is consuming my children! They’re not nearly as excited
about math and science!”
Then the light turned on. The reality was that they weren’t falling behind in
any of their work. In fact, as the dad explained to me, “They’re learning more
than they ever have in their lives!” These parents, like so many I see year
after year, began to realize that their complaints were misapplied. Speech and
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The Christian Homeschooler
19
debate became their curricular paradigm, so easy to motivate, and their other
curricular studies followed suit.
If you are a student reading this book because your parents are making you
do it, you might as well give up any resistance. You are going to love
everything about this activity. You’ll learn more than you thought possible,
but more so, you’ll travel to new places, meet the best of friends, and network
with academically and spiritually focused kids.
Mom and Dad, you are in for the most exciting activity of your children’s
academic career. Your children are going to grow up and move on in the
world. You have them for only a short while. You’re already making the
sacrifices to homeschool them, so I know you are a good parent already. Get
involved, don’t look back, and watch your kids soar further than you ever
imagined possible.
You made the right choice. Now let’s get on to specifics. Jeub’s Guide to
Homeschool Speech & Debate will guide you through this exciting new
adventure of homeschool speech and debate.
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CHAPTER
2
Organizations
Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate is specifically tailored to the yearly
competitive cycle. Every year is different from the previous—adaptations,
new formats, innovated ideas—and families, students and co-ops have to
adjust. The change is good, and the activities available are diverse and filled
with opportunity.
If you’re new to speech and debate, no worries! The adventures that await
you are in the rest of this book. There are several organizations students can
participate in, an an honest analysis of each of these organizations is in order.
I’ll share with you the two organizations I emphasize, but the contents of this
book can easily roll into other organizations at your service.
NCFCA
The longest-lasting homeschool speech and debate league is the National
Christian Forensics and Communications Association, and it’s the one that I
participated in for 14 years. Started by the Home School Legal Defense
Association in 1996, the NCFCA has become one of the largest nationally
recognized homeschool extracurricular organizations in the United States.
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
My love for the NCFCA is rooted many years back, and this textbook is
specifically tailored to parents who desire to get involved in this league.
NCFCA is a league that opens its service to homeschool families nationwide.
It is centrally structured and sectioned into 10 geographical regions. Families
may “affiliate” with the NCFCA for $35. The president governs over regional
coordinators, who likewise govern over state coordinators. Speech and
debate rules are put together by the league, typically released before the end
of the calendar year, and are subject to clarification throughout the school
year. State leadership runs local or state tournaments, while national
NCFCA leadership runs individual regional tournaments through its 10
regions and a couple of open tournaments in the spring. State tournaments
qualify competitors to the state’s regional tournament, and the regional and
open tournaments qualify competitors directly to the national tournament.
NCFCA Nationals commences sometime in June, its date and location
expected to be announced in early 2012.
Qualifying to NCFCA Nationals is possible in the following ways:
1.
Regional Tournaments. Every region is awarded a certain number of
slots to Nationals, and the respected regional tournaments award
these slots to the top performers.
2.
Open Tournaments. NCFCA hosts a couple of open tournaments in
the spring. Top competitors are awarded slots to Nationals.
3.
At-Large Slots. Each region is allowed a certain number of at-large
slots to award to competitors who consistently perform at a high level
throughout the year but did not win a slot at regional or open
tournaments.
The plans for NCFCA’s competitive year are typically announced in the fall
or winter months, but that doesn’t stop local clubs from planning their
tournament schedule. All qualifying tournaments must be sanctioned by the
NCFCA, and hosting an open tournament (meaning it is open to the entire
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Organizations
23
nation no matter what region a student is from) is done by the national
leadership. By the end of 2011, students and coaches should have a calendar
of tournament opportunities within their region where they can apply the
skills learned in Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate.
Training Minds Ministry hosts speech and debate camps that cater to
NCFCA competitors. The publishing house of this book, likewise, publishes
other resources for NCFCA families.
Though I don’t participate in NCFCA any longer, there are hundreds
(perhaps thousands) of fantastic homeschool families involved in the league.
The NCFCA’s roots are deep and the rewards for involvement are great. Visit
www.ncfca.org to find out if there is a coordinator in your area.
Stoa
I live in Colorado, and Stoa is the national organization my family
participates in, my club is actively involved with, and our entire state focuses
on for the school year. This is the organization’s second full year of existence,
and already the organization has tripled in size and has developed a national
presence worth considering. Its Board of Directors asked me to serve with
them, and I was able to commit to a 1-year term. I am pleased to report that
the opportunities Stoa has to offer competitors and their families are great.
Stoa is not an acronym and is not abbreviated for any longer title. A stoa is a
classical architectural structure for a porch or public area outside the main
structures of an arena. The stoae in Greece and Rome were gathering places
for philosophers and citizens to mingle and exchange ideas. Paul’s sermon on
Mars Hill and his sermon of the unknown god (recorded in Acts 16), were
given within stoae.
A Stoa membership cost is $35 per family. Though the cost is the same, notice
the difference in terminology. To become an “affiliate” of NCFCA, a $35 fee is
charged. To become a “member” of Stoa, the same fee is charged. This is a
key difference in governance. Stoa is decentralized in governance, allowing
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
states and local clubs to run their own tournaments throughout the year.
Stoa’s responsibilities are limited to (1) running Stoa’s national tournament
called the National Invitational Tournament of Champions (NITOC), and
(2) creating the qualifying rules for tournament directors and competitors to
measure up the coming year of competition to get to NITOC.
NITOC is open to all homeschool speakers and debaters regardless of the
league in which they participate. The rules for NITOC qualification are
released in August and are not subject to change, even by Stoa’s board or
committees. There are two types of tournaments that are able to qualify to
NITOC: (1) tournaments that include NITOC events, and (2) tournaments
that model NITOC itself. Thorough information can be found on Stoa’s
website, but let me explain the two in brief here:
1. Qualifying Tournaments. Stoa members are able to attend any
tournament they wish—in and out of the Stoa organization. When they
compete at a tournament that offers the NITOC event, they are able to
gain status to qualify to NITOC. It matters not that the tournament is
“sanctioned” by Stoa. When students qualify in the event, they qualify to
NITOC.
2. NITOC Modeled Tournaments. Stoa members who have their sights set
on NITOC will want to train to NITOC standards. States such as
California and Colorado (exclusively Stoa states) run mostly NITOC
Modeled Tournaments and follow the list of guidelines from the NITOC
coordination team. Like Qualifying Tournaments, students gain
qualifying points (more on that in a bit) to earn their invitation to NITOC.
The key difference between Qualifying Tournaments and NITOC
Modeled Tournaments is that students attending the latter are assured
that the tournament will follow the same rules and directions its
competitors can expect at NITOC in June.
In Stoa, all tournaments are open tournaments in that students from other
states are able to travel to any tournament they wish (provided there is room
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Organizations
25
at the tournaments). There is no limitation to your attending tournaments
based on where you live or even what other league or organization you
belong. Stoa tournaments are loaded into the National Christian
Homeschool Speech & Debate Rankings website www.speechranks.com, a Stoasponsored database where students are able to track their competitive
success. Depending on the points and the number of qualifying checkmarks a
student receives, members will receive an invitation to NITOC in April or
May.
Stoa’s 3rd Annual NITOC will be hosted at Focus on the Family in Colorado
Springs, Colo., June 8-13, 2012. NITOC will provide competition in 10
individual events, two debate events, and one wild card event. As already
mentioned, students are able to track their eligibility to NITOC at
SpeechRanks.com. Invitations to NITOC will be calculated in April 2012 for
members (using data through the end of 2011), and May 2012 for all others.
The criteria includes:
•
Two check marks. Students must perform in their competitive events
consistently in a minimum of two tournaments. When students finish
a tournament in the top 40% of their event or with a winning record in
debate, the student receives a green check mark on
SpeechRanks.com.
•
Top awarded points. SpeechRanks.com awards points to students
who compete in tournaments based on the size of the tournament and
their placing in the tournament.
•
Federalist Awards. Every state is given at least one invitation to
NITOC in each event, no matter the number of checks or points. Most
states will have competitors who qualify through the traditional
methods listed previously, but states with low involvement are
encouraged to come to NITOC through the Federalist Award
program.
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
I suggest that every Christian homeschool speaker and debater become a
member of Stoa, even competitors in other leagues. Because if they are unable
to receive a qualifying slot from their league, they may still be able to clear the
merited goals that NITOC requires for the initial April invitations. (Latecomers may still receive an invitation in May, but individual events may be
too full to accommodate.)
Stoa is only in its 3rd year, so it does not share the 14-year heritage of the
NCFCA (nor the 90-year history of the National Forensics League, for that
matter). Nevertheless, the organization offers some exciting innovations for
its members. Check out its website for complete information at
www.stoausa.org.
Other Organizations
This book focuses mainly on NCFCA and Stoa. These are the two largest
organizations catering to Christian homeschool speakers and debaters, and I
am confident that these organizations will maximize the rewards for a
student’s speech and debate participation. There are, however, others worth
mentioning. The following organizations are able to apply the tools in Jeub’s
Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate:
•
Christian Communicators of the SouthEast (CCofSE). Based in the
Carolinas and covering the geographical Southeast, this is a small
debate league that formed with the desire to downplay the
competitive rigor of the NCFCA while up-playing the spiritual value.
They are “Academically Focused, Christ Centered, Family Oriented.”
