The+Great+Debate

Welcome to the GREAT DEBATE! 301 Ideas Worth Debating Let’s discuss the issues of today using our persuasive writing skills, convincing oral language abilities, or both! For each topic, you will prepare a statement that supports your thinking. Some issues will be pro or con, for or against, while others will simply provide a platform for you to elaborate on your opinion and reasoning, possibly shedding new light on the topic as you share your thinking. Please keep in mind our Socratic community norms. **// The goal of this project is to promote the use of persuasive writing in an authentic context. //** ** The Inspired Minds Great Debate Blog **  Leads That Work for Persuasive Essays 1. Include important facts and statistics, such as percentages and survey results. Example: “Don’t diet. Eat less. Eat healthy. A survey by Gallup shows that 95% of people who go on crash diets gain back their weight.” 2. Start with an anecdote—a story snippet that introduces your topic and opinion. Example: “Imagine that Sally, a student, is the only one in the locker room. Everyone else is in the gym. She trips and falls. She can’t move because her leg hurts too much. But fortunately, her cell phone is handy, so she texts her mom, who calls the school. Within an hour Sally is in the emergency room having her leg x-rayed.” 3. Quote an authority on your topic. Example: “After-school clubs keep students engaged in their interests and off the streets,” said Mr. Farrell, principal of the school. 4. Include some background information about your opinion and choose a few details that grab the reader’s attention. Example: “Ten years ago there was no dress code at school. Like today, most students dressed appropriately. The guidance counselors spoke to students who were inappropriately dressed.”   For example, in the mentor text essay “Summer: 15 Days or 2½ Months?” the writer could have ended this way: “Speak up! Everyone in the community who values long summer vacations over year-round school should say so—by writing letters to the school principal, the school board, and the district’s state senator.” In an essay calling for students having cell phones at school, the writer could close with: “Having a cell phone handy could allow sick or injured students to contact a family member in an emergency and get the help they need.” In an essay calling for a morning snack for middle school students, the writer can end with: “Should students be concentrating on their classes— or be distracted by their growling stomachs?” media type="custom" key="26829388" align="center"
 * Endings That Work for Persuasive Essays**
 * 1. Call the reader to action.**
 * 2. Make a logical prediction.**
 * 3. Pose a thought-provoking question.**

** Click here to submit your ideas for GREAT DEBATE TOPICS. **

Lesson - The 7 C's of Argumentation Adapted from Inquire: A Guide to 21st Century Learning (2012 ed.)— King, Erickson, Sebranek Writer’s Inc.: A Student Handbook for Writing & Learning (1996 ed.)—Sebranek, Meyer, Kemper Lesson - Build your persuasive argument Persuasive Resource Base

2011-2012 Debate Topics

Related Colorado Academic and 21st Century Standards