Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.

Table of ContentsDebate Practice Objectives for Tournament One

3

What a Novice Debate Looks Like 4

Weekly Practice Structure 5

Debate Practice Plan Template 6

Example Practice Plan 7

Community Building Activities 8-10

Menu of Activities for Practices 1-2 11-13

Menu of Debate Activities for Practices 3-6

A) Mars Colonization Affirmative

B) Mars Colonization Negative

C) Skills Based Activities

14-20

14-16

17-19

20-21

Practice Schedule 22-23

Appendix

A) Counterarguments Table Debates Worksheet

B) Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates Worksheet

C) Evidence Scavenger Hunt Worksheet

D) Mars Colonization Case Outline

24-29

25

26

27

28-29

Page 2

Debate Practice Objectives for Tournament One Overall Objectives

Debate teams have a sense of community Novice Debaters find practices engaging 90% of Novice Debaters who attend the first practice go to the first tournament.

Content Objectives Students will be comfortable arguing the Mars Colonization Affirmative Students will be comfortable arguing the Mars Colonization Negative

Skill Objectives Student Students will learn to make arguments (claim + warrant) and rebuttals. Students will use evidence to support their arguments Students will develop basic public speaking skills Students will be able to use the novice evidence packet Students will understand the basic structure of a debate round.

Page 3

What Novice Debate Should Look LikeAvailable Arguments

Mars Colonization Affirmative and Negative

Overview

The Affirmative team will present a plan, argue the plan is a good idea, and that the government should pass it. The negative will argue that it is a bad idea and the government should not.

Both teams will make many arguments why the plan is a good or bad idea, and should use evidence to back up their arguments.

Judging

If the judge decides the plan is a good idea, the affirmative wins. If the judge decides the plan is a bad idea, the negative wins. The judge will assign more weight to arguments that are backed up by evidence than those that are not

Speech by Speech

The 1AC (first affirmative speech): The Affirmative will present a plan that is outlined in four sections; a) inherency- what is happening now, b) harms- why that is bad, c) a plan, and d) solvency - why that plan solves the problem. This speech is pre-written.

The 1NC (first negative speech): The negative will make three to four arguments answering a) inherency, b) harms, and c) and d) the plan and its solvency. They should be a combination of evidence and analytic arguments (arguments the debaters thought of that have no evidence). The negative should try to number each argument. For example, “On inherency- my first argument is ……, Second…., Third….. Fourth….. On harms, my first argument is ……, Second….., Third…..” etc.

Later speeches- The debate will continue with each team answering, hopefully by number, the arguments their opponents made in the speech before. They should analyze evidence, both theirs and their opponents, as much as possible to support their arguments.

Rebuttal speeches will need to bring the individual arguments back to the larger question: Is the plan a good idea? The judge will ask him/herself at the end of the debate: Is the plan a good idea? If the answer is yes, then the affirmative wins. If the answer is no, then the negative wins.

Page 4

Page 5

Example Debate Practice Plan – 3 rd Practice Coaches Madden School Boston H.S. Date of Practice 10/11/2011

Topic/Focus of PracticeThis practice will focus on introducing the Mars Colonization Case’s main themes and key arguments in the case.Lesson ObjectivesContent Objectives Students will internalize the themes of the Mars Colonization Case and be able to explain

the main argument of the Mars Colonization Case.Skill Objectives Students will be able to make an argument using a claim and warrant structure and

respond to counterarguments.Procedure/Activities1) [20 minutes] Community Building Activity – Student will get into groups of 4, read the NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon*, rank the salvageable items alone, and then rank them as a group. During this time circulate around the room to answer student’s questions about outer space, the moon, or vocabulary and integrate as much of the case’s vocabulary into your conversations with students (even check off the words in your case’s glossary). Debrief the activity to see if people did better individually or when they conferred as a group (usually as a group). 2) [20 min] Four corners activity on themes of the case displayed below, followed by Table Debates about the bold themes below (EBA Manual, pages 28 and 34). Here are the themes stated as prompts:

