Using Deliberative Techniques in the

English as a Foreign Language Classroom

A Manual for Teachers of Advanced Level Students

Nancy Claxton, Ed.D.

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Using Deliberative Techniques in the

English as a Foreign Language Classroom
A Manual for Teachers of Advanced Level Students

Nancy Claxton, Ed.D.

international debate education association

New York * Amsterdam * Brussels

Published by

international debate education association

4 0 0 W e s t 5 9 t h S t r e e t / N e w Yo r k , N Y 1 0 0 1 9
Copyright 2008 by International Debate Education Association
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
from the publisher.
THE PUBLISHER GRANTS PERMISSION FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF
THE ACTIVITY SHEETS IN THIS WORK FOR NON-PROFIT EDUCATIONAL
USE. THE ACTIVITY SHEETS MAY NOT BE USED IN A COMMERICIAL OR
PROFIT MAKING VENTURE WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE
PUBLISHER.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Claxton, Nancy.
Using deliberative techniques in the English as a foreign language classroom: a manual for teachers of advanced level students / Nancy Claxton.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-932716-29-0
1. English language--Study and teaching--Foreign speakers--Handbooks,
manuals, etc. I. Title.
PE1128.A2C535 2007
428.0071--dc22
2007019694

Design by Hernan Bonomo

Printed in the USA

IDEBATE Press Books

 Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Manual

1
3

Chapter 1: Deliberative Education

Chapter 2: Introductions to Speeches and Presentations

1. The Attributes of Speech

2. One Less Letter

3. Build a Story

4. Christmas Around the World

5. Greetings Venutians!

6. The Storytellers

13
15
21
25
33
45
49

Chapter 3: Introduction to Debate

7. Introduction to Debate

8. Mini-Debates

9. Open Forum

10. Corner Debates

11. Debate Auditions

12. Flow of a Debate

61
63
69
85
89
93
99

Chapter 4: Introduction to Role Plays and Simulations

13. Getting to Know You

14. What Am I?

15. You Oughta Be in Pictures

16. Cultural Lessons

17. At the Improv

18. Panel of Experts

19. Write, Read, Action!

20. Session of the Security Council

103
105
111
115
119
131
137
145
153

Chapter 5: Student Evaluation

161

Glossary

171

Resources

179

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Introduction
International Debate Education Association (IDEA) believes that free and open discussion is essential to the establishment and preservation of open, democratic societies, and
its work supports initiatives promoting excellence and innovation in formal and informal education. IDEA cooperates and maintains contact with educational institutions in
over 40 countries. It has extensive experience in conducting teacher training at all levels
as well as organizing public speaking and debate events for secondary school students
through workshops, competitions, and educational institutes. To complement these activities, IDEA has consistently produced quality curricula and educational resources.
Responding to the needs of secondary school teachers in many countries, IDEA has
developed deliberative methodology (or deliberative education), which uses interactive
teaching and learning approachesrole plays, simulations, debates, speeches, presentations, and so forthto facilitate learning and create a new form of relationship between
you and your class.
In an increasingly global world where our classrooms play host to students from a
range of cultures and whose mother tongue is not English, it is imperative that teachers
strive to teach and challenge all students regardless of their vast range of abilities and
comprehension of English. This book provides lessons that allow teachers to teach a lesson that reaches all students, regardless of their present English-processing abilities. The
lessons teach children where they are academically, and challenge them to reach higher
levels of English-language comprehension and expression.
Deliberative education methodologies assist teachers in achieving a number of educational goals:
Fostering interactive instruction, democratic dialogue, student-teacher partnerships,
and cooperative learning
Promoting student ownership of learning and application of knowledge
Developing students listening and communication skills
Developing students critical thinking and argumentation skills
Developing students research (traditional and computer) and critical reading and evaluation skills
IDEA is proud to present Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign
Language Classroom, the first volume in its series Deliberating Across the Curriculum.
Many of the lesson plans in this guidebook have been inspired by the sharing of ideas
and experiences of teachers cooperating with IDEA in many countries. The author is
grateful for all suggestions given and valuable input received.

Introduction |

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How to Use This Manual

Integrating This Material into the Curriculum
Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom is not a curriculum. It is a compilation of hands-on instructional approaches that helps you to teach
your required curriculum in an exciting and thought-provoking way. Deliberative methodology provides an innovative way for you to bring subjects alive in the classroom. You
can use the lesson plans as they are presented or you can modify them to fit your needs.
For example, You Oughta Be in Pictures in chapter 4 uses a simulated casting session
to help students improve their impromptu speaking skills. You could adapt it inputting
imaginary scenes from a popular film or a film the students may have studied in class.

Goals
The goals of this guidebook are to use deliberative techniques to advance students in the
following areas:
1. Listening: to enable students to understand spoken English in a variety of contexts at
an advanced-proficient level
2. Speaking: to speak English at an advanced-proficient level in a variety of contexts
3. Reading: to read a variety of complex texts and comprehend their meaning
4. Writing: to develop skills in various types of writingformal and informal, fiction and
non-fiction
5. Cultural/Social: to use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways

Organization
Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom is divided
into five chapters:
Chapter 1 defines deliberative techniques and discusses their uses and benefits in teaching advanced English speakers. The section presents the various components of the
methodologyspeeches and presentations, debate, role plays and simulationsand
describes how you can use them in your existing curricula.
Chapters 2 through 4 offer 20 detailed lesson plans using the various components as
instructional formats.
Chapter 5 discusses assessment and offers several rubrics to help you get started.
The book concludes with a glossary and a list of resources you can use to learn more
about deliberative technologies and IDEA.

How to Use This Manual |

Lesson Map
This lesson map provides an overview of the lessons in the guide.
Name of Lesson

Type of Activity

Time (min.)

Description

Introductions to Speeches and Presentations

1. The Attributes of Speech

Speeches and Presentations

45-60

Students present a portion of a historic speech.

2. One Less Letter

Speeches and Presentations

45

Students must write a story using fewer and fewer

letters of the alphabet.

3. Build a Story

Speeches and Presentations

60

Students tell impromptu stories based on a menu

of the basic elements of a story: setting, characters,
conflict, plot and resolution.

4. Christmas Around the

World

Speeches and Presentations

2 lessons of Students learn about Christmas customs around

60 minutes the world and quiz each other on what they
each
remember.

5. Greetings Venutians!

Speeches and Presentation

4560

Students take turns explaining and demonstrating

to visiting Venutians the various usesreal or
imaginaryof ordinary objects.

6. The Storytellers

Speeches and Presentation

6090

Students work in groups to write continuations of

seven published stories.

Introduction to Debate
7. Introduction to Debate

Debate

45

Students will learn the basics of debate through

informal debate in which they are expected to present and defend their points to an opposing team.

8. Mini-Debates

Debate

60

Students will stage mini-debates on issues that are

important contemporary topics in the United States.

9. Open Forum

Debate

4560

The class holds a group discussion during which

students take turns presenting their own arguments and responding to arguments of others.

10. Corner Debates

Debate

60

Students will listen to a statement on a controversial topic and decide if they agree or disagree with
the statement. After meeting with a student on
the opposing team and discussing their reasons
for agreeing or disagreeing, they will be asked the
question again and reassigned to a position team if
necessary. They will then each have to take part in
a debate in which they defend the position opposite to their belief.

| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Name of Lesson

Type of Activity

Time (min.)

Description

11. Debate Auditions

Debate

3 classes of
4560 minutes

Students audition for a place in the Big Debate

through elimination rounds of various debate
speeches. The Big Debate will take place between
the winning speakers from the previous days
auditions.

each

12. Flow of a Debate

Debate

4560

This lesson uses a written debate to introduce students to the process of flowing debate.

Introduction to Role Plays and Simulations

13. Getting to Know You

Role Play and Simulation 4560

The lesson helps students develop the social skills

needed when meeting someone for the first time.

14. What Am I?

Role Play and Simulation 45

The teacher tapes a concept word to the back of

each student. The students must then circulate to
find out what word they are.

15. You Oughta Be in

Pictures

Role Play and Simulation 4560

Students audition for a role in a movie in which the

scenes keep changing.

16. Cultural Lessons

Role Play and Simulation 4560

This simulation involves learning how to read body

language, gestures, and non-verbal language in
different cultures.

17. At the Improv

Role Play and Simulation 4560

Students improvise a variety of situations in which

they must solve a problem, work with a team,
and/or think and act quickly.

18. Panel of Experts

Presentation and Role

Play

19. Write, Read, Action!

Role Play and Simulation 2 classes of

4560 minutes

90 minutes fol- On small panels, students pose as experts on a

lowed by a 20variety of things. After the students present miniminute wrap-up
biographies of what makes them an expert, the
the following
audience is encouraged to ask the panel questions
day
to stump them.

each

20. Session of the Security

Council

Role Play and Simulation 4560

Students work in pairs to write detailed instructions of how to do common activities that other
students then act out as the instructions are read.
Students are involved in a role play of a session of
the UN Security Council, focusing on resolving a
fictitious conflict. They will research and present
their nations stand on the issue and then attempt
to negotiate a possible solution.

How to Use This Manual |

Lesson Organization
Lesson plans follow a standard format:
Title
Instructional objectives
Description
Time
Materials
Preparation (optional)
Class layout and grouping of students
Procedure
Student products (where appropriate)
Assessment
Extensions and modifications (optional)
They provide detailed directions that help you avoid the guesswork typically associated
with putting together a lesson.
So, if you are ready to get started, head to Chapters 2 through 4 and start browsing for a
lesson plan. Once you teach using deliberative technologies, you will bring the excitement
of learning to your English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students!

| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Chapter 1
Deliberative Education

Deliberative Education Defined

Deliberative education is a set of methodologies that employs speech, communication,
discussion, and debate to maximize students participation in the learning process. This
methodology redefines the role of a teacher to more that of an educational coach confronting students with new tasks. Deliberative methodologies aim to do the following:
1. Engage students in the subject matter by providing an incentive to learn. This does not
mean enticing your students with a reward but rather enticing them with an intrinsic
desire to learn, debate, and build on that knowledge. You will see your students come
out of a properly prepared debate exercise enthralled, excited, and ready to take on their
next debate. They will be nervous and anxious before a debate and possibly during, but
most students describe the feeling after a debate to be exhilarating and addictive. Thats
what learning should be!
2. Assist them in applying the knowledge they have gained to real world situations and
dilemmas. Students want to talk about the world they live in, discuss issues, and understand how the changing world affects them. Deliberative education encourages students
to gather insights and information about their society and use them to argue the issues
and potential solutions.
3. Develop an array of skillscritical thinking, decision making, public speaking, and
communicationthat will enable students to adapt to the fast-changing realities of the
modern world. Deliberative methodology puts students in situationsdiscussions and
debatesin which they are expected to express their ideas and show their knowledge of
a subject while challenging their opponents message.
Deliberative education is a modern, innovative pedagogical approach that meets a number
of educational aims:
1. It engages students in the subject matter by creating an atmosphere conducive to active learning. The traditional educational methodologies are based on a formulaic, topdown method in which students are passive recipients of knowledge passed to them by
teachers. Deliberative education is based on dialogues between teacher and students as
well as between students themselves. This methodology opens students to new ways
of thinking; promotes independent study, problem solving, and the free expression of
ideas; and encourages student creativity. By emphasizing personal investigation and respectful confrontation of different and often opposing ideas in the public but safe setting of a classroom, deliberative education constitutes an educational antidote to the
development of passivity and authority dependence in students.

Chapter 1 |

2. It encourages the application of knowledge. Students engaged in deliberative education

become adept at applying knowledge they have gained in realistic discussions and debates. Traditional educational methodologies call on students to display their retention
of knowledge through formal exams or tests to simply prove that they retained the information, whether it is useful or not. Deliberative education methodologies encourage
students to reorganize their knowledge and apply it in different patterns depending on
the context of the learning situation. Deliberative education has its roots in experiential
learning, which involves a hands-on-approach to teaching and learning. In deliberative
education, learners often develop knowledge through a series of experiential discoveries
that they themselves direct through practical experience, which increasingly progresses
in difficulty and thus increases knowledge. Deliberative methodologies prepare students
for a variety of roles that they will be expected to assume during their adult life, and provide them with an array of skills necessary in many spheres in modern society, including
private, social, and professional.
3. It encourages cooperation and teamwork. It shifts teaching and learning from teachercentered to learner-centered activities. It raises the quality and the frequency of participation among students and encourages cooperation and sharing of the responsibilities
for learning and its outcomes. This approach reflects the demands of the real world,
where individuals most often must work with each other to achieve their common
goals.
4. It builds on different learning styles. By confronting students with different tasks, deliberative education meets each students varying needs, abilities, and learning styles. Deliberative education responds to the needs of those students who focus on feelings and
experiences. It responds to the needs of students who value observation and analysis, as
well as students who are doers and focus on making links between concepts and their
practical applications.
Deliberative education is especially useful in the teaching of social sciences, history, civic
education, and languagesall subjects whose character and complexity of material require
extended communication, discussion, and deliberation.

Deliberative Methodologies
The most prominent methodologies include debate and discussion, simulation and role
play, and individual or group presentation. You can use these methodologies independently
or in conjunction with each other. For example, a debate can lead to a role play or individual or group presentations. You can adapt each of these methodologies to different topics,
group sizes, and educational goals. You may want to use a simulation exercise to introduce
a unit and a role play or parliamentary debate to test students knowledge at the end of the
section. The options are numerous.
Educational debate
Educational debate is a formal contest of argumentation between two teams during which
one team supports, while the other team opposes, a given proposition. A debate begins
with a resolution, a simple statement about a topic that both teams subject to critical
analysis. The team supporting the resolution speaks first and is referred to as an affirmative
team (since it affirms a given resolution). The opposing or negative team must then refute

| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

the arguments offered by the affirming team and present arguments against adopting the
resolution. Each team must not only outline their positions (the so-called cases) but also
respond directly to their opponents arguments. A neutral judge (either an individual or
a group of individuals) listens carefully to the arguments of both sides and decides which
team was most persuasive.
Debate is not only an educational methodology; it has been an intrinsic part of democratic institutions since the time of ancient Greece. The study and practice of debate furthers the development of skills essential for living in a democratic society. Because of its
importance, academic debate is included in many educational systems (for example, in the
United States, Great Britain, Australia), and thousands of secondary school students all over
the world engage in debate activities in the classroom and in extra-curricular programs.
Debate is a flexible learning tool that meets a number of educational goals. It develops
communication and speaking skills by providing students with an opportunity to deliver
prepared presentations as well as to practice impromptu speeches in response to the arguments of others. Debate offers structure and imposes limits on speaking order and time,
thus introducing an element of control that provides a framework for an organized exchange of ideas and that also serves as a reassuring support for beginners. It develops critical
thinking and research skills and requires cooperation. Debate also is an excellent conflict
resolution tool that emphasizes peaceful and tolerant communication and respect for the
opinions of others.
Debate is best conducted over a number of lessons that focus on the individual processes involvedbrainstorming and analyzing arguments, researching arguments in depth,
preparing cases, debating the topic, and debriefing the debateduring which students
evaluate their performance, consider the outcomes of the debate, and offer feedback to
each other.
As a teacher, your role is best described as a coach and a facilitator. You should provide
the students with a topic that engages their interest and has quality arguments on both sides
of the issue. You should recommend or provide resources for researching the topic and offer
guidance during the teams preparation. You should also judge a debate and offer feedback
after the debate is finished.
Although there may be only a small number of students engaged in the formal debate,
the activity can involve the whole class. All students can research the topic, and those not
on the teams can act as judges, assessing the debate and offering feedback to their peers.
Although debate is best used to assess what students have learned at the end of a unit,
you can use it during any other stage of the educational process, including at the beginning
of a unit to determine what students already know about a topic.
Role play
Role play is a technique in which students act out roles in a scenario depicting a problem,
particularly one involving social life, for educational purposes. It is a planned interaction
that involves realistic behavior under artificial or imagined conditions. It is an excellent tool
for introducing students to different social roles.
The goal of this methodology is not only to practice competencies, but also to stimulate
a discussion that allows students to identify effective and ineffective behavior under given
circumstances. The technique has many variationsspontaneous role plays, dramatic skits,
etc.and involves any number of students. Role plays often involve fictitious characters,
but you can also develop role plays involving current or historical figures.

Chapter 1 |

Similar to other deliberative methodologies, role plays develop:

1. Communication skills: Role plays provide a practical illustration of what happens when
people communicate, either verbally or non-verbally. They give students an opportunity
to receive and provide feedback and help students develop active listening skills.
2. Research skills: Role plays help students develop their research skills by asking them
to understand and support the views of their characters. Role plays enhance students
ability to critically evaluate sources through assessing information that other students
present.
3. Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills: Role plays require students to generate
ideas, respond to each others views, propose alternative solutions, defend their views,
and critique the views of others.
Role plays are highly engaging activities that increase students participation both in
the preparation process and during the activity itself. Role playing relies heavily on the
experiences of participants in ways that increase their ownership of learning. Students are
engaged in all stages of the role play, from planning through debriefing, and as a result are
highly motivated to participate in the process of learning. This technique is very interactive and shifts teaching and learning from teacher-centered to student-centered. During
the role play, you should exercise a minimum of control and intervene only to assure the
smooth running of the lesson.
Role playing is also extremely flexible. You can change the role play while it is being
conducted and fit the material to particular situations. Role playing can be brief or extended, although 45-minute role plays are most common. Similar to debate, a role play can
be used during different stages of a particular unit. At the beginning of a unit, it can serve
as an excellent introduction and illustration of a certain educational point or objective; at
the end of a unit, a more complex role play serves as a closure or assessment of students
skills and knowledge.
Simulations
Simulations emphasize the big picture of experiencing group processes rather than focusing
on the playing of an individual role of a certain character (although very often simulations
are based on students playing certain roles). The difference between the role play and simulation is also in the authenticity of the roles the students take. In a simulation exercise a
student is more likely to play natural rolesthat is, roles that they sometimes have in real
life. While in a role play, they would more often assume roles of fictitious characters.
Simulations develop the same skills as role plays and also provide students with an opportunity to do the following:
1. Increase their awareness of how their perceptions of others motivations and cultural
heritage can affect their interactions. Very often, good simulations will lead students to
rethink their behavior and attitudes toward others.
2. Examine their own biases and focus on how their perceptions of differences can impact
their interpersonal relations.
3. Understand how stereotypes develop, how barriers are created, and how misunderstandings among people are magnified. Students will also be able to observe, develop, and
adopt appropriate mechanisms for successfully interacting with others.
Simulations are excellent teaching tools because they require active participation from students and develop strong motivation to learn. Simulation exercises also increase students
empathy and teach the rules of social interaction.

10| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

A well-developed simulation is also conducive to acquiring certain knowledge-based

content, since it allows the participants to learn from personal experiences rather than from
a lecture or even a discussion. For example, a cultural diversity simulation will make the
participants much more sensitive to how cultural differences generate stereotypical perception and thinking than a lecture on the same subject. Many simulations also encourage the
development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
The drawback of this method, however, is that developing good simulations is labor
intensive. A good simulation requires a well-conceived story line, plot challenges, and support materials for each stage of the simulation. The challenge in writing quality simulations
is (a) in understanding that students will likely reach different conclusions and plans of action for each stage of the simulation and (b) in developing materials in advance to support
the range of possibilities. In light of this, teachers new to simulation may be better off using
already existing simulations and adapting them for their needs rather than developing them
from scratch.
Presentations
Each of the methodologies discussed above involves student presentations, but you may
want to include other types of oral presentationsreadings, impromptu and prepared
speeches, etc.in your classroom as well. Deliberative education emphasizes developing
presentation skills because students will need these throughout their lives and because presentations are helpful in achieving a variety of pedagogical objectives.