The resolutions release late in the season on Sept. 1. Vance Trefethen
and I write the sourcebook for CCofSE and include instructional
material intended to help debaters structure their own cases and
briefs. For more information: www.ccofse.com
•
National Forensic League (NFL). Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech &
Debate focuses mainly on homeschool organizations, and I believe
homeschoolers have plenty of opportunity to prosper within their
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Organizations
27
homeschool options. However, homeschooled students are still able to
participate in the NFL if their local public school allows it. I know
many families nationwide who have ventured into the NFL and have
prospered. However, I will insist that the opportunities in the
homeschool alternatives greatly outweigh those of the NFL. For more
information: www.nflonline.org
•
Logos Forensics Association (LFA). My enthusiasm for homeschool
organizations does leave private Christian schools to fend for
themselves in the NFL. Besides, homeschool students are able to
attend classes or extracurricular activities in private schools, just as
they do in public schools. The Logos Forensics Association is a
response to this. It sprouted up from northern California under the
leadership of Michael Winther, a longtime friend of homeschool
forensics. The association has been slow to grow, but it has opened up
tournaments in and out of California. For more information:
www.principlestudies.org/?id=lfa
•
The Institute for Cultural Communicators (ICC). Another longtime
friend of homeschool forensics is Teresa Moon, a founding member of
the NCFCA. Her original organization, Communicators for Christ,
has branched into the ICC, a broader, more inclusive group that trains
homeschoolers, private schoolers, and public schoolers in the arts of
communication. Their resources and events are all their own (others
do not write their products, and crossover is not allowed), and they
make it a point to deemphasize the value of competition. For more
information: www.iccinc.org
To reiterate: Principles from Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate can be
utilized in these other leagues and organizations, but the book is written
primarily for students, coaches and parents in NCFCA and Stoa. If financially
able, I encourage families to join both organizations. They are structured
differently, but crossover is usually seamless. I heard one parent compare it to
the difference between the American League and the National League in
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
baseball. Only the real diehards get into the differences (can a pitcher take the
bat?), but overall, fantastic games commence in both communities.
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CHAPTER
3
Speech
The following chapters run down the different events offered in NCFCA and
Stoa. It is important to note that Stoa comes out with its event rules in
August, and the organization holds itself to these rules throughout the
competitive year. No changes will be made. NCFCA does not have a
disclosed date for rule changes, and it has a history of changing and
clarifying them if problems arise and the leadership feels that tweaks are
needed. In general you can rely on the following summaries, but it is wise to
double check with the websites of the league you participate to make sure
you understand the rules of the current competitive season.
Tournaments will have a number of “individual events” for which students
can register. By the end of the season, students will know these individual
events very well, as they will observe them in competition. They’ll know
them especially if they compete in them. And after students and parents
understand what is demanded of them for each event, they will construct
their homeschool accordingly. They will merge their current curriculum with
the demands of their club and upcoming tournaments.
As mentioned, don’t be concerned about speech and debate taking away
from other schoolwork. Those who have been involved know how empty this
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
threat is. Students who dive into individual events soon become experts in
their field of study, and they typically thrive academically in a host of other
areas.
In fact, parents should creatively give credit where credit is due for speech
events. A homeschool teacher is no different than a public school teacher in
this respect. If a student is writing a speech on supply-side economics, well,
perhaps the economics lesson can be waived. If what needs to be learned can
be learned in the preperation for a speaking event rather than a textbook
lesson, go with the speaking event. It’s a lot more fun and the student will
retain the information much better.
Students will learn to really work their pieces. Remember, the element of
competition is looming ahead of them, and the desire to do well at the next
tournament should serve as a proper motivator to keep polishing their work.
This is true for all individual events, even limited-prep.
As for my family, we roll virtually all language arts and civics into speech
and debate. My children under 12 are taught most of the basics in grammar
school, so when they reach competitive age, they are ready to apply their
skills.
Once a speech is selected or cut, the student needs to memorize it. Early
tournaments may allow students to read a script, but this should be avoided
as much as possible. Memorization is an important tool best learned when
younger.
Once memorized, the student has cleared the minimum standard for
presenting the speech. It may take some reworking if a student would like to
expand the piece or shorten its length. Judges are impressed when speakers
hit the maximum allotted time of a speech category, so try your hardest to
make that mark. (You’ll learn more about times for speeches later in this
chapter.)
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Now, let’s get into what these events actually are. There are 10 events offered
in both organizations, each falling under one of three categories: limitedpreparation, platform speaking and literary interpretation.
Limited-Preparation
Students who develop their thinking skills are those who lead in their adult
life. They think on their feet, which is a skill virtually everyone wishes they
could master. Limited-preparation events are for the students who wish to
master this skill.
The name does not say it all in this category. For there is a fair amount of
preparation required as students get ready for the limited-prep event. But the
preparation is more practice than it is academic preparedness. That’s the part
of it that’s referenced by “limited-preparation,” of which there are three
individual events—impromptu, extemporaneous and apologetics.
All students are given the equivalent topics for their speaking time. For
example, in an impromptu round, all the competitors will be given similar
quotes. Or in an extemp round, all students will be given, say, economic
questions. The point is for the judges to rate the students fairly in how they
present the material. Here is a summary of the criteria judges use in ranking a
limited-prep event:
1.
Content. Sure, students are given the topic or question, but how they
stick to the topic is just as important. Basic development of thesis,
examples and illustrations reflect on how good a rhetorical speaker
they are.
2.
Organization. Basic understanding of the structure of a speech
(introduction, body, conclusion) is ranked here.
3.
Rhetoric. How succinct are the words of the speech? Does the speech
have a fair balance of ethos, pathos and logos?
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4.
Delivery. How good a speaker is the student? The list on the Stoa
impromptu ballot lists energy, vocal clarity, eye contact, authentic
style and natural movement.
5.
Overall Impression. All the limited-prep ballots ask for the judge’s
bottom line impression of the speaker’s speech.
Impromptu
The American Heritage Dictionary defines impromptu as “something performed
or conceived without rehearsal or preparation.” An impromptu speech is a
speech given “off the top of your head.” The student is given a creative word
or topic and is allowed a limited amount of time to prepare a speech before
delivering it. The topic is meant to be specific enough for students to draw
from their own general body of knowledge, yet broad enough to allow them
to give a strong speech on the topic.
Here’s how the competition unfolds: The registered student walks into the
room where three judges sit. The judges have prepared speech topics (slips of
paper placed facedown on the table, or slips of paper in an envelope) and the
student draws three. The timekeeper then starts the timer for a two-minute
prep time. Two of the three are returned to the judges (or to the table or
envelope). The student starts thinking through what she will say following
the prep time, sometimes making notes on a scrap piece of paper.
After the prep time is used, the student starts to speak. She must not refer to
her notes taken during prep time, only the slip of paper which was provided
before the round started. She is given five minutes to speak, and the
timekeeper gives hand signals counting the time down. After the speech, the
student shakes the hands of the judges and either leaves the room or sits to
watch other competitors.
Extemporaneous
Another popular type of limited-preparation speaking is extemporaneous
speaking, popularly referred to as extemp. Of all the individual events short
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Speech
35
of debate (which technically is not an individual event), this is likely the most
challenging. Instead of just thinking on your feet, the speaker is required to
be resourceful and credible on their topic.
Here, too, a speaker is given a choice of three topics, but he is given 30
minutes to an hour to prepare a seven-minute speech. The extemp draw is
done in the extemp prep room at a tournament. The prep room is filled with
boxes from extemp clubs whose members spend homeschool time filing
articles. These are used by the student to research the topic during the halfhour or so of preparation. It’s a quiet room, overseen by a parent or coach,
where students keep strict track of speaking times and when they are due to
take their turn.
Extemporaneous speaking requires research in current events. The high
school student copies articles from popular newsmagazines and news sites,
prints them, and files them according to topic. 2 This is more time consuming
than impromptu, but it keeps the young person up-to-date with what’s going
on in the world around him. Unlike the normal impromptu speech, the
extemporaneous speaker is expected to quote sources from that research.
During preparation, students are allowed a 3” x 5” index card to keep notes
on. They scour the accumulated articles and develop an outline for their
speech. They usually have only 30 minutes, but they know they will be
ranked based on their background knowledge. Students are allowed to enter
the judges’ room with only their index card to refer to. Daring students
sometimes go off card with no aid at all.
Extemporaneous speaking may require “limited” preparation at the time of
the assignment, but speakers (or “extempers”) are not simply spewing
words. Nor are extempers reciting carefully worded speeches. Extemp is a
cross between impromptu and oratory. Extemporaneous speakers are experts
2
At the time of writing the 4th Edition, an exploratory committee is researching the
possibility of electronic files used in the extemp prep room. Be sure to check your
tournament rules to see if such technology is allowed.
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
in the topic. They become informed and knowledgeable so much in their
studies that when called upon to speak on the topic, they are confident,
poised and educated.
Apologetics
Competitive apologetics has been an event since 2005. Its purpose is to
encourage the study and delivery of the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
Both the NCFCA and Stoa have 100 apologetics questions that relate to
Christian doctrine. Judges at tournaments are often pastors or respected
people of faith, but the apologist is required to address the question as if the
audience is not in agreement. This is, at its core, a test of apologia, a strong
defense of the Christian faith.
Here’s how it works at a tournament: A competitor will enter a room and
choose one of three topic from the judge (as is done in the other limited-prep
events). The timer will start and the student is allowed four minutes to
prepare. Two tools are at the competitor’s disposal—a Bible and a personal
box with filed cards.
Unlike extemp, the card files must be the individual student’s, not a shared
box from a club. Students are encouraged to prepare, in their homeschools,
answers to these questions on 4” x 6” note cards that they may refer to during
the course of their round.
Platform Speaking
Young people naturally desire to express themselves, and a major focus of
education should include the opportunity for self-expression within clearly
defined guidelines. When a student writes an original speech and delivers it,
she is taking a platform, hence the name of this type of event. There are
several platform categories, each with their unique rules and guidelines for
proper platform speaking. They are original oratory (for Stoa), expository (for
Stoa), illustrated oratory (for NCFCA), persuasive, and biographical narrative
(for NCFCA).
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Judges rank students on the same five criteria used for the limitedpreparation event (content, organization, rhetoric, deliver and overall
impression). All platform speeches are 10 minutes long and students are
ranked among a room full of other platform speakers.
Original Oratory (Stoa only)
Known as OO, original oratory is when the student writes an original speech
and delivers it. There are two types of oratory: the speech to inform and the
speech to persuade. OO is considered the broadest type of platform, and
though there is an event called “persuasive,” OO can include an oratory that
is persuasive in nature.