The United States of America is not interested in space exploration Human beings will destroy the planet. Human beings will become extinct. Landing a person on the moon was one of humanity’s greatest achievements. People should do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the human species. Building space colonies is the best way to ensure the survival of the species. Humans should work on space exploration even though there are still problems on Earth. Now is the time to seriously work on building space colonies. A 6 month trip to Mars would be exciting. A collection of Earth nationalities could establish a multicultural and multinational human society on

Mars. This society on Mars would result in major political and social benefits felt on earth and improve human

relations on Earth.3) [20 min] Round Robin Debates (EBA Manual, page 35) with 2, 1-minute rounds using the outline (just taglines, no evidence) of the affirmative case as a text. During these debates two students will argue for and against the case, while one student judges the other students. After the first round, students will switch their positions 2 more times until everyone has had an experience as for, against, and judging the affirmative case.NotesNot all of the prompts for the second activity need to be used for this to be a successful activity. As long as students were engaged in the major themes of the case, the activity was a success.Materials

Print http://www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/~jmasthof/teaching/CS3021/practicals/MoonExercise.pdfModifications-Word wall of terms students find difficult.

Page 6

Debate Practice Plan Template

Coaches School Date of Practice

Topic/Focus of Practice

Lesson ObjectivesContent Objectives (Case information—all about Mars Colonization)

Skill Objectives (Debate information—all about making arguments, taking notes, attacking opponents, etc.)

Procedure/Activities

Notes

Materials

Modifications

Page 7

Community Building Activities

Inner Circle, Outer circle Skills Students will get to know their fellow debate team members.Prompts “What is your favorite ice cream flavor?”

“What is the first question you would ask an alien?”“Would you travel to the Moon?”Etcetera …

Notes Half of students will stand in a circle facing outwards. Then a looser outer circle will form with students facing inwards towards their peers. The teacher will then read off 20 questions, one-at-a-time. After each questions is read and answered, students in the outer circle will rotate clockwise to meet a new teammate, until the questions are all read or until everyone in the outer circle talked to everyone in the inner circle.

Materials List of interesting questions.

Get to Know You BingoSkills Students will get to know their fellow debate team members.Prompts Inside the bingo boxes:

“I like to play video games”“I joined debate because a teacher recommended me”“I am the youngest in my family”“I think we should spend more money to explore space”Etcetera…

Notes Create a bingo sheet style sheet and fill in the boxes with short statements. During the activity students will try to find other students to initial a box for whom the statement is true. Each student can be used at most once. Once a student has initials across a row, column, or diagonal of bingo boxes they will have their bingo sheet verified and a winner may be declared.

Materials -Bingo style sheet-Bingo Prize!

NASA Exercise: Survival on the MoonSkills Students will improve their ability to work in a team.Prompts Read activity directions in PDF.Notes Students will get into groups of 4, read the NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon*,

rank the salvageable items alone, and then rank them as a group. During this time circulate around the room to answer student’s questions about outer space, the moon, or vocabulary and integrate as much of the case’s vocabulary into your conversations with students (even check off the words in your case’s glossary). Debrief the activity to see if people did better individually or when they conferred as a group (usually as a group).

Materials For this activity you will need to print out the following document: http://www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/~jmasthof/teaching/CS3021/practicals/MoonExercise.pdf

Page 8

All My Friends and NeighborsSkills Students will get to know their fellow debate team members and lessen their fears of

speaking in front of a group.Prompts Read notes.Notes All My Friends and Neighbors is a fun getting-to-know-you game that can inspire a

lot of excitement with the right group. Players sit in a circle with one person in the middle who announces "All my friends and neighbors..." finishing with a common trait such as "have red shirts on" or "like ice cream." The players who identify with that trait must run to a new spot that is not next to their current spot and switch places as the player in the middle tries to find a seat for herself. Whoever does not find a place in the circle becomes the middle person.

Materials None.

Who am I?Skills Students will get to know their fellow debate team members.Prompts You should write on many index cards an identifiable famous person, living or not. Notes In this exercise, debaters will be asked to identify the names of the famous person

taped to their back (e.g. Lil Wayne, Barack Obama) by asking questions of their teammates who cannot tell them explicitly who they are but who can answer their questions in a yes/no format. If the member receives a “yes” answer, they can continue to ask that individual questions until they receive a “no” answer.  Then they must continue on to ask someone else. When a group member figures out who they are, they take off the tag, put it on the front of their shirt, and write their own name on it.  The member then can help other members find out who they are.  The exercise concludes when all members have discovered who they are.