Is Deliberative Methodology the Best Way to Learn a Language?

Deliberative methodology challenges students to think, process, and analyze in English and
put language to usecementing language learning. Further, these methods engage students
in a variety of cognitive and linguistic ways. It is the ideal way to approach advanced learners because they already know how to put words together to form thoughts and sentences.
Language instruction should focus on context-rich materials presented in meaningful environments. It should encourage students to think, analyze, and construct arguments in the
target language under a time constraint that forces them to abandon translating word for
word and to internalize the target language. Using deliberative methodology enables you to
provide the structure and format that encourage students to use this inner speech.
Deliberative methodologies provide significant practice in the skills of listening, speaking, and writing; they also refine argumentation skills for persuasive speech and writing.
This expectationwhich holds time restrictions for hearing and conveying ideasallows students to think and argue in English, rather than merely produce rote sentences or
presentations. This expectation is the key to transforming a learner into a fluent English
speaker, as students now are decoding and encoding arguments in English. They simply
arent allowed the luxury of time to mentally translate from English to their native tongue
for processing, comprehension, and developing a response, which they then translate back
into English. They are taught to process information within the target languagethe most
significant benchmark to achieving fluency within a language.
Richard Nisbett, author of Geography of Thought (2003) agrees: Debate is an important
educational tool for learning analytic thinking skills and for forcing self-conscious reflection on the validity of ones ideas.1
1. Richard E. Nisbett (2003) The geography of thought. (New York Free Press, 2003), 210.

Chapter 1|11

How Can I Fit These Types of Lessons into My Already Busy

Teaching Schedule?
Deliberative methodology is an alternative way to teach; it imposes no additional content.
You teach your regular curriculum using new, interactive ways to introduce the concepts
and skills. For example, instead of lecturing your students about the Cold War, you might
ask them to give structured presentations on the superpowers, have them role-play a UN
session following the fall of the Berlin Wall, or have two teams debate the safety of the
world before and after the Cold War. These experiences teach the same content, yet excite
the students about learning far more than lecturing does.

12| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Chapter 2
Introduction to Speeches and
Presentations

Incorporating speeches and presentations into the curriculum compels students to use language in public speakinga scary prospect for many people, but a skill they must master.
Incorporating public speaking in the curriculum adds variety and fun to activities and
encourages students to take risks and experiment with language while in the safe environment of the classroom. The activities here also encourage students to work together in
pairs, groups, and on their own to develop a familiarity in working with others, and they
allow students to build their knowledge base by helping others and being confident enough
to ask for help.
Giving speeches and presentations is a part of being in the public eye, and doing so
requires practice and familiarity to make the almighty stage a less scary place. Advancedand proficient-level students will often face the prospect of presenting or making a speech
whether in a debate, at a school function, or even at their best friends wedding. Allowing
them avenues in which to practice these necessary skills makes students more confident in
their presentation and public-speaking abilities.

Chapter 2 |13

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1. The Attributes of Speech

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
observe and listen to how others use English
focus attention selectively
observe and model how others speak and behave in a particular situation or
setting
exercise voice volume appropriate to the situation
review and give feedback on the work of others
apply self-monitoring and self-corrective strategies
hear and imitate how others use English
use acceptable tone, volume, stress, and intonation, in various settings and with
various audiences
observe, model, and critique how others speak and behave in a particular situation or setting

Description
Students will learn the attributes of good speaking, using the transcript of a historic speech.

Time
45 minutes

Materials
The Attributes of Good Speaking resource sheet (for each student)
The Gettysburg Address transcript (for each student)
Audio version of speech

Preparation
Secure a copy of an audio version of the speech. You can easily download a digital copy read
by actors by conducting an Internet search for Gettysburg address audio.

Class layout and grouping of students

The students sit at their desks facing the front, from where one student will speak at a time.

Chapter 2 |15

Procedure
1. Distribute The Attributes of Good Speaking resource sheet and discuss.
2. Explain to the students that you will use Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address to
illustrate these attributes. Give the students some background on Lincoln and the
speech. Teach the following points:
a. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. Despite his current
status as one of Americas greatest, most beloved presidents, he was not universally
admired during his presidency because the North and South were engaged in a
brutal Civil War.
b. The Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 was a turning point of the Civil
War, during which the Union repelled the Confederacys most ambitious invasion of
the North. It was the wars bloodiest battle, with 51,000 casualties.
c. Lincoln delivered this address at the battle site in Gettysburg, which he dedicated as
a national cemetery. The main speaker, a man named Ed Everett spoke for over two
hours. Lincoln gave this short address that became part of our history.
3. Distribute a copy of the Gettysburg Address transcript to each student and ask the
students to read through the text briefly. Explain that you will now demonstrate good
and bad examples of each attribute of a speech using the first two paragraphs. Read a
few words of the text demonstrating one attribute and then have the students analyze
your speaking by giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on your presentation. Note the
portions and aspects that received thumbs down, and after completing your reading ask
the students for suggestions on improving those aspects.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new
nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so
conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that
war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those
who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper
that we should do this.
4. Give the class three minutes to review the speech. When they are ready, explain that
you will call out a students name to read the speech from the beginning. That student
must quickly come to the front of the class and, using excellent speech skills, present
President Lincolns speech as best she can. When you call out, STOP! you will say to
evaluate a particular attribute, for example, ClassVolume? and ask students to give
a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down assessment of the speakers volume. If she gets a
majority of thumbs-ups, she may sit down, if not, she must continue the exercise until
she does. You may evaluate a different attribute each time you call stop, or focus on one
attribute until the speech is finished. Repeat the exercise until all students have had a
chance to speak. If necessary, begin the speech again. The exercise should be fast-paced,
with students moving between their seats and the front of the room frequently.
5. When everyone has had a chance to speak, you may choose to play the audio of the
speech and analyze the eight aspects of speech listed above. If you do not want to
listen to a prepared audio, do a final presentation of the text yourself, modeling excellent speaking skills.

16| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Assessment
Students will receive feedback using the thumbs-up and thumbs-down assessment.

Extensions and modifications

Ask the students to write and present an impromptu speech on a topic you assign.

Chapter 2 |17

Resource Sheet

The Attributes of Good Speaking

1. Body language: includes proper posture, standing confidentlynot leaning against a podiumand using your hands appropriately as you speak.
You should refrain from looking disinterested or even terrified while you
deliver your speech.
2. Articulation: speaking clearly. Your words must be distinct so that the
audience can easily understand them.
3. Pronunciation: saying each word correctly and clearly.
4. Word Choice: using the correct words to make your point. Dont use
slang, except to make a point. You should also be mindful to not repeatedly say, You know . . . or Umm . . .
5. Pitch: the highs and lows of your voice. Use inflection for variation and to
emphasize a point. Avoid speaking in a monotone.
6. Speed: the pace at which you speak. Deliver the less important parts of
your speech quickly while presenting the important points slowly so that
the audience can understand and remember them.
7. Pause: a break in speaking for emphasis. When you want to highlight a
word or emphasize a point, pause for a second before speaking. You can
add extra emphasis by pausing before and after the important word or
point.
8. Volume: loudness. Project your voice so that even those in the last row
can hear. If you will be using a microphone, practice beforehand so that
you know what volume is right. When delivering your speech, raise your
volume to emphasize a point.
9. Quality: the way your voice sounds to others. Ask others what they think
of your voice or record it for an idea of how you sound.
10. Variation: changes in pitch, volume, and speed. Change these at least
once every 30 seconds, if only for just one word. Never go more than
one paragraph without a change. Breathe life into your words by speaking
them with meaning and character.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

18| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a
new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men
are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicatewe cannot consecratewe cannot
hallowthis ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have
consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little
note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they
did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished
work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather
for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before usthat from
these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they
gave the last full measure of devotionthat we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died in vainthat this nation, under God, shall have a new
birth of freedomand that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln
Gettysburg, PA
November 19, 1863

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 2 |19

This page intentionally left blank

2. One Less Letter

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
follow oral and written directions
select, connect, and explain information
apply self-monitoring and self-corrective strategies
create a writing passage using critical thinking and a broad range of vocabulary
describe the elements of a story
create a story using essential elements

Description
Students must write a story using fewer and fewer letters of the alphabet.
Time
45 minutes
Materials
5 different colored pens or pencils (for each pair of students)
Dictionaries and thesauri
Elements of a Story resource sheet (copy for each student)
Preparation
Choose a topic of interest to your class and write it on the blackboard before class begins.
Class layout and grouping of students
Students will work in pairs.
Procedure
1. List the elements of a story: setting, characters, plot, conflict, and resolution. Distribute
Elements of a Story and discuss. Explain how each element is essential for the next element to work. For example, without establishing a setting, characters cannot be introduced, and the conflict cannot exist without characters to bring it to life. The plot and

Chapter 2 |21

conflict rely on each other, as the plot is the sequence of events and the conflict is the
problem to be solved. Without a plot, a conflict cannot exist, because it is a part of the
plot. Without a conflict, there is no plot or sequence of events to tell. Finally, without a
conflict, there can be nothing to resolve.
2. Tell the students that they will be writing a creative storyeither fictional or based on
eventsabout the topic on the blackboard. They are to include.
3. Explain that there is a catch: to prevent them from overusing letters, you have come up
with a new rule. You will periodically call out, STOP! and announce a letter that they
may not use from that point forward. They cannot use words that contain the noweliminated letter and must find substitutes. They can use a dictionary and thesaurus to
help them. When a new letter is eliminated, they must use another color pen or pencil.
Remind them that the exercise is cumulative: they also must not use any letter that was
previously excluded.
4. Read the following example slowly so that they can focus on your words and listen for
any letter violations. Ask them to call out when they hear a letter violation.
I love to eat pizza. It is so tasty. The other day, my friend asked me to join her for a pizza at
the new pizzeria in town. Yes!! I ordered a monster size with extra mushrooms, cheese, pepperoni and anchovies. I ate so much, I was in pain and had to drive my Mazda with the seat
pushed all the way back to make room for my belly.
STOPNo Z
Well, with that much of the good stuff in my belly, I couldnt do much except wait for it all to
digest. I headed to the movie theatre where I bought a ticket to see the new release of the movie
with Catherine Jones and Antonio Banderasthe one where the guy with the mask makes a
letter that is now forbidden with his sword. Very cool movie.
STOPNo Z or T
So I go in and find a place to relax. I like go in backno chanceinside is dark and packed.
Bummer. I find a place on an aisle and relax. Previews begin and everyone is noisy. Finally my
movie begins!
STOPNo Z or T or A
I love movies! I love Ms. Zeta-Jones! Im in love!
The students should have called out a rule violation for the last section: Zeta contains
a z, a t, and an aall forbidden.
5. Tell the students that as letters are eliminated, they will find the exercise increasingly
difficult, but that they must continue to write in complete, coherent sentences. Remind
them that the changes in ink or pencil color indicate when you introduced a new letter
elimination.
6. Answer any questions the students may have and then organize them in pairs (in order
to share the pens or pencilsNOT to share writing). Tell them where they can find a
dictionary or thesaurus if needed and ask them to begin.
7. Every five or six minutes, call out STOP! eliminate a letter, and remind the students
to change pens. Write the eliminated letter on the blackboard. Use the chart below to
adapt the exercise to the skill level of your class. The letters progress from left to right

22| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

from most frequently used letters as found in the most common words in the English
language to least frequently used in the most common words in the English language.2 E is the most frequently used; Q is the least.
EARIOTNSLCUDPMHGBFYWKVXZJQ

8. Stop when you think the students have exhausted their vocabulary and ask the students
to exchange stories with their partners to see if they have violated any letter elimination
rules.
9. Ask individual students to volunteer to read their stories aloud to share ideas for new
vocabulary in light of the letter eliminations.
10. Have students turn in their stories.
11. Start a new round by writing a new topic on the blackboard. They can use all the letters
again until letter eliminations begin.

Student Products
Short stories abiding by the rules of letter elimination

Assessment
Pairs will informally evaluate each other. Formally assess stories on letter elimination,
broader vocabulary use, and inclusion of the elements of a story in their writing.

Extensions and modifications

1. Have students present short, impromptu speeches. Occasionally call out a letter elimination and ask them to speak without using that letter.
2. Read excerpts from Mark Dunns Ella Minnow Pea (MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2001)
about how the town lived with increasingly fewer letters.

http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/frequency. Retrieved January 3, 2006.

Chapter 2 |23

Resource Sheet

Elements of a Story

The following are five elements of a story. Each element depends on the
others to exist in a story, and each element presented occurs in the order
below.

Setting
The time and location in which a story takes place. Other factors involved
in setting include weather conditions, social conditions, and mood or atmosphere. These all can form the foundation from which a story can be told.
Characters

The people in a story.

Conflict

The opposition of forces that ties one

incident to another and makes the
plot move. Conflict is not merely
limited to open arguments, rather it
is any form of opposition that faces
the main character.

Plot

How events in the story are arranged to develop the basic story
or the sequence of events in a
story.

Resolution

The final outcome of events in the story.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

24| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

3. Build a Story

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
observe and listen to how others use English
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
select, connect, and explain information
review and give feedback on the work of others
formulate and ask questions
evaluate ones own success in a completed learning task
practice variations for language in different social and academic settings
respond to the work of peers and others in writing
use acceptable tone, volume, stress, and intonation, in various settings and with
various audiences

Description
Students tell impromptu stories based on a menu of the basic elements of a story: setting, characters, conflict, plot, and resolution.
Time
60 minutes
Materials
Build a Story Menu activity sheet (copy for each student and the teacher)
Peer Evaluation activity sheet (copy for each student)
Class layout and grouping of students
Students will work in groups of four.
Procedure
1. Review the elements of a story: setting, characters, plot, conflict, and resolution.
2. Organize the students into groups of four and distribute Build a Story Menu to each
student. Tell the students that they will be crafting an impromptu story by choosing dif-

Chapter 2 |25

ferent options from each section of the menu. They may choose as many as they like
from each section (they must choose at least one from each section), BUT just as they
are expected to eat everything they order from a menu, they are expected to address
each aspect that they select.
3. Review the menu briefly and instruct the students to check off what they like from
each section. Explain that the plot section does not offer choices but rather is decided
based on the choices they made for the other elements. Give them five to ten minutes
to make their choices, during which you do the same on your menu.
4. Use the elements you have selected to illustrate how they will craft an impromptu
story. List the elements and tell your story. Distribute the Peer Evaluation activity
sheet. Closely review the sheet with the students and explain that they are to use it to
evaluate each others work. These evaluation sheets keep students focused on the story
and help them to listen for the elements of the story and assess if they were included.
5. Give the students ten minutes to make notes and draft a simple outline of their story.
6. Once the outline is complete, give them five to seven minutes to draft their stories.
Tell them that each student will have five to seven minutes to present his or her story
to the group, and remind them to be as creative as possible. Caution them that their
story must fit in the five- to seven-minute time frame because going over will result in
points being deducted.
7. After ten minutes, ask the students to present their stories.
8. Have the members of the group take turns telling their stories. After each student tells
his or her story, instruct the other students to fill in the Peer Evaluation activity sheet
and include written comments on any three areas listed. They should especially address
any areas where they gave a score of 2. Presenters should also fill out an evaluation
sheet on their own presentation so that you have an idea of how they judged their own
work.
9. After they have completed their evaluation sheets for a presenter, the students in the
group should offer a verbal critique of the presentation. Each student should have at
least one positive point and one area that the presenter could improve. Presenters may
ask the evaluators questions to clarify why they rated them as they did. Remind the
speakers to thank their evaluators once the process is complete.
10. After all students have completed the exercise, ask them to turn in the evaluation sheets
and keep their speech outlines. Ask the class as a whole how they thought the storytelling and the feedback sessions went. Discuss how the feedback will help them in future
presentations.
Student Products
Return the evaluation forms to the presenters after you have reviewed them. Students will
also have the outlines of their impromptu speeches.
Assessment
Evaluate the students informally by walking around the room and listening to students as
they tell their stories and as they give verbal peer reviews. Informally read through the students evaluation forms and judge for appropriateness. Return them to the presenters for a
record of the feedback.
26| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Extensions and modifications

1. Have the students write their impromptu stories and revise using the suggestions their
peers gave them.
2. Have the students write a formal story using the Build a Story Menu and formally
prepare it for the class.

Chapter 2 |27

Activity Sheet

Build a Story Menu

Instructions: Welcome to the Build a Story Caf, where you order as much as
you like from the menu at no charge! However, you must use each item you orderso choose wisely.

In the menu below, check off as many items as you want under each element to
use in your story. There is no limit, but you must choose at least one from each
category. Since plot is the sequence of events, you will outline your plot based on
the choices you made among the other elements of a story.

Setting

Character(s)

Where:

Country
Village
City
Mountains
Forest
Ocean/Lake/River
Desert
Another planet

________________

When:

Past

Present

Future

28| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Girl
Woman
Boy
Man
Thing
Machine
Idea
Ghost
Animal

_____________________

Traits of each main character

Greedy
Too nosy
Know-it-all
Lazy
Pessimistic
Totally in love
Seeks revenge
Nave
Clumsy
Lacks confidence

Foolish
Courageous
Resourceful
Imaginative
Kind
Generous
Clever
Loyal
Strong
Optimistic

Has enemy
Is undervalued
Is unrecognized
Causes jealousy
Forgets something
Broke something
Does not like something
Needs something
Needs to escape or hide
Needs to rescue someone

Is loyal
Is strong
Is optimistic
Is rescued
Is transformed
Discovers skill
Conflict not solved
Helps self
Exercises cleverness
Uses inner traits

Conflict

Caught stealing
Eats too much
Acts foolish
Told a lie
Saw or heard a secret
Lost something
Been captured
Under a spell or curse
Goes to forbidden place
Finds forbidden object

Resolution

Has helper
Magical
Non-magical
Is courageous
Is resourceful
Is imaginative
Is kind
Is generous
Is clever

Chapter 2 |29

Plot
Review your choices and make sure they make sense; above all, make
sure you can create a story from the choices you have made. Once you
are satisfied, write a very brief description below of the plot you have
created based on your choices.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Conclusion

Refer back to original setting in some way and compare.

How has/have the character(s) changed?

Adapted from Heather Forest, Story Arts at http://www.storyarts.org/lessonplans/index.html.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

30| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Activity Sheet

Peer Evaluation

Name of Presenter: _______________________________________

Name of Evaluator: ______________________________________
Instructions: For each statement below, mark your evaluation of the speaker.
1 = agree, 2 = not sure, 3 = disagree
Setting
The speaker explained the setting in detail.
The description of the setting made sense.

