Expressing Opinion

What’s your POV? Discuss each statement in a small group of 3. Make sure you have reasons to support your POV.

1.Students should be able to choose what they wear to school 2.Teenagers should be permitted to purchase or buy whatever they want to with their own money.3.Young people should be required to do chores around the house4.Boys make better leaders than girls5.All teenagers need their own bedroom 6.Tattoos and body-piercings are personal choice and should be permitted at school or in the workplace7.Skateboards should be allowed on sidewalks8.Teachers give too much homework

A matter of perspective!

So, why debate? Learning Goals:

• Meaningful practice of all MACRO skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing

• Focused practice with speaking skills: pronunciation, intonation and expression

• Develop reasoned argument skills for persuasive speech and essay writing

• Practice critical thinking skills

HOW?• Practice expressing opinion about controversial topics: known as

resolutions• Identify the difference between fact and opinion• Identify the features of a good debate• Identify and judge the strength or weakness of supporting reasons• Research the Pros and Cons of resolutions• Practice delivering formal arguments from both the affirmative

and negative sides of the debate• Practice responding to presented arguments with rebuttals• Practice introducing and summarizing main ideas presented during

the debate

Assessment

• You will be assessed on your speaking skills (pronunciation, intonation and expression)

• Research & Note-taking• Strength of your arguments• Reflections on your learning

Aristotle, Greek philosopher(384-322 BCE)

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

How does this quote relate to DEBATE?

Opinions, Resolutions and Reasons

1. A resolution..2. A controversial topic..3. In DEBATE,

participants either agree or disagree with the resolution…

4. Finding strong, valid reasons to support or oppose a resolution…

5. Valid reasons…

a) …regardless of what they personally believe.

b) ..is an opinion about a controversial topic.

c) …is the main task for debaters.

d) …are those which are supported by evidence.

e) ..is one in which there can be valid disagreement.

Match & complete the following statements:

Yes, write them down!

• A resolution is an opinion about a controversial topic. • A controversial topic is one in which there can be valid

disagreement.• In DEBATE, participants either agree or disagree with

the resolution regardless of what they personally believe.

• Finding strong, valid reasons to support or oppose a resolution is the main task for debaters.

• Valid reasons are those which are supported by evidence.

Opinions, Resolutions and Reasons

• According to experts, a strong, valid reason has the following qualities:

– It logically supports the opinion (eg. cause & effect)

– it is specific, rather than general, and states the idea clearly

– it is convincing to the majority of people

Strong Versus Weak ReasonsThe Resolution: “I strongly believe that smoking should be banned in all public places”

TASK: Identify & practice writing strong reasons (Worksheet p1)

1. Personal Experience: from your own experience or documented accounts of others

2. Common Knowledge: what everyone knows to be true

3. Expert Opinion: what the experts say; can be individuals or organizations

4. Statistics: numbers from surveys, studies & research

Types of EvidenceThe Resolution: “I strongly

believe that smoking should be

banned in all public places”

TASK: Identify strong vs weak evidence (Worksheet p2)

TYPES OF SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:

1. Personal Experience: In my experience… /For instance.. /Let me give an example…Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don't want to be.

2. Common Knowledge: Everyone knows that.. / It's widely known that../It's common knowledge that..Secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers.

3. Statistics: It’s reported that.. / Statistics show that.. / According to statistics…Secondhand smoke causes about 250,000 respiratory infections in infants and children every year, resulting in about 15,000 hospitalizations each year.

4. Expert Opinion: According to.../ As … explains… / To quote...According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year."

Answer Key

• The Resolution: “I strongly believe that smoking should be banned in all public places…”

• The Strongest & Most Valid Reason: “…since exposure to second-hand smoke is harmful to health.”

Resolutions, Reasons & Evidence

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Each team member must find some evidence to support their reason:

1. Personal Experience: In my experience… /For instance.. /Let me give an example…

2. Common Knowledge: Everyone knows that.. / It's widely known that../It's common knowledge that..

3. Statistics: It’s reported that.. / Statistics show that.. / According to statistics…

4. Expert Opinion: According to.../ As … explains… / To quote...

• The Resolution: Choose a resolution you’d like to debate

• The Strongest Reason: Each team member should identify ONE strong and valid reason to support or oppose the resolution

Your turn… 2 teams of 6!

Decide the Affirmative & Negative teams

What Reasons will best Support your Argument?• A good argument can have one Strong Valid

Reason, like a solid pedestal, that holds up the whole table top.

• An argument can also have several solid reasons, each of which may not be strong enough by itself, but when used together, can create a solid support.

• But, when the argument has only one or two weak reasons, the table top will most certainly fall.

DEBATE PROCEDURE

1. Announcement of topic2. Assignment of debaters to affirmative and negative teams 3. Teams choose a Captain, Decide Speaker order and discuss

Strategy (reasons & evidence)4. Team Research & Planning 5. Affirmative Team lead the DEBATE alternating with

Negative TEAM speakers to present reasons and evidence as well as any rebuttal (max. 3 mins per person)

6. Vote by audience and announcement of winning team

Debate Organizer to be Completed and Submitted to Ms Amy

Language of DEBATE• A position on a resolution can be introduced by an opinion transition: In my opinion... /I think that.. /We strongly believe that…/I'm convinced that.../I

honestly feel that../It is clear that … / It is fairly certain that...

• A reason can be introduced by a reason transition: ...because/…since / To start with…/ The reason why.../For this reason.../Considering

that.../Allowing for the fact that.../ Given the fact that…

• Evidence can be introduced with a range of transitions depending on the TYPE of Evidence being used:

In my experience… /For instance.. /Let me give an example… /Everyone knows that.. / if...then / It's common knowledge that..

• A rebuttal can be expressed with disagreement transition: I’m afraid I don't agree with the argument presented by.. /Frankly, I doubt if.../ Let's

face it, the truth of the matter is.../The problem with your point of view is that.../Contrary to what the___team says.. /Actually the evidence indicates otherwise..