7TH GRADE
Do not let me forget. You need field trip permission slips today!
Today:
 Assign debate topics
 Debate guided notes
 Stretch
You need to have at least one printed article (or something available to show
me and use in class) here Monday! You have Monday and Tuesday to
prepare for your debate!
CONSTRUCTIVE SPEECHES:
1st Constructive Speech
Begin by clearly stating and explaining the proposition as well
as your team’s position.
Grab the audience’s attention and offer some reason as to
why the audience should care about this proposition.
Begin to build your team’s case by offering several arguments
as wll as explanation and support for each of these arguments.
Think “Hamburger Model:” Each opinion statement (claim in
your argument) should have several reasons with
elaboration/evidence for each reason.
You must be prepared and rehearsed. Think persuasive
speech!
2ND CONSTRUCTIVE SPEECH
Begin by addressing and rebutting against the opposing team’s first
constructive speech.
Note: This will take both advance preparation and good note-taking during
their speech so you know what to address and how. Be preparing as they
speak. You have one minute once they finish speaking to begin your speech.
Continue to build your team’s case by offering several new arguments
(reasons in the hamburger model) as well as explanation and support for
each.
Your second constructive speech will offer fewer reasons than the first speech
simply due to time.
For both constructive speeches it is wise to build your cases purposefully.
Perhaps start with your weakest arguments and build to your strongest.
Again you must be well prepared and rehearsed.
BEWARE LOGICAL FALLACIES
A logical fallacy is an incorrect conclusion that comes from faulty reasoning. Try to keep
from doing this in your own speeches and try to spot it and call it out in your opponents
speeches.
There are several types of logical fallacies:
1. The appeal to tradition
Sometimes speakers will justify their position in a debate by arguing that we should do
something a certain way because we have always done it that way. This is flawed logic.
Consider that plenty of bad behaviors (holding slaves, denying women the right to vote)
were at one time traditions in this country, but that didn’t mean they were necessarily
good ideas.
2. The appeal to authority
While it is often appropriate and even necessary to cite credible sources to prove a
point, the appeal to authority becomes fallacious when it is a substitute for reasoning or
when the cited authority isn’t actually an authority on your topic.
3. The fallacy of false cause
This occurs when the speaker says that something happened, and then
something else happened, so therefore the first thing caused the second. But
order in time does not imply causality. Consider this statement: The sun rises
every time I get out of bed. Therefore, by getting out of bed, I make the sun
rise.
4. The fallacy of composition
A speaker may state what is true of the part is also true of the whole. This is not
necessarily true and is therefore flawed reasoning. Consider what you would
say if a speaker said, “Atoms have no color. Humans are made up of atoms.
Therefore, humans have no color.”
5. The fallacy of division
Just because something is true of the whole, it does not necessarily follow that
this thing is true of the parts. You might read a story that says that the average
American family has 2.3 children. Does this mean that the Jones family (an
average American family) has 2.3 children?
THE REBUTTAL SPEECHES:
The rebuttal speech is your team’s final chance to persuade the
judges/audience. In it you must do three things:
1. Address & refute the other team’s rebuttal part of the second
constructive speech. In other words, explain why their rebuttals to
your arguments were not as strong as your arguments.
2. Address & refute the other team’s arguments.
3. Clearly and persuasively summarize the main points of you team’s
arguments.
EFFECTIVE REBUTTALS
• Both teams must engage the arguments made by the other side. In this
way, debate is a little like playing ping-pong. You can always choose not
to answer the argument make by the other side, but if you do not, you
signal that you agree with the argument. Arguments that are not
contested, or refuted, stand as points that both sides agree upon. While
sometimes it is a good idea to agree with the other side, all debates must
be able to refute points that they think are wrong or dangerous.
There are four steps to an effective rebuttal:
1. “They say. . .”
It is important to refer to the argument you are about to refute so that your
audience and judges can easily follow your line of thought. Do this quickly
by briefly summarizing their point.
2. “But. . .”
In this part of your refutation, you can state the basics of you counterargument. This can be, in the case above, simply the opposite of your
opponent’s claim.
3. “Because. . .”
Having made your counter-argument, you need to proceed to offer reasoning
and evidence.
4. “Therefore. . .”
Finally, you need to draw a conclusion that compares your refutation to your
opponent’s argument and shows why yours effectively defeats theirs. What
you need to do here is show that your argument is stronger than their argument
because. . .
It’s better reasoned. Perhaps their argument makes some kind of error in logic
or reasoning.
It has better evidence. Maybe your argument makes use of more or better
evidence. Perhaps your sources are better qualified than theirs, or your
evidence is more recent than theirs.
It has been true in the past. Maybe your ideas are supported by historical
examples, or events that have happened in the past, while theirs are based on
speculation without much support from the past.
It takes theirs into account. Sometime your argument can take theirs into
account and go a step further. (Remember our standards of reasoning and
taking into account consequences?) Try something like, “Even if they’re right
about the recreational benefits of crossbows, they’re still too dangerous for
elementary school physical education classes.”
It has greater significance. You can state that your argument has
more significance because, for example, it matters more to any given
individual or applies more to a larger number of individuals, etc.
It’s consistent with experience. Perhaps your argument is consistent
with experience over time, in a different place, or in different
circumstances.
AN EFFECTIVE EXAMPLE:
Speaker 1: Television is a good influence because it helps you learn
valuable skills. For example, children learn to read and count by
watching educational programs.
Speaker 2: Speaker 1 says that television is a good influence, but I
disagree. Television is a bad influence, because it causes obesity. For
example, the average childe spends 4 hours every day watching
television, which they could be engaged in physical activity such as
sports. Therefore, television is more of a bad influence than a good
influence, because children can always learn to read and count from
other sources, like books or with their parents, but they can’t get back
the time they’ve wasted in from of the television when they could have
been exercising.