Materials -Index Cards-Tape

MachinerySkills Students will improve their ability to work in a team and their problem solving.Prompts Various machines: toaster, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, lawn mower,

television, etcNotes

Divide the group into teams (3 or more teams). Assign each group to build a certain machine with their own bodies such as a toaster, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, television, etc. Give them time to work it out. Then they build the machine and the other teams guess what it is. 

Materials None

Page 9

All Aboard Skills Students will improve their ability to work in a team and their problem solving.Prompts Read notesNotes Take a large sheet and spread it on the floor. Have all the students stand on the sheet

together. Once they have done this fold the sheet to make it smaller. Again, have all the students get on the sheet. Continue this process. Eventually, the sheet will be so small that the students will need to use a great deal of cooperation, teamwork, and ingenuity to get the whole class on the sheet without anyone falling out/off the sheet.

Materials Large Sheet of Paper

Toxic RiverSkills Students will improve their ability to work in a team and their problem solving.Prompts Read notesNotes Everyone is on one side. You measure a space about 5 feet and call it a toxic river.

You want the whole squad to cross as fast as they can. They aren't allowed to cross the toxic river without special pair of boots and there is only one pair of boots. Each person can use the boots only once. The boots cannot be tossed over the river. Each person has to personally give the boots to the next person and if they touch the toxic waste without the boots, the team must start over. Hint: Carrying people over is the key.

Materials Masking tape for the toxic river boundaries.

Fear In A HatSkills Students will improve their ability to individualize problem solving and to be

empathetic team members.Prompts Read notesNotes Group members write personal fears about the first tournament anonymously on

pieces of paper which are collected.  Then each person randomly selects and reads someone else's fear to the group and explains how the person might feel.  Fosters interpersonal empathy.  You can do this in pairs or groups of three to speed the game up.

Materials Scrap paper for students to write on.

Page 10

Menu of Activities for Practices 1-2 Argument 4-Corners (EBA Manual, page 28)Skills Students will be able to make an argument using the format, argument = claim +

warrant.Prompts -Medical Marijuana should be legal

-Abortion should be legal-Jacob, from the Twilight series, would defeat Edward in a fight.-Violent video games contribute to youth violence-Social networking sites like Facebook are good for our society.-The United States government should provide comprehensive health care for its -citizens/residents (pick one)

Notes Explain that an argument = claim + warrant, where a claim is a statement that can be argued and a warrant is a reason why the claim is true. Have the four corners of a room are labeled with “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” Students are presented with a prompt and asked to walk to the corner of the room that is aligned with their position. Once students have arranged themselves based on their perspectives, they then volunteer or are called upon to defend their choice and respond to others’ choices. When defending their choice, students are required to make one explicit claim supported by an explicit warrant. (Students can be required to say “My claim is… My warrant for this claim is...”). Repeat the activity using as many prompts as desired.

Materials Sheets labeled “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.”

Argument 4-Corners (EBA Manual, page 28)Skills Students will be able to make an argument using the format, argument = claim +

warrant.Prompts -An asteroid collision with earth is the most likely way that humanity will be

terminated.-Human’s should build a colony on Mars. Or-Human’s should build a colony on Mars to avoid total extinction after a catastrophic event on Earth.-Alien’s exist. OR -The government should be searching for extraterrestrial/extradimensional beings.[optional 4]The United States government should revive its personed-space program.

Notes Explain that an argument = claim + warrant, where a claim is a statement that can be argued and a warrant is a reason why the claim is true. Have the four corners of a room are labeled with “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” Students are presented with a prompt and asked to walk to the corner of the room that is aligned with their position. Once students have arranged themselves based on their perspectives, they then volunteer or are called upon to defend their choice and respond to others’ choices. When defending their choice, students are required to make one explicit claim supported by an explicit warrant. (Students can be required to say “My claim is… My warrant for this claim is...”). Repeat the activity using as many prompts as desired.

Materials Sheets labeled “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.”