1
1

2
2

3
3

1
1
1

2
2
2

3
3
3

The speaker made the conflict apparent in his/her presentation. 1

The conflict made sense.
1
The conflict was creative.
1

2
2
2

3
3
3

1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3

1
1
1

2
2
2

3
3
3

Characters
The speaker explained the characters in detail.
The description of the characters made sense.
The speaker described at least one main character.

Conflict

Solution
The speaker gave a solution that made sense.
The solution was well planned.
The solution solved the conflict.
The speaker ended his/her speech appropriately.

Delivery
The speaker spoke naturally.
The speaker made eye contact with the audience.
The speaker was comfortable.
The speaker did not add extra, unnecessary words like
umm and you know.

Chapter 2 |31

The speakers posture was appropriate.

If the speaker used gestures, they were effective.
The speaker used appropriate pitch.
The speaker used appropriate volume.
The speaker used vocal variety.

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3

1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3

The speaker spoke in the allowable 5- to 7-minute time frame. 1

Language
The speaker used idioms and slang only when appropriate.
The speaker used good word choice.
The speakers story was easy to follow and understand.
The speaker used correct grammar.

Timing

Provide commentary on any three areas.

1.____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Evaluator signature: ______________________ Date: __________

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

32| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

4. Christmas Around the World

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
actively connect new information to information previously learned
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
paraphrase, summarize, elaborate, clarify, ask relevant questions, and make relevant comments in conversation, debate, and simulations
participate effectively in face-to-face conversations on assorted subjects
describe or read about an unfamiliar activity or topic
read and write about subject matter information
share social and cultural traditions and values
practice recall of facts and differentiate between many pieces of information

Description
Students learn about Christmas customs around the world and quiz each other on what they
remember.
Time
2 lessons of 60 minutes each
Materials
Christmas packets (for each pair)each packet should contain a copy of

Celebrating an Australian Christmas resource sheet

Celebrating an Ethiopian Christmas resource sheet

Celebrating a Hungarian Christmas resource sheet

Celebrating an Indian Christmas resource sheet

Celebrating an Iranian Christmas resource sheet

Celebrating a Nicaraguan Christmas resource sheet

Knowledge Gap activity sheet (copy for each student)

Creative Writing Rubric resource sheet (copy for each student)

Chapter 2 |33

Preparation
Review Chapter 5 if your class is unfamiliar with the procedure of using a rubric.
Class layout and grouping of students
Students initially will work in pairs and then work individually on the writing assignment.

Procedure
Day 1
1. Explain to the class that many countries celebrate the same holiday differently. While
not everyone in a country celebrates each holiday, the people who do celebrate a holiday have similar customs. Many people around the world celebrate Christmas, and do
so in different ways. This lesson focuses on Christmas celebrations in six countries.
2. Divide the class into pairs. Distribute one Christmas packet to each pair and tell the
students not to look at the sheets until you have explained all the directions.
3. Explain that each sheet in the packet describes how people in a country celebrate
Christmas. Each student in a pair will take one of the sheets, read it, and remember as
much as she can. She has two minutes to do so. After two minutes, the students switch
sheets, read the new sheet, and quiz each other on the information on the two sheets.
They have three minutes to do so. They will then have 30 seconds to write down any
details they may want to remember from the two sheets. They will repeat this procedure two more times, using the remaining sheets. Once they have completed the
exercise, they will fill in the Knowledge Gap activity sheet to test their recall.
4. Answer any questions the students may have. Tell the class to begin. Announce,
TIME when appropriate according to the schedule outlined above, and remind the
students of the next step in the exercise.
5. After the class has completed the exercise, collect the Christmas packets. Distribute
the Knowledge Gap activity sheet and give the students 1530 minutes to complete it.
They can use their notes (but not the original sheets) if necessary.
6. Tell them to hand in their completed sheets for assessment.

Day 2
1. Tell the students to assemble in the same pairs. Distribute the Christmas packets and
give each student the Creative Writing Rubric. Tell the class that each student will
write a short story about a character from one of the countries using the information
from the handout. Remind them that they are to use the five important elements of
a story: setting, character(s), plot, conflict, and resolution. Refer to the Elements of a
Story resource sheet (p. 24) if necessary.
2. When the students have completed the assignment, ask them to exchange stories with
their original partner and critique each others work using the Creative Writing Rubric.
They should make sure that the story contains all five important elements. Explain that
you will also evaluate each of their stories using the same rubric.

34| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Student Products
Completed Knowledge Gap sheets and written short stories.

Assessment
You can modify the Creative Writing Rubric so that you and your students can evaluate
the short stories. Note that if your students are unfamiliar with rubrics, refer to Chapter 5
on the hows and whys of rubrics and a quick lesson on how to teach students to complete
and read a rubric.

Chapter 2 |35

Resource Sheet

Celebrating an Australian
Christmas
While sleigh rides and snowmen are unheard of during the warm and sunny Australian Christmas season, beach time and outdoor barbecues are common. Familiar
traditions such as family gatherings, feasting on good food, and exchanging gifts are
also part of the Christmas festivities.
1. Australians celebrate in the laid-back Aussie lifestyle, which calls for a minimum of fuss
and a lot of fun.
2. Its summer in Australia in December. People plan beach or pool time and a barbecue
or picnic instead of a formal Christmas feast.
3. As in other parts of the world, people invite friends and relatives to celebrate with
them; getting together with family and friends is an important part of the season.
4. People are creative with their Christmas menu. They select a wide variety of items such
as seafood, cold meats, pasta, and ice creamanything they like. Often, they eat the
main meal at midday, and it is very casual.
5. People get into the spirit by putting up Christmas bells and a Christmas Bush, a native
plant with red flowers. They also display white Christmas flowers and other plants in
their home.
6. If Santa cant make it because of the heat, children can expect a visit from Swag Man,
hauling gifts in his four-wheeler.
7. Some large cities have public Christmas events. For example, in Melbourne people
gather to sing Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve. This tradition began in 1937
when a radio announcer saw a lonely woman listening to Christmas carols with a
candle in her window.
8. People exchange gifts with family and friends on Christmas morning.
9. Attending church is also an important part of many peoples Christmas tradition.
10. Because the British settled Australia, visitors can expect to find variations of British
Christmas traditions.

Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_10772_celebrate-australian-christmas.html.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

36| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Celebrating an Ethiopian
Christmas

Christmas is a major holiday in Ethiopia, where more than half of the population is
Orthodox Christian. The celebrations occur on January 7, the day that Ethiopians
celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, instead of on December 25.
1. People set up a manger scene that includes the Three Magi. Legend has it that the king
bearing frankincense was King Balthazar of Ethiopia.
2. People burn frankincense, which was traditionally a gift suitable for a high priest, or
mix frankincense with spices or seeds to create different aromas.
3. People attend church services if there is a church nearby. The services, which can last
for three hours, sometimes require that men and women sit in separate areas.
4. People sing carols and carry candles either during the service or afterward.
5. People prepare a feast that includes a main course, such as doro wat (a spicy chicken
stew), injera (flat round bread), and homemade wine or beer. The injera is used to
scoop and eat food, replacing utensils. The Christmas meal, which is served on January
7, involves major preparations that include the purchase and slaughter of an animal
(typically a goat or cow).
6. Traditionally, an Ethiopian Christmas does not include a Christmas tree. However,
Christmas trees, sparkles, and artificial snow have begun to appear in the capital city of
Addis Ababa.
7. Ethiopians do not customarily exchange gifts, but some families give children new
clothing as a part of the celebration.
8. Children play leddat, a game similar to field hockey. Two opposing teams use sticks
with hooks on one end and a ball made from locally grown trees. The teams often represent different regions of the country, and the competition and rivalry between them
can be fierce. According to tradition, when the shepherds heard about Jesus birth, they
played this game in celebration.
9. A common way to wish someone a Merry Christmas is ye ganna baal.

Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_10775_celebrate-ethiopian-christmas.html.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 2 |37

Resource Sheet

Celebrating a Hungarian
Christmas

In Hungary, children await the arrival of the angels and Baby Jesus on Christmas
Eve. After opening gifts, families enjoy a festive meal and attend mass together.
1. People celebrate St. Mikulas day on December 6. Children place their freshly polished
shoes outside their door on the evening of December 5, when St. Mikulas will come
and reward good boys and girls with a piece of fruit and some candy. Very bad children
will receive a piece of coal or an onion.
2. On Christmas Eve, parents hide the Christmas tree in a separate room away from the
children and decorate it with szalon cukor (a Christmas candy), candles, an angel, and
a bell.
3. When the bell is rung, the children know that the angels have decorated the Christmas
tree and that Baby Jesus has arrived with gifts.
4. The family gathers around the tree holding hands and singing Menybol Az Angyal
(Angel from Heaven). They then open gifts from Baby Jesus.
5. For Christmas Eve dinner, people serve borleves (wine soup) and fish. They also serve
Tokay, the Hungarian dessert wine, after dinner.
6. Many of the Hungarian Christians attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
7. Kellemes Karacsonyt means Merry Christmas in Hungarian.

Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_13057_celebrate-hungarian-christmas.html

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

38| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Celebrating an Indian Christmas

In India, Christmas is primarily a religious holiday celebrated by the small Christian community. Only a very small percentage of Indians are Christiansmost are
Hindus or Muslimsbut for those celebrating Christmas, it is a colorful holiday.
1. Christians in India celebrate Christmas with a lot of music and dancing. Christians
light up their homes in a blaze of festive lights.
2. Many people decorate their floors for the holiday with brightly colored powders and
chalks. They sometimes use turmeric powder, paprika, and flour to paint traditional
Christmas symbols such as angels and stars on the cement.
3. Indians decorate mango trees or any other tree-like plant from their gardens as their
official Christmas tree.
4. In Goa, the trunks of palms are decorated with chains of light. In Kashmir, Christians
paint bells with bright colors and make Christmas tree balls out of papier-mch. They
also make beautiful stars out of gold and silver foil.
5. In southern India, people make little lamps out of clay and place them around the
house and on their roofs.
6. On Christmas, children receive presents from their parents, and employees receive
presents at work.
7. In some parts of India the head of the household receives a lemon on Christmas morning. This is meant as a gesture of admiration and blessing from the family.
8. On Christmas Eve, Christian families gather in their inner courtyards, which are open
to the sky. There they hold candles as the Christmas story is read. Afterward they set
fire to a heap of dried thorns in a corner of the courtyard. They believe that if all the
thorns burn down, the family will have good luck for the next year.
9. Catholics have midnight mass in their churches. This mass lasts for two or three hours
and includes a lot of singing and dancing.

Adapted from http://www.global-christmas.com/scripts_en/world/asia/main_india01.html

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |39

Resource Sheet

Celebrating an Iranian
Christmas
During the holiday season, Iranians celebrate Christmas twice! Since the majority
of Iranians are Muslim, the only people that celebrate Christmas are two ethnic
groups that are Christianthe Assyrians and the Armenians. Throughout history,
Armenians and Assyrians were close; they have a lot of common points in the culture, ritualism, and life and manners. It should be noted that Assyrians are the last
ethnic group in the world that still speak Aramaicthe language that Jesus spoke
over 2,000 years ago.
1. Assyrians have their big Christmas celebration on December 25, while Armenians wait
until January 6. However, both groups recognize each of the days as a special religious
holiday.
2. January 6 is known as the Epiphany. This is the day that the Three Wise Men were
believed to have come from Iran to Bethlehem to visit the Baby Jesus.
3. Many Christians set up a Nativity scene in their home and decorate a Christmas tree.
4. On December 1, Assyrian people observe a Little Fast in which they do not eat
animal productsmeat, eggs, milk, and cheese. This fast lasts through the end of the
Christmas Eve mass, when the church bells ring and signal the end of the fast.
5. Assyrian people break the fast on Christmas Day with the Little Feast, a Christmas
dinner of harasa (chicken stew) as well as abgusht (a meat soup) and tarcheen (a chicken
and rice dish).
6. The church is decorated with candles and lamps for Joseph, who lit candles to keep
Mary warm during the birth.
7. Assyrian people give their children new clothes, which they wear on Christmas Day.
Adults also wear new clothes that they bought for the occasion on Christmas Day.
8. While Iranian children dont receive typical Christmas presents, they do sometimes
receive money at Christmas.

Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_11724_celebrate-iranian-christmas.html.

2008 International Debate Education Association

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40| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Celebrating a Nicaraguan
Christmas

Many people in Nicaragua come from a mixture of Spanish and Native American
cultures. Nicaraguans often weave age-old traditions from these cultures into their
own Christmas celebrations.
1. People participate in Las Posadas, which is a nine-day reenactment of Mary and Josephs search for an inn in Bethlehem.
2. People spend the weeks before Christmas stocking up on gifts, such as Nativity pictures, candles, and toys.
3. On December 7 people celebrate La Griteria, a festival honoring and thanking the Virgin Mary. Young people go from house to house yelling, laughing, and singing for the
Virgin. People hand out traditional candies, fruit, sugar cane, and small plastic items
when the crowd arrives.
4. At Christmas, children bring bouquets of flowers to the altar of the Virgin Mary in
church.
5. People are called to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve when the bells ring.
6. People follow Midnight Mass with a meal theyve prepared themselves. Many people
kill their own chickens and grow their own rice for the feast. They also serve favorite
foods such as chicken tamales, ensalada de jicama y naranja (jicama and orange salad),
chile relleno (stuffed chiles), and homemade sweets.
7. People then open gifts and set off fireworks as part of the celebration.
8. People also celebrate the feast of Epiphany on January 6. In Nicaragua, this holiday
incorporates the legend of an old woman who turned down an offer to accompany the
Three Wise Men to Bethlehem to see Jesus. Now she wanders the Earth looking for
Him. The Three Wise Men often bring presents to children on this day.
9. People greet each other by saying, Feliz Navidad, which means Merry Christmas.

Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_11726_celebrate-nicaraguan-christmas.html.

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |41

Activity Sheet

Knowledge Gap
Name: ________________________________________________

Complete the statements below with knowledge you gathered in your pair work.
Work alone, and DO NOT refer back to the handouts for information. This is an
exercise to test your recall of facts.

I have learned information by reading or testing my partner about how

____________________ is celebrated in 6 different countries. These
countries were ____________, Iran, ____________, Hungary, ________
_____, and ______________.
Let me tell you a bit about them.
1. La Posada is celebrated in __________________ and takes ___ days, during
which the people reenact Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay. People
attend Midnight Mass when _________________________. For La Griteria,
which is held on December ______, the children shout and scream happily in
honor of Mary.
2. In the country of ______________, people decorate their houses with many
bright lights and also decorate their floors with __________________. Families gather in their homes courtyard to burn __________________________.
If these all burn to the ground, they will have _____ luck the next year. The
head of the house receives a ____________, which means _______________
______.
3. St. Mikulas Day is celebrated on ____________________ in the nation of
_______________________. Good children receive treats in their shoes while
bad children receive coal or an ____________. The Christmas tree is not decorated until ___________________and it is hidden from _______________
__. When everyone sees the tree, they gather around it and sing Menybol Az
Angyal, which in English means ___________________________.

42| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

4. The Three Wise Men were said to have lived in ________________ when Jesus was born. To honor this, the people here begin a Little Fast on December
____ where they refuse to eat any ___________________________. The fast
lasts until ________________________ when the people have a Little Feast
complete with harasa. The big difference is that in this country, people ______
____________ gifts but children do wear _________________ on Christmas
Day.
5. More than half the population in ________________________ is Orthodox
Christian and so celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany on ______________
instead of celebrating Christmas on December 25. This country claims that one
of the Three Kings came from here. His name was King ________________,
and he brought the gift of ___________________ to Baby Jesus. The people
make delicious food including doro wat and _________________, which is a
type of flat pancake used to scoop food. Just like another country I read about,
people do not exchange gifts but children ___________________________
from their parents.
6. In the nation of ______________________, summer is in full swing and there
is no snow at Christmas! Sometimes it is too hot for Santa to come, so children
expect _______________ to visit driving his ____________________. On
Christmas Eve, the city of _____________________ holds Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve, when people come together and sing.

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |43

Resource Sheet

Creative Writing Rubric

4
Organization Information is in
logical sequence,
which reader
can follow with
interest.

3
Student
presents
information
in logical
sequence,
which reader
can follow.

2
The piece jumps
around causing
the reader
difficulty in
following story.

1
Sequence of
information is
too difficult to
follow.

____

Content
Knowledge

Student is
at ease with
content and
creativity
but fails to
elaborate fully.

Student is
uncomfortable
with content
and is able to
only state basic
concepts.

Student does
not have grasp
of information;
student
cannot answer
questions about
subject.

____

References to Work uses multiple

information references
creatively and
sheets
correctly.

Work uses
more than
two references
creatively and
correctly.

Work uses one

reference or
uses more than
one reference
incorrectly and
without creativity.

Work displays no ____

references. Work
displays zero
creativity.

Student
demonstrates full
knowledge.

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44| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Total---->

5. Greetings Venutians!

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
use responsive listening
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
assess ones own success in a completed learning task
interpret and respond appropriately to non-verbal cues and body language
elaborate and extend other peoples ideas and words
select, connect, and explain information
think creatively and critically

Description
Students take turns explaining and demonstrating to visiting Venutians the various usesreal
or imaginaryof ordinary objects.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
box of assorted gadgets, trinkets, everyday items (such as a mixer, a book, a stapler, a hubcap, a light bulb, a shoe, a safety razor, a key, a coffee cup, a camera, a toyanything!)
sock
Preparation
Lay out the everyday items you have brought at the front of the room so all the students
can see them.
Class layout and grouping of students
Initially, students will remain in their usual seats. When it is time to separate the Venutians
and the Earth Greeters, organize the desks so that the two sides face each other.

Chapter 2 |45

Procedure
1. Explain to the students that they will take turns being either a Venutian (an alien
from Venus) or an official Earth Greeter. The Venutians have just landed on Earth,
and everything is very strange to them. They must learn how to use simple objects to
survive, but they understand only basic English. The Earth Greeters will explain and
demonstrate the use of these objects.
2. Ask the students to think of as many uses as possible for each item you have displayed
and list these on a sheet of paper. Stress that the use can be real or imaginary. For example, hold up a sock. Demonstrate each use as you tell the students what a sock can
be used for:
a. a covering to keep a foot warm
b. an ear warmer
c. an oven mitt
d. a puppet
e. a scarf for gnomes
f. a big teabagput loose tea inside and soak in hot water
g. a food strainer

Give the class five to seven minutes to complete the assignment. Encourage them to be
as creative as possible.

