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.