A major focus in my fourth grade writing class is to introduce students to the concept of a four-paragraph opinion essay, and have them master writing their very own by the end of the year! To get students from knowing very little about this type of writing all the way to mastering, it takes a lot of repetitive – and sometimes boring – practice.
A couple of months in to our essay writing unit, I was looking for a way to make this type of writing more fun, engaging and meaningful. A way to shake it up a bit, taking the same concepts and turning them into something similar but different. That’s when it came to me – debate! My kids love having debates and discussions about their opinions on things, and a debate follows a similar format to an essay. By planning out the debate, they’re almost writing a four-paragraph essay. Then, we take it up a notch by adding in research components and presentation and speaking skills.
I created a simple debate project for my kids that’s DIGITAL and NO PREP – perfect for the busy teacher. In 7 steps, students will have created a debate from scratch!
7 Steps to Debate
- Brainstorming
- Research
- Interview
- Analyze & Evaluate
- Fill in the Gaps
- Outline
- Practice and Debate!
See it in Action
This Debate Project is Perfect For…
Opinion, Expository, and Argumentative writing practice
GT Enrichment
Getting students excited about learning
An after school club
Want to do this in your classroom?
Click the image below to grab this NO PREP, DIGITAL and PRINTABLE project now!