3. Once they have completed the assignment, divide the students into two groups. Tell
one group that they are Venutians and ask them to move to one side of the room. The
other group, the Earth Greeters, should move to the opposite side of the room, bringing their lists with them.
4. Welcome the Venutians to Earth and tell the aliens that the Earth Greeters will describe how to use several everyday items. The Greeters know that the Venutians can
understand only basic English, so if the Greeters use words that are too advanced or
confusing, the Venutians should ask them to simplify their vocabulary. Remind the
Earth Greeters that they are to use the most basic English possible to explain the items
and that they cannot abandon an explanation because they are having difficulty finding the appropriate words. They can use body language or ask teammates for help if
necessary. Finally, remind the Venutians that they should not be too hard on the Greeters because they will be Earth Greeters next!
5. Hold up one of the items. Call out a students name from the Earth Greeters group
and ask that student to describe and demonstrate its uses. If another Greeter thinks of
another use, he or she must call out, ALTERNATIVE, and explain and demonstrate
that use. This continues until the Earth Greeters have no further uses for that item.
Then, choose another item, and repeat the process.
6. After the Earth Greeters have explained half the items, call out, SWITCH! and ask
the Earth Greeters and Venutians to trade roles. Reiterate the rules and proceed as
above until the Greeters have explained all the items.
7. Ask the students to return to their seats and facilitate a discussion of what they liked
and didnt like about the exercise. Why was it so difficult to speak to someone with
limited English? How did it change their presentation?
46| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Student Products
Clever uses for everyday items
Assessment
You can informally assess the students by observing how they rephrase their explanations
when someone does not understand them.
Extensions and modifications
Divide the class into pairs or groups. When a group or pair is called to demonstrate or
explain an items use, one student acts as the translator and must make up a narration
while another student demonstrates the items use.

Chapter 2 |47

This page intentionally left blank

6. The Storytellers

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
request and provide clarification to their ideas and those of others
elaborate and extend other peoples ideas and words
select, connect, and explain information
use context to get meaning of new vocabulary and ideas
use a variety of writing styles appropriate for different audiences, purposes, and
settings
experiment with variations of writing

Description
Students work in groups to write continuations of seven published stories.
Time
6090 minutes
Materials
Story Starter packets (for each group). Each packet should contain the following:
7 Storyboard activity sheets
Story Starters 17 resource sheets
42 blank sheets of writing paper
paper clips or stapler
blank Storyboard activity sheet
Preparation
Prepare the Story Starter packets for each group. Assemble a blank Storyboard sheet on
top of a copy of one of the seven Story Starter resource sheets. Then add six blank sheets
of writing paper in back of the Story Starter and staple or clip together. Write the story

Chapter 2 |49

number in bold on the Storyboard sheet. Repeat for the remaining six Story Starters and
clip the sheets together to form a packet.
If you cannot arrange your class into even groups of seven, adjust the group numbers so
that you have groups with equal numbers. Distribute only as many Story Starters to each
group as there are students in a group.
Class layout and grouping of students
The students arrange their desks in circles of seven.
Procedure
1. Tell the students that they are to work in groups to create a continuation and an alternative ending for several classic stories.
2. Organize the students into groups of seven and ask the groups to arrange their desks
in circles. If the class does not divide evenly, make as many groups of seven as you can
and place the extra students in a smaller group.
3. Review the key elements of a storysetting, character, plot, conflict, and resolution
and provide examples of each from any popular story that your students would know.
Use a blank Storyboard to list the elements or list the elements on the blackboard for
all to see.
4. Tell the groups that each member will receive a different Story Starter. They are to read
it, fill in any information they can on the attached Storyboard activity sheet, and write
a continuation. When you call, TIME, they are to pass their stories to the person
on their right, who repeats the process. This process continues until all members of
the group have written part of each story. The last writer is to sum up the storys loose
ends and supply an appropriate ending. Tell the students that although they may know
the plot of some of the stories, their continuation and ending should differ from the
original. The intent is not to duplicate a famous story but to create alternative plots
and endings.
5. Review the function of the Storyboard sheets in the exercise. They give students an
overview of the story and allow them to keep track of the elements as they read the
Story Starter and the material that the other students have added. Stress that adding to
the Storyboard is particularly important when they introduce new characters or plot
twists.
6. List the rules for the students:
a. Spelling does not count, as long as the other members of the group can understand what you wrote.
b. List your initials or last name in the right-hand margin before beginning a continuation of a story.
c. The final writers must tie up loose ends and conclude the plot.
d. You will have five minutes to read the initial story starter and write your continuation. An additional minute will be added to each subsequent round to
allow you more time to read the material that your classmates wrote.

50| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

e. You will hear a thirty-second warning before time is up for each round. When
you hear TIME, you must stop writing even if they are in the middle of a word
or sentence.
7. Answer any questions that the students may have.
8. Distribute a Story Starter packet to each group. Ask each member to take a different
Story Starter and begin the exercise.
9. After four minutes and thirty seconds, call, Thirty seconds. After thirty seconds have
elapsed, call TIME. Make sure that all students stop writing.
10. Tell the students to pass their story packets, and write their initials in the margin below
where the previous student stopped writing. Remind them to review the Storyboard
sheet very briefly, read the Story Starter and their colleagues writing, and continue.
They now have six minutes.
11. Repeat the process, adding a minute to each round. When the students have finished
six rounds, announce that the next round is the last and that they must conclude the
stories they received. They have ten minutes to complete their stories.
12. Instruct the students to pass their story packets to the right, so that they now have their
original Story Starter.
13. Ask them to read silently the story in front of them and give them a few minutes to do
so. Then ask the students to read their stories aloud to their group.
Student Products
Story packets with student and group-created stories
Assessment
You may assess students informally by listening in as they read the stories. You can also
collect the stories and evaluate each students writing, comprehension, understanding of
story elements, and the writing process. If so, you may choose to use the Creative Writing
Rubric on page 44 or create one specific to your teaching objectives (see Chapter 5 for
more information). If you choose to formally grade writing through use of a rubric, give
the students a copy of the rubric and review it before they begin to write.
Extensions and modifications
1. Have all the students who started Story Starter 1 read their stories to the class. Do the
same with the other stories. Compare the essential elements.
2. Outline each student-generated story and have students use the writing process to
improve their group stories through extra class sessions.
3. Have the students guess the title of each of the original stories and compare the original
plot with those of the students.

Chapter 2 |51

Activity Sheet

Storyboard
Story #:
Setting (the time and place in which the story happens. Usually it includes descriptions of scenery, buildings, or weather to set the scene.)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Character(s) (a person or living thing who takes part in the action of a story)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Plot (a series of events and actions that relate to the conflict)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Conflict (the struggle between two people or things in a story. The main character is
usually on one side of the central conflict. The main character may struggle against
another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even
against something inside herself, like feelings or emotions.)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

52| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resolution (how the conflict is resolved in the story)

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |53

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 1

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was
the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it
was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before
us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other wayin
short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of
comparison only.
There were a king with a large jaw, and a queen with a plain face, on the throne
of England; there was a king with a large jaw, and a queen with a fair face, on the
throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the
States preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled forever.

Source: Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities (New York: Signet Classic, 1960).

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54| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 2

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing youll probably want to know is
where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were
occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap,
but I dont feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place,
that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two
hemorrhages apiece if I told you anything pretty personal about them. Theyre quite
touchy about anything like that, especially my father. Theyre nice and allIm not
saying thatbut theyre also touchy as hell. Besides, Im not going to tell you my
whole goddamn autobiography or anything. Ill just tell you about this madman
stuff that happened to me last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had
to come out here and take it easy. I mean thats all I told D.B. about, and hes my
brother and all. Hes in Hollywood. That isnt too far from this crumby place, and
he comes over and visits me practically every weekend.

Source: J. D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye (New York: Barrons Educational Series, 1984).

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |55

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 3

The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to
pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and
trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered
to his forehead. All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath
of heat. He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a
bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry
was echoed by another.
Hi! it said. Wait a minute!
The undergrowth at the side of the scar was shaken and a multitude of raindrops
fell pattering.
Wait a minute, the voice said. I got caught up.
The fair boy stopped and jerked his stockings with an automatic gesture that made
the jungle seem for a moment like the Home Counties.
The voice spoke again.
I cant hardly move with all these creeper things.
The owner of the voice came backing out of the undergrowth so that twigs scratched
on a greasy wind-breaker. The naked crooks of his knees were plump, caught and
scratched by thorns. He bent down, removed the thorns carefully, and turned
around. He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat.

Source: William Golding, Lord of the Flies (New York: Barrons Educational Series, 1984).

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56| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 4

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank
and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over
the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of
the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with treeswillows fresh and green
with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winters
flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that
arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so
crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out
of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with
the night tracks of coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and
the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.

Source: John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men (New York: Covici Friede, 1937).

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Chapter 2 |57

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 5

I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that
country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. He got a
good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterward at York, from
whence he had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very
good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer;
but by the usual corruption of words in England we are now called, nay, we call
ourselves, and write our name, Crusoe, and so my companions always called me.
I had two elder brothers, one of which was lieutenant-colonel to an English regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by the famous Colonel Lockhart,
and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk against the Spaniards; what became of my
second brother I never knew, any more than my father and mother did know what
was become of me.

Source: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (Mineola, N. Y. : Dover Publications, 1998).

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58| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 6

At the stroke of six Ikey Snigglefritz laid down his goose. Ikey was a tailors apprentice. Are there tailors apprentices nowadays?
At any rate, Ikey toiled and snipped and basted and pressed and patched and
sponged all day in the steamy fetor of a tailor-shop. But when work was done Ikey
hitched his wagon to such stars as his firmament let shine.
It was Saturday night, and the boss laid twelve begrimed and begrudged dollars
in his hand. Ikey dabbled discreetly in water, donned coat, hat and collar with its
frazzled tie, and chalcedony pin, and set forth in pursuit of his ideals.
For each of us, when our days work is done, must seek our ideal, whether it be
love or pinochle or lobster la Newburg, or the sweet silence of the musty bookshelves.
Behold Ikey as he ambles up the street beneath the roaring El between the rows
of reeking sweatshops. Pallid, stooping, insignificant, squalid, doomed to exist forever in penury of body and mind, yet, as he swings his cheap cane and projects the
noisome inhalations from his cigarette you perceive that he nurtures in his narrow
bosom the bacillus of society.

Source: O. Henry, The Social Triangle (Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1984).

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Chapter 2 |59

Resource Sheet

Story Starter 7

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the
elbow. When it healed, and Jems fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat
shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right
angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldnt have cared less, so
long as he could pass and punt.
When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes
discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all,
but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it
began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo
Radley come out.
I said that if he wanted to take a broad view of the thing, it really began with Andrew Jackson. If General Jackson hadnt run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch
would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadnt?
We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus.
Our father said we were both right.

Source: Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (New York: Barrons Educational Services, 1984).

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

60| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Chapter 3
Introduction to Debate

Debate enables students to express their ideas in a safe environment, where they can have
fun and experiment with a new language while being challenged by other students. It
encourages students to take risks with language and to think and process in the target
languagea sure way to improve speaking and listening skills dramatically. In debate participants voice their ideas and back them up with evidence. Debating involves research
and teamwork and so accustoms students to work together. It allows them to build their
knowledge base by helping others and gives them confidence to ask for help.
Advanced- and proficient-level students will often face the prospect of debating both
in formal and informal settings. When they make a simple decision, such as what movie
to see, or argue a very crucial topic, they are debating. Allowing them avenues in which to
practice these necessary skills makes students more confident in their new language.

Chapter 3 |61

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7. Introduction to Debate

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
discuss differing points of view
present and defend their viewpoints in a public structured setting
focus attention selectively
review and give feedback on the work of others
apply self-monitoring and self-corrective strategies
use acceptable tone, volume, stress, and intonation in various settings and with
various audiences
observe, model, and critique how others speak and behave in a particular situation or setting

Description
Students will learn the basics of debate through an informal debate during which they will
present and defend their points to an opposing team.
Time
45 minutes
Materials
Debate Basics resource sheet (copy for each student)
Preparation
Prepare one or more arguments for students to debate.
Class layout and grouping of students
The students will work at their desks with a partner for the first 20 minutes. The second
portion of the lesson involves half of the class standing at the front of the room on two
opposing sides, with the remainder of the class at their desks as the audience. The final
portion involves everyone at his or her desks in a discussion.

Chapter 3 |63

Procedure
1. Arrange the class in pairs and assign the students a resolution. Examples of appropriate
beginner resolutions are the following:
Alcohol is addictive and should be illegal.
Curfews are necessary for people under the age of 18.
Arranged marriages should be banned.
Distributing condoms to minors encourages sexual activity.
The legal age to drive should be raised to 21the same as the legal age to drink.
2. Tell the students that they will be debating one side of the resolution but that they will
learn which side they are assigned only just before the debate begins. This means that
they must prepare both sides. They will have the next 20 minutes to work with a partner to create a list of five arguments for and five arguments against the proposition.
3. After 20 minutes is up, choose 1016 students randomly. Conform your group size
according to the number of students in your class. You want to have two separate debating groups and an audience. If you have 20 students, for example, have 2 groups of
5 and 10 audience members. If you have 32 students, have 2 groups of 8 and 16 audience members. Ask the debating groups to come to the front of the room and move
to opposite sides, while the audience remains in the middle.
4. Assign one group (the affirmative) to argue for the proposition and the other (the
negative) against it. Tell them that they have 15 minutes (more if there are more than 5
students per side) to debate the resolution and that you will call out the time remaining
periodically throughout the debate. During those 15 minutes, every person must share
at least one of his or her points.
5. Explain to the students that often the other team will make a valid point with which
they agree. They do not always have to dispute every argument but should acknowledge the argument and go on to make their point. For example, imagine that a person
on the affirmative of the resolution Alcohol is addictive and should be illegal makes
a compelling argument that alcohol can kill. She then asks a person on the negative if
he agrees. If he does, he should say, You may be correct, but everything in excess can
killfor example, too much oxygen in certain conditions can kill, but we cant make
oxygen illegal, can we?
6. Choose a student from the affirmative to start the debate. This is also known as the
constructive speech. After she makes her point, she should call out the name of someone on the negative and ask that person, Dont you agree? The chosen person should
directly respond to the question and then give a point from the negative argument.
This is also known as a rebuttal speech. Once he has done so, he then chooses a person
from the affirmative who hasnt spoken, and asks her, Dont you agree? This process
continues until everyone has made an argument. Call out the remaining time periodically. Do not allow students to exceed the time limit.
7. After 15 minutes, ask the debaters to return to their seats. If this is the first time debating, review the debate and discuss how the students felt about the experience.

64| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

8. Choose another group of students and stage another debate as outlined above.
9. After both debates have taken place, have all the students be seated. Discuss the points
that were made, the way that some people presented their arguments, and who made
the most convincing arguments. Talk with the students about who the winning side
was in each debate.
10. Distribute Debate Basics resource sheet and use it to explain the basic format of a formal debate. Explain that a formal debate has a more rigid structure than the debate
the class just conducted. Describe the following elements of debate:
a. Speaking ordersee the diagram below.
b. At least one judge watches a debate and records the points made by each side. In
the end, the judge determines the overall winner.
c. Each debate is timed by the chair, who is the moderator for the debate. The
debate format determines the time allotted for each speaker.
11. Using the students experience today as a model, show how their debate mirrored the
speaking order presented on the resource sheet. Point to each person that presented
and show the progression of the discussion and how it is reflected on the sheet. Also
show how their placement in the classroom during the debate mirrored the debate
format presented on the Resource Sheet.

Chapter 3 |65

Resource Sheet

Debate Basics

Organization

Chair

( )

( )

Negative

Affirmative

Audience

Judge

66| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Speaking Order

First Affirmative
First Negative
Second Affirmative
Second Negative
Third Affirmative
Third Negative

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |67

This page intentionally left blank

8. Mini-Debates

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
demonstrate good comprehension during a variety of exchanges by responding
appropriately to each other
actively participate in small-group and full-class discussion
actively connect new information to information previously learned
work in teams to achieve common goals
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
review and give feedback on the work of others

Description
Students will stage mini-debates on important contemporary topics.
Time
60 minutes
Materials
Judge Briefing Sheet (copy for each judge)
Debate Score Sheet (copy for each judge)
Should Boxing Be Banned? resource sheet (copy for each member of the group)
Imposition of Democracy resource sheet (copy for each member of the group)
Genetically Modified Food resource sheet (copy for each member of the group)
Should Smoking Be Restricted? resource sheet (copy for each member of the group)
Name tags or small pieces of paper and pins to attach to the students clothing to indicate
their role during the exercise
One stopwatch for each group
Preparation
Prepare a short outline of the mini-debate format on a flip chart or chalkboard. The format
is as follows:

Chapter 3 |69

Affirmative Debaters Constructive Speech (4 minutes)

Negative Debaters Constructive Speech (4 minutes)
Affirmative Debaters Rebuttal Speech (4 minutes)
Negative Debaters Rebuttal Speech (4 minutes)
Feel free to add more speeches to accommodate the number of students in the class or to
adjust for the classs ability level.
Class layout and grouping of students
Students will receive directions in their regular seating arrangement. They will meet in
groups around the room to participate in the debates.
Procedure
1. Describe two key speeches in debate: constructive and rebuttals. Explain that constructive speeches take place during the first half of the debate because they construct or build
the foundation for the round. This means that the constructive speeches establish what
will be debated. The rebuttal speeches are given at the end of a round; this is the speech
that summarizes arguments already made in a last attempt to convince the judge that
your team should win the round.
2. Explain that you will divide the class into four groups. Each group will be assigned a
debate topic and will be given a resource sheet on the topic. The issues are
a. Should Boxing Be Banned?
b. Imposition of Democracy
c. Genetically Modified Food
d. Should Smoking Be Restricted?
3. Explain that each group will be further divided into three teams: two teams will take opposing sides in the debate and the third will judge the debate and determine the winner.
In this lesson, the judge will also serve as timekeeper.
4. Review the mini-debate format and answer any questions the students might have.
5. Divide the students into four groups of six and assign each pair in the group a role. Two
will debate the affirmative, two will debate the negative, and two will judge the debate
and determine the winner. (You may have to adjust the size of the teams to accommodate your class.)
6. Assign each group a topic and distribute the issue descriptions. Explain that these descriptions and arguments are taken from an on-line database of debate topics called
Debatabase, developed by experienced debaters. Students may add arguments to those
provided. Note that the sheets are simply a guide for those new to debating. If you
think your students are capable and you dont want them to become too reliant on the
argument sheets, ask them to develop their own points. Then allow them 30 seconds to
quickly scan the sheets if they become stuck for points.
7. Allow the affirmative and negative teams 15 minutes for preparation. During this time,
they should decide who on their teams will give the constructive and the rebuttal speeches.

70| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

While these students are preparing, distribute the Judge Briefing Sheet and Debate
Score Sheets to the third team and instruct the judges on their responsibilitieswhat
to look and listen for in a debate, how to assign points, etc. Remind the judges that
they must be neutral and evaluate the quality of arguments presented in debates. They
should not decide the cases based on their personal opinions and views on the issue.
Finally, distribute the stopwatches and give the students a quick lesson on how to use
them. Have the judges do a practice run on using them correctly. You may also choose
to keep the time for all groups yourself.
8. Answer any questions the students may have about the issues or the assignment.
9. Write the following schedule on the board:
Affirmative Constructive (4 minutes)
Negative Constructive (4 minutes)
Affirmative Rebuttal (4 minutes)
Negative Rebuttal (4 minutes)

Explain that these are strict time limits that the debaters cannot extend. The judge for
their debate will keep track of time, and their ability to stay within their time limits
will be reflected in their scores.

