Preparing for the Debate

 

1. The captain of the pro team presents his or her argument to the class in 2 minutes or less. The con team then has 2 minutes to ask questions intended to show weaknesses in the argument or fallacies in the logic.

 

2. The captain of the con team presents his or her argument and the pro team members have 2 minutes to ask questions.

 

3. Pro and con team members continue to take turns speaking until all team members have spoken.

 

4. At the end, both teams have 5 minutes to prepare summaries of their arguments. The captain of each team will deliver the summary in 2 minutes or less.

 

Decision

 

Classmates not participating in the debate vote to decide which team presented the strongest, most logical arguments. Students should vote for the team that showed the strongest debating skills, not for the side they agree with.