The Great Debate
 


 
 

Grade Level: 4-5

Subjects:  Social Studies, Math, Technology, Language Arts,

Learner Outcomes:
· Students will  understand the role of public opinion.
· Students will understand  the debate process.
· Students will create a video of a student debate.

Duration of Lesson:  60 minutes

Materials:  paper, pencils, polling direction sheet

Technology Tools/Courseware:  camcorder, videocassette recorder (VCR)

Teacher Notes:
· Teacher should guide the students as they choose a moderator.
· Teacher should guide the students as they develop questions for the debate.
· Teacher should prep other classrooms before they are polled as to the importance of sincere
  participation in the polling process.
· Teacher should secure parental permission before videotaping students.

Procedures:
· Have students select a moderator.
· Have students develop questions with YES/NO and FOR/AGAINST answers.
· Send students to other classrooms to poll students with the developed questions.  Give students the polling direction sheet
  detailing the specific questions ( as developed by the group), how to mark the answers, and how to tally results.
· Hold debate between two nominees.
· Have students videotape the debate. Make the video available for other classrooms to view.
· Post results of classroom polls on bulletin board.

Modifications:
· Teacher should monitor to ensure all students are participating in the process.
· Students with special learning needs should be paired with a peer tutor to enable them to participate in a
  productive manner.

Enrichment Activities:
· Students may want to do a collage of  pictures/slogans from past “Great Debates.”
· Students could search the Internet for clips/highlights of famous debates.

Evaluation/Assessment:  Completion of class polls, with results tallied.
 

 West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives (IGOS):

Language Arts:  5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.8, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, 5.21, 5.23, 5.57
Social Studies:  4.2
Listening/Speaking:  4.14,  4.15
Computer Technology:  4.52
 National Standards:
Language Arts:
*Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
*Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
*Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Life Skills:
*Uses various information sources, including those of a technical nature, to accomplish specific tasks.
Author:
· Kathy Frazier
· Belinda Metz
· Debbie Scritchfield

Ravenswood Grade School
 
 
 
 
Overview
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5