10. If you are keeping time, call, TIME. If the judges are keeping time, tell them to set
the stopwatch as previously instructed, and tell the students to begin the debates. You
should time the debates and ensure that each judge is also keeping time for the debate
she is observing.
11. Once the debates are finished, give the judges five minutes to determine the winner.
While the judges are working, debrief the debaters using the following questions:
What were the most difficult aspects of the exercise?
Which students had to argue the side they agreed with, which they disagreed
with?
What techniques did they use to persuade the judges?
What would have improved the quality of the debates?
12. Ask the judges to announce their decision and provide a brief justification for it. Then
debrief them using the following questions:
What influenced your decision most (quality of the arguments, style of presentation, etc.)?
Did your personal views on the issue make it difficult to judge objectively?
What would have improved the quality of your judging?
Assessment
This exercise allows only for informal assessment through listening to arguments as you
circulate. Listen to the judges decisions and rationale to help further evaluate student
comprehension.

Chapter 3 |71

Judge Briefing Sheet

1. You will hear a debate between two sides and you will be expected to determine the winner at the end
of the debate. How do you determine who has won a debate? The team who does the better job stating
their position and invalidating or refuting their opponents position should win the debate.
2. The debaters are responsible for outlining their arguments and defending them in a manner that makes
sense and gives reason to believe that their side is the correct one. Your job is to weigh each teams reasons
and/or evidence against the other teams and determine who did the best job providing evidence that
supports their position. Be careful not to let your personal opinion on the issue cloud your judgment
of the debate. You are expected to judge simply on the evidence or reasons that are presented within the
confines of the debate.
3. When the debate begins, keep time using a stopwatch or other timepiece like a wall clock with a second
hand.
4. Speecheseach lasting 4 minutes occur in the following order:
Affirmative Debaters Constructive Speech
Negative Debaters Constructive Speech
Affirmative Debaters Rebuttal Speech
Negative Debaters Rebuttal Speech

Take careful notes on each, recording the points raised and defended as well as the arguments each team
uses in attacking the other team effectively.

5. Now review your notes and look at the arguments that were made. Consider the following in determining which team did the best job:
a. When a team made a point, did they give adequate rationale to back it up?
b. When the other team attacked a specific point, did the team defend the point when it was
their turn to speak?
6. Using these considerations as you review your notes, make an objective decision as to who won the
debate. Be sure your notes give you the evidence you need to defend your decision. You will have to
explain who you feel won the debate and why.
7. Finally, you do not want to appear biased as a judge. Try to say nothing at all throughout the debate. Try
to be as neutral as possible; it is best to say nothing, take good notes, and appear interested.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only. Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

72| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Debate Score Sheet

Affirmative Team

Negative Team

Debaters Names: ______________________________

Debaters Names: __________________________

First Constructive

First Rebuttal

Second Constructive

Second Rebuttal

________________

________________

________________

_______________

As each debater presents, take notes in the appropriate columns below. Then after the presentation, give her a score
between 1 and 30 (1 is lowest and 30 is highest) based on how you think he/she presented her case, defended her points,
and effectively argued against the points made by the other team. This score should be listed on the lines above. A score
of 10 might suggest that she did a poor job on these aspects, while a score of 20 suggests that she did a fair job with a few
things they could have done better. A score of 23 or over would suggest that she did reasonably well on all aspects in the
debate. List any comments in the columns below that you want to share with the debaters at the end of the debate.

________________

_____________

POINTS

Comments for Affirmative:

______________

_____________

Comments for Negative:

The team that did a better job in debating the topic was _______________________________________
Judges signature: _____________________________________________________________________
2008 International Debate Education Association
The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only. Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |73

Resource Sheet

Should Boxing Be Banned?

During the last century, hundreds of boxers died in the ring or shortly afterwardthe youngest
recorded victim was just 12 years old. Thousands more, including one of the greatest fighters of
all time, Muhammad Ali, suffered permanent disfigurement, detached retinas, and a whole host of
neurological complaints. Despite a tightening of safety regulations, these injuries have continued.
Yet efforts to ban the sport have failed.

PROS
Medical evidence suggests that even if a
boxer survives individual bouts relatively
unmarked, the cumulative effect of a career
in boxing can lead to a greater susceptibility
to diseases such as Parkinsons. Although the
incidence of injury is much higher in sports
such as basketball, the risk of serious injury
in boxing is far greater. In fact, that risk is so
great that boxing should be banned. A ban,
quite simply, would mean fewer people dead,
injured, or permanently brain damaged.

CONS
Boxers are aware of the significant risks of
their sport and are paid well for accepting
them. We allow individuals to engage in
known risk behaviorssmoking and hang
gliding, for example. Why should we single
out boxing for abolition? Boxing authorities
have made every attempt to minimize injury.
Doctors and medical equipment are present
at ringside, and referees intervene to stop
fights if necessary.

Boxing is the only sport in which combatants

intentionally injure each other. In the 21st
century it is barbaric that we allow people
to intentionally inflict injuries on others for
the sake of public entertainment and private profit. People under 16 should also be
banned from amateur fights because of the
sports health risks. It seems curious that in
many countries you can start boxing before
you are legally able to drive.

Most people who call for a ban on boxing

have no understanding of the sport beyond a
gut disapproval of it. Boxings appeal lies in
its simplicity, the distillation of the sporting
contest to its most basic forma physical
battle between two egos. To say that boxing
is the only sport where opponents intend
to injure one another ignores the reality of
sports like hockey. Introducing an age or fight
limit may well be sensible, but there is no
compelling argument for a ban.

74| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

PROS

CONS

Boxing is exploitative. An average boxer will

compete in 30 to 40 professional bouts before
his (or her) health and skills deteriorate dramatically. While it may well be in a fighters
interest to hang up his gloves, those around
him have a financial incentive to push him
into more fights.

A ban on boxing would rob many talented

poor and working-class individuals of an
opportunity to become rich and successful.
Muhammad Ali was a sanitation worker who
used his talent to become a global legend.
When asked in a recent interview if he would
do anything differently or if he had any
regrets, his answer was a resolute No. Many
fighters accept their injuries as the flip side of
the coin of success.

The celebrity awarded boxers glamorizes and

legitimizes violence in society. Boxers are not
role models of whom we should be proud.

Boxing is one of the least culpable in promoting negative stereotypes. Far more dangerous is the sport of wrestling, in which the
violence is not part of a contest but a macho
soap opera. Most boxing is on late in the
evening anyway, and therefore its impact on
children is less damaging than that of other
sports.

Asserting that boxing would just go underground is not a valid argument. Dogfighting
and cockfighting were banned to protect the
welfare of the (admittedly, non-consenting) combatants. When these fights come to
the attention of the police, the perpetrators
receive hefty penalties. These penalties are an
effective deterrent and would be for boxing
also if implemented.

A ban on boxing would drive it underground,

where fights would be unregulated, with no
medical supervision. The safety of boxers
should be paramount; to minimize the risk of
injuries, it should remain legal but regulated.

Source: The content on this page is taken from Editors of IDEA, The Debatabase Book, 3rd. ed. (New York: International Debate
Education Association, 2007). Adapted from IDEAs on-line Debatabase at http://www.idebate.org.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |75

Resource Sheet

Imposition of Democracy

The U.S. invasion of Iraq has raised the question of whether imposing democracy by force is permissibleor even possible. Many believe that for democracy to be successful, democratic institutions must develop gradually along with various social and economic structures. Countering this
stance is the example of West Germany and Japan, which, following World War II, had democratic
regimes imposed by the Allies. Both countries have become stable democracies.
PROS
History has shown that democracy is the best
form of government. Countries have not
only the right but also the duty to intervene
to liberate others so they can enjoy their
human rights. Furthermore, because war
between two true democracies is rare, the
removal of repressive regimes promotes world
peace.

CONS
Arguing that one nation can successfully
impose democracy on another is untenable.
Democracy relies on the rule of law (undermined by military imposition), freedom
of choice and independence (destroyed by
external determination), and accountability
(impossible when a foreign power chooses
ones rulers).

Merely pressuring dictators to move toward

democracy is insufficient, and internal opposition is often too weak to compel reform.
The international community cannot permit
countries to shroud themselves in the pretense of free elections in order to gain international funding or to prevent invasion.

Encouraging democracy is not the same

as imposing it. The desire for and fight for
democracy must come from within; otherwise the political system will be unstable.

During the Cold War, Western powers often

supported dictatorial regimes for reasons of
realpolitik. This is inexcusable in the 21st
century. Past complicity in dictatorships
requires us to make amends by aggressively
promoting democracy.

Turning on a regime that we once maintained is morally reprehensible. The 21stcentury world is a dangerous place. Stability may be safer than universal democracy
bought with many lives and at the price of
massive resentment. The idea of democracy
may be degraded in the eyes of many who
associate it with invasions undertaken for
suspect motives and the imposition of a culturally discordant polity.

76| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

PROS
Limiting those states that harbor and trade
with terrorists would reduce terrorism. Preventive attacks on dictatorships thwart future
attacks.

CONS
The doctrine of prevention depends on
analyzing unclear evidence; undertaking
potentially unjustified invasions will result
in increased support for terrorists. Security
is merely an excuse for intervening in oil- or
resource-rich areas, while those in poorer
nations are left to suffer.

Suggesting that people in various regions

of the world will not accept the rule of law
or protection for civil rights is fallacious.
Democracy comes in enough forms to allow
for social and historical variationsremember,
illiberal political parties can always stand for
election.

To impose democracy is to foist a set of

Western values onto populations with different cultural backgrounds. Permitting
the election of former dictators can lead to
potentially serious problems in the future.

When a country is already engaged in conflict or civil war, intervention may help
resolve the conflict. To wait, as occurred in
Rwanda, will only permit carnage to continue longer.

Intervention may escalate the conflict.

Democracy may be encouraged after a war
has ended; dictatorships can be undermined
by economic and cultural sanctions. Neither
requires costly (in lives and money) military
action.

To rely on multilateral action is utopian. The

UN Charter does not permit intervention in
the domestic affairs of independent nations,
and in any case, some members of the Security Council are not democracies. Unilateral
or bilateral action is the only realistic possibility.

Unilateral action is, in reality, dangerously

dependent on the political whim of foreign electorates who are often unwilling to
commit troops and money to long-term
nation building. A bloody invasion and
regime change, followed by anarchy when
the external power swiftly withdraws, are far
worse than a dictatorship. Even when invaders remain to oversee the installation of a
new regime, they may choose pliant appointees rather than risk the uncertainty of true
democracy.

Source: The content on this page is taken from Editors of IDEA, The Debatabase Book, 3rd. ed. (New York: International Debate Education Association, 2007). Adapted from IDEAs on-line Debatabase at http://www.idebate.org.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |77

Resource Sheet

Genetically Modified Foods

The development of genetically modified (GM) foods has precipitated an ongoing debate among
consumers, environmentalists, scientists, and even economists. On the one hand, genetic modification has improved crop characteristicsyield, resistance to disease, pests, and drought, etc.and
has contributed to global health. Recently, scientists announced the development of golden rice
rice genetically modified to produce greater levels of vitamin Awhich can help prevent a variety of
diseases in developing countries. On the other hand, the procedure has raised a number of concerns,
including long-term risks to humans and the environment. Economists also point out that because
biotechnology companies often patent GM crop varieties, farmers will become increasingly dependent on monopolies for seed.

PROS

CONS

Genetic modification is unnatural. There is a

fundamental difference between modification
via selective breeding and genetic engineering
techniques. The former occurs over thousands
of years and so the genes are changed much
more gradually. With change occurring so rapidly, we now have no time to assess the longterm effects of these products on human health
and the environment.

Genetic modification is entirely natural. The

process of crop cultivation by selective breeding, which has been performed by farmers
for thousands of years, leads to exactly the
same kind of changes in DNA as modern
modification techniques do. Current techniques are just faster and more selective. In
fact, given two strands of DNA created from
the same original strand, one by selective
breeding and one by modern modification
techniques, it is impossible to tell which is
the natural strand. The changes resulting
from selective breeding have been just as
radical as those from current modifications.
Wheat, for example, was cultivated through
selective breeding from an almost no-yield
rice-type crop into the super-crop it is today.

78| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

PROS

CONS

Introducing the DNA of one species into the

genes of another is wrong. This attempt to play
God is shortsighted and unnatural.

It is perfectly natural and safe to introduce

genes from one organism into another. We
must remember that all DNA is made up of
the same four fundamental molecules regardless of which organism the DNA came from
originally. DNA from all organisms is very
similar. Human DNA is 99% the same as
chimpanzee DNA and about 50% the same
as grass DNA. Consequently, the addition
of genes from one organism into the DNA
of another is like using LEGOs to create a
structure. Indeed such processes occur all the
time in nature in sexual reproduction.

Testing GM food is often difficult. Biotechnology companies are often unwilling to submit
their results for peer review. Furthermore, in
some countries government agencies are often
unwilling to stop GM foodstuffs from reaching
the shelf because of the clout the companies
have with the government.

This debate should be decided on the basis

of hard facts, not woolly assertions and environmental sentiment. Until scientific tests
show that GM food poses a risk to agriculture or health, it should not be banned. GM
foods undergo extensive testing before they
are placed on the market. This testing takes
two forms: peer review by other scientists
and testing by the food standards agencies in
the countries in which the product is to be
marketed. For example, in the United States
all GM food must be tested for nine years
before being released onto the market.

GM foods are potentially dangerous. Human

health is at risk because, despite extensive testing, scientists cannot anticipate all the problems
that might occur when food is modified. This
risk will increase as biotechnology companies
introduce more modifications. GM foods also
present a danger to the environment. The use of
these crops has resulted in fewer strains planted.
If disease wipes out a few of these strains,
the result could be catastrophic. In addition,
removing certain varieties of crops wipes out
the organisms that feed on them. Furthermore,
pollen produced from GM crops can accidentally fertilize unmodified crops, polluting the
natural gene pool. This cross-pollination, in
turn, makes labeling foods impossible. Thus
consumers will not be able to choose whether
to purchase GM crops.

The fears about GM food are a result of

media scares about frankenfood. Few
deaths have been directly attributed to
genetic modification, and scientists are
taking all reasonable precautions to ensure
these products are safe. The need for many
different strains is not an argument against
GM crops. Scientists and farmers cannot
produce and plant many different strains.
Furthermore, scientists have no evidence that
cross-pollination of GM with non GM varieties is harmful

(Continues)
Chapter 3 |79

PROS

CONS

GM food will not help solve hunger in developing countries. The problem in such countries
is not one of food production but of distribution (due to wars, for example), the emphasis
on cash crops rather than staple crops (to pay
off the national debt), and deforestation and
desertification. In addition, many GM strains
are infertile, forcing farmers to buy seed annually from companies that can charge whatever
they want because they have a patent on the
strain.
Yes, banning GM food would decrease consumer choice. However, governments have the
right and obligation to intervene to prevent
harm to both the population and the environment. Besides, the number of consumers who
actually want GM food is tiny.

The possible benefits from GM food are

enormous. Modifications that render plants
less vulnerable to pests lead to less pesticide
use, which is better for the environment.
Other modifications increase crop yield,
which leads to lower food prices. This technology is particularly important for developing countries; it can help farmers grow crops
in arid soil. More important, it can help
prevent diseases as the introduction of golden
rice has shown.
Banning GM food would result in fewer
choices for the consumer. Scientists can prevent cross-breeding between GM and non
GM plants so that foods can be properly
labeled and consumers can maintain their
freedom of choice.

Source: The content on this page is taken from Editors of IDEA, The Debatabase Book, 3rd. ed. (New York: International Debate
Education Association, 2007). Adapted from IDEAs on-line Debatabase at http://www.idebate.org.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

80| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Should Smoking Be Restricted?

Although most countries put age restrictions on the purchase of tobacco, over a billion adults smoke
legally every day. Supplying this demand is big business. By the 1990s major tobacco companies
had been forced to admit that their products were addictive and had serious health consequences,
both for the user and for those subject to second-hand smoke. In the developed world, public
opinion shifted against smoking. Many governments substantially increased taxes on tobacco to
discourage smoking and to help pay for the costs of smoking-related illness. Yet, while smoking has
declined among some groups, it has increased among the young. Meanwhile tobacco companies
look to developing nations for new markets.

PROS
Smoking is extremely harmful to the smokers
health. The American Cancer Society estimates that tobacco causes up to 400,000
deaths each yearmore than AIDS, alcohol,
drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides,
and fires combined. Worldwide some 3
million people die from smoking each year
one every 10 seconds. Estimates suggest that
this figure will rise to 10 million by 2020.
Smokers are 22 times more likely to develop
lung cancer than nonsmokers, and smoking
can lead to a host of other health problems,
including emphysema and heart disease. One
of the main responsibilities of any government is to ensure the safety of its population;
that is why taking hard drugs and breaking
the speed limit are illegal. Putting a ban on
smoking would therefore be reasonable.

CONS
While a government has a responsibility to
protect its population, it also has a responsibility to defend freedom of choice. The law prevents citizens from harming others. It should
not stop people from behavior that threatens
only themselves. Dangerous sports such as rock
climbing and parachuting are legal. No laws
have been passed against indulging in other
health-threatening activities such as eating fatty
foods or drinking too much alcohol. Banning
smoking would be an unmerited intrusion into
personal freedom.

(Continues)

Chapter 3 |81

PROS
Of course personal freedom is importantwe
should act against the tobacco companies, not
individuals. If a company produces food that
is poisonous or a car that fails safety tests, the
product is immediately taken off the market.
All cigarettes and other tobacco products are
potentially lethal and should be taken off the
market. In short, smoking should be banned.

CONS
Cigarettes are very different from dangerous
cars or poisonous foods. Cigarettes are not
dangerous because they are defective; they are
only potentially harmful. People should still be
permitted to smoke them. A better comparison
is to unhealthy foods. Fatty foods can contribute to heart disease, obesity, and other conditions, but the government does not punish
manufacturers of these products. Both cigarettes and fatty foods are sources of pleasure
that, while having serious associated health
risks, are only fatal after many decades. They
are quite different from poisonous foods or
unsafe cars, which pose high, immediate risks.

Smoking is not a choice, because nicotine

is an addictive drug. Evidence suggests that
tobacco companies deliberately produce the
most addictive cigarettes they can. Up to 90%
of smokers begin when they are under age 18,
often due to peer pressure. Once addicted,
continuing to smoke is no longer an issue of
free choice but of chemical compulsion. The
government should ban tobacco just as it does
other addictive drugs like heroin and cocaine
because it is the only way to force people to
quit. Most smokers say that they want to kick
the habit, so this legislation would be doing
them a favor.

Comparing tobacco to hard drugs is inaccurate. Tobacco is not debilitating in the same
way that many illegal narcotics are, it is not
comparable to heroin in terms of addictiveness,
and it is not a mind-altering substance that
leads to irrational, violent, or criminal behavior. It is much less harmful than alcohol. Many
other substances and activities can be addictive
(e.g., coffee, physical exercise) but that is no
reason to make them illegal. People are able to
abstainmany give up smoking every yearif
they choose to live a healthier life. Nevertheless, many enjoy smoking as part of their
everyday life.

Most smokers are law-abiding citizens who

would like to stop. They would not resort to
criminal or black market activities if cigarettes
were no longer legally available; they would
just quit. Banning smoking would make them
quit and massively lighten the burden on
health resources.

Criminalizing an activity of about one-sixth

of the worlds population would be insane. As
Americas prohibition of alcohol during the
1920s showed, banning a popular recreational
drug leads to crime. In addition, governments
would lose the tax revenue from tobacco sales,
which they could use to cover the costs of
health care.

82| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

PROS
The effects of smoking are not restricted to
smokers. Second-hand smoke jeopardizes the
health of non-smokers as well. Research suggests that non-smoking partners of smokers
have a greater chance of developing lung
cancer than other non-smokers. Beyond the
health risks, smoke can also be extremely
unpleasant in the workplace or in bars and
restaurants. Smoking causes discomfort as
well as harm to others and should be banned.

CONS
The evidence that passive smoking causes
health problems is very slim. At most, those
who live with heavy smokers for a long time
may have a very slightly increased risk of
cancer. Smoke-filled environments can be
unpleasant for non-smokers, but reasonable
and responsible solutions can be found. Offices
and airports could have designated smoking
areas, and many restaurants offer patrons the
choice of smoking and non-smoking sections.
Allowing people to make their own decisions
is surely always the best option. Restricting
smoking in public places may sometimes be
appropriate; banning it would be lunacy.

At the very least all tobacco advertising

should be banned and cigarette packs should
have even more prominent and graphic health
warnings.

Where is the evidence that either of these

measures would affect the rate of tobacco
consumption? Cigarette companies claim that
advertisements merely persuade people to
switch brands, not start smoking. People start
smoking because of peer pressure. Indeed, forbidding cigarettes will make them more attractive to adolescents. As for health warnings,
if the knowledge that cigarettes have serious
health risks deterred people from smoking,
then no one would smoke. People start and
continue to smoke in the full knowledge of the
health risks.

Source: The content on this page is taken from Editors of IDEA, The Debatabase Book, 3rd. ed. (New York: International Debate
Education Association, 2007). Adapted from IDEAs on-line Debatabase at http://www.idebate.org.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |83

This page intentionally left blank

9. Open Forum

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
formulate reasons in support of and in opposition to views and opinions on a
number of issues
interact with each other in a structured and systematic manner
defend their position on certain issues and support and/or critique in a polite and
constructive manner the opinions and views expressed by others
think critically and build their responses under time pressure
actively participate in full-class discussions
actively connect new information to information previously learned
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
analyze, synthesize, and infer from information
apply self-monitoring and self-corrective strategies

Description
The class holds a group discussion during which students take turns presenting their own
arguments and responding to arguments of others.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
Possible Open Forum Topics resource sheet (optional)
Guidelines for Open Forum Participants resource sheet (copy for each student)
Preparation
1. Choose a topic for the Open Forumthe more controversial the topic, the more ideas
students will be able to generate in support and against the topic (see Possible Open
Forum Topics for suggestions).

Chapter 3 |85

2. A week or two before the Forum, tell the students that they will be participating in a
discussion of a topic of your choice. Announce the topic and ask the students to prepare for the Forum by listing arguments in support of and against the topic statement.
Encourage the class to research the issue using a variety of sources in English: books,
journals, Internet, etc., and to make notes. Students are to bring these notes to class on
the day of the debate.
Class layout and grouping of students
Set the chairs in a circle so that the students can face each other during the lesson.
Procedure
1. On the day of the debate, organize the class in a circle or square. Distribute the Guidelines for Open Forum Participants and review. Explain to the students that during the
Open Forum they are to express not only the views they agree with but also reasonable
arguments and legitimate positions with which they disagree. They are to respond to as
many different views as possible in order to keep the discussion going.
2. Stress the importance of listening and note taking during the exercise and encourage
the students to refer to their notes during the Open Forum.
3. Begin the exercise by offering the first argument in support of or against the topic.
Alternately, you can open the floor for discussion and invite a student to present his or
her point.
4. Moderate the Open Forum by making sure that students present only one point at a
time and that they abide by the guidelines. Make sure that all students participate.
5. If you think that the discussion may be dying out, introduce a controversial point.
6. Conclude the exercise by summarizing the main points and thank students for their
participation.

Assessment
By observing students interactions, you will see how well they can think on their feet and
how quickly they can formulate their thoughts in English. You can also assess how well
students have researched an issue and how well they have mastered relevant vocabulary.
Extensions and modifications
To make the forum more challenging, have the students toss a rolled-up sock or a softball
to the next speaker. Make sure that the students do not pass the ball to the same person
twice.

86| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Possible Open Forum Topics

1. Debt Relief for Developing Countries

http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=424
2. Prohibition of School Prayer
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=174
3. Censorship of the Arts
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=17
4. Relaxation of Immigration Laws
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=116
5. Lowering the Age of Consent
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=299
6. Drugs for Athletes
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=28
7. Gun control
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=33
8. Should couples be banned from adopting children overseas?
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=313
9. International Criminal Court
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=146
10. Do animals have rights?
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=8

For more ideas, topics, and other resources, go to http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/index.php.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |87

Resource Sheet

Guidelines for Open Forum

Participants

Each participant can choose one of the following options:

1. Present a new point on the topic (either for or against).
For example: I would like to introduce a new point into the Open Forum. My argument
supports (opposes) the topic of todays discussion.
2. Respond critically to a point presented by another student. Please remember to summarize
the point you are addressing before responding.
For example: I would like to disagree with my previous speaker(s) who argued that . . . My
point is . . .
3. Present support for another participants argument. This support can be an example or
evidence based on your research.
For example: I would like to further support the argument presented by . . .

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

88| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

10. Corner Debates

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
actively participate in small-group and full-class discussion
actively connect new information to information previously learned
work in teams to achieve common goals
review and give feedback on the work of others
observe, model, and critique how others speak and behave in a particular situation or setting

Description
Students will listen to a statement on a controversial topic and decide if they agree or disagree with the statement. After meeting with students on the opposing team and discussing
their reasons why, they will be asked the question again and reassigned to a position team
if necessary. They will then each have to take part in a debate in which they defend the
position opposite to their belief.
Time
60 minutes
Materials
Four large posters or flip chart sheets each labeled with one of the following: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Agree, Agree
A short list of controversial topics such as

America was right to invade Iraq.

The government should place sin taxes on non-essential items like cigarettes,
alcohol, and snack/junk food.
Slip of paper for each student
Pens
Stopwatch or clock with second hand

Chapter 3 |89

Class layout and grouping of students

Clear the four corners of your classroom to create an area big enough for a group of students to sit and discuss their viewpoints. One option is to shove all the desks to the middle
of the room when you are about to begin.
Procedure
Part I: Preparation
1. Tell the students that they are about to hear a statement that may be controversial. Distribute a slip of paper to each student. When you read the statement aloud, tell them that
they are not to speak just yet, but rather they will first be asked to voice their opinion by
walking to the poster that best mirrors their opinion. Point out the four posters in the
corners and tell everyone to stand and push their desks into the middle of the room so
that they can begin the activity.
2. Read the statement aloud. Give the students no more than five minutes to decide if they
strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, or disagree with the statement you just gave. Tell
them to write their decision on the paper and walk to the corner that corresponds to their
opinion. If you have a disproportionately high number of students on one side of the issue, simply send everyone back to the center of the room and read another statement that
will yield more balanced groups.
3. Once all students have assembled into their groups, assign one member of each group to
be the Opinion Coordinator. The Opinion Coordinator ensures that all students in the
group get a chance to speak.
4. Give the groups 510 minutes to discuss the reasons for their opinion and to develop a
list of at least 5 for their stand.
5. As they discuss, prepare the next step, in which you will pair students with students on
opposing sides of the statement. This will vary depending on the numbers of students in
each group, but basically you should aim to pair students from the groups of Strongly
Agree with Strongly Disagree, and Agree with Disagree.
6. Tell the students that are about to be paired up with a student from an opposing group
Strongly Agree with Strongly Disagree, Agree with Disagreeand they should keep their
paper visible to ensure they are paired appropriately. Explain to the students that they
should find a student on the opposing side to pair up with and taking any 2 desks from
the middle of the room, place the desks together.
7. They will now have 10 minutes to share their differing opinions. Both students in the
pairs must have the chance to share at least 3 of the reasons why they believe as they do.
After 10 minutes, informally assess if the groups need more time, and if necessary, give
the groups no more than 2 extra minutes to wrap up their discussions.
8. After 10 minutes, tell the students to once again move the desks to the center of the
room. Tell them that you will repeat the original statement. The students will once again
have the opportunity to vote by going to the corner that corresponds to their opinion.
They may change their decision from their original choice if they now feel differently.
Repeat the statement and have the students go to the corner of the room that best reflects
their opinion.

90| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

9. Poll the students and see if anyone has changed her opinion based on her discussions
either within their team or with a student from the opposing team. If so, discuss briefly
what caused those students to change their mindswas it the persistence of the people
they were arguing against?

Part II: Debate

1. Ask three of the students who changed their decision from the first poll to the second to
serve as judges. Choose one student to serve as chair and then chose two students from
each of the two teams of Strongly Agree and Strongly Disagree to debate the statement.
The remainder of the class will serve as the audience and help the judges to make a decision at the end of the debate.
2. Now explain that debating has nothing to do with how one personally feels about an issue and that while it is always easier to have a personal opinion that agrees with the side
you are defending, a debater doesnt need to agree with his or her side in order to win a
debate. In light of this, explain that the two teams will now have to present and defend
the opinion or side in the debate that is opposite to the one that they personally hold.
3. Explain that they will now give and hear two different kinds of speechesconstructive
and rebuttal speeches. The constructive speech given by each team outlines the teams argument. The rebuttal speech given by each team addresses points made against their argument by the opposing team as well as tries to convince the judges that their argument
is the stronger one by highlighting inconsistencies in the other teams arguments. Explain
that they now have five minutes to prepare their constructive and rebuttal speeches for
the following debate format.
1st Affirmative Constructive

5 minutes

1st Negative Constructive

5 minutes

2nd Affirmative Rebuttal

4 minutes

2nd Negative Rebuttal

4 minutes

4. As the two teams prepare, have the audience arrange the room into a debating layout
with two debaters per side, an area for three judges at the back of the room, and a chair
at the front. After five minutes, have the debaters, judge, and chair take their places.
5. Instruct the chair to begin and keep time for each speech. Judges should take notes on
the arguments that are made and ensure that rebuttals address points made by the opposing team.
6. After the debate concludes, quickly convene the judges and privately ask for their decision on who won the debate. Turn to the audience and say that you will now ask them for
their opinion on who won by a show of hands. Say, Affirmative. Who feels affirmative
should win? Count the hands and then say, Negative. Who feels negative should win?
Compare and see which team won according to the audience. Now ask the judges to
share their decision. If you agree, say so and explain why you think so. If you dont agree,
explain why you feel the other team should be declared the winner.

Chapter 3 |91

7. Ask the debaters how they felt about arguing for the side whose view they opposed. At
some point did they start to believe what they were saying in order to be convincing? Has
their opinion changed? If not, are they more sympathetic to the other sides point of view?
Have they learned any new insights into the issue from this exercise?
8. You may choose to hold a vote with the four corners one more time and see how the
numbers have changed throughout the lesson.

Assessment
There are many opportunities for informal assessment. Walk the room and listen for student-to-student responses and questions and assess understanding of the objectives.

92| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

11. Debate Auditions

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
formulate reasons in support of and in opposition to views and opinions on a
number of issues
interact with each other in a structured and systematic manner
defend their position on certain issues and support and/or critique in a polite and
constructive manner the opinions and views expressed by others
record oral information
appropriately structure their oral presentations to fit the assigned time limits
take notes and use the notes in their presentations as well as when offering feedback
communicate in teams and assist each other in order to achieve common goals
actively connect new information to information previously learned

Description
Students audition for a place in the Big Debate through elimination rounds of various
debate speeches. The Big Debate will take place between the winning speakers from the
previous days auditions.
Time
3 class periods of 4560 minutes each
Materials
Debate Format resource sheet (copy for each student)
Preparation
Choose a debate topic of interest to your students. (See http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/
index.php for a list of over 100 possible topics.)
Class layout and grouping of students
Students receive their initial directions in their regular seating arrangement. For the debate, set the classroom as an auditorium with desks and chairs for the debaters and a chair
facing the audience.
Chapter 3 |93

Procedure
Day 1Research
No more than one to two days before you plan to hold a team debate, facilitate a discussion on the value of debate for a democratic society. Explain to the students that they will
participate in a debate on a topic you have selected.
1. Distribute copies of the Debate Format resource sheet and discuss. Address any questions
that the students may have.
2. Explain that although only a select number of students will be able to debate at one
time, all students will eventually debate. Organize the students into pairs and tell them
to prepare both sides of the topic. They are to brainstorm different ideas on the topic and
research evidence and support for their arguments. Encourage the students to use a variety of sources in English: books, journals, the Internet, etc. Tell them that they can bring
their notes to the debate. Encourage students to prepare as teams and support each other
in their preparation.
Day 2The Debate
1. Explain that everyone is about to take part in a debate and students will be able to analyze
and critique their own as well as others debate speeches. Explain that the class will hold
a Big Debate during the next class session. All students will have the opportunity to be
team members of the Big Debate, but they must first take part in debate auditions.
2. Tell the class that they will audition for each of the six speeches in the Big Debate. Divide the class into six groups: potential 1st Affirmative Constructive Speaker; potential
1st Negative Constructive Speaker; and so on. The members of each group will deliver
the speech assigned the group while the rest of the class listens and takes notes. Once all
members of the group have finished speaking, the audience will be asked to critique and
analyze the speeches and determine who did the best job of presenting that particular
speech. The student who is chosen as having given the best speech in his or her group,
based on points made, counterarguments addressed, etc., will go on to the Big Debate.
(Also choose a runner-up in case the winner is not in class the day of the debate.) The
students who are not chosen become members of the audience. Once the best speaker/
speech is chosen for the Affirmative Constructive, continue the process for the other
speeches. It is important that students keep notes throughout to ensure that the points
presented in the first speeches correlate with those in the later speeches. This is a test for
both the speakers and the audience.
3. In order to help students remember the various roles of each speech and speaker, review
the Debate Format resource sheet, emphasizing the various roles and time restrictions for
each speech. Ensure that everyone understands the procedure.
4. Introduce the topic statement and ask the members of the 1st Affirmative Constructive
group to come to the front of the room and present their speeches. The audience should
choose a winner and be able to give a rationale for their choice. Continue until the class
has chosen a winner for all speeches.
5. Explain that for the Big Debate to take place, you need a chair and one to three judges
(depending on the size of your class). Select one student as the chair and one to three
students to be judges.

94| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Day 3The Big Debate

1. The winners of each debate speech from the previous day will present a cohesive speech
on the topic. You may use this opportunity to analyze strategies, construction of all
speeches, etc. or you may choose to simply showcase the smooth flow of a speech.
2. Allow 10 minutes of preparation time for the debaters. As they prepare, explain to the
rest of the class the role of the chair. Explain that the chair is to moderate the debate,
keep time, and keep the debaters to the format and timing. Explain that the role of the
judges is to track the arguments of each team as well as rebuttals made by each team. In
tracking these arguments, they must ensure that teams are responding to counterpoints
or attacks on their position made by the other team, while also appropriately attacking
the other teams points. Whoever does a better job of answering all the opposing teams
points and rebuttals and convincing the judges that their position is best defended should
be the winner. Refer to the Judging Sheet (page xx) and ask if there are any questions. If
you have not previously used the Judging Sheet with this classroom, explain the process
to complete the sheet.
3. When the students are ready, prepare the classroom for the debate by setting up desks
for the debaters and a chair, picking one to three judges, and assigning the remaining
students as the audience.
4. When everyone is ready, begin the debate. Monitor the progress of the debate and take
notes for the debriefing and feedback.
5. Conclude the debate by thanking the participants and audience and congratulating the
speakers on their performance.
6. Discuss with the entire class the debate speeches they saw given yesterday and the entire
debate they watched today. What differences did they see in the two? Did the debate auditions yesterday help them to understand what differentiates a good debate speech from
a bad one?
Assessment
By observing how the students assess each other on their speeches and ultimately decide
a winner, you can see how well students understand the basics of a good speech and the
necessary points to include in a specific debate speech. You may choose to use a rubric that
is tailored to the topic statement to be debated (see Chapter 5).
Extensions and Modifications
Distribute the Judging Sheet to all members of the audience to give them practice judging.
It would also be good to have debaters get additional feedback and for judges to compare
their assessments of the debate with the audience. In this instance the teacher is the ultimate decision maker on who wins.

Chapter 3 |95

Resource Sheet

Debate Format

Participants: two teams of three speakers

Format:
1st Affirmative Speaker (A1)

constructive speech

5 minutes

1st Negative Speaker (N1)

constructive speech

5 minutes

2nd Affirmative Speaker (A2) rebuttal speech

4 minutes

2nd Negative Speaker (N2)

rebuttal speech

4 minutes

3rd Affirmative Speaker (A3)

summation speech

4 minutes

3rd Negative Speaker (N3)

summation speech

4 minutes

Preparation time (only for the Big Debate):

Each team has a total of six minutes preparation time.
Roles of individual speakers:
First Affirmative Speaker (A1): presents the affirmatives case, which includes the teams understanding and interpretation of the topic and its arguments supporting the topic (usually not more
than four).
First Negative Speaker (N1): presents the negatives case, which includes the teams understanding and interpretation of the topic and its arguments supporting the topic (usually not more than
four). Responds to (refutes) the affirmatives case.
Second Affirmative Speaker (A2): extends the First Affirmatives arguments by providing additional reasoning and evidence. A2 rebuilds (rebuts) affirmative arguments that N1 attacked and
refutes the First Negatives arguments.

96| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Second Negative Speaker (N2): extends the N1s arguments by providing additional reasoning
and evidence. N2 also rebuilds (rebuts) negative arguments that A2 attacked and refutes arguments presented by A1 and A2 in their constructive and rebuttal speeches.
Third Affirmative Speaker (A3): summarizes the affirmatives arguments, emphasizing the most
important elements, and attempts to demonstrate why the affirmative team should win the
debate.
Third Negative Speaker (N3): summarizes the negatives arguments, emphasizing the most
important elements, and attempts to demonstrate why the negative should win the debate.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 3 |97

This page intentionally left blank

12. Flow of a Debate

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
formulate reasons in support of and in opposition to views and opinions on a
number of issues in a written form
defend their position on certain issues and support and/or critique in a polite and
constructive manner the opinions and views expressed by others
think critically and build their responses under time pressure
appropriately structure their written presentations to fit the assigned word limits
communicate in teams and assist each other in order to achieve common goals
understand and select relevant information from the text

Description
This lesson uses a written debate to introduce students to the process of flowing debate.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
Flip-chart paper and pens (for each group)
Model Debate Flow resource sheet (copy for each student)
Preparation
Choose an appropriate topic for a debate. Make sure that it allows students on both sides
to present reasonable arguments. (See http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/index.php for a
list of over 100 possible topics.)
Class layout and grouping of students
Arrange the classroom so that students can work in groups of three to five.