Page 11

Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debate (EBA Manual, page 30)Skills Students will be able to weigh warrants and respond to arguments and rebuttals.Prompts Claim: USA federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or

development of space beyond the Earth’s Mesosphere.Warrants: 1) Colonizing Mars will ensure that there are humans that would survive an Earth doom’s day scenario.2) The Search for extraterrestrial intelligence could result in finding Aliens whose technology has the potential to solve resource crises and poverty.3) Telescopes placed in orbit in space are the best way to locate potential impactors, like asteroids, which without advanced warning could kill all humans because they can view the solar system from an angle that telescopes on Earth cannot. (Assume we have current technology to deflect asteroids with advanced warning).

Notes Have students get into groups of 3. Each student in the group will be assigned to defend a different warrant as being the most persuasive. Once these assignments have been established, the students should take turns in their group speaking for thirty seconds about why their warrant is superior. Then students will be given one minute of prep time before the go around again and deliver a 30 second rebuttal that attacks opposing warrants while building up their original warrant. If time permits you may include a 30 second closing round. Groups can then report back and discuss who “won” each debate, and what the strongest warrant is.

Materials Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates Worksheet, see page 26

Table Debates (EBA Manual, page 34)Skills Students will be able to respond to rebuttals Prompts -Medical Marijuana should be legal

-Abortion should be legal-Edward, from the Twilight series, would defeat Jacob in a fight.-Violent video games contribute to youth violence-Social networking sites like Facebook are good for our society.-The United States government should provide comprehensive health care.

Notes First, demonstrate how to rebut and argument using the responding to counterarguments class challenge (EBA Manual, page 34) and a prompt. For this activity explicitly state the progression towards a proper rebuttal by introducing a pro claim, then a con argument, and then a pro rebuttal.. For example, a pro claim is “Edward, from the Twilight series, would defeat Jacob in a fight”; a con argument is that “Jacob would defeat Edward in a fight because werewolves were born to kill vampires”; a pro rebuttal is that “my opponent said… Jacob would defeat Edward in a fight because werewolves were born to kill vampires, but that’s not true because… werewolves can only kill vampires when fighting in a pack, but are no match for a Vampire, especially one of Edward’s caliber, one-on-one.” Now for the Table debates have students pair up and begin reading the prompts and have each student defend their assigned position for 30 seconds. Give them 1 minute of prep time and then give them an opportunity to rebut the arguments their opponents made, which is the focus of this activity. They are required to use the phrase “my opponent said…, but that’s not true because…” This speech should last thirty seconds. Have the students alternate from affirmative to negative often.

Materials Counterarguments Table Debates Worksheet, See page 25

Page 12

Table Debates (EBA Manual, page 34)Skills Students will be able to respond to rebuttals Prompts 1)An asteroid collision with earth is the most likely way that humanity will be

terminated.2)Human’s should build a colony on Mars. OrHuman’s should build a colony on Mars to avoid extinction (proverbially speaking; not keeping all your people in one basket)3)Alien’s exist. OR The government should be searching for extraterrestrial/extradimensional beings.[optional 4]The United States government should revive its personed-space program.

Notes First, demonstrate how to make a proper rebuttal using the responding to counterarguments class challenge (EBA Manual, page 34) and a prompt. For this activity explicitly state the progression towards a proper rebuttal by introducing a pro claim, then a con argument, and then a pro. For example, a pro claim is “Edward, from the Twilight series, would defeat Jacob in a fight”; a con argument is that “Jacob would defeat Edward in a fight because werewolves were born to kill vampires”; a pro rebuttal is that “my opponent said… Jacob would defeat Edward in a fight because werewolves were born to kill vampires, but that’s not true because… werewolves can only kill vampires when fighting in a pack, but are no match for a Vampire, especially one of Edward’s caliber, one-on-one.” Now for the Table debates have students pair up and begin reading the prompts and have each student defend their assigned position for 30 seconds. Give them 1 minute of prep time and then give them an opportunity to rebut the arguments their opponents made, which is the focus of this activity. They are required to use the phrase “my opponent said…, but that’s not true because…” This speech should last thirty seconds. Have the students alternate from affirmative to negative often.Once the activity has ended you may choose to do a quick group share by asking questions like the following: a) “Did anyone really like one of their opponents arguments?”, b) “Did anyone think they won after the first round, but believe they lost the rebuttal round?”