Writing a speech can be fun homework. Instead of sending Junior off to write
an ordinary research paper on an event in history, have him write and deliver
an interesting speech! If it doesn’t inform well, give him coaching tips to
improve (versus giving him an F on the paper and sending him back to
research). Using a speech to teach will drive your student into learning
without him knowing it.
Original oratories can be about objects (the Titanic, race cars, collections, hair
styles), people (Patrick Henry, Pocahontas, Martin Luther King Jr., the apostle
Paul), events (World War II, Election 2012, the signing of the Declaration of
Independence), or concepts (how to bake a cake, rebuilding a carburetor).
Whatever the student is assigned to speak on, their speech can jump-start
interest that was not there, or it can be a fueling force behind a preexisting
interest.
The other platform categories available to students narrow the purpose of
their speaking.
Expository (Stoa only)
An expository speech, or expos, includes the same purposes as the OO
(pretty much whatever the student wants to speak about) but for one aspect:
the speaker may use visual aids. Expository speeches are extremely creative
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
speeches that typically use presentation boards on easels as props for the
presentation.
Students start creating their expos as an OO. I’ve coached many students to
migrate their OO to an expos, especially if the speech is begging for a visual
presentation. The great expository speakers are masters of showing and
telling at the same time.
There are some restrictions to expos. According to the Stoa rules:
•
No computers may be used.
•
The speaker must set up her own props without assistance.
•
Clothes [as in costumes] may only be used during the speech time.
•
No weapons, explosives or incendiary devices may be used as visual
aids.
•
Neither people nor live animals may be used.
•
The speaking area must be left in the same condition as it was prior to
the speech.
One drawback to doing expos is the need to transport props from
tournament to tournament. Boards get bent up easily, and shipping props
cross-country can be exhausting through the tournament season. That aside,
expos is one of the most creative individual events. Students who take on
expos continually tinker with their props all year long, expanding on their
impact and constantly modifying their speech. I often see judges clamor for
expos ballots, for they are always impressed at how creative the presentations
can be.
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Speech
39
Illustrated Oratory (NCFCA only)
Prior to 2010, NCFCA ran expos. But the league has now narrowed the scope
of expos into what is known as Illustrated Oratory, or IO. The only visual
aids allowed in IO are boards, the pieces that affix to the boards and an easel.
More specifically:
Illustrated Boards. The number of boards allowed are “3 to 10,” according to
NCFCA rules. These must measure no larger than 20”x30” (the standard size
of store-bought boards). Every speech is required to start and end with a
blank board, though it can be the same board.
•
Easel. Tripod easels can be found at hobby shops and general stores.
The easels cannot be modified for the speech other than a ledge for
their boards and a visual aid box.
•
Visual Aid Box. These are handmade boxes attached to the back of
the easel. They must have a lid, which must be able to close, thus
restricting the size of the visual aids inside. The overall dimensions of
the box (length + width + height) must be no larger than 35 inches,
about the size of a shoebox. The visual aids retrieved from the box
during the presentation may remain attached to the board they are
associated with, but must not be showing at the end of the speech.
Students who follow this protocol will experience the same need to walk the
line between showing and telling as with expos. The purpose is the same: to
present visually the platform speech. The advantage of IO reflects the
disadvantage of expos: It is easier to transport the visual aids cross-country.
The disadvantage of IO is the advantage of expos: The creative agility of the
speaker is limited by more restrictive rules on creativity.
Persuasive
A speech to persuade is for those students with strong opinions or a fire in
their heart to make a change in politics or thought. The power of persuasion
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
is the power to change the world. If anything is needed in today’s culture it is
the need for strong and persuasive Christian leaders.
Aristotle established the ultimate exposé on persuasive speaking in The
Republic. We learn from him that three necessities in a persuasive speech are
ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos is the credibility of the speaker, typically the
references or appeals to authority that the speaker makes throughout a
persuasive speech. Pathos is the passion of the speaker, the excitement and
the emotion he will inject into his speaking. And then there is logos, the logic
of it all, the rhetorical connection the speaker makes that reasonably
persuades the judge. A mixture of all three makes for the best persuasive
speeches.
A persuasive speech, alternately referred to as a PS or a pers, must appeal to
the pathos while upholding a credible ethos. Research and documentation are
necessary ingredients for a persuasive speaker. We rarely assign a research
paper as often as a research speech in our schools. The motivation to research
and study the assigned topic is much greater when a speaking event is
anticipated by the student.
Biographical Narrative (NCFCA only)
NCFCA has eliminated Original Oratory from their competition, replacing
the third slot of platform speeches with biographical narrative. It is brand
new to NCFCA competitors. According to the NCFCA website:
“A Biographical Narrative is an original platform speech that focuses on the
relevance and/or contributions of a single person’s life. The following goals could
be served by the speech: informing, inspiring, persuading, entertaining, or
teaching among others. The primary goal of the event is to encourage student
recognition of those individuals that have impacted us in profound ways.”
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Speech
41
Literary Interpretation
Literary interpretation students perform a piece of literature for an audience.
Homeschool students naturally fall in love with stories—fiction, biographies,
plays—and will desire to share those stories with others. With interpretation,
they have the opportunity to do so. And while they’re at it, students will
develop their own understanding of the literature and, more significantly,
develop skills to communicate the worth of the literature.
There are several types of interpretative speeches, and both the NCFCA and
Stoa organizations have created their unique presentation formats. I’ll get to
the differences, but first let me highlight the principles of all literary
interpretation speeches.
Students are tasked with creating scripts from published literature (the only
exception being Open or Original Interp where students can use original or
unpublished works of literature). Students are not allowed to use one script
for more than one year, and a script can only be entered in one event per
tournament. Scripts have original word limitations and editing standards,
and students need to keep a close eye on the event rules to make sure they
are within the guidelines.
•
Students are required to submit their scripts physically to the
tournament. Both NCFCA and Stoa have guidelines for script
submission on their websites. Competitors are expected to have their
scripts memorized, and judges are instructed to drop competitors two
ranks if a physical script is used in the round.
•
All the literary interpretation speeches are capped at 10 minutes long,
no minimum. Judges are given flexibility to that maximum time in
case audience participation (like laughter) drags the speech past the
limit. The best competitors aim for the 10-minute mark.
•
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
processing program to excise parts of the literature to make it suitable
for presentation. This must be done without disrespecting the content
of the original piece. Guidelines on how to do so are in Travis
Herche’s excellent book, Keys to Interp: The Oralization of Literature
(Monument Publishing), and can also be deciphered in the league
rules.
•
Students are also tasked with blocking their piece. Blocking is the
interper’s method of acting out the piece. The interper often jumps
between narration and character, and perhaps among several
characters, too. The rules forbid competitors from using props, and
only the speaker’s feet are allowed to touch the floor, so the physical
challenge of interpers are great (and impressive!). Interpers become
masters of the space in the competitive room.
Few of the competitive events are as impressive as the literary interpretive
events. Students come alive in front of the judges. If you’ve never seen one of
these events, visit YouTube and do a search for literary interpretations. Some
of the recordings will certainly entertain you, and you’ll simultaneously get
an idea of how to do literary interpretation for competition.
Literature is art, and art can be crafted in ways that it puts people off.
Competitors sometimes try to push the boundaries of decency, a tactic that
doesn’t always impress the judges. Bathroom humor or crass jokes aren’t
shined on in humorous interpretation among homeschool competitions.
Likewise, dramatic pieces that shock or are generally inappropriate are
discouraged. The best competitors will select pieces that are well written and
challenging, avoiding the ones that are inappropriate.
Those are the basics. Now we’ll move on to the details of each of the literary
interpretation events.
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Humorous Interpretation
The name speaks for itself: humorous. The intent of the humorous
interpretation, or HI, is to make the audience laugh. This is more than just a
rattling off of jokes or stand up comedy. Instead, the student will lead the
judges through a humorous script.
Dramatic Interpretation (Stoa only)
This name speaks for itself, too: dramatic. The intent of the dramatic
interpretation, or DI, is to tell a dramatic story. The DI is not necessarily void
of humor, but the intent isn’t to make you laugh. Instead, its purpose is to
walk the audience through the drama of the story.
NCFCA has eliminated the specific event to DI for the next school year.
Students are still able to compete with a dramatic piece, but it will need to be
run as an open interpretation.
Duo
Duo means what it implies: two competitors speaking together in one speech.
Both NCFCA and Stoa have their variations of the duo event. The differences
are easy to misunderstand, but are significant in preparing for competition.
Duo interpretation (NCFCA only) is just like HI and DI, only done with two
people. The duo competitors block their speech to never touch each other or
look at each other (as the rules dictate). The duo competitor cuts scripts just
like the HI and DI competitors do, the only difference being the dual nature
of the presentation.
Duo open (Stoa only), or DO, is a new form of duo interp. The rules for duo
follow the same strict literary interpretation as HI and DI with rules as to
how many original words may be used. Duo open allows speakers the
flexibility of the open interp. Pieces may be original and insertions are
allowed. Read the rules on Stoa’s website for complete information.
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
Original Interpretation (NCFCA only, Stoa Wild Card)
The NCFCA has eliminated thematic interpretation, an event that lasted only
two years. Replacing it is original interpretation, an event that places
creative pieces written by individual students in its very own category. This
is a brand new category that will be offered this upcoming year. According to
the NCFCA website, an OrI “creatively explores and develops the
intellectual, emotional, and artistic embodiment of literature written by the
student for performance.”
Stoa members voted for their choice of a “wild card” event in July 2011. A
wild card is an event that is run for one year, has its unique set of rules, and
is not anticipated to become a permanent event. Of the three events voted on
was (lo and behold!) original interpretation, and it won the vote. Competitors
may run original interpretation in Stoa and NCFCA alike.
Open Interpretation
NCFCA has brought back open interpretation, or OI, as a literary
interpretation event, and Stoa has had it since its inception. Open is exactly
what it sounds like: everything not covered in the other interpretive events.
