This is a great way to encourage students to engage in a debate. It´s awesome for a classroom of many students, but could also work for a small group if adapted. Before starting this activity, pre-teach language necessary for agreeing and disagreeing (also included in slides). Hang up four sheets of paper, one in each corner of the classroom, with the words: AGREE, DISAGREE, STRONGLY AGREE, and STRONGLY DISAGREE. Then start reviewing slides by introducing what a debate is.(I created this in honor of President´s Day which is an American holiday on the 3rd Monday of February each year). We started by talking about presidential debates and that a debate is an opportunity to express yourself, defend your ideas, and try to convince others to feel the same as you. Then we began the activity with the controversial statements, one at a time. I read one, and then the students must decide if they agree, strongly agree, etc and they walk to the corner of the room that they feel is true for them. Then, I give each group 1 minute to prepare their "defense" and then the 4 groups engage in a debate, with the teacher playing the role of a moderator. It´s really so much fun to watch them express themselves. If at any point during the debate someone is convinced to change their mind to the other side, they can move corners. Each slide has a different topic and each debate can last anywhere from 1-10 minutes, it really depends on your group and how talkative they are. So this could easily be split up into several lessons. Also, if there isn´t a lot of space in your classroom, instead of establishing different corners of the room, you could just give each student sheets of paper and then they hold up the one that is true for them and form groups that way.

Level:advanced Age: +15  Format: PowerPoint  Downloads:37

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