Materials Counterarguments Table Debates Worksheet, see page 25

Page 13

Menu of Debate Activities for Practices 3-6

A) Mars Colonization Affirmative

Argument 4 Corners and Table Debates (EBA Manual, pages 28 and 34 respectively)Skills Students will make an argument (claim + warrant) and respond to rebuttals.Prompts The United States of America is not interest in space exploration

Human beings will destroy the planet. Human beings will become extinct. Landing a person on the moon was one of humanity’s greatest achievements. People should do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the human

species. Building space colonies is the best way to ensure the survival of the

species. Humans should work on space exploration even though there are still

problems on Earth. Now is the time to seriously work on building space colonies. A 6 month trip to Mars would be exciting. A collection of Earth nationalities could establish a multicultural and

multinational human society on Mars. This society on Mars would result in major political and social benefits

felt on earth and improve human relations on Earth.

Notes Feel free to use all or only a few of the prompts. Their aim is to help students internalize the themes of the Mars Colonization Case. The amount of time the activity will take is largely dictated by the number of prompts you use in each activity. For Argument 4 Corners use for as long as students are engaged in the activity and then switch to table debates when ready. Argument 4-corners is meant to prepare students by giving them processing time and by exposing them to different perspectives on the same topic.

Now for the Table debates have students pair up and begin reading the prompts and have each student defend their assigned position for 30 seconds. Give them 1 minute of prep time and then give them an opportunity to rebut the arguments their opponents made, which is the focus of this activity. They are required to use the phrase “my opponent said…, but that’s not true because…” This speech should last thirty seconds. Have the students alternate from affirmative to negative often.

Materials -Sheets labeled “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.”-Counterarguments Table Debates Worksheet, see page 25-Mars Colonization Affirmative

Page 14

Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debate (EBA Manual, page 30)Skills Students will be able to weigh warrants and respond to arguments and rebuttals.Prompts Claim: American interest in space has ended. [1 AC 1/5, page3]

Warrants: The International Space Station (ISS) is due to be de-orbited There is no appetite to return to the moon Public interest will only increase if life turns up on Mars

Claim: Humans will become extinct. [1 AC 2/5, page 4]Warrants:

Warfare / nuclear destruction Asteroid impact Global warming

Claim: Colonizing Mars will provide the best “life insurance policy” against disasters on earth that could cause extinction. [1 AC 3/5, page 5]Warrants:

Fossils of extinct species on Earth offer ample testimony that catastrophes do occur and that we should be concerned about an extinction scenario.

We may not be smart enough to know how best to spend our money on Earth to insure the greatest chance of survival there.

Mars offers the most habitable location for Homo sapiens in the solar system outside of Earth.

Claim: Colonizing Mars is possible. [1 AC 4/5, page 6]Warrants:

Mars has a very similar length of day and axial tilt. Earth plants could be grown on Mars soil. Mars has vast reserves of resources.

Claim: Establishing a permanent Mars colony is a good idea [1 AC 5/5, page 7]Warrants (select 3):

Better than colonizing the moon or asteroids. Mars probably had life at one point and would offer scientists the ability to

study another evolutionary record. Mars could be a base for human/robotic exploration of space. Establishing a multicultural and multinational human presence would unify

and uplift all of humanity.Notes See EBA Manual, page 33 for a full description. Also, make it clear to students that

for this activity they are not debating which one of the warrants is true, as we are assuming that they are all true, but instead they are debating about which warrant best supports the given claim. In arguing which warrant best supports the given claim students should be creative and use the card related to the claim as evidence.

Materials -Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates Worksheet, see page 26-Mars Colonization Affirmative

Page 15

Evidence Scavenger Hunt (EBA Manual, page 33)Skills Students will be able to provide a warrant for a given claim using evidence from the

Novice Mars Colonization Affirmative.Prompts -Excitement about exploring space is higher than it’s ever been.

