Service Description

Phase 3: 1-to-6 course. Phase 3 content. Our debate courses are hugely popular amongst our younger students. The students learn how to discuss, argue and debate in the English language. The course focuses on such areas as what makes a good debater, being able to plan a good debate, being able to use formal language and connectives in a speech and being able to plan and write a speech and debate it with other students. The students will learn how to discuss a variety of relevant topics and ideas, focusing on school, home and current affairs. These are all topics that are taught in schools and are further studied in GCSE English Language. This course can be seen as preparing students for the persuasive, discursive and informative tasks a student will be asked to undertake then. Sessions in this phase will introduce either a model for conducting a debate or a rhetorical technique. This material will be published in a Rise document to be circulated to the group in advance. Students will be asked to read this material before the lesson. Each session will begin with a brief exploration of this material (and a chance to answer questions) before we move into a debate, where the students will have the chance to apply the key concept or skill. They will also have the chance to work as a team to prepare their arguments. In each lesson, the members of the group will prepare an argument to present in response to the debating question. The debates will follow the procedures relevant to the particular debating model being used. Lesson 1: Key Concept or Debating Model: Mace debating Debating question: This house believes it would be good to be famous. Lesson 2: Key Concept or Debating Model: Rapid identification of key points Debating question: This house believes that every child should have to join a sports club or team. Lesson 3: Key Concept or Debating Model: Using personal stories Debating question: Junk food for children should be heavily taxed. Lesson 4: Key Concept or Debating Model: Paris-style debating Debating question: Is climate change already irreversible? Lesson 5: Key Concept or Debating Model: Australia-Asia debating 2 Debating question: Home schooling is always worse than normal schooling. It should not be allowed.