December 15, 2006

The debates are in full swing! Some are amusing, while others are disappointing. I can't emphasize this enough: be prepared! I suggest students deliver their presentation to someone beforehand. When they are ready to present should NOT be the first time they have spoken their research to someone! If you are interested, here are some things to consider about the scoring:

You get extra points for a proper introduction. (5 points total)
You should have four main reasons for your side with two explanations each. (12 points minimum)
You get two points for each rebuttal. If the other side said four points, that is 8 points.
There is another round for rebuttals (maybe 6 more points)
A good conclusion that incorporates the opponent's weaknesses gets 5 points
Visuals can give you three points
Eye contact can give you five points.

Here are the grades:
30 = A
20 = B
15 = C
14 + 13 = C-
How could one even get a D?

If you look above at the way they get points, it is hard to see how a student could not get an A! Only the winner gets the A, though. The winner gets 5 points for winning. That can push the grade up to the next grade.