Students must cite their sources throughout their OI, even if it is self-written.
OI students may not use scripts and will be penalized if they do so.
There is a slight difference between NCFCA OI and Stoa OI. NCFCA OI
competitors may not use original pieces; those pieces would be run in
original interpretation. Stoa competitors who wish to run original pieces will
need to run them in OI as they have in year’s past, but, as previously
explained, they also have the option to run their original pieces in original
oratory.
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Speech
Event Category
NCFCA
Stoa
Limited Preparation
Impromptu
Extemp
Apologetics
Impromptu
Extemp
Apologetics
Platform Speaking
Biographical Narrative
Illustrated Oratory
Persuasive
Original Oratory
Expository
Persuasive
Literary Interpretation
Humorous Interp
Duo [Interp]
Open Interp
Original Interp
Humorous Interp
Duo [Open]
Open Interp
Dramatic Interp
Wild Card
45
Original Interp
In summary, both leagues have several opportunities for homeschool students.
Resources to Help
There’s a lot of detail in all of this. But I hope you’re less confused than when
you started. We’re in the business of making the confusion less confusing. Our
line of curriculum does just that. And the following list of resources available
for you at www.monumentpublishing.com is designed to help make this an
enjoyable activity for you and your family.
We color-coordinate our resources, making it easy to remember what
resources go to what event.
“Gold” = Extemp and Impromptu
Monument Publishing’s sister ministry, Training Minds Ministry, has had the
privilege of collaborating with the topmost extemporaneous and impromptu
speakers in the history of the NCFCA and Stoa. These competitors have
become some of the best coaches in the country, and they head up our Gold
line of products.
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Cody Herche (2006 NCFCA extemp champion) introduced the Gold Book in
2009 as an overview of domestic, world and economic news. For the novice
extemper, the Gold Book is invaluable. These past few years, Cody has
brought on Shane Baumgardner (2010 NCFCA extemp champion), and Shane
likewise has brought on the top award winners in extemp. They all serve as
writers for the Gold Book.
The Ironman Curriculum includes “Gold Curriculum,” a 4-week introduction
to extemporaneous speaking. It is written by Shane and includes a lesson on
impromptu speaking, something he won two titles in as a high schooler.
There are a few other extemp products. Keys to Extemp: Speaking From the
Heart With the Knowledge in Your Head is our full-length textbook for the
serious extemp speaker. It is written by Cody and is referenced in the
curriculum. There are also handy resources like “Gold Cards” (perforated
cards with a handy method of note-taking for the extemper) and the
“Training Minds Timepiece,” an electronic timer designed to help students
master the art of the six-minute extemp speech.
“Silver” = Apologetics
Apologetics is vast and wide, allowing for a myriad of options for students to
jump into. Training Minds Ministry and Monument Publishing have been
blessed with some outstanding coaches that are masters at simplifying the
immensity, and they have preselected great sources from which to start.
Apologetics competitors need to get the Silver Book. We released our second
volume this summer, and we have a ongoing strategy of fleshing out new
editions every couple of years or so, giving a wide variety of resources for the
apologetics family to choose from.
The first volume, Silver Book: Systematic Theology Edition, is written by the
Rev. Chap Bettis, a pastor and homeschool father from Rhode Island. It
breaks down three different resources for the apologetics competitor. These
resources are bestsellers in the apologetics field: (1) Systematic Theology by
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47
Wayne Grudem, (2) Know What You Believe by Paul Little, and (3) Case for Faith
by Lee Strobel. By the time students are finished with their lessons, they will
have a solid foundation from which to build their competitive speeches.
The second volume is Silver Book: C.S. Lewis Edition. It is written by two of
Bettis’ graduated students, Luis Garcia and Cynthia Jeub. They accomplish
the same goals as Volume 1 (walking the student through resources with the
intention of preparing them for apologetics competition), but they apply The
Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics by C.S. Lewis and The Questions
Christians Hope No One Will Ask by Mark Mittelberg.
Note that both volumes stand alone. Students can jump into Volume 2
without training in Volume 1. The volumes merely reflect the order in which
they were published.
Ironman Curriculum comes with both apologetics curricula, referencing both
volumes of the Silver Book. Therefore, teachers can use the one curriculum for
either volume. These curricula are also sold separately. I have found that
coaches sometimes teach only apologetics, as this was the case with the Rev.
Bettis.
There is one other peripheral for “Silver” competitors: “Silver Cards.” These
are basically 4” x 6” index cards, but come with a handy template for easy
speechwriting and printing. These cards come packaged with each available
Silver Book bundle.
“Platinum” = Platforms
I have a special fondness for platforms. I believe these speeches serve as a
culmination of the homeschool pedagogy more than the other events.
Platforms replace term papers all the time in our homeschool, and they
should. Students still must go through their research motions, but the
adrenaline of preparing a thorough speech for competition elevates the
enthusiasm far higher than any school project will.
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Our Platinum Book is a collection of model speeches prepared and explained
by competition champions. Consider it a fingerprint of a year. Both Stoa and
NCFCA finalists are on the roster this year, and I can’t wait for you to thumb
through their pieces.
This is the second year producing this book, now titled Platinum Book: 2011
Edition. The first volume is still available as Platinum Book: 2010 Edition. The
educational idea of modeling is tried and true. When students absorb the
experiences of the champions and read their speeches, they will develop an
understanding of how to do platforms well.
“Emerald” = Literary Interpretation
We do much the same thing in our Emerald Book: 2011 Edition. Some of the
greatest competitors of the previous year took some of their summer off to
write about their experience with their award-winning piece. Emerald Book is
likewise in its second year of production, both editions available for purchase
if you wish.
Emerald Book differs from Platinum Book in that the actual speeches are not
published, due primarily because of copyright law. No matter, though. The
competitors explain their pieces and give full information of the literary
piece’s data (the same data on a script submission form). The speakers also
explain difficult parts they worked through and quote from the original
piece. Though the actual pieces are not written out, you will still get a strong
representation of what it took to run the piece.
Literary interp students have the privilege of a full-fledged textbook, Keys to
Interp: The Oralization of Literature by Travis Herche. Travis is the 2006 Title
dramatic interp champion and a Training Minds Ministry coach of both
speech and debate. His textbook digs deep into the intricacies of good
interpretation speaking.
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CHAPTER
4
Debate
My heart goes out to the beginning debater, especially the beginning parent
or coach of a debater. Debate is an entire sport full of rules, new terminology,
and a host of jargon to go along with it. Wading through the how-to’s is
enough to scare off the most determined individual. But hang in there!
Debate may be the most rigorous academic activity out there, but it is also the
most rewarding. Students—even the most academically challenged
homeschooler—eventually gets it and enjoys it.
Debate is much like American football to a European. “Football” to a
European is padless joggers kicking a checkered ball around the field. What
does a Manchester United fan know of touchdowns, touchbacks, field goals,
blitzes, offsides, clipping, facemasks, interference, 15-yard penalties or extra
points (either 1 or 2)? Following the NFL for the uninitiated is like trying to
understand a foreign language!
Only when the game is understood does it become enjoyable. Football fans
enjoy arguing over calls, discussing game strategies, debating draft picks.
There is so much culture intertwined in the American sport of football that
people from the outside usually throw up their hands, thinking Americans
are almost cultish in their frenzy.
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I have had the opportunity to teach and coach many debaters. My curriculum
always includes time for lengthy class sessions in which I teach the basics of
academic debate. Sometimes the students get frustrated at the complexities;
sometimes they want to quit. But once they get the chance to jump into a
round at their first debate competition, the pieces fall into place. They see
their studies pay off and find it to be a lot of fun!
There is an entire language and rapport in the sport of debate. It may seem
foreign at first, but don’t panic! Once you see a few rounds, study up on the
topic and give it a try for yourself, you’ll soon fall into an understanding that
will bring great reward.
There are three types of debate offered to homeschool students, two of which
are offered at both NCFCA and Stoa national tournaments. Each has a unique
topic for the year. And each format offers a unique skill set. A resolution is the
league-approved topic laid out in a carefully worded statement. This is the
first year the NCFCA and Stoa have adopted different resolutions for the two
formal types of debate.
People in dual-affiliated states (meaning they can enjoy tournaments from
both NCFCA and Stoa) have argued that this means they will have to choose
one league or the other. I don’t agree; I believe students may still compete in
both. For Lincoln-Douglas, the NFL changes its resolution every two months,
so juggling two resolutions is hardly a stretch. Team-Policy debaters will
have their work cut out for them, but it won’t be impossible.
Don’t worry about that quite yet, though. Let’s get our brains around what
each debate event requires first.
Te a m - P o l i c y D e b a t e
I’ve been coaching team-policy debate, also referred to by the initials TP or
TD, since 1995. It is my pleasure to judge TP, coach TP and watch TP. It is the
most demanding event of either league. So it’s worth our time here to take
apart the two words of TP and explain each of them.
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Team
Team means that debate teams consist of two debaters each. A TP round is 2on-2. The debaters enter the room knowing which speeches they will run and
will have trained for a division of labor between them. Here is a rundown of
responsibilities between the two sides, and an explanation of the duties for
each speech:
1.
First Affirmative Constructive (1AC) - 8 min.
The 1A gives a prepared eight-minute speech presenting his case to
the judge. This is followed with a three-minute cross-examination.
2.
First Negative Constructive (1NC) - 8 min.
The 1N addresses much of the 1A’s case within the eight-minute
timeframe. This is followed with a three-minute cross-examination by
the 1A.
3.
Second Affirmative Constructive (2AC) - 8 min.
The 2A refutes the 1N’s speech within eight minutes. This is followed
with a three-minute cross-examination by the 1N.
4.
Second Negative Constructive (2NC) - 8 min.
The 2N runs various arguments against the affirmative case. This is
followed with a three-minute cross-examination by the 2A.
5.
First Negative Rebuttal (1NR) - 5 min.
