The debate is open! teacher's guide

3. DEBATE The two teams arrange themselves to the right and left of the moderator. The moderator briefly introduces the topic of the debate and presents the members of the two teams. Finally, the moderator declares: “the debate is open!” At this point the two speakers (orators) take turns to present the arguments that they have previously shared with their own teams. The speaker for the proposition (Pro) team begins. At the end of the time available for the speaker, the moderator gives the floor to the opposition (Con) speaker.

PRO 1

CON 1

PRO 2

CON 2

4. FINAL PHASE At the end of the debate, the teacher sets a time limit and the two teams each put together a short, written summary.

The text is then read out loud by the team spokesperson.

If there is an advisory board, they can complete card no. 5.

ASSIGNMENT OF THE MATERIAL

PREPARATORY PHASE: Cards no. 1 and no. 2 are given to the proposition (Pro) and opposition (Con) teams respectively and remain available to the students for consultation. They provide useful guidelines for preparing arguments.

DEBATE: Card no. 3 is given to the moderator who can use the phrases and suggestions provided to work on their speech.

Card no. 4 is given to the two teams. They use the card to take notes that can be used in the final phase.

FINAL PHASE: Card no. 5 is completed by the members of the advisory board with useful suggestions and advice for the speakers.

Card no. 6 is completed by the teacher who provides a language assessment of all speakers.

THE CARD GAME The playing cards are a great tool for reviewing and studying the 30 topics. Before starting, the teacher divides the students into two groups: the proposition (Pro) team and the opposition (Con) team.

Each student takes turns to be the spokesperson for their own team: the teacher sets a time limit (we suggest a maximum of one minute) and each speaker expresses an argument for or against the statement on the card. The number of speeches is decided by the teacher, based on how many speakers there are in each team.

Here is a brief guide for assigning the cards (from 1 to 6) in the various phases of the activity. The cards can be photocopied and given to each participant.

The youngest speaker on the Pro team begins by defending the statement. At the end of the speaker’s allotted time, the youngest speaker on the Con team argues against the statement. Then, the second speaker of the Pro team speaks, and so on, until all members of the two teams have presented their arguments.

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CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

Beginner Elementary Intermediate Upper Intermediate Advanced Proficiency

The debate is open!

by Chiara Colucci © ELi s.r.l.

P.O. Box 6 - 62019 Recanati - Italy Tel. +39 071 750701 www.elionline.com English version: Lisa Suett Art director: Letizia Pigini Editors: Gigliola Capodaglio and Francesca Bugiolacchi Illustrations: Luca Poli Graphic design and layout: Gianni Caputo Production manager: Francesco Capitano We would like to thank Giulia Monaldi, expert researcher in debates, for her invaluable advice.

Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Pigini Group Printing Division – Loreto -Trevi 24.83.095.0 ISBN: 978-88-536-4353-7 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher ELi.

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THE

DEBATE IS OPEN !

DE IS O

THE DEBATE IS OPEN! is a set of 75 cards to use in class for conversation between students at B1 language level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The teacher is free to choose the cards that best suit the language level of the students in the class, bearing in mind that some of them can also be used with A2 level students.

The main aim of this material, which is inspired by the argumentative debate, is to facilitate the natural process of learning a foreign language through discussion based on 30 topics. Each team has the opportunity to express and motivate their own point of view on the topics in a noncompetitive context. The selected topics are those considered most suitable for stimulating students to talk about their own experiences, or identifying with various situations of daily life. Belonging to the Proposition (Pro) or Opposition (Con) team does not necessarily coincide with the personal opinions of team members. This in fact makes the discussion all the more challenging.

General note: the material is suitable for use with large groups of students, with smaller groups, or even between individual participants.

N.B.: We have chosen to use the gender-neutral pronouns ‘they’/’them’, rather than specifying whether the subject is female or male.

AIMS AND SKILLS

6 cards to facilitate the formulation of arguments or to give tips and advice in the final phase:

The debate is a structured activity with clear and precise objectives, allowing the development of numerous skills.

It stimulates reflection, encourages critical thinking skills, promotes communicative skills and reasoning, enhances the ability to work in groups and improves public speaking.

The activity should be carried out with pre-established time limits and rules. In accordance with the rules, the two teams present their arguments for and against the assigned topic.

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Contents

4 coloured cardboard cards to cut out and use to assign roles: PRO team, CON team, MODERATOR, ADVISORY Board.

5 cards that can be cut out into 30 playing cards for in-depth study and/or to review the topics.

A booklet with instructions and tips for using the cards.

ADVICE ON HOW TO USE THE MATERIALS

The box contains: 75 cards divided into: 30 pairs of cards with pros and cons related to 30 topics.

- On the front of each card, the title of the topic is accompanied by an illustration that helps the student to understand the topic.

- The five sentences on the back of each card are examples that the students can use as a starting point for the debate.

The glossary helps students to better understand the meaning of certain words in the specific context of the sentences.

Cards 1 and 2 - How to present the argument Front: examples to start presenting the argument Back: communication tips

1. PLANNING THE ACTIVITY The activity begins with the choice of the debate topic and the assignment of roles to the participants. The decision can be made by the teacher or by means of a draw using the coloured cards.

- PRO team: in favour of the topic - CON team: against the topic In the event of a group of students with mixed language levels, we suggest facilitating those who are less experienced by allowing them to choose the team they prefer to be part of. In this way they can support their own idea, rather than argue against it.

Card 4 (photocopiable) - active listening

- MODERATOR: welcomes everyone, introduces the debate, presents the team members, keeps track of the time limits, guides the discussion, declares the opening and closing of the debate.

This role can also be played by those who are less confident and fluent in the foreign language. The moderator follows the guidelines of card 3.

Card 5 (photocopiable) - advisory board’s card

Card 6 (photocopiable) - language summary for the teacher

- ADVISORY Board (optional), encourages fellow speakers and gives them suggestions.

Card 3 - tips for the moderator

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Only at this point do the teacher or team members choose a speaker (orator or debater). To make the activity even more inclusive and to allow each member to participate, students can take turns to play the role of the speaker.

During this planning phase for the activity, the teacher establishes the time limit available for each speaker, as well as the number of interventions.

2. PREPARATORY PHASE The teams receive their respective pro and con cue cards according to the chosen topic.

Each team works independently to analyse the debate topic in depth and everyone shares their point of view, thereby ensuring that all members participate actively.

To encourage conversation and the exchange of opinions, it is a good idea to ask the members of each team to sit in a circle.

During the time designated for this phase (which is decided by the teacher), the students can analyse the cue cards (pro or con): they can observe the illustration and read out loud the five suggested sentences, expressing their opinion on the subject using simple expressions and short motivations and explanations.

If there is an “advisory board”, the councillors can participate in the group activity by observing and listening, but without intervening.

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