-The moon is the best place to start building space colonies. Humans will become extinct.-Mars offers many of the resources needed for human survival. -The Earth is likely to face a major catastrophe sometime soon. -Colonizing Mars will provide the best “life insurance policy” against disasters on earth that could cause extinction.-We should only spend our money on Earth-based problems. -Establishing a permanent Mars colony is a good idea

Notes See EBA Manual, page 33 Materials -Evidence Scavenger Hunt Worksheet, see page 27

-Mars Colonization Affirmative

Page 16

B) Mars Colonization Negative

Evidence Scavenger Hunt (EBA Manual, page 33)Skills Students will be able to provide a warrant for a given claim using evidence from the

Novice Mars Colonization Negative.Prompts -Humans are close to having the necessary technology to build successful space

colonies.-Space colonization is safe.-Colonizing Mars will have a positive impact on international relationships.-Exploring space would make us less likely to focus on problems here on Earth.-A colony in space would save humans from extinction.

Notes See EBA Manual, page 33Materials -Evidence Scavenger Hunt Worksheet, see page 27

-Mars Colonization Negative

Round Robin Debates (EBA Manual, page 35)Skills Students will learn how particular pieces of negative evidence can be used to attack

the affirmative. They will also learn to defend against those attacks.   Prompts Choose three pieces of evidence from the negative arguments. Each of the round

robin debates will be based on a different piece of evidence. Notes This activity follows the basic structure of the evidence-based round robin debates

(page 35 of the EBA manual), though with some variation. Person “A” is assigned a particular piece of negative evidence. In her first speech, all she does is read this card. Then person “B” makes affirmative responses to that piece of evidence. (This speech is 45 seconds long.) Prep time is given, after which the first speaker goes again. In this speech, she should answer the person “B”s points against the piece of evidence, using as much information from the original piece of text as possible. This speech can last up to 90 seconds.  Finally, person “B” gets a 30 second rebuttal. Person “C” acts as a judge and gives feedback after all speeches. Then the roles rotate and a new piece of evidence becomes the focus of the debate.

Materials -Three pieces of evidence (chosen by the coach) from the Mars Colonization negative case. -Mars Colonization Negative

Page 17

Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debate (EBA Manual, page 30)Skills Students will be able to weigh warrants and respond to arguments and rebuttals.Prompts Claim: We should focus on our problems on Earth than trying to colonize Mars to

run away from our problems [1 NC, pages 2-3,7]Warrants:

We are closer to creating a safe haven on earth than on Mars. If we focus on going to Mars then we will automatically be unable to solve

Earth problems using technology and Mars will always be there. Colonizing Mars will increase our problems on Earth.

Claim: Another planet would be a poor life insurance policy [1 NC, page 4]Warrants:

Sustained human presence beyond Earth will not be possible for another few hundred years.

Only a handful of human could be on Mars Investment is too large.

Claim: There are immense health risks to traveling in outer space [1 NC, page 5]Warrants:

Muscles, bones, and the heart will degenerate (break down) Outside of the Earth’s atmostphere there is a huge amount of radiation

exposure. Not enough fuel to turn around to deal with emergency situations on-board.

Claim: We do not have the technology to travel to another planet [1 NC, page 2]Warrants:

Exploring Mars cannot be accomplished quickly enough with limited loss of life.

Space is very dangerous and our current technology to what we need is like a canoe to a modern freighter.

Even though we landed on the moon, we do not know how to navigate space flight in the great expanse of outer space.

Notes See EBA Manual, page 33 for a full description. Also, make it clear to students that for this activity they are not debating which one of the warrants is true, as we are assuming that they are all true, but instead they are debating about which warrant best supports the given claim. In arguing which warrant best supports the given claim students should be creative and use the card related to the claim as evidence.

Materials -Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates Worksheet, see page 26-Mars Colonization Negative

Page 18

Table Debates (EBA Manual, page 34)Skills Students will be able to respond to Rebuttals.Prompts Case OutlinesNotes This activity follows the basic structure of a table debate though with some

variation. In a student A’s first speech, all they will do is slowly read the affirmative case outline (1 minute). While student A is reading the Mars Colonization Affirmative, student “B” should be identifying which negative arguments best respond to each numbered affirmative argument. Using the Mars Colonization Case Outline Worksheet they should check off arguments they plan on using, as well as indicate which numbered affirmative argument they will be attacking with that argument. As the negative arguments are not in order, selecting the correct arguments to use and which affirmative argument it corresponds with is challenging. Students may even need to write their own negative argument. After, the first speech, students should stand and respond to the affirmative arguments (2 minutes). Then, both students should receive 2-3 minutes of prep time before they begin the next round of arguments. After prep is over the affirmative will respond to the negatives arguments and vice versa (1 minute each). Finally, you may wish to end with a round for closing arguments (1 minute), prefaced by a 2 minute prep period.

