Form a group of 4 people
2 people think of arguments for your topic.
2 people think of arguments against the topic.
Later, one person should make an argument for your position.
The others use the 4 step refutation to refute it. 1. One person explain your position. 2. Another person refute the argument. 3. Other people observe and comment on the refutation. Did the refuter complete each step clearly?
Debate
Four Step Refutation: We will practice this in class on Tuesday.Printable Version of the Four Step Refutation: This has been formatted for easy printing. Read this for class.
Activity:
Form a group of 4 people2 people think of arguments for your topic.
2 people think of arguments against the topic.
Later, one person should make an argument for your position.
The others use the 4 step refutation to refute it.
1. One person explain your position.
2. Another person refute the argument.
3. Other people observe and comment on the refutation. Did the refuter complete each step clearly?
Use topics from this site:
Debate Ideas for Use with American English: 10 debate topics with pro and con arguments
Some links from U Pitt:
http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/student/argument/argumentfourstep.html
http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/about/index.html
http://www.comm.pitt.edu/debate/index.html
More Debate Resources
Warm-up exercisesArticulation Drills: Tongue Twisters
Delivery Warm-ups
More Tongue Twisters:
Wikipedia: Tongue Twisters
English Tongue Twisters
Very Silly Tongue Twisters
Tongue Twisters at Think.com
Debate Activities
SPAR Debates
Impromptu Speeches
Oral Style
Argument, Evidence, and Explanation
Point and Refutation
Subversive Re-writing
Concluding Arguments
Emphasis Drills
International Debate Education Association
Debate Topics:
Benefit of SportsBan Pets
Foreign Languages, Compulsory in schools
Smoking, Ban in public places
Mobile Phones, use by children
Advertisements, Do more harm than good
Biodiversity and Endangered Species
Children, Choosing sex of
Beijing Olympics, Boycott of
Assisted Suicide/Voluntary Euthanasia
Anorexics, Force-feeding of
Animal Experimentation
American Way of Life, Rejection of
Alcohol
Cosmetic Surgery
Condoms in School
Divorce
Economic Development vs. The Environment
Exams
Capital Punishment