Download Nonfiction Debate Notes Aims: SWBAT draft four arguments, 4

Nonfiction Debate Notes
Aims: SWBAT draft four arguments, 4 counter arguments and 4 responses on “note cards”.
Do Now: Warm up your brain by putting a check in the appropriate box.
Question
Athens
Which city-state has a shared government?
Which city-state treats their slaves better?
Which city-state gives more rights and
opportunities to women and girls?
Which city-state allowed their slaves to buy
their freedom?
Which city-state loved the arts, music and
poetry?
Which city-state had greater military
power?
Which city-state valued a more wellrounded education?
Which city-state valued physical fitness
above all other forms of intelligence?
Which city-state conquered the farm land
around them when they ran out of crops to
feed their livestock?
Sparta
Vocabulary: Write the definitions for the following vocabulary in the space
below.
Argument:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Counter Argument:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Response:
______________________________________________________________________________
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The Great Debaters – Video Notes: As you watch this brief clip from “The Great
Debaters” please try to identify the argument, counter-argument (made by the other
team) and the response.
Argument:
Counter Argument: (made by other team)
Response:
Argument: Samantha Booke: Resolved: Negroes should be -- should be admitted --...
Resolved: Negroes should be admitted to state universities. My -- My partner and I will
prove that blocking a negro's admission to a state university is not only wrong, it is
absurd. The negro people are not just a color in the American fabric. They are the
thread that holds it all together. Consider the legal and -- and historical record: May
13th, 1865, Sergeant Crocker, a negro, is the last soldier to die in the civil war. 1918, the
first U.S. soldiers decorated for bravery in France are negroes Henry Johnson and
Needham Roberts. 1920, The New York Times announces that the "n" in "Negro" would
hereafter be capitalized.
Counter Argument: Oklahoma City College Debater #1: Force upon the South what
they are not ready for would result in nothing but more racial hatred. Dr. W. E. B. Dubois,
he's perhaps the most eminent negro scholar in America. He comments, "It's a silly
waste of money, time, and temper, to try and propel a powerful majority to do what
they are determined not to do.
Response: Henry Rowe: My opponent so conveniently chose to ignore the fact that W.
E. B. Dubois is the first negro to receive a Ph.D. from a white college -- called Harvard.
Guided Practice:
(Front of Card)
Debate Topic: Education in Athens
Argument: A logical statement that tries to persuade someone to think as you do.
The education that young men and women received in Athens was far superior (better)
than the education that students received in Sparta. To begin, I would like to state that
the Athenian education was much better than Sparta because they believed in “a
sharp mind and a healthy body” (page 263). Education meant not only expanding
your mind, but also making your body strong. In addition to learning reading, writing,
poetry, math and literature young boys were also educated in sports, wrestling and
gymnastics to strengthen their muscles. In Sparta, however, young boys were not given
a well-rounded education and simply had to focus on physical education. In Sparta
they ignored the most important muscle in the body – the mind.
(Back of Card)
Counter Argument: What you think the other team might say in response. Remember, to
win an argument you must be two steps ahead of your opponent.
While the Athenian boys were wasting their time learning about poetry, art and dance,
the Spartans were gaining physical strength. Athenians, therefor, did not have as strong
an army as the Spartans because they lacked the training. The boys in Athens grew up
to be a bunch of sailing wimps who were constantly beaten by the Spartan army!
Response: What you would say back to the argument
While it is true that the Athenians focused less effort on physical strength, their wellrounded approach to education is still used today in schools across America. In every
school students are taught math, arts, literacy as well as physical education. If their
method was so wrong, why did it survive thousands of years?
(Front of Card)
Debate Topic: ______________________________________
Argument: A logical statement that tries to persuade someone to think as you do.
(Back of Card)
Counter Argument: What you think the other team might say in response. Remember, to
win an argument you must be two steps ahead of your opponent.
Response: What you would say back to the argument
(Front of Card)
Debate Topic: ______________________________________
Argument: A logical statement that tries to persuade someone to think as you do.
(Back of Card)
Counter Argument: What you think the other team might say in response. Remember, to
win an argument you must be two steps ahead of your opponent.
Response: What you would say back to the argument
(Front of Card)
Debate Topic: ______________________________________
Argument: A logical statement that tries to persuade someone to think as you do.
(Back of Card)
Counter Argument: What you think the other team might say in response. Remember, to
win an argument you must be two steps ahead of your opponent.
Response: What you would say back to the argument
(Front of Card)
Debate Topic: ______________________________________
Argument: A logical statement that tries to persuade someone to think as you do.
(Back of Card)
Counter Argument: What you think the other team might say in response. Remember, to
win an argument you must be two steps ahead of your opponent.
Response: What you would say back to the argument