Business 139(Sat) – Conducting a Debate

100 Winning Debate Topics for Middle School Students

Warm up

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  1. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]What industry do you work in and what is your role? [/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]What are your responses in your role / position? [/responsivevoice]
  3. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Can you describe to the function of your workplace / company? [/responsivevoice]
  4. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]How many departments, how many offices. National or International? [/responsivevoice]
  5. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]What are the minimum requirements for employment ie Education or Experience? [/responsivevoice]
  6. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]How many opportunities are there to ‘move up the ladder’? [/responsivevoice]
  7. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]What is the process for changing job roles ie Interview? Test? [/responsivevoice]

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[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]General discussion about your workweek: [/responsivevoice]

  1. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities? [/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Anything of interest happening? [/responsivevoice]

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Article

1.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]A debate is a discussion or structured contest about an issue or a resolution. A formal debate involves two sides: one supporting a resolution and one opposing it. Such a debate is bound by rules previously agreed upon. Debates may be judged in order to declare a winning side. Debates, in one form or another, are commonly used in democratic societies to explore and resolve issues and problems. [/responsivevoice]

Structure for Debate 

2.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]A formal debate usually involves three groups: one supporting a resolution (affirmative team), one opposing the resolution (opposing team), and those who are judging the quality of the  evidence and arguments and the performance in the debate.[/responsivevoice]

Conducting Debate:

3.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]Debate opens with the affirmative team (the team that supports the resolution) presenting their arguments, followed by a member of the opposing team. This pattern is repeated for the second speaker in each team. Finally, each team gets an opportunity for rebutting the arguments of the opponent. Speakers should speak slowly and clearly. The judges and members of the audience should be taking notes as the debate proceeds. A typical sequence for debate, with suggested timelines (1-2 minutes), is as follows[/responsivevoice]

4.[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”]

 

Giving an Opinion
In my opinion
I think
The way I see it…
According to
As far as I’m concerned

Asking for an Opinion
What do you think?
Do you agree?
What are your thoughts on this?

[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”] Employees that work from home are more productive.[/responsivevoice]

[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”] Companies shouldn’t look at prospective employeessocial media profiles. [/responsivevoice]


[responsivevoice voice = “US English Female” buttontext = “”] Which is better: open floor plans or cubicle farms?[/responsivevoice]

Phonetic Chart

Phonemic Chart - click to see or print full size