The 1N gives a five-minute rebuttal primarily to the 2AC.
6.
First Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR) - 5 min.
The 1A gives a five-minute rebuttal to the two negative speeches in
the round.
7.
Second Negative Rebuttal (2NR) - 5 min.
The 2N sums up the round and urges a negative ballot.
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8.
Second Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR) - 5 min.
The 2A sums up the round and urges an affirmative ballot.
It seems complicated, especially if you’re new to this. But that stress will melt
away when you watch it work and get used to the even exchange of ideas.
Monument Publishing’s Blue Book is helpful here, too, as it walks the debater
through the demands of the speakers. There are editions for both NCFCA and
Stoa. NCFCA debaters may still qualify to NITOC through an NCFCA
competition, so getting the Blue Book to prepare may be necessary.
In summary, notice the following things in the typical 90-minute debate
round:
•
The affirmative team speaks first and last. This is because the
affirmative team has what’s called the burden of proof. They must
convince the judge to change the status quo. The negative team rests
with presumption, meaning that if the affirmative fails to uphold
their burden of proof, the negative should win. Of course, this is
debate theory (there is no rule that states this must exist in every
round), but it helps us understand why the affirmative has the first
and last word in the round.
•
The negative team has 13 minutes of speaking time in the middle
(speeches 4 and 5), right next to each other. This is called the negative
block, and it is a strategy for negative debaters to split the
responsibilities between the two speeches.
•
The debate round is divided into two parts: the constructives and the
rebuttals. The names reflect what happens. The constructive speeches
build arguments, and the rebuttals simply refute what the
constructives bring up. New arguments should not appear in the
rebuttals.
•
The cross-examinations, also called CX, are the most fun parts of the
round. They take place in the constructives, but they should not be
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confused with the speeches. Debaters should not make arguments in
CX, but should carry the admissions in the CX to their speeches.
Policy
Policy refers to the type of resolution the debaters will be debating. The
resolutions are political in nature. Every year the homeschool organizations
switch between foreign and domestic issues. Last year we debated Russian
foreign policy, this year we’re debating U.S. revenue generation policies
(Stoa) or criminal justice (NCFCA). Both resolutions will deal with domestic
policy, not foreign policy.
Here are the resolutions for the 2011-2012 school year:
•
(Stoa) Resolved: That the United States federal government should
substantially reform its revenue generation policies.
•
(NCFCA) Resolved: The United States federal government should
significantly reform its criminal justice system.
It is important to note that in order to make it to NCFCA Nationals, you must
compete and qualify in NCFCA’s tournaments. Stoa’s NITOC allows any
debate team to make it to NITOC no matter what resolution is debated.
NITOC is a tournament for champion debaters, not champions at the
resolution. If a team qualifies in team-policy debate under another resolution,
their invitation is still valid. Note, however, that NITOC will be using the
Stoa resolution in their tournament.
“Blue” = Team-Policy Debate
Stepping into the resolutions takes up an entire book in and of itself, and that
book is the already-mentioned Blue Book. It’s a great resource (if I do say so
myself) that we’ve published every year since 1998, and it’s currently a
research-and-writing collaboration between Vance Trefethen and myself. I
encourage all debaters to get a copy.
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There are two editions: Stoa and NCFCA. Each is published with introductory
chapters designed to help students learn and grow in their debate ventures,
especially novices trying to figure out the ins and outs of team debate. And
expert debaters will be very pleased to know that we’re releasing cases and
briefs from subsequent sourcebooks for free.
Here’s how it works: Team-policy debaters will order the Blue Book in the
edition relevant to their competition plans. The book will serve as an
introduction to the resolution and will include 12 foundational cases meant
for kicking off the year. The debaters then will register their Blue Book in our
downloads section online (www.monumentpublishing.com/downloads) where briefs
are released to the owners. Here are the releases as scheduled:
•
Blue Book: Stoa Edition
06/01/11: Blue Book 1 (Primer) and 2 (Cases & Briefs)
10/31/11: Blue Book 3 (Advanced)
01/01/12: Blue Book 4 (Midseason Supplement)
•
Blue Book: NCFCA Edition
09/01/11: Blue Book 1 (Primer) and 2 (Cases & Briefs)
10/31/11: Blue Book 3 (Advanced Edition)
01/01/12: Blue Book 4 (Midseason Supplement)
If you’re reading this book after those release dates, the sourcebook
downloads are available now. These downloads represent hundreds of
dollars worth of competition material that we’re making available for a
fraction of the cost. You’ll be pleased to see the savings:
•
•
•
•
•
Blue Book Cases (regularly $54.95)
Blue Book Primer (regularly $29.95)
Blue Book Advanced (regularly $59.95)
Blue Book Midseason (regularly 39.95)
Blue Book Digital Files (regularly $54.95 per league)
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All this to say: Get your Blue Book! That’s my sales pitch to every team-policy
debater. Now, on to Lincoln-Douglas debate, where we’re doing the same
kind of thing.
Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln-Douglas, or LD, debate is named after the famous 19th century
debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The two traveled
the state of Illinois and debated the heated political issues of the day while
racing for the Illinois senate seat. History shows that debate isn’t all about
winning rounds. Lincoln lost to Douglas in the senate race, but the skills
learned during the process helped galvanize his run for the presidency.
If you think LD is just a scaled down version of TP, think again. The event is
sharply different in structure and approach.
One-on-One Format
LD debates are one-on-one timed sessions over the course of approximately
45 minutes. Here’s how the round unfolds:
1.
Affirmative Constructive (AC) - 6 min.
The affirmative gives a prepared six-minute speech presenting her
case to the judge. This is followed with a three-minute crossexamination.
2.
Negative Constructive (NC) + First Negative rebuttal (1NR) - 7 min.
The negative builds a case of his own within the seven-minute
timeframe, but also leaves time to rebut the affirmative’s case. This is
followed with a three-minute cross-examination by the affirmative.
3.
First Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR) - 4 min.
The affirmative refutes the negative’s speech within four minutes.
4.
Second Negative Rebuttal (2NR) - 6 min.
The negative refutes the affirmative’s speech within six minutes.
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5.
Second Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR) - 3 min.
The affirmative has the last word on the debate within three minutes.
This structure has to be, of course, different from team-policy since this is
one-to-one debate. But there are some similarities. First, each speaker gets the
same amount of speaking time and the affirmative gets the first and last
word. Both sides get to lead (ask) and follow (answer) cross-examination.
The stark difference between team-policy and Lincoln-Douglas is the kind of
debate it is. As I’ve already noted, values debate is philosophical in nature,
not political. Students are tasked to analyze the resolution within the
framework of a value. Furthermore, each side (affirmative and negative)
carry a burden of proof to show how their value best upholds the resolution.
There is no presumption in values debate.
Values
LD is values debate, different from policy debate. Policy debaters argue over
the same sorts of topics as politicians, while values debaters argue more as
philosophers. Policy is concerned over what course of action is better or
worse, while values is concerned over what is right or wrong.
This year homeschoolers will be debating conflicts between personal freedom
and economic security (Stoa) or legal due process and fact finding (NCFCA).
Here are the resolutions for the 2011-2012 school year:
•
(Stoa) Resolved: When in conflict, personal freedom ought to be
valued above economic security.
•
(NCFCA) Resolved: In the pursuit of justice, due process ought to be
valued above the discovery of fact.
“Red” = Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Since 2001 we have published a sourcebook for Lincoln-Douglas debaters
called the Red Book. Today it is written by champion LD competitors and
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coaches. Since there are sides to the resolutions rather than “presumptions,”
the Red Book consists of papers of philosophical positions along with sample
cases. These cases can sometimes be run on either side of the resolution.
One of Lincoln-Douglas debate’s stars of the past is the current editor for Red
Book. Kaitlin Nelson heads up a writing staff of other champions. They write
philosophical papers and sample cases meant to lead the LD debater through
analysis of the resolution. You can check out the biographies of the Red Book
authors at www.moumentpublishing.com. You’ll be impressed!
We’re releasing the Red Book in similar (knock-out great deal) fashion as the
Blue Book. Three Lincoln-Douglas books (regularly priced at $100) will all be
released to original Red Book owners through the download section of the
website. Here they are:
•
Red Book: Stoa Edition
06/01/11: Red Book Print Edition
09/01/11: Red Book Primer / Student Guide
01/01/12: Red Book Midseason Supplement
•
Red Book: NCFCA Edition
09/01/11: Red Book Print Edition
09/01/11: Red Book Primer / Student Guide
01/01/12: Red Book Midseason Supplement
Lincoln-Douglas debate is an excellent format for philosophically minded
students. We’ve covered the demands of the competitor here in a nutshell.
The Red Book carries the debater through to become a champion.
Parliamentary Debate (Stoa only)
Stoa ran parliamentary debate, or parli, as it’s sometimes called, as a pilot
project last year, and they are running it this year as a legitimate event with
its own national tournament. It carries a similar acronym of Stoa’s national
tournament: PITOC, standing for the Parliamentary Invitational Tournament
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Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate
of Champions. At the time of authoring this book, the second annual PITOC
is being planned for April 2012.
I’m personally excited about this new event. Texas, in particular, has led the
charge with parliamentary debate. The state ran six parli tournaments last
year. My daughter and one of her previous TP partners attended one, and
they had a blast.
Parliamentary debate fits nicely into homeschool speech and debate, but it
should be viewed as a third event: There’s speech, there’s debate and then
there’s parli. The format of parli is so unique that it is difficult to run as a
speech event or another debate event. This shouldn’t intimidate competitors.
Quite the contrary, parli is very simple to run on its own. Here are some
bullet points on how parli works.
•
Parli involves advanced skill sets, recommended only for 16- to 18year-old competitors. Younger students are allowed to compete with
coach approval, but keep in mind that these students should first have
a grasp of values and policy debate already.
•
Resolutions are different every round, and they are different in
structure. Resolutions may be policy, values, or even fact. Stoa plans
to assist tournament directors who want to run parli with sample
resolutions.
