Time duration per class: 1 hour.     15 Lessons

Course Description: This class is designed to teach students the essential skills needed for debate, argumentation, and public speaking that will enable them to build confidence, self-esteem, critical thinking skills, creativity, and leadership skills. Students will have a chance to improve their communication skills in a safe and secure environment.

How can you argue without becoming argumentative? With so many important issues facing students these days, learning how to advocate for your own position is becoming a vital academic and life skill! In Ustar’s Debate class, students can learn how to express an opinion or take a stance on an issue that is important to them while elevating their public speaking skills by practicing debating skills and making claims based on logical reasoning in a fun, yet challenging atmosphere of teamwork and friendship. Students will participate in training debates employing the fundamentals of constructing arguments and defending positions in both competitive debate formats including Public Forum Debate and Spontaneous Debates (SPAR) and in real-world classroom and social discussions.

All plans and objectives are based upon the teacher’s preliminary and ongoing assessments of the students’ abilities, previous knowledge, and skill sets. Therefore, these plans are tentatively generic, and subject to weekly monitoring and adjusting to make each class more meaningful.

Tentative Course Breakdown and Objectives based on the students’ interests and ability: 

Each class includes an overview of the day’s objectives and essential questions, warm-up activities, a summary activity and homework assignment, an impromptu speech, age and aptitude appropriate argument simulations, and various speaking exercises designed to promote and enhance the day’s skills and objectives.

Note:  Activities will vary pending the pace of the class. Each objective listed below is tentative – actual classes are based on the progress of the previous lesson while monitoring and adjusting for all students’ needs and abilities.

General outline of Ustar debate class topics include:

Lesson 1 – Pre-assessment and welcome lesson – Introduction to Ustar debate and public speaking

Lesson 2- Voice The importance of tone, pitch, volume, and pacing in debating. Students will learn the importance of articulation and correct pronunciation of words and appropriate volume when delivering speeches.

Lesson 3 – Independent learning – students learn techniques to self-evaluate their debate presentations.

Lesson 4 – Critical thinking – the ability to create an argument designed for a specific audience and situation along with the ability to analyze an audience and its needs.

Lesson 5- Debate terminology including constructing points and counterpoints into affirmative and negative stances

Lesson 6 – Public Forum Debate format and practice

Lesson 7- Formal Spontaneous Argumentation format and practice

Lesson 8 – Students deliver an extemporaneous speech with a topic of students’ choice

Lesson 9 – Students develop arguments that are informal claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence

Lesson 10 – Students draft formal claims that are statements about what is true or good or about what should be done or believed, and their applications to debate (claim/counterclaim)

Lesson 11 – How an argumentative “case” shares many characteristics with the expository essay and other scholastic applications

Lesson 12- Impromptu Speech – focused practice of organizing thoughts and opinions in a short amounts of time

Lesson 13 – Debate Flowing: taking notes for cross examination and constructive speeches

Lesson 14 – Outlining techniques to enhance ability to take flow during practice micro-debates

Lesson 15- Students will participate in a culminating mock debate

Effective vocal techniques skills stressed through lessons:

Argumentation techniques both formal and informal

Proper eye contact

Effective Body Language

Holding an audience’s attention

Peer to Peer Evaluation

Impromptu speaking

Structure of a speech

Inspirational Speeches

Persuasive Speeches

Skills for Debating include:

Confidence

Self-esteem

Critical thinking skills

Creativity

Leadership