Speaking and listening in English - formal debating teams
One of the most memorable English topics in Year 6 is the debate topic in the Spring term.
To begin with, the children were taught how a formal debate is conducted, including the roles of chairperson, team captains and timekeeper. They were also required to learn the conventions and etiquette of formal debates.
The pupils were then given an opportunity to practise their skills of persuasion, by conducting some mini-debates on controversial topics, such as “should pets be banned” and “should pupils be paid to attend school.” These were a great deal of fun, although they lacked formality.
Once the children were confident with the structure of formal debates, they were introduced to the motion which they would be arguing – weather a fictional building company should be granted permission to build 100 new houses on the edge of Roundhay Park. This challenging motion encouraged the children to think from different perspectives and made for a realistic proposition.
Due to its proximity to school, Roundhay Park is a familiar and much-used landmark for the children and the instinct of most was to protect it; however, others appreciated the significant number of homeless people, who needed somewhere to live. More points drew out the potential damage this project would have on wildlife, which contrasted with the financial benefits to local businesses.
The children were allocated a team – either for or against the motion – without being given a choice. Often, this meant they had to argue a point of view they did not agree with, playing Devil’s Advocate. To sound persuasive the children used elaboration, repetition, rhetorical questions, facts and quotes. To make the work sound formal, the children were asked to include sophisticated vocabulary, the passive voice and the subjunctive form.
After planning, writing and editing their argument, they were asked to present it in a formal debate. For this, the classroom was moved around to create a platform for those who were speaking. Each child was given a set amount of time to speak, before others were able to rebut them.
At the end of each debate, the audience asked the teams questions, which they had to respond to on the spot. Finally, the audience voted for the proposing or opposing team based on the strength of the team’s arguments and delivery. It was an ambitious task, but many children said that they would like to join debating teams at high school, as they found the challenge so enjoyable.
Please watch the videos of some of the points that children made (below).