•
These resolutions are announced 15 minutes before the round begins.
Students are dismissed to prepare for their rounds as either the
government (affirmative) or the opposition (negative).
•
Internet access, computer use, conversations with coaches, and use of
any pre-tournament preparation is allowed in the 15 minutes of prep
time.
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•
Parli speeches are limited-prep speeches. Students appeal to general
knowledge and a broad perspective of current events or philosophy
rather than cited evidence as proof of positions.
•
There is no preparation time allowed in parli rounds. Interruptions
are allowed in the form of questions, much like cross-examinations in
TP and LD, called “points of information.” Debaters may also make
“points of order” that are like objections to a formality of the round.
•
Respectful audience participation is encouraged. Knocking on tables
or chairs as good points are made, or a “Hear! Hear!” is not
uncommon.
•
Internet access, coaching conversation, use of any pre-tournament
preparation is allowed in the 15 minutes of prep time. Prep time
closely resembles extemporaneous speaking prep.
•
It is very possible for a debater to continue debating in Team-Policy or
LD and also compete in Parli. The preparation is almost exactly the
same as Extemp. Over 90 percent of the the students who competed in
the parli pilot, last year, also competed in TP or LD.
Stoa is sponsoring the Parliamentary Invitational Tournament of Champions,
or PITOC, in 2012. For more information on how to fit parli into your
competitive schedule, visit www.stoausa.org.
“Gold” (also) = Parli
Being such a new event, there isn’t a dedicated Monument Publishing parli
resource, but I’m not sure there needs to be one. Parli speakers are experts at
current events, just like an extemper. Gold Book products will work perfectly
for the parli debater.
In fact, this year we’ve included an article by parliamentary debater
Samantha Nasser. Samantha is a current undergraduate student at Hillsdale
College and an avid parli debater. Her family was instrumental in running
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parli debates throughout Texas last year. Her article goes into the basic
components that make a strong parli debate happen.
I hope to see parli grow. It’s an exciting event that older homeschool
competitors are able to excel in, and it prepares them for collegiate debate. I
look forward to seeing how this event impacts homeschoolers in coming
years.
Summary
Students are encouraged to choose one type of debate for the entire year.
Personally, I encourage students to do both TP and LD formats by the time
they graduate from high school (at least one year of each). The skills learned
in each are unique, and both add incredible value to an individual student’s
high school career. And if you can fit parli in, do it.
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CHAPTER
5
Tournaments
If you’ve never attended a tournament, you are in for a rush. They can be the
most fun events in a student’s life, as well as the chance for them to stretch
their competitive muscles. Depending on where you live, you may have a
robust schedule of tournaments to choose from. If not, there are several
opportunities to travel outside your area. Any which way you slice it,
students are able to connect with other students and form friendships that
will last a lifetime through speech and debate.
There are a number of important expectations competitors should have to
help prepare for competition.
Calendar
My wife, Wendy, and I have been homeschooling for nearly 20 years. Today
we view each year as one big cycle. We measure up our goals for our school
and for each child, we sign them up for activities and classes, we order the
related materials, we join the right programs, etc. We love it, of course, but
we don’t fool ourselves into thinking it is simple and easy.
Gearing up for a year of speech and debate competition is a similar yearround process. Sure, the tournament season lasts only three months (or a
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little longer if you are diehards like us). But to fully capture the spirit of the
competition and reap its full rewards, good homeschool parents will make it
a point to plan ahead and get involved.
Here’s a typical year in preview:
•
•
•
•
•
August: Go to speech and debate camp.
September-December: Go through curriculum with a club or
individual study.
January-March: Preliminary tournament season.
April-May: Qualifying tournament season.
June: Nationals.
Script Submission
All homeschool speech tournaments require script submission before the
tournament begins. This is to help tournament directors quickly solve rules
violations. If a judge or other competitor raises an issue during the
tournament, officials will pull the script and review it to validate the claim.
Both NCFCA and Stoa have script submission guidelines for all platform and
interpretive speeches. (Note, though, that limited-prep does not have
guidelines.) Cover sheets and instructions are available on the organizations’
respective websites. Students are to print the cover sheets, their required
documents and works-cited page. I don’t exhaust the details of script
submission in this book, so be sure to visit the websites for complete up-todate information.
An exciting new project piloted last year by Stoa is electronic script
submission. Quite a few tournaments established an e-process where
students email or upload the required documents. This option is still in
development, but it won’t be long till all tournaments get it up and running.
Stay tuned!
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Ethical Evidence
Debaters—particularly team-policy debaters—must have evidence printed
and properly cited before submitting it into a debate round. Students
sometimes get themselves into trouble when their citations do not measure
up and their opposing team raises an ethical violation. Most often when
evidence issues are brought up, sloppiness is the case. However, it is never
justified to have tampered-with or fabricated evidence in the round, sloppy
or not, and teams can be disqualified for it.
The Blue Book goes into great detail for the team-policy debaters on how to
properly cite evidence, what is or isn’t legitimate, and how to sniff out the
foul play of opponents. Lincoln-Douglas or parliamentary debaters don’t
need to wrestle with this issue much, but ethical debaters do.
Read the Rules
Any law enforcement officer knows the most common excuse from
lawbreakers: “I didn’t know.” This is not an excuse for breaking the law, and
neither is it an excuse to break the rules of speech and debate. When called
on the carpet, students and coaches should be prepared to defend their
actions. Speech and debate is a competitive sport, and everyone is expected
to play within the rules. Ignorance is not a free pass to break them.
We make it a club practice to read the rules together (both organizations have
downloadable documents available) and we answer all associated questions.
Adjudication
Individual success relies on the expectation that others are playing within the
rules. So when speakers or debaters are suspected of breaking one
(intentionally or not), an adjudication team is assembled to investigate. This
usually consists of area coaches or tournament staff who are respected
leaders in the community.
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There is no set rule on how adjudication committees ought to run. I’ve seen
healthy adjudication and unhealthy over the years, and have served on many
different committees. Every issue will bring its own unique flavor to the
adjudication team, but these steps have helped in making sure the issues are
taken care of and people are handled with respect.
1.
The Tournament Director, or TD, gathers the information about the
infraction from the person making the complaint. The TD has the
choice to either handle it on the spot (which solves the issue) or
assemble the adjudication committee.
2.
The TD relates the situation to the committee, but keeps names as
anonymous as possible. This is fact-finding time as the adults in the
room try to figure out the truth.
3.
The committee runs through scenarios on how to handle the
adjudication. Serious infractions lead to turned ballots or forfeiture,
less serious turn into talks with coaches and a learning situation.
4.
The committee either meets with the student or coach, or a person is
assigned to take care of the situation. For more serious situations, the
tabulation room is notified of any changes that need to take place.
5.
The tournament returns quickly to schedule.
A goal of adjudication is to handle the problem as quickly and fairly as
possible so that the tournament can continue on track. Warning: Adjudication
committees that fish for intent rarely come out ahead. Stick to the rules and
avoid deciphering theory or nuances. A common practice in Stoa is for the TD
to open up the rule book and ask, “What rule was broken?” If a rule cannot
be pointed to, then adjudication is usually not needed.
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Registration Deadlines
There are two main calendars (one each for NCFCA and Stoa) available to
students, and both of them are on a Google Calendar system. This means you
can plug data automatically into your personal calendar through Gmail and
keep track of tournaments available to you.
Tournaments have two dates: “open” dates for registration and “closing”
dates. Don’t assume the tournament will have slots for long. Popular
tournaments have been known to fill up within a day or two—maybe even
hours. For those tournaments you want to get into, make sure you are at your
computer ready to register when the tournament is scheduled to open.
Connor McKay is a former homeschool speech and debate student who
developed FlowPro, a registration system that many tournament directors
use to set up their tournament registration. The first page of tournaments
using FlowPro has all the necessary information for tournament, and subpages are listed on the navigation bar. All FlowPro websites are easy to
manage and registration is easy to do. You can find out more at
www.homeschooldebate.net.
Judging Requirements
Depending on the number of events you enter, you will be required to bring
judges to your tournament. They will not judge you, of course (that would be
a conflict of interest), but they are needed to keep a tournament rolling along.
There are three kinds of judges at tournaments.
1.
Parent Judges. These are moms and dads of competitors. Most often
competitors register their parents for judging when they are
registering themselves for a tournament.
2.
Alumni Judges. These are students who have graduated and are at
least 18 years old. Tournaments scheduled during spring breaks
typically draw several alumni judges.
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3.
Community Judges. These are judges who are not parents or alumni.
These could include grandparents or relatives of competitors, coworkers of parents, church friends, neighbors and the like.
The first two types of judges are pretty common at tournaments, but all
tournaments need a pool of community judges to succeed. Students are
encouraged to solicit community judges and are sometimes awarded prizes
for their efforts. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a healthy
community judge pool. Tournament organizers should treat community
judges like royalty (thank them often and feed them well), because they want
them to return.
Family
You will find that NCFCA and Stoa tournaments are centered around family.
This makes sense, because homeschoolers are all about family, and
tournaments become bastions of family fellowship. Competitors aren’t the
only ones to enjoy one another at tournaments. Here are ways other family
members can be of service and have a great time too.
•
Timers. Children 9-11 years old (not yet old enough to compete) can
time rounds. The timer table is a popular area at every tournament.
And that’s only partially because they can earn awards for their
efforts!
•
Judges. What better way to get relatives involved in homeschooling
than judging at a speech and debate tournament?
•
Staff. Families can pitch in by overseeing or helping with facilities
work, orientation, way-finding, etc. It always ends up being more fun
than drudgery, and we have had parents enjoy staffing tournaments
even after their own kids have graduated and moved on to collegelevel debate.
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You will find that tournaments are exhausting, but so totally worth it. Speech
and debate families form a wonderful hub of community. The fellowship is
fantastic. And friendships formed at these tournaments will last a lifetime.