Chapter 3 |99

Procedure
1. Explain to the students that they will participate in a debate on a topic of your choice,
but instead of presenting their arguments orally as individuals, they will work as a team
and write their arguments on a sheet of flip-chart paper. Distribute copies of the Model
Debate Flow sheet for review and highlight how a flow typically looks after a debate has
concluded. Divide the class into four teams of three to five students. If you have a larger
class, simply create more teams of three to five students. Note that if you create more
than four groups, have the teams write each students initials in the upper right corner of
the flip chart paper for easy retrieval later in the exercise. Distribute flip-chart paper and
pens to each team and ask them to divide the paper vertically into four even columns.
Once they have divided the page, label the columns as follows:
First Affirmative

First Negative

Second Affirmative

Second Negative

2. Tell the students that they have five minutes to write down no more than four arguments
in support of the topic in the first column on the left. They should number the items and
present them in the order of importance, just as points are delivered in a debate. This
mimics the first affirmatives presentation in a debate. Stress that they must present their
arguments clearly and concisely so that other teams can understand their opinions.
3. After five minutes, call, SWITCH, and ask the groups to pass their flip-chart paper to
the team on their right.
4. Give the groups seven minutes to read what the other team presented and counter each
argument. Tell the teams to write their arguments clearly and concisely in the second
column. Point out that this mimics how the first negative speaker would respond to the
affirmatives case in a debate.
5. After seven minutes, call, SWITCH and ask the groups to pass their flip-chart paper
to the team on their right. Give them nine minutes to read the arguments and respond.
This response mimics that of the second affirmative speaker.
6. After nine minutes, call, SWITCH and ask the groups to pass their flip-chart paper to
the team on their right. Give them eleven minutes to read the arguments and respond.
This response mimics that of the second negative speaker.
7. After eleven minutes, call, SWITCH and, again, pass their flip-chart paper to the team
on their right, which should be the team that started the completed chart. If you formed
more than four groups for this exercise, have the teams now return the sheet to the team
in their group that started that particular chart paper.
8. Conclude the exercise by asking the groups to read each column and see which arguments were addressed, which were forgotten, and who they think may win the argument
based on this flow sheet. Tell the affirmative that although they were the first to present
their case, they must judge the evidence presented with an objective mind.

100| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Assessment
1. By observing interactions between students, you will be able to assess how well students
can think on their feet and how quickly they can formulate their thoughts in English.
2. You will be able to assess the quality of students written work by collecting the flip-chart
papers after the exercise (it may be a good idea to give each team a different color marker
to make it easier for you to identify their responses).

Extensions and modifications

You can ask your students to write an argumentative essay on the debate topic.

Chapter 3 |101

Resource Sheet

Model Debate Flow

1st TEAM
(affirmative)

2nd TEAM
(negative)

3rd TEAM
(affirmative)

4th TEAM
(negative)

1st ARGUMENT

1st RESPONSE

1st RESPONSE

1st RESPONSE

2nd ARGUMENT

2nd RESPONSE

2nd RESPONSE

2nd RESPONSE

3rd ARGUMENT

3rd RESPONSE

3rd RESPONSE

3rd RESPONSE

4th ARGUMENT

4th RESPONSE

4th RESPONSE

4th RESPONSE

1st NEW ARGUMENT

RESPONSE to 1st
ARGUMENT

1st RESPONSE

2nd NEW ARGUMENT

RESPONSE to 2nd
ARGUMENT

2nd RESPONSE

3rd NEW ARGUMENT

RESPONSE to 3rd
ARGUMENT

3rd RESPONSE

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

102| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Chapter 4
Introduction to Role Plays and
Simulations

Role plays and simulations promote critical thinking and creativity, encourage students to
take risks with new language, and help develop cooperative skills in a safe setting. These
exercises also compel students to think on their feet. Unlike skits or plays, role plays do not
have scripts. Rather, students are assigned roles and given a scenario with different elements
and complications that they must address in their roles. For example, students may roleplay tourists and tour guides who must deal with a flooded town or a situation in which
all hotels are booked.
The activities in this section involve role playing and simulations to teach ESL.

Chapter 4 |103

This page intentionally left blank

13. Getting to Know You

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
demonstrate good comprehension during a variety of conversations by verbally
and non-verbally responding appropriately
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
paraphrase, summarize, elaborate, clarify, ask relevant questions, and make relevant comments in conversation, debate, and simulations
negotiate and initiate conversations by questioning, restating, soliciting information, and paraphrasing the communication of others
Students also will practice multi-processing, speaking and listening to new information about other people in fast-paced conversation.

Description
The lesson helps students develop the social skills they need when meeting someone for the
first time and emphasizes the importance of getting to know that individual and remembering what they have learned about him or her.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
Role-Play Identity activity sheet (copy for each student)
Getting to Know You resource sheet (copy for each student)
Remember Me? activity sheet (copy for each student)
Class layout and grouping of students
Students remain in their seats to receive directions and to fill out their role-play sheets.
They then circulate to introduce themselves to the other attendees and fill out the work
sheet. They return to their desks after they have completed the work sheet.

Chapter 4 |105

Procedure
1. Explain to the students that they will be simulating a situation in which they are attending a debate conference for the first time. They are expected to be friendly and to find out
more about the other debaters. Point out that courtesy demands that they listen carefully so they can remember what each debater said. Tell them that they will be quizzed
about how much they remember.
2. Distribute Role-Play Identity activity sheet and tell the students that they are to use the
sheet to create an identity for one of the attendees. Review the sheet and ask the students
to fill it out. (If you are planning to use the extension activity, ask them to write their name
on the back of the sheet.)
3. Collect the sheets and distribute them randomly. Tell the students to read and memorize
the identity information on their sheet so they can portray that person accurately.
4. Distribute Getting to Know You resource sheet. Discuss the sheet and present each phrase
in a mock conversation to demonstrate how and when it is used.
5. Tell the students that the classroom is now the conference center where the debaters
have gathered prior to the days sessions. They are to mingle and meet as many people as
possible in 1530 minutes (depending on the number of students present). Remind the
students that they must assume the identity of the person on their role-play sheet and
gather as much information about the other debaters as possible. They can use the phrases
you have introduced to begin their conversations. If a debater asks them a question whose
answer is not on their role-play sheet, they should make one upbut always remain in
character. As the students mingle, make sure they are using appropriate conversation starters and etiquette.
6. After time is up, call, TIME! Distribute the Remember Me? activity sheet and review
the rules. Tell the students that they have five minutes to fill in the chart on the activity
sheet. After five minutes, call time and ask the students to return to their desks.
7. Review the charts briefly to see who has the most signatures.
8. Have the students turn in their Role-Play Identity sheets. Read each character description
without the name and see if the students can guess the name of the debater you have described.
Assessment
You can assess performance as the students circulate, introducing themselves to and carrying
on conversations with other debaters. Correct when necessary.
Extensions and Modifications
Have each student keep circulating until she finds the person who is holding the Role-Play
Identity sheet that she wrote.

106| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Activity Sheet

Role-Play Identity

Name (make one up): ________________________________________.

School I Am Attending (check one):
_____ Jones International, Honolulu
_____ King High School, Detroit
_____ #53 Government School, Prague (Czech Republic)
_____ The Learning Academy, Budapest (Hungary)
_____ Royal School of Arts, Plymouth (United Kingdom)
Interests (choose three):
_____ Being with family
_____ Dating
_____ Debating
_____ Driving
_____ Eating
_____ Football
_____ Playing computer games
_____ Reading
_____ Scuba diving
_____ Sewing
_____ Shopping
_____ Skating
_____ Skiing
_____ Sleeping
_____ Traveling
_____ Water polo
_____ Writing
Unique Trait (Create your own. You may have up to three for this activity.):

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________
2008 International Debate Education Association
The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |107

Resource Sheet

Getting to Know You

Nice to meet you.

Pleasure to meet you.
I have heard a lot about you.
How are you doing?
Great day for debatingwhat do you think?
Did you find your way here okay?
Whats new in Budapest/Honolulu/Detroit/Prague/Plymouth?
I was in Budapest/Honolulu/Detroit/Prague/Plymouth three years ago for a
conference. Do they still have that great blues club/nature museum/visitors bureau/gay
pride parade?
How long have you lived there?
What brings you all the way here?
Know where I can find a great blues club/CD store/comic shop?
Id like you to meet my new friend, X.
X, this is Y. Y, this is X.
So, what do you like to do in your spare time?

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

108| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Activity Sheet

Remember Me?

Instructions: Fill in the chart below by asking each of the debaters you have just met one of the questions. If the debater answers yes, he or she signs the appropriate box (using his or her debater name). For
example, a student may ask Alice Springs if she likes to sew. If she says yes, then she signs that box. (The
free fact boxes are for other information students may have picked up in their conversations.) After the
debater signs a box OR if she says no, you must move on to a new person with a new question. You may
return to a debater later but may not ask him or her two consecutive questions. Your goal is to fill in as
many squares as possible in five minutes.
Likes to scuba
dive?

Lives in Prague?

Attends Royal
School of Arts?

Likes to sew?

Free fact

____________

____________

____________

____________

___________

Attends #53
Government
School?

Free fact

Likes to play on
the computer?

Attends Jones
International?

Attends The
Learning Academy?

____________

____________

____________

___________

____________

Likes to be with
family?

Likes to travel?

Lives in Detroit?

Likes to debate?

Likes to sleep?

____________

____________

____________

_____________

____________

Free fact

Lives in Honolulu?

Likes to play
football?

Free fact

Likes to drive?

___________

____________

____________

____________

____________

Lives in Hungary?

Likes to read?

Likes to ski?

Likes to play
water polo?

Lives in Plymouth?

____________

____________

____________

____________

____________

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |109

This page intentionally left blank

14. What Am I?

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
use responsive listening
paraphrase, summarize, elaborate, clarify, ask relevant questions, and make relevant comments in conversation, debate, and simulations
negotiate and initiate conversations by questioning, restating, soliciting information, and paraphrasing the communication of others
appropriately seek support and feedback from others
analyze, synthesize, and infer from information
use vocabulary to describe and ask about abstract concepts
multi-process listening and speaking skills

Description
The teacher tapes a concept word to the back of each student. The students must then
circulate to find out what word they are.
Time
45 minutes
Materials
Government and Emotion Concepts resource sheet
small pieces of paper
tape or pins
Assorted Concept Tags resource sheet (optional)
Preparation
Create one tag for each student, using the terms on Government and Emotion Concepts.
Class layout and grouping of students
The students receive their tags at their desks and then walk around the classroom during
the exercise.

Chapter 4 |111

Procedure
1. Define and discuss the meaning of abstract concept.

Definition: An abstract concept is a term or thought that refers to a quality, an emotion,

or an idea such as sensitivity or imperialism, rather than to a solid or concrete object
such as a truck or a football. Discuss abstract concepts with the students as appropriate
or needed.

2. Explain to the students that you will tape an abstract concept involving politics or states of
mind to their back. Discuss types of politics or governments and states of mind you will
be using so the students can narrow down the universe of words. You may also choose to
make a transparency of the resource sheet to give students a preview of the words that will
be used in the exercise.
3. Tell the students that they are to ask enough yes or no, or yes AND no questions of another student to guess the concept. As an example, explain that you might have the word
sensitivity on your back. To guess your word, you might ask the following questions:
a. Is it a type of government?

NO

b. Is it an emotion?

YES

c. Is it a concept related to business?

NO

d. Is it a feeling or emotion?

YES and NO

e. Is it something you learned about in school? YES

The questioning should continue until each student guesses the name of his or her concept. Once they guess, they should circulate to help others students guess their concept.

Assessment
You can informally assess the students quality of questions.
Extensions and modifications
Once the students have all guessed their tags, have them repeat the exercise using either the
words on Assorted Concept Tags resource sheet or words they have chosen.

112| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Government and Emotion

Concepts
Marxism

Happiness

Anarchy

Anger

Aristocracy

Love Hate

Theocracy

Fear

Dictatorship

Peace

Democracy

Joy

Monarchy

Sorrow

Socialist state

Reverence

Confederacy

Guilt

Federal republic

Hope

Totalitarian state

Jealousy

Oligarchy

Remorse

Sadness
Surprise
Disgust
Boredom
Anticipation

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |113

Resource Sheet

Assorted Concept Tags

Third World debt
Poverty
Colonization
Globalization
Human rights
Procrastination
War
Knowledge
Power
Design
Format
Confusion
Spirituality
Representation
Methodology
Objective
Answer
Desire
Emotion
Dream
Charisma
Invisibility
Ambitions
Unity
Pride
2008 International Debate Education Association
The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

114| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

15. You Oughta Be in Pictures

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
demonstrate good comprehension during a variety of conversations by verbally
and non-verbally responding appropriately
follow oral and written directions
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
initiate and sustain conversations about a range of topics
elaborate and extend other peoples ideas and words
persuade, argue, negotiate, evaluate, and justify in a variety of contexts
show awareness of and exhibit sensitivity to gender and cultural bias issues and
concerns
use culturally and socially appropriate non-verbal communication in social and
formal interactions
use acceptable tone, volume, stress, and intonation, in various settings and with
various audiences

Description
Students audition for a role in a movie in which the scenes keep changing.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
sheet of paper (for each student)
marker (for each group)
pins (for each student)
Sample Scenes resource sheet
Preparation
Print out the Sample Scenes sheet and cut into strips.

Chapter 4 |115

Class layout and grouping of students

Students work in groups of four.
Procedure
1. Tell the students that you are the casting director who has come to audition actors for a
new movie. You will choose the actors based on their performance of a scene from the
film. However, although you know what the scene is about, you dont have a script, so
they will have to act impromptu. Explain that you get bored easily and so you will likely
change the scene, the roles, and the actors every so often.
2. Organize the students in groups of four. Ask the students in each group to count off from
one to four so that each person has a number. Distribute the paper, markers, and pins. Tell
the students to write their number on the paperlarge enough so that everyone can see
itand pin it on.
3. Explain the exercise:
a. You will ask one of the groups to come to the front of the room and assign them a
setting and roles. When you say, START, you will point to an actor who begins the
scene anyway that he or she wishes. The other actors should jump in whenever they
have something to add. Remind the actors to keep the other roles in mind and so
they should say something that will help the others contribute to the scene.
b. Periodically, you will say, SWITCH ACTORS! or SWITCH SCENES!
c. If you say SWITCH ACTORS! the actors currently on stage must sit, and you
choose a new group to take over the scene. Actors who have not yet contributed to
the scene cannot sit down but must take part in the new scene in a new role. The
teacher should start the new scene by pointing to an actor who hasnt contributed
and calling out a new role that fits the scene. He may be seated only after the scene
finishes and he has participated.
d. If you say, SWITCH SCENES! the group stays on stage but begins a new scene.
4. After you have explained the procedure, ask one group to come to the front of the room
to help you demonstrate, using the following scene. Then begin the exercise using the
suggestions on the Scenes resource sheet or those you have developed.
Scene: Santas Workshop in the North Pole
Actor 1: A disgruntled elf who hates cold weather
Actor 2: Mrs. Claus
Actor 3: Rudolf the Reindeers girlfriend
Actor 4: A union representative
Extensions and modifications
Have the students create their own scenes or contribute a character to a scene.

116| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Sample Scenes

Scene: A Caf in Paris

Actor 1: A waiter in a caf
Actor 2: A young American girl who recently arrived in Paris and is looking
for love
Actor 3: A young poor French man who is looking for adventure
Actor 4: A Japanese tourist who lost her wallet

Scene: The Statue of Liberty, New York City

Actor 1: A tourist from Namibia who pretends to have an American accent
Actor 2: A professional clown who is looking for work
Actor 3: A police officer who didnt get enough sleep last night
Actor 4: A future president of the United States

Scene: On a Beach in the South Pacific

Actor 1: A lifeguard with amnesia
Actor 2: A famous Hollywood actor who just had plastic surgery and is trying to hide his face
Actor 3: The Dalai Lama
Actor 4: An Olympic athlete who just lost the medal she always carries with
her

Scene: The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

Actor 1: A scientist who just discovered the cure for cancer
Actor 2: A photographer visiting Paris from Italy
Actor 3: Santa Claus
Actor 4: A teacher with a class of 32 students

Scene: A Water Park in Canada

Actor 1: A student on spring break
Actor 2: An international spy looking for a diamonds dealer

Chapter 4 |117

Actor 3: A mother of threewith a past

Actor 4: The Pope

Scene: An Office Supply Store in Bulgaria

Actor 1: A high school student with 17 siblings
Actor 2: A dairy farmer from Iowa
Actor 3: A famous author on a book tour
Actor 4: Talk show host Larry King

Scene: The Floating Market in Thailand

Actor 1: A speedboat salesman
Actor 2: Oprah Winfrey
Actor 3: A baby who cannot speak but is hungry
Actor 4: A seamstress on vacation

Scene: A Restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia

Actor 1: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Actor 2: A waitress who wants to become an actress
Actor 3: A dictator of a Marxist country in Africa
Actor 4: A nun

Scene: The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Actor 1: A scuba diving instructor who just was released from prison
Actor 2: A director of Bollywood movies
Actor 3: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a vacation
Actor 4: A dancer from the 1950s

Scene: School Board Meeting in Bolivia

Actor 1: Indigenous leader who just became president
Actor 2: Small child whose mother cant afford to send her to school
Actor 3: Animal rights activist
Actor 4: The Queen of England
2008 International Debate Education Association
The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

118| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

16. Cultural Lessons

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
select and utilize different resources to help understand language
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
recognize the need for help and seek assistance appropriately from others
interpret and respond appropriately to non-verbal cues and body language
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
analyze, synthesize, and infer from information
analyze the social context to determine appropriate language use
show awareness of and exhibit sensitivity to gender and cultural bias issues and
concerns
use culturally and socially appropriate non-verbal communication in social and
formal interactions
observe, model, and critique how others speak and behave in a particular situation or setting

Description
This simulation involves learning how to read body language, gestures, and nonverbal language in different cultures.
Time
4560 minutes
Materials
Briefing Sheet for the British Cultural Advisors (copy for each advisor)
Briefing Sheet for the Chicagawan Nationals (copy for each national)
Briefing Sheet for the British Expatriates (copy for each expatriate)
Briefing Sheet for the New British Ambassador
Name tags or small pieces of paper
pins or tape

Chapter 4 |119

Preparation
Cut the Briefing Sheet for the British Cultural Advisors along the dotted lines so that you
have 10 separate slips of paper. Note: each paragraph is slightly different. Do not alert the
students that they have received different slips.
Class layout and grouping of students
Students will receive their directions in their regular seating arrangement and then meet in
groups around the room. For the ambassadors address, arrange the desks so that the ambassador faces the Chicagawan nationals and British expatriates while the British advisors face
the audience from the side.
Procedure
1. Tell the students that they are about to take part in a simulation to help them understand
how social and cultural norms differ. Explain that cultural and social norms are the behaviors, language, gestures, and body language that are used to communicate within a
culture.
2. Tell the students that this exercise will simulate what can happen if we dont understand
different cultures. You will assign roles to everyone in the class to carry out this simulation. The different roles are
The British ambassador to Chicagawa
The noted Chicagawan nationals
10 British cultural advisors to the ambassador
British expatriates

The setting is the British embassy in Chicagawa, a country with complex cultural norms
that are often different from those of the British. The new British ambassador is about to
make a speech at a reception for noted Chicagawan guests and many British expatriates.