Materials -Mars Colonization Case Outline, See page 28-29-Mars Colonization Case

Page 19

C) Skills Based Activities

Skills Students will know the structure, parts, and timing of a debate round.Prompts See notes.Notes Provide students with a copy of the pages 2-5 from the Policy Debate Manual. Tell

them to focus on, the structure of a debate round, the diagram of a debate round, and the speech cheat sheet. Then select 4 student volunteers to perform a simplified version of a mock debate. During this activity students will stand, the teacher will explain the speech and purpose of the speech, as well as ask the student to come up with an argument, plan, or rebuttal. Once you go through a quick version of a round, which should take about 5 minutes, field student questions and repeat parts as necessary. Often it is helpful to repeat the activity with the whole group. Have your students in groups of 4 and repeat the activity.

Materials Policy Debate Manual, pages 2-5

Favorite Drink Note Taking ExerciseSkills Students will become better at taking short hand notes.Prompts What is your favorite drink?Notes For this activity ask students to write down their favorite drink on a piece of scrap

paper. Then write down 10 unique favorite drinks. Challenge your students to see how many drinks they can remember without writing them down. After you read off the drinks fairly fast, test the students to see who can remember the most drinks. Then have the students take notes on the list. Ask how many can remember 10, 9, 8, etcetera. Test a student and then have them take out another slip. This time show them how they could write in short hand (e.g. apple juice = aj). Now repeat the activity until everyone can get all 10 or until your point is clearly made.

Materials -Scrap paper

Impromptu Speaking Skills Students will feel comfortable Public Speaking.Prompts Have students develop interesting debate topics and filter out the ones you want to

use.Notes Students are invited to come to the front of the class one at a time to draw three

topics from an envelope/hat. The topics can be course related or be general interest issues that will allow students to easily come up with material for a speech. The student chooses a topic, has thirty seconds to think, and then delivers a one minute speech either agreeing or disagreeing with the prompt. The class can provide feedback on the speech, identifying what the speaker did well and areas that could be improved. For big teams, it would be good to break into smaller groups (10ish people) with one coach in each group.

Materials -Envelope/hat-Slips of scrap paper for students to write down interesting debate topics.

Page 20

Fear In A HatSkills Students develop teamwork and practice individualized problem solvingPrompts Have students write down on a piece of paper:

My fears about the first tournament are__________________.Notes Group members write personal fears about the first tournament anonymously on

pieces of paper which are collected.  Then each person randomly selects and reads someone else's fear to the group and explains how the person might feel.  Fosters interpersonal empathy.  You can do this in pairs or groups of three to speed up the activity.

Materials -Scrap paper.

Page 21

Debate Practice Schedule

SeptemberMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

29[EXAMPLE]Activity 1 –1st

Year HR Visits*Mr. Madden*

30 31 1 2

5 6 7 8 – 1st Day 9

12 13 14 15 16

19 20 21 22 23

26 27 28 29 30

Calendar KeyStudent RecruitmentVarsity Practices May Begin

Page 22

OctoberMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

2 Practices - Community Building 3 4 5 6 7

2 Practices – Day 1 and Day 2 Format 10 11 12 13 14

2 Practices – Day 1 and Day 2 Format 17 18 – Registration

Due at 5P 19 20 21 –

1st Tournament

Calendar KeyStudent RecruitmentPractices

Page 23

Appendix

A) Counterarguments Table Debates Worksheet 24

B) Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates Worksheet

25

C) Evidence Scavenger Hunt Worksheet 26

D) Mars Colonization Case Outline 27-28

Page 24

A) Counterarguments Table Debates

Instructions: In pairs, students will draw opposing cards and will have 1 minute to prep before defending their assigned position for 30 seconds. You both are then given an opportunity to rebut the arguments you opponent made, which is the focus of this activity. You both are required to use the phrase “my opponent said…, but that’s not true because…” This speech should last thirty seconds. Repeat until all cards are used.

