Debate Club for Middle School
Students gather over the course of 8 weeks to practice writing speeches, researching information, and engaging in civic debates.
Choreography by Rae
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(618)
What's included
8 live meetings
7 hrs 20 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. During the first few weeks of class, students may be asked to finish writing their speech or to practice their speech delivery.Assessment
Written performance assessment is provided.Grading
Printable certificate of completion is provided.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
Let's debate! Whether your kid loves to argue or tends to be more shy when expressing ideas, this public speaking & debate course for middle schoolers will help them with refining speaking skill while boosting self-confidence. Over 8 weeks students will explore the foundations formulating a speech, participating in a debate, and speaking publicly (in a group forum). After discussing the "legislation" of the day, students will be asked to argue in support of or against the weekly topic. The teacher will provide a few news articles to help facilitate research skills. Our teachers provide a safe space for students to express opinions without feeling judged. By assigning a topic, we want to encourage students to make informed decisions. A student may be asked to argue in support of something they do not personally agree with. For example, the student is assigned to argue that children should be allowed to have credit cards in order to learn good money habits. While a student may prefer to argue against this idea since it does not reflect their "personal" belief, it would benefit them to learn to research and argue the opposing side. By participating in this class the student it is understood that the student is mature enough to accept the learning opportunity presented, rather than becoming upset and choosing not to participate in the debate be At the instructor will give feedback on the strength and weakness of each argument. Students will engage in rebuttals as time permits. This class is designed to support civic debate in addition to learning to use research to support a viewpoint. Students should be comfortable using the internet for research. Students will be instructed as to what types of support material can be used (no personal blogs/ celebrity social media accounts, no tabloids, gossip columns, or news sources that provide unverifiable information). Class Overview: - Welcome & Share - Topic of the Day - Research & Writing - 2- 5 minute Presentations and Debate - Instructor feedback, group discussion
Learning Goals
Improved public speaking skills. Knowledge of team debate. Improved researching skills.
Syllabus
8 Lessons
over 8 WeeksLesson 1:
Conducting Research and Writing a Speech
Students will do research on a certain topic and write a speech about their research 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Presenting a Speech
Students will present their speech 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Learning to Debate
Students will interact and listen to each other 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Debate 1
Students will debate on if recycling should be mandatory in all states 55 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Parental Guidance
No special accounts are required to use Google Forms, Google Docs, or Google. If the student does not have an email account, the instructor will send the material through an alternative site (Outschool student page or Nearpod).
By assigning a topic and a group we want to encourage students to make informed decisions. A student may be asked to argue in support of something they do not personally support. For example, the student is assigned to a group that argues in favor of healthcare for all. By participating in this class the student is asked to speak in favor of the legislation. At the end of class they can share their personal opinion via an anonymous poll (Google Forms) provided by the instructor.
Students will be encouraged to do internet searches on Google for support material. Research is timed and facts are submitted to the instructor for approval to be used in debate. This helps students develop research skills and sticks to appropriate websites.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will refer to published news articles and in-class use of online searches using the search engine on the student's electronic device and at times via screen share from the instructors (using Google search engine). To ensure the source material is a non biased source, students send a link for the instructor to approve.
Joined March, 2020
4.9
618reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Ms. Rae formerly participated in Public Speaking and Debate in high school. She competed for 2 years and won speech competitions. As an educator she has has created public workshops to inform youth about civic debate. Ms. Rae is also a professional actor and guided many elementary school and high school student through the process of overcoming stage fright and giving amazing speeches. She has provided private coaching, guiding some of her students to go on and win National speech competitions.
Ms. Dana has been teaching performing arts to kids Pre-k through High School for over 6 years. She is TEFL certified and is passionate about Reading and Language Arts. A college adjunct instructor, she takes pride in helping students use education to rise above life's obstacles. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services and a Master's Degree in Education. She has also worked as an acting & modeling coach.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$200
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
55 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-15
2-6 learners per class