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CHAPTER
6
Good to Great
There are a ton of good speakers and debaters among the sport’s several
thousand-strong homeschool competitors. Observe any tournament for even
half a day, and you’ll be energized by the quality of youth walking the halls,
preparing their speeches, engaging in their debates. It’s invigorating, it gives
you hope for the future, it brings home educators inline with their purpose
and calling.
But what turns the “good” competitor into a “great” competitor? What helps
get a student on the top of the charts? What can you do to fully engage in the
competitive arena and stay ahead of the rest?
Don’t settle for mediocrity. The masses settle there, but the great
communicators and leaders of the future climb up to higher ground. The
competitive environment encourages you to press yourself, to strive for
greatness. This isn’t a haughty or proud attitude—blow that thought away.
Striving for greatness in all you do is a noble goal indeed.
In fact, it’s arguably a biblical model for the Christian walk. If God is calling
you to great things (and I believe He is!), keep Philippians 3:14 close to your
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heart: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
This chapter is about the specifics of what exactly you can do to best prepare
for the action of upcoming tournaments. Let me lay out some opportunities
you can take full advantage of this school year.
Camp
Training Minds Ministry hosts an annual summer camp which I lead. This
year it will be held in beautiful Estes Park, Colo., at the YMCA of the Rockies.
I hire Training Minds coaches to do the good work of coaxing the most and
the best out of the campers. If you’re reading this book before August 8-13,
2011, then by all means try to nab one of the fast-disappearing slots! If you’re
reading after those dates, I can only tell you that you missed one dandy of a
camp. And I can rub it in a little!
•
Comedian Ken Davis, a professional speaking trainer and extremely
funny coach is joining us. He’ll entertain us and help train us.
•
Another big name: Mark Mittelberg. He’s a best-selling author and
apologetics expert. He, too, has a lot to teach you!
•
I hire coaches who have been around for a while, many of them
established authors of some of the resources we publish. Such coaches
as Vance Trefethen and his old debate partner Rob Parks. They’ve
been running camps with me for years.
•
And we’re bringing in title champions, too. (We want their secrets!)
Some of these competitors have become household names in
homeschool speech and debate circles: Herche, Baker, Mittelberg,
Baumgardner, Nelson, Jeub, Garcia.
•
The venue is perfect. Choosing the YMCA of the Rockies is one of our
strategies for success. The training can get intense, but a Bible camp
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atmosphere is perfect. Plus, Estes Park is one of the most serene places
on the planet.
I know what you’re thinking right now, though! “I probably can’t afford
this.” Camp in Estes Park is an all-expenses-paid camp (we provide the
lodging and we feed you), but even local camps in church basements find it
difficult to beat our price. There are two ways we do this. First, we offer some
incredible deals. Working with the YMCA of the Rockies, we are able to offer
1/2 off to all 12-year-old novices. We extend this to coaching parents too.
Small children are able to come for free.
Second, Training Minds Ministry is able to accept tax-deductible donations
on behalf of attending students. This means that campers can solicit friends,
families and businesses for donations to raise money for camp. The process is
a little complex (due to IRS guidelines), but it has served as an incredible
opportunity to make camp affordable. In the past five years, over $40,000 in
contributions has been raised for camp tuition.
My bottom line is this: I don’t want anyone to turn away from camp because of
finances. Anything is possible, right? Sure, we have bills to pay, but we’ve also
got a ministry to run. If you have the will, you can find the way. Training
Minds Ministry is ready to work with you to make it happen. Spend some
time on our website looking over the deals that are offered, and contact us if
you need to talk through your particular situation.
Still, if you aren’t able to make it to camp, Monument Publishing produces
some extensive CD audio sets. We record some of the sessions at camp and
product sets of CDs coupled with the slideshow presentations the coaches
prepared. These sets come out in October, and previous years’ camps are
available now. A good use of time in your homeschool would be to work
through the lessons in the CD audio sets.
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Finding Good Coaching
I’ve been coaching since 1995 and will continue to coach for years to come. I
can’t get enough of it! But a decade into this, Training Minds Ministry has
better coaches on the roster than me. So while I don’t personally boast that
I’m the best there is, I can boast that we have the best coaches in the nation at
our camps and making resources for publication. And we’re having a ball
doing it!
Getting coaching support is a difficult thing for homeschool families. But it
isn’t impossible. A few homeschool moms scoping the local area could turn
up some fabulous speech and debate coaching. Here are some suggestions:
•
Colleges. If you live close to a college, try to find out if it has a
forensics department. You should prefer students who graduated
from Stoa or NCFCA. Sometimes theory in college is more aggressive
than homeschoolers desire, but this isn’t a general rule. I’ve seen some
marvelous, faith-centric coaches come from collegiate circles.
•
Alumni. They’ve walked the walk, so why not pull them in to talk the
talk? Invite your graduates to come back to club and coach the next
generation of students. If they’re heading out of town for college, set
up times for when they’re back in town for “special sessions” of
coaching.
•
Mom and/or Dad. There is nothing wrong with parents learning
alongside students. I know many coaches—some with teams that
have done extremely well in national competition—who started out
as ambitious parents. They started knowing perhaps no more than
you holding this book, and they fared very well in the long run.
•
Coaching Brokering System. This year Training Minds Ministry is
starting a coaching brokering system. What that means is this: Our
coaches are open to being contracted to help individual students and
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even entire clubs. Get more information about this new venture by
visiting www.trainingminds.org/coaches.
Don’t get discouraged if none of these things happen. Students who have
ambition and teach one another sometimes do nicely. It may take a while to
build a club with mature coaching support. That’s not the end of the world.
Do what you can, and watch your club grow.
Curriculum
A tournament “ironman” is a competitor who competes in five speaking
events and debate. She is often given a special award for such enthusiasm
and dedication.
Now, I’m not saying that everyone in your club must or even should be
ironmen. However, it is good to be exposed to all the speech and debate
categories sometime during middle school and high school. This is the
purpose of the Ironman Curriculum.
I’ve mentioned the Ironman Curriculum here and there in previous chapters.
This is Monument Publishing’s all-inclusive, quite hefty three-ring binder of
lessons for each speaking event.
The curriculum releases every year in August and is made for parent-coaches
seeking supplemental material to teach their children. Even so, some mature,
established coaches have gone with this material which is written by Training
Minds Ministry coaches and can be easily adapted to the classroom or co-op
setting.
The Ironman Curriculum consists of five 12-week sessions specifically tailored
for students who desire to excel in any of the speeches offered in Stoa or
NCFCA. The lessons may be purchased separately too. The idea of the
Ironman Curriculum is to teach everything a students needs to know to become
an ironman competitor at a tournament (all 10 events plus one format of
debate) in 12 weeks. Naturally, students won’t participate in all the events,
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but they will at least be exposed to their details in case they would like to
pursue them for competition.
How the Ironman Is Set Up
The Ironman schedule is divided into five sections, and two of these sections
are further divided into sub-sections. Most sections are taught in a 12-week
span; the final section (Extemp) is taught in eight weeks. These are typically
taught in the fall months of the school calendar year (September, October and
November), as most tournaments begin after the New Year.
Team-Policy Debate
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
3. Speech
a. Limited-Prep
b. Interp
c. Platform
4. Apologetics
5. Extemp
1.
2.
Students who dedicate as little as three hours per week for 12 weeks will gain
the knowledge necessary to take on every speaking event available to them
come the spring competitive season. Like I said before, not everyone needs to
be an ironman, so taking one of the sections may be a perfectly viable option
for a homeschooler.
Clubs that offer each section can fit them into a schedule conducive to a
particular community. I live in Monument, Colo., and my family is active in
our homeschool community. We’re offering these sections on Mondays.
Here’s our schedule:
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Advanced Debate
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. — Debate
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. — Speech
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7:00 - 8:00 p.m. — Apologetics and/or Extemp
Some families will take all three sections for the 12 weeks. Others may go out
for one section. Parents can (and should) consider the learning styles of their
children when deciding where to plug them in. The Ironman Curriculum
allows parents to make the best decisions for their children, and with an
adaptable schedule suited for their individual needs.
We published three example syllabi online for coaches to copy and use as
they wish. The syllabi may be used as is or adjusted to fit a club’s needs. The
links to the syllabi can be found on the Ironman Curriculum product page:
www.monumentpublishing.biz/Ironman_Curriculum_p/bd90.htm.
You get the picture. The Ironman Curriculum can fit into all sorts of
homeschool schedules. Teachers who get the Ironman Curriculum are able to
adapt to co-op schedules and offer customizable classes for homeschool
students in their communities.
S o u r c e b o o k s & Te x t b o o k s
I’ve covered sourcebooks in earlier chapters, so I won’t spend too much time
on them here. In short:
•
“Blue” = Team-Policy Debate
•
“Red” = Lincoln-Douglas Debate
•
“Gold” = Extemp, Impromptu & Parli Debate
•
“Silver” = Apologetics
•
“Emerald” = Literary Interp
•
“Platinum” = Platforms
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Sourcebooks are coil-bound study helps, not quite the year-by-year textbook
that students can also find handy. We have developed quite a collection of
foundational texts for students and coaches to learn from. They are “Keys” to
ensuring the best practices for each discipline.
Keys is the title of our line products, some of which are still in the making.
Unlike sourcebooks, textbooks may be used year to year and do not come out
with new editions very often. These are the ones that have already been
released or are to be released this year.
•
Keys to Extemp by Cody Herche (2008)
•
Keys to Interp by Travis Herche (2010)
•
Keys to Cross-Examination by Cody Herche (2011)
•
Keys to Team-Policy by Vance Trefethen (late 2011)
•
Keys to Lincoln-Douglas by Kaitlin Nelson and Shane Baumgardner
(late 2011)
Speechranks.com
The National Christian Homeschool Speech & Debate Rankings is an
inclusive ranking system for all homeschool competitors: www.speechranks.com.
The site is underwritten and owned by Stoa, but may include any Christian
homeschool competitor who opens a profile. Scores from tournaments that
have transparent tabulation rooms are able to upload results that are placed
automatically into personal profiles. Otherwise, students are able to upload
their own data manually.