Claim Round 1 Round 2

Page 25

B) Mini Debates Worksheet

Instructions:Each student in the group should be assigned to defend a different warrant as being the most persuasive. Once these assignments have been established, the students should take turns in their group speaking for thirty seconds about why their warrant is the superior one. If there’s time after these initial opening statements, students can go around and deliver a 30 second rebuttal that attacks opposing warrants while building up their original warrant. The groups can then report back and discuss who “won” each debate, and what the strongest warrant is.

Round 1 Round 2Warrant 1

Warrant 2

Warrant 3

Page 26

C) Evidence Scavenger HuntStudents will race in pairs to both find textual evidence and to explain how the text supports their claim. Every team that correctly answers that statement will receive 1 point and the first group to answer in each round will receive 2 points.

Claim WarrantTextual Evidence Analysis – How does the text

support the claim

Page 27

D) Mars Colonization Case Outline (1/2)

Mars Colonization OverviewHumans have long been fascinated with the other planets in the Solar System. Hundreds of years ago, we believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. Now we know that all of the planets in our solar system orbit around the sun, not the Earth. Despite the immense amount that we have learned since this time through science, there remains the same interest and fascination with outer space.

This case argues that the United States should attempt to establish a permanent human presence on Mars, like a colony. The case believes that this is a good idea because of the many problems that plague people on Earth. There are nuclear weapons, deadly diseases, and a growing population, all of which have the potential to cause great harm to humans. Following the logic that you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket, the case argues that if we had people on a different planet that we would have an insurance policy in case a disaster happened on Earth.

Finally, this case argues that the technology to reach and set up a place to live on Mars is possible with our current technology. Mars is a very attractive option to attempt to colonize because it is a similar size and has a comparable climate to Earth.

Mars Colonization Affirmative

1) First we will explain the problem that exists right now.

The end of the space shuttle program is a symbol of the end of American interest in space exploration. There are currently no plans to colonize Mars, or any other planet.

2) Next, we will explain the consequences of this lack of interest in outer space.

Humans have a limited amount of time left on Earth. Global warming, deadly diseases, and nuclear weapons are just a few of many catastrophes that will eventually endanger all life on Earth.

3) In order to avoid these consequences, my Partner and I Propose the Following Plan: The United States federal government should direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop and implement a strategy to send humans to Mars, in order to establish a permanent human presence in space.

4) Finally, we will explain why our plan is the solution to the problem we have outlined.

Colonizing another planet, specifically Mars, will provide a “life insurance policy” against these disasters on Earth, ensuring that human kind will survive even after one of these catastrophic events.

5) Colonizing Mars is possible – the planet has many characteristics similar to Earth.

6) Finally, Colonizing mars provides a stepping-stone for looking for life on other planets and for colonizing deeper into the Solar System

Page 28

Mars Colonization Case Outline (2/2)

Mars Colonization Negative

# of Aff Argument Attacked

Negative Arguments in Mars Colonization Evidence Packet

[____] We would be better off creating a safe haven on Earth than trying to colonize Mars. We are much closer to creating an underground facility on Earth that would be able to survive a nuclear war or other catastrophic event than we are to colonizing another planet. The sooner we have a haven, the better, because it will allow us to ensure survival in the case of one of the [____] Using NASA to explore space is on balance harmful to colonization. NASA prevents engineers from being creative and finding the most effective solution to reaching Mars.[____] Focusing on going to space means we ignore the problems on Earth. We need to keep focusing on our own planet until technology becomes advanced enough for us to leave.[____] History proves that attempts at colonization lead to wars and other conflicts over new territory. Colonization of space would not be any different.[____] We do not have the technology to travel to another planet in the status quo. Many would die in the attempt.[____] A push for space exploration as a result of the plan causes cuts in the budget of NASA’s Earth science program that focuses on eliminating global warming.[____] Another planet would be a poor life insurance policy. We could not get people to Mars fast enough if extinction were to occur on Earth.[____] There are immense health risks to traveling in outer space include muscle degeneration and cosmic radiation.[____]

[____]

Page 29

Page 30