Quick Debates
It's an ideal accompaniment to more formal classroom debates and a simple way to get the class starting to think about structured debates when they don't necessarily have the language for more advanced topics.
Contents |
Preparation
Collect a list of simple, everyday, objects:
- car
- fridge
- fork
- computer
- telephone
- trousers
...and so on.
You can prepare these as a simple word on a piece of paper or better still, a laminated picture (ideal for reusing in other classes).
In Class
Step 1
Go over a few "debate" terms. Here are a few simple ones to begin with:
Of course, the type of phrases you give and revise at this stage will depend on the class and their level.
Step 2
Next, explain to the class that two students will debate a particular subject and then the whole class will vote on which side they support.
Step 3
Bring up two of the best students in class. (In general, if you are going over an activity for the first time using the better students helps. Later the rest of the students will get a chance.)
Ask them to pick - without looking - an item each from the pile of cards you've prepared. They can then show the item to each other and the class in general.
Now write up on the board: MORE USEFUL.
Each student has 3 minutes only to say why they think the item they have is MORE USEFUL than the other item.
Step 4
After each student has given their presentation, the class vote to decide which item they consider MORE USEFUL.
Step 5
With a small class, you can get other pairs up to debate other items. With a larger class you can divide it into two or three groups and each group works together in a debate.
Variations
Of course you can develop many variations on this theme. You might ask students to debate on which item is more practical, or cheaper, or a better birthday present for their teacher, etc.
When you prepare the objects, you can choose, for example, a series of non-countable nouns to talk about (e.g. water, oil, hair) so the students will need to stop and think a little about this. The objects you prepare beforehand can, of course, be related to earlier lessons so that the students will already have some ideas about how they can talk about them and their properties.
Conclusion
This isn't, of course, a formal debate. The idea here is that students get a chance to think on their feet about what to say. In fact, it doesn't really matter what they say at all: they might argue that their object is better because it's red rather than green, for example. The simple fact is that they are speaking about a specific object and have to come up with associated words and phrases.
This being the case, this activity is probably more suited to teenagers and above and also intermediate students and above.
