The rough draft of the essay is due on Wednesday. It needs to be legible so we can see what needs improvement.
Today, we watched a practice debate so the students know what to expect. Below is the sheet I discussed. I will probably give them a copy tomorrow. (Maybe I will make it available for those who care.) I guess I am frustrated because I am leading horses to water, but they are refusing to drink. I don't want to see students earn low grades. I work so hard to get them prepared.
Ant Debate Scoring
This is the tally sheet the audience uses while listening to
the debate. See the suggestions
below for assigning points. Every
point counts. To win, you should
have a strategy. Try to get all
the points you can. Even if you
don’t have lots of strong facts, a smooth presentation with visuals could get
you a win!
Squisher:
|
You determine the winner. I am teaching you how to be
critical. Don’t just sit there!
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Nonsquisher:
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Introduction (1-5) _____
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They must have a handshake and thesis.
2 if not prepared and uses
the one provided
3 if uses mine
4 if modified mine
5 uses own
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Introduction (1-5) _____
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Good points (plus 1)
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False or lame (minus 1)
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Use tally marks. After each statement made, decide
where a mark belongs.
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Good points (plus 1)
|
False or lame (minus 1)
|
||
Main Argument
I give them a tally mark for the
statement and one each for every support they give for the statement.
Ex.
1. Reason one
support
support
support
= 4 points
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Good rebuttal points (plus 1)
|
False or lame (minus 1)
|
Rebuttal
The main focus of this section should be
to comment on the other side, but they can bring in new supports.
One point for repeating a point the
opponent made.
One point for each worthy supporting rebuttal statement.
|
Good rebuttal points (plus 1)
|
False or lame (minus 1)
|
||
Good rebuttal points (plus 1)
|
False or lame (minus 1)
|
Rebut the
rebuttals & Sum up
No tally marks during the summary
part. They already said these
reasons.
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Good rebuttal points (plus 1)
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False or lame (minus 1)
|
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Conclusion (1-5) _____
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There should be a review of the main
points they had.
5- sums up and has a clear, powerful
conclusion AND mentions opponent’s points from debate.
|
4- sums up and has a clear, powerful
conclusion
3- sums up the three main points only.
2- just ends
|
Conclusion (1-5) _____
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Eye contact (1-5) _____
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Did you feel like they were talking to
you?
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Most are 4’s and 3’s. Save the 5 for someone who looks at
you and addresses you.
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Eye contact (1-5) _____
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Visuals (0-3) _____
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Any cheesy visual gets at least 1 point.
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For more points they must have two other
good visuals and refer to them
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Visuals 0-3) _____
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Total:
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Mentioned
Book
yes/ no (-1)
Movie yes/ no
(-1)
Article title yes/ no (-1)
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The class determines the winner as long
as it is close to mine– even if we disagree!
|
Total:
|
Mentioned
Book
yes/ no (-1)
Movie yes/ no
(-1)
Article title yes/ no (-1)
|
||
Suggestions for points
Introduction:
2 if
not prepared with the one provided
3 if
uses mine
4 if
modified mine
5
uses own (and is good)
Intro:
The boy in the story
has a decision to make: should he squish the ant or not? After researching ants
and exploring the topic, I am
going to prove to you that the boy in the story should (not) squish the ant. He
should (not) squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.
Supports
I
put one tally mark for each good support I hear that is not repeated.
I
give tally marks for supports backed up by a reference to a source
Rebuttal
Each
person should refer to each other as “my opponent” and talk to the audience
Conclusion
3
if just uses my conclusion
4
if my conclusion and a little more
5
if does 1,2,3 and states a few points he/she has discussed from opponent
and gives the listeners
a directive, something to do now that they have heard the
debate (I.E., we should vote for
you because you had the better argument.)
Conclusion:
I have proven to you that the boy in the
story should (not) squish the ant. He should (not) squish because reason 1,
reason 2, reason 3. I have also discussed how… (list some of the points you
covered in the part where you refuted the other side.)
Relevant Details
-You
are to stick to the story Hey, Little Ant. Remember, you must have
three
main points. You may not just list any detail you can think about
regarding ants!
-You
must mention the book “Hey, Little
Ant” by name.
-You
must mention the title of an
article as a source for at least one detail.
Visuals
1
tally mark up to three for using the visual to explain a support
Grades
A+ = 40
A = 30 (must earn)
B = 25
C = 20
D = 15
Only the winner of
the debate can receive the A if both students earn an A!