•
Stoa uses speechranks.com as their criterion for inviting students to
NITOC.
•
Students who obtain two green check marks are considered for an
invitation to NITOC 2012.
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•
For debaters, a green check mark is awarded for successfully
completing a qualifying tournament with a winning record in
preliminary rounds.
•
For speakers, a check mark is awarded for successfully completing a
qualifying tournament in the top 40% of competitors.
•
Points are awarded depending on the success rank of the competitor,
with larger tournaments awarding more points.
•
The bottom 15% of tournament results are not shown publicly (but are
visible in personal accounts).
There are two ways data is entered into speechranks.com. First, students may
enter data themselves. If a student knows the number of people who
competed in their event, and he knows the placing of how well he did, he
may enter the data accordingly. If errors are discovered, a flagging system is
managed to correct bad data. If a student does not know her placing, she at
least receives one point but is assumed to have placed last.
The second way to enter data is for tournament directors to enter it with a
spreadsheet. And Stoa works with TDs—both in and out of Stoa—to enter
data with a simple upload. The process works quite smoothly, automatically
correcting any student-entered errors. All Stoa tournaments and many nonqualifying NCFCA tournaments have open tabulation rooms, which are, as
the name implies, tabulation rooms where results are open to observation by
all competitors.
I’ve worked in tab rooms over the years, and though data is entered into
software under several eyes, mistakes still happen. Open tab is the solution.
When competitors are able to view the results of the data and how the data
came about, the students identify errors very quickly. Tabulation software
such as Joy of Tournaments can minimize errors, but when they do occur,
competitors figure out the problem, flag it, and adjustments are made
accordingly.
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Stoa tournaments all have open tab rooms, but NCFCA does not. It is
customary for Stoa tournaments to print the results in ballot envelopes, but
results from NCFCA tournaments are kept confidential. Unless competitors
advance to elimination rounds later in the tournament where placings can be
figured out, students don’t know where they place in the results. One of the
downsides to this is that on speechranks.com, the NCFCA students are given
only one competition point instead of multiple points being assigned based
on their ranking in a competition, as they are for Stoa competitors. It’s better
than nothing, of course, but it’s often not representative of how well they
really did.
If a student wishes to abstain from speechranks.com, he may do so by deleting
his profile. Doing so will remove the competitor from consideration for
NITOC invitation, but his privacy is honored.
The way I see it, though, keeping track of student performance is fun—and
beneficial. It heightens the sense of sport in speech and debate. And it can
spur participants on to greater achievement. I have literally sat in front of
speechranks.com and clicked for hours, just like a kid reading stats on baseball
cards. And one of the most exciting things to realize is that colleges and
employers may do the same! Indeed, the founders of the site hope that
students can point online to their competitive results, and those results can
lead to scholarships, job offers and other opportunities.
Aim for Nationals
NITOC was impressive this past year. Training Minds Ministry wrapped up
the final rounds with 1st-place champions in nine competitive categories, the
best showing in the ministry’s history. Check out the list of title award
winners at the Tournament of Champions:
•
Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Jon Bateman, 1st of 97 debaters, 2nd in the
nation. 1st place LD speaker: Brooke Wade.
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Good to Great
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
83
Apologetics: Luis Garcia, 1st of 88 competitors, 1st in the nation.
(Note: Luis Garcia took 1st place in every tournament he competed in
throughout the year. He is now a Training Minds coach.)
Dramatic Interp: Creighton Deems, 1st of 64, 3rd in the nation.
Duo Interp: Benjamin Griffith and Kasey Leander, 1st of 64
competitors, 2nd in the nation.
Expository/Illustrated Oratory: Lydia Jeub, 1st of 37, 4th in the
nation.
Extemporaneous: Ty Harding, 1st of 81, 2nd in the nation.
Humorous Interp: Steven Bailey, 1st of 57, 1st in the nation.
Impromptu: Luis Garcia, 1st of 168, 3rd in the nation.
Persuasive: Matthew Mittelberg, 1st of 63, 1st in the nation.
NCFCA Nationals wasn’t too shabby either! Check out the extraordinary
success of our debaters ...
•
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
#1 Ethan Green, SC (3rd seed with 5-1 prelim record)
#3 Sarah Evans, VA (Top seed with 6-0 prelim record)
#4 Christian Fernandez, FL (2nd seed with 5-1 prelim record)
#6 Andrew Mouser, AL
•
Team-Policy Debate
#1 Cameron Rentschler and his partner, AL
#3 Kaitlyn Johnston and her partner, FL
#1 Speaker Chris Riegg, OR
#2 Speaker Mark Edmondson, UT
#3 Speaker Kaitlyn Johnston, FL
Another success: Brooke Wade, a 1st-year debater and extemper from Florida,
took the title for extemporaneous speaking. Brooke had been coached
personally by Training Minds Ministry coach Shane Baumgardner since camp
in October 2010.
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These marvelous competitors started out when they were young. I was
privileged—along with all the Training Minds Ministry coaching staff—to be
a part of their foundational training. We watched and helped as they made it
a top priority to use the skills learned at camp and through our resources to
climb to the top.
Allow me a few more paragraphs to zero in on a few of the students listed
above. They have great stories that will motivate you to follow in their
footsteps.
Matthew Mittelberg is the No. 1 Lincoln-Douglas debater on speechranks.com
for 2011, and he secured the NITOC Title Award for persuasive. He
graduated on top of his game, but didn’t suddenly become good. I remember
him at the 2007 Summer Camp in Estes Park. We taught him the ropes in
debate, and today we’re extremely proud to count him among our alumni.
Luis Garcia also graduated at the top of his game. He attended four
tournaments throughout the season—many of the largest tournaments in the
nation—securing 1st place at every one. He attended our speech and debate
camps during his junior and senior years. And he is the only speaker to take
two titles at NITOC (apologetics and impromptu).
Jon Bateman won the Lincoln-Douglas title at NITOC, and he sits under only
Matthew Mittelberg as No. 2 in the nation. He has loyally traveled from
Illinois every summer to attend camp. He has excelled in more events than
most students—seven total, plus debate and pari—and is the No. 3
competitor in the nation on speechranks.com’s 2011 results.
Notice something with each of these master competitors: They’ve been at it for
a while. I can point to example after example of students who enter as 12-, 13or 14-year-olds, clunk along for a couple of years, then shoot to the stars.
I believe all students have it in them to do just as well in competition! Take the
tools provided in Jeub’s Guide to Homeschool Speech & Debate to the limit. Dive
in, and I’ll see you at Nationals!
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CHAPTER
7
Conclusion
Who doesn’t appreciate Buzz Lightyear’s clarion call, “To infinity, and
beyond!” We laugh at it, but it evokes an enthusiasm we respect, we admire. I
feel this way about speech and debate. And homeschooling, for that matter.
Growing up in the homeschool speech and debate community is not only fun
and educational, it’s got potential!
I took a Ford Excursion full of Jeubs to a homeschool graduation party in
June. Six students were graduating—all speech and debate students—several
Training Minds alumni. More than 100 people assembled on a ranch and,
despite some hefty rain, celebrated these young people graduating from high
school.
I made a point of congratulating all the seniors, but also enjoyable was
connecting with older students who were back from college.
One will be graduating from college next year. She interned for
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann last year. We jabbed back and forth
about the presidential options out there and if Rep. Bachmann would throw
her hat into the ring. (Neither of us knew at the time that she would.) I was
surprised to hear that Bachmann and her husband had helped raise 23 foster
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girls. That’s conviction, and it’s exciting to hear of such a strong leader
making strides in the political world. And it was all the more exciting to hear
it firsthand from a former debate student.
I talked with another former debater—back from New York—who is starting
up a window-washing business this summer in Denver. We had a fun
conversation about entrepreneurship and making some “good money”
serving others. He is also volunteering for some significant pro-life causes in
Mississippi, a cause he is most passionate (and correct) about. He was a
semifinalist at Nationals a few years ago, and is making progress in some
significant issues.
Before the party I received a phone call from a mom whose children attended
our debate camps over the years. Back in the day, her kids got into hot water
with me and another coach when they tried to run some faulty evidence. It
was a tough lesson at the time that turned out fine in the end. Actually it
turned out much better than just fine. She shared with me just how important
that lesson eventually became. Her team is now graduated, but the very plan
they were running is now being analyzed by U.S. congressmen, and her kids
are an active part of its lobbying effort. They’ve come to realize firsthand how
important it is to have solid ethical evidence to back their claims up.
Beyond Competition
I could go on and on with examples of how these debaters’ lives are turning
out. These were just from one day! I had the privilege of being involved in
these kids’ (now young adults) lives. Camps, tournaments, classes, coaching.
They did well in competition and took home trophies that are now collecting
dust in their attics. I was so proud of them back then.
Today, my pride is almost too much.
I had to remember, I was there for the six who were graduating. One of them
was Matthew Mittelberg, mentioned earlier as the No. 1 Lincoln-Douglas
debater in the nation! I don’t want to belittle their hard work; they deserved
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every hug of encouragement and congratulation. I can see it in their eyes:
They’re on top of the world.
But this is my subtle conviction: I hope they’re not. Because they’re actually just
starting off!
You see, all this “training for action” stuff isn’t for the accolades. The
competition is the training. Now that they’re moving on, they’re positioned,
geared up for flight. I can’t wait to see them a few years from now. And in a
few decades, the world itself will be a better place because of them.
This experience amplifies the central goal of Training Mind Ministry.
Competitions aren’t the goal, nor are the awards. They’re still important, but
in this sense: competitions are arenas of preparation. Students learn the skills
of speaking, persuasion, thinking, rhetoric, logic—so many of the academic
tools needed for doing great things in the future—in speech and debate.
Maybe Buzz’s attitude is one we should all have. “To infinity, and beyond!”
Perhaps this is the same enthusiasm Christ had when he emphasized to his
disciples, “Everything is possible with the Lord!” Such optimism is limitless,
the boundless possibilities for the follower of Jesus.
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