Social

Studies

Lesson Plan 2

What: Students will learn about debate skills and how to formulate arguments with
the research materials they have brought to class.

How: Students will practice and assess each others debate skills through peer
reviews, and receive scaffolded instruction on how to form arguments related to
their roles, and critique arguments. Students will then participate in a mock debate
in which I will help facilitate.

Why: These skills will help show students how to form a well structure and good
argument, and how to use certain information to defend their position. Students will
also get a chance to practice using their argument in a formal debate in preparation
for the actual simulation.

Goal/Objective: Students will learn how to formulate arguments with the
information that they brought to class for the sides of their arguments. Students will
learn how to present theses arguments in a debate as well as refute other
arguments. Students will witness and participate in a formal debate.

Materials: Over head projector, Handouts

During:

Making Arguments Page 83, Using Evidence Page 86, Impact Page 133, Students will
read through this handout aloud (15 minutes, five for each section) Students will
then work together in pairs to answers the following exercises they are given as a
follow up activity to apply what they just learned. Provide 2 minute after each
exercise to share answers (20 minutes).

Argument Refutation (10 minutes) Students will take turns reading the handout
aloud and I will have a teacher version of the handout that will prompt me with
points to say in between their reading. Students will then play a game of I disagree.

Students will have time to prep in their teams for the mock trial to make sure that
they are all on the same page. I will give them a run down of what the order of
events for the trial will look like. During this time the three judges will be prepped in
their roles for what they will be required to do as judges. (15 minutes)

Break, Students can use this time to break or prep or continue to prep for the mock
trial individually or in pairs. OR (OPTIONAL) Page 95 Cause and Affect (15 minutes)

Orchestrated Trial (30 minutes) Page 59

First proposition constructive (5 minutes)

First opposition constructive (5 minutes)
Second proposition constructive (5 minutes)
Second opposition constructive (5 minutes)
Opposition rebuttal (3 minutes)
Proposition rebuttal (3 minutes)

Debrief (10 minutes) Students will have 3 minutes to jot down thoughts and
questions they have about the simulation that they may want to ask me and
suggestions for their team. In the remaining seven minutes students will meet with
their team to share their comments and ask me any questions that they may have.

(Try to plan things in 20 minute increments)