3. Select a flexible, outgoing student to be the ambassador. He or she could make or break
this lesson, so choose wisely. Then assign the other roles. Have the students wear small
tags indicating their role to prevent any confusion during the exercise.
4. Distribute the instruction sheets for each role and give the students 10 minutes to read
and prepare. Tell them that they may gather with other members of their group, but they
may not share their instructions with other groups.
5. Circulate to make sure that the students understand their roles. Remind the Chicagawan
nationals that they are to be obvious about showing their displeasure with any cultural
faux pas. They can frown, walk away, glare, and so forth. If the ambassador corrects his
or her mistake, they should smile and continue to listen politely until he or she makes
another mistake.
6. After 10 minutes, ask the students to arrange the room for the speech and reception.
Once the room is ready, tell the ambassador to begin. Feel free to call a Time Out if there
is any confusion or if students are not playing their roles appropriately.

120| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

7. Once the ambassador has finished speaking, ask the British and Chicagawa to mingle.
They should try to talk to at least three different people and find something new about
each oneit can even be a small thing such as the persons name. Circulate to watch the
interaction.
8. After 1020 minutes, ask the students to return their desks to their original positions and
sit down for a discussion.
9. Using the following questions, hold a Socratic discussion on how the speech and reception went. Have the students who played British expatriates help lead the discussion, but
allow representatives from all the roles to speak.
What was the hardest thing about this exercise?
Who had the most difficult role in this exercise?
How did the ambassador do? Back up your comments with examples of behaviors observed during the exercise.
What was the role of the British expatriates?
10. Invite a representative from each of the three groups to stand and read their instruction
sheet aloud. Then invite comments and questions. Continue until all groups have read.
You may use the following questions to guide the discussion:
How are the instructions different?
Why did different groups receive different instructions?
What was the purpose of this?
Did it affect the outcome of the speech and reception? How?
11. Finally, ask the expatriates to share their analysis of how they think the Chicagawan nationals received the ambassador, the advisors, and the British expatriates themselves.
Assessment
By observing interactions and seeing how well the students correct their behavior based on
non-verbal feedback, you will see how well students think on their feet. This is an excellent
exercise to observe how quickly students respond to negative feedback in conversation and
speeches.

Chapter 4 |121

Briefing Sheet for the British

Cultural Advisors

The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have a very established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
Stick out your tongue when greeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
On greeting, shake their right pinky with your index finger ONLY for two shakes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
When speaking, only look at the women. They are the heads of the households and should
be respected as such.
122| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
When speaking to a man, remember to refer to him by his wifes last name. For example, if
you are meeting Serebe Falusi and his wife, Tebere Hansa, refer to the man as Serebe, Serebe
Falusi, or Mr. Hansa, but NEVER as Mr. Falusi.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
When sharing a meal together, allow your host to eat off of your plate whenever he or she
chooses. You do not have the same option unless he or she offers explicitly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
When speaking to someone, the custom is to shake your left hand occasionally at the side
of your head. This indicates that you are listening.

Chapter 4 |123

The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
Showing the bottom of your feet or shoes is considered rude. This means that in crossing
your legs or supporting your leg with the knee of the other is off limits.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
Never touch your throat or face in public. It is rude.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech. When speaking publicly,
Your head must never be higher than the head of the tallest people to whom you are speaking. Even if they are sitting, you may not stand higher than their level. If you are taller than
they are, you must hunch down.

124| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. Failure to show respect is a very serious insult, and they do not forgive easily. You are one of the cultural advisors to
the new British ambassador to Chicagawa, a country that has just become important for Britain
because of newly found oil reserves. You have been in Chicagawa only a short time, but you must
help the ambassador prepare for his first reception with important Chicagawans. He is running
late, and you and the other advisors have only 10 minutes to help him prepare. Good luck!
The Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body language, gestures,
and speech, including
The Chicagawa speak beautiful English. However, they have rules that are unique to them.
The following words are forbidden in Chicagawa:
1. So
2. Talk
3. Answer
4. Wasnt
5. Good
6. And

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |125

Briefing Sheet for the

Chicagawan Nationals

The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. You view the failure to show respect as an egregious insult, and you do not forgive easily. However, if foreigners
recognize their mistakes and immediately make an effort to adopt your social rules, you are very
forgiving.
You know that many countries are interested in establishing better relations with Chicagawa
because scientists have recently discovered large oil reserves in your tiny nation. A new British
ambassador has arrived and has invited you to hear a welcoming speech and attend the reception
to follow. The ambassador is due to speak in 10 minutes but he appears to be running late. This
doesnt disturb you because the Chicagawa are not obsessive about punctuality.
As you know, the Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body languages, gestures, and speech. This code includes the following:
When greeting,
Chicagawa stick out their tongues when they greet each other.
To show respect, one of the pair extends his or her right pinky and connects it with the
other persons index finger ONLY for two shakes. Usually the taller person extends the
pinky.
When speaking,
Women are the head of the household and are respected as such. As a sign of respect, you
do not look at women when addressing them.
When speaking to a man, remember to refer to him by his first or full name or by his
wifes last name. Never refer to him by his last name. For example, if you are meeting
Serebe Falusi and his wife, Tebere Hansa, refer to the man as Serebe, Serebe Falusi, or Mr.
Hansa, but NEVER as Mr. Falusi.
When speaking to someone, your custom is to shake your left hand occasionally at the
side of your head. This indicates that you are listening.
When speaking publicly,
Your head must never be higher than the head of the tallest people to whom you are
speaking. Even if they are sitting, you may not stand higher than their level. If you are
taller than they are, you must hunch down.
When speaking to a large group of people and they are mixed men and women, you must
turn your back to the audience to speak.

126| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

 The Chicagawa speak beautiful English. However, they are forbidden to use the following
words:
1. So
2. Talk
3. Answer
4. Wasnt
5. Good
6. And
Showing the bottom of ones feet or the bottom of ones shoes is considered rude.
Touching ones throat or face in public is a sign that a person is single.
The Chicagawa are very obvious when they think they have been insulted, although they may not
say so in words. Use body language, gestures, and other non-verbal language to let the ambassador know if he or she says or does anything that upsets you.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |127

Briefing Sheet for the British

Expatriates

Youve lived in Chicagawa for many years. You found out about it from a friend of a friend, and
after you came on a vacation, you never left. You love the Chicagawa, and because it took you
many years to learn their customs, you are worried that your new ambassador may not fully understand how sensitive the Chicagawa can be about such matters. You came today to meet and
hear the new ambassador and make sure he or she doesnt embarrass you too much!
You have several jobs in this exercise:
Familiarize yourself with the Chicagawan customs listed below. The ambassadors advisors
also have a list, but it may include some mistakes. (None of his advisors are really familiar
with the Chicagawa because they only arrived last week.)
Greet and talk with the Chicagawa people in the culturally appropriate manner.
Help smooth the relations between the British staff and the Chicagawa whenever possible. If the British staff commits a cultural faux pas, you may correct them, but be
warnedthey may not accept your help.
After the simulation, help your teacher lead a discussion about what you saw, who broke
what social rules, and how people changed once they realized their conduct may have
been offensive.
Chicagawa Customs
The Chicagawa are a proud people who value respect from foreigners highly. You view the failure to
show respect as an egregious insult, and you do not forgive easily. However, if foreigners recognize
their mistakes and immediately make an effort to adopt your social rules, you are very forgiving.
You know that many countries are interested in establishing better relations with Chicagawa because
scientists have recently discovered large oil reserves in your tiny nation. A new British ambassador
has arrived and has invited you to hear a welcoming speech and attend the reception to follow. The
ambassador is due to speak in 10 minutes but he appears to be running late. This doesnt disturb
you because the Chicagawa are not obsessive about punctuality.
As you know, the Chicagawan people have an established code of respect related to body languages,
gestures, and speech. This code includes the following:
When greeting,
Chicagawa stick out their tongues when they greet each other.

128| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

 To show respect, one of the pair extends his or her right pinky and connects it with the other
persons index finger ONLY for two shakes. Usually the taller person extends the pinky.
When speaking,
Women are the head of the household and are respected as such. As a sign of respect, you
do not look at women when addressing them.
When speaking to a man, remember to refer to him by his first or full name or by his
wifes last name. Never refer to him by his last name. For example, if you are meeting
Serebe Falusi and his wife, Tebere Hansa, refer to the man as Serebe, Serebe Falusi, or Mr.
Hansa, but NEVER as Mr. Falusi.
When speaking to someone, your custom is to shake your left hand occasionally at the
side of your head. This indicates that you are listening.
When speaking publicly,
Your head must never be higher than the head of the tallest people to whom you are
speaking. Even if they are sitting, you may not stand higher than their level. If you are
taller than they are, you must hunch down.
When speaking to a large group of people and they are mix of men and women, you must
turn your back to the audience to speak.
The Chicagawa speak beautiful English. However, they are forbidden to use the following
words:
1. So
2. Talk
3. Answer
4. Wasnt
5. Good
6. And
Showing the bottom of ones feet or the bottom of ones shoes is considered rude.
Touching ones throat or face in public is a sign that a person is single.
The Chicagawa are very obvious when they think they have been insulted, although they may not
say so in words. Use body language, gestures, and other non-verbal language to let the ambassador
know if he or she says or does anything that upsets you.

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |129

Briefing Sheet for the New British

Ambassador

Congratulations! You are the newest ambassador to Chicagawa, a tiny country that has become
very important to Britain because of recently discovered oil reserves. The prime minister appointed you to build political bridges with this very proud nation. You have been warned that
the Chicagawan people are very sensitive about foreigners respecting their culture. You have a
difficult job of making the Chicagawa feel comfortable with British diplomatic efforts and be
generous with their oil.
Today you are hosting a reception for Chicagawan honored guests as well as members of the
expatriate community You will give a five-minute speech and then mingle with the guests. You
only arrived in Chicagawa today but you have a small staff of cultural advisors who can advise
you about Chicagawan customs. However, they have been in the country only one week! A contingent of long-term British expatriates will attend the reception as well.
You have 10 minutes to meet with your staff and prepare your speech. You do not have to follow
any advice they give. If during the speech or reception, you think you may have received bad
advice and are offending the Chicagawans, you should try to remedy the situation.
One thing you do know is that the Chicagawans make it very obvious when they are displeased.

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130| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

17. At the Improv

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
demonstrate good comprehension during a variety of conversations by verbally
and non-verbally responding appropriately
actively participate in full-class, group, and pair discussions
negotiate and manage interaction with other learners to accomplish tasks
demonstrate knowledge of acceptable non-verbal classroom behaviors
appropriately seek support and feedback from others
elaborate and extend other peoples ideas and words
persuade, argue, negotiate, evaluate, and justify in a variety of contexts
observe, model, and critique how others speak and behave in a particular situation or setting

Description
Students improvise a variety of situations in which they must solve a problem, work with
a team, and/or think and act quickly.
Time
4560 minutes, depending on class size and number of improvisations chosen
Materials
Improvisation Scenarios resource sheet
watch or clock
Class layout and grouping of students
For the first part of the lesson, students work in pairs and then join another pair for the
improvisations. For the second part of the lesson, students sit in their normal seats and are
called to the front randomly for group improvisations.
Procedure
1. Explain that being able to think on your feet and respond and interact quickly and
decisively is an important aspect of learning a language. Tell the students that in

Chapter 4 |131

todays lesson they will be working first in groups and then as a class to improvise
various situations.
2. Give them an example using a willing, capable student to help you. (You may ask the
student beforehand if he or she is willing to volunteer to take part in an improvisation,
but do not describe the specific situation.) Ask for a volunteer to be the timekeeper.
3. Explain that the student is Mr/s. Ifeelsick and you are Dr. Youlookfinetome. Mr/s. Ifeelsick is seeing the doctor who knows he or she is a hypochondriac. Ask the timekeeper
to start the time and let everyone know when five minutes are up. Start the exchange,
and if the student is struggling, help him or her by asking a question that will move the
improvisation along.
4. After the exchange, ask the student how it went, what was difficult, and what was easy.
Make sure to ask if he or she enjoyed the improv. Then ask the class how they think it
went, what seemed difficult, and if they have any questions about the procedure.
5. Pair the students and place each pair with another pair to make groups of four. If you
have an uneven number, modify the improvisation situation to accommodate all players.
Tell the teams to choose a number between 1 and 10; then call out a number. The team
that is closest to the number improvises first.
6. Explain that you will call out an improvisation situation with two roles. The observing
team decides who plays what role on the improvisation team. The observing team must
also keep track of time and take notes to give feedback after the improvisation. When all
teams are ready, announce the scenario and roles for Pairs Improv 1 and begin the exercise. Give the pairs five minutes to act out the improvisation.
7. After five minutes, call, TIME! Tell the observing team they have three minutes to give
feedback to the improvisation team. Remind the observing team that the feedback should
be constructivethey cannot simply say, I didnt like it or I liked it. They must give
solid examples and suggestions for how the improv could be improved.
8. After three minutes, tell the teams that they will now switch. The team that just completed the improvisation will now assign roles, observe, keep track of time, and provide
feedback. When all teams are ready, announce the scenario and roles for Pairs Improv
2 and tell the observing teams to begin the exercise. Give the pairs five minutes for the
improvisation and three minutes for the feedback. Remind the observers that all feedback
must be constructive.
9. After the groups have finished, explain that the class will now engage in group improvisations. You will announce an improvisational situation and quickly point randomly
to students who must come up to the front and improvise as a group. Groups will have
between seven and ten minutes for their improvisations. Answer any questions and begin
the exercise by announcing Group Improv #1. (After the group gathers, you may want to
repeat the scenario and make sure everyone knows their role.) If the improvisation begins
to drag, stop it, ask what the problem is, and restart the same situation as soon as possible
to keep momentum.
10. Repeat the exercise with the Group Improv situations below. You can also develop your
own situations or ask the students to create them.

132| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Assessment
You can assess the students informally by observing each students choices of words and
phrases and how well they join in non-scripted conversation.

Chapter 4 |133

Resource Sheet

Improvisation Scenarios

Pairs Improv 1
Situation: A person dies and goes to the gates of heaven, where she is interviewed by St. Peter to
find out whether she will get in.
Roles:
1. Dead Person
2. St. Peter

Pairs Improv 2
Situation: Student goes to Paris for holiday and calls her boyfriend to tell him about it. He is very
curious about how she spends her time there.
Roles:
1. Girl (on phone)
2. Boyfriend (on phone)

Group Improv 1
Situation: A patient who was in an accident has amnesia. He/she is in the hospital surrounded by
his/her parents, girlfriend/boyfriend, friends, relatives, and doctors.
Roles:
1. Patient

6. Best Friend

2. Mother

7. Dr. Jones

3. Father

8. Dr. Clay

4. Grandma

9. Friend from school

5. Girlfriend/Boyfriend

10. Uncle Joe

134| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Group Improv 2
Situation: Four aliens come to Earth and want to learn some English. Four people find them. The
earthlings must teach them some basic phrases and words in English and try to explain what they
mean.
Roles:
1. Alien #1
2. Alien #2
3. Alien #3
4. Alien #4
5. Earthling #1
6. Earthling #2
7. Earthling #3
8. Earthling #4

Group Improv 3
Situation: Five diplomats from different countries have gone sightseeing in New York City. A tour
guide shows them around, and a policeman helps them when they get lost.
Roles:
1. Nigerian Diplomat
2. Thai Diplomat
3. Mexican Diplomat
4. Slovenian Diplomat
5. Australian Diplomat
6. Tour Guide
7. Policeman

Chapter 4 |135

Group Improv 4
Situation: The teachers lounge, where teachers and staff discuss their students
Roles:
1. Math Teacher
2. English Teacher
3. School Secretary
4. Science Teacher
5. History Teacher
6. Principal
7. Counselor
8. Janitor

Group Improv 5
Situation: The student lunchroom, where students discuss school and their teachers
Roles:
1. Student #1
2. Student #2
3. Student #3
4. Student #4
5. Student #5
6. Student #6
7. Student #7
8. Student #8
9. Janitor

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136| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

18. Panel of Experts

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
focus attention selectively
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
paraphrase, summarize, elaborate, clarify, ask relevant questions, and make relevant comments in conversation, debate, and simulations
participate effectively in face-to-face conversations on assorted subjects
negotiate and initiate conversations by questioning, restating, soliciting information, and paraphrasing the communication of others
request and provide clarification to their ideas and those of others
persuade, argue, negotiate, evaluate, and justify in a variety of contexts
distinguish fact and opinion, draw inferences, draw conclusions, and summarize
from written material
describe or read about an unfamiliar activity or topic

Description
On small panels, students pose as experts on a variety of things. After the students present
mini-biographies of what makes them an expert, the audience is encouraged to ask the
panel questions to stump them.
Time
90 minutes, followed by a 20-minute wrap-up the following day
Materials
Panel Assignments resource sheet (optional)
Expert Tracking Sheet (copy for each student)
Question and Response Tracking Sheet (copy for each student)
Points Distribution Guidelines for Panel of Experts
Class layout and grouping of students
Place four chairs at the front of the room on one side of a long table or move four desks
together. The class faces the panel.

Chapter 4 |137

Procedure
Day 1
1. Discuss what constitutes evidence and review its importance in proving an argument. Tell
the students that expert opinion is often accepted as evidence. Brainstorm ideas for what
they think makes an expert.
2. Now tell the students that they will play the role of experts on a panel. You may use Panel
Assignments or you may ask students to call out ideas for the subject and roles. Choose
four students or ask for volunteers and assign them their roles. Write the name of each on
an Expert Tracking Sheet. Then tell the panel members to create a fictitious rsum that
will convince the audience that they are experts. They may work alone or as a group. They
have five minutes to do this.
3. Ask each expert to choose an assistant from the audience to serve as his or her secretary.
Distribute a copy of Question and Response Tracking Sheet to each. The secretaries are
responsible for recording the questions asked of their expert as well as a synopsis of their
experts response.
4. Tell the students that you will also keep track of each question (using your Expert Tracking Sheets) and later ask the audience how believable the experts were in answering each
question. Each secretary should be on hand to provide a synopsis of the answer that his or
her expert gave.
5. Answer any questions the students may have. Once the experts have finished writing their
rsums, assemble the panel. Give the members five minutes total to introduce themselves and
present their credentials. The class then has seven minutes to ask questions. The panel members
must answer all questions. If they do not know an answer, they must make one up.
6. Remind the audience that you are looking for intelligent questions and because of time
constraints they may ask each expert no more than four questions. If there is a lull in the
questioning, you may need to jumpstart the discussion with a question or two. As the
discussion progresses, write down each question asked on the appropriate Expert Tracking
Sheet. Make sure that the secretaries are also writing down the questions and responses.
7. After seven minutes, stop the discussion. Read each of the questions asked of each of the
panel members. After each question, ask the secretary to provide a synopsis of the answer.
Then ask the students to raise their hands if they believed the response that the expert gave.
Record the results on the sheet.
8. Ask the secretaries to give their Question and Response Tracking Sheets to their expert.
Thank the panel and repeat the exercise until all students have had the opportunity to be
experts.
9. Tell the students that for the next class, their assignment is to research the answers to the
questions posed to them and reference the source.

Day 2
1. The students should have their questions, responses, and source sheets ready. Explain that
you will now assign points to each expert based on the audiences reaction from yester-

138| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

day and the research the experts conducted as homework. Distribute Points Distribution
Guidelines.
2. Ask the students who were on the first panel to come to the front of the room. Have one
of the students read aloud his first question and response and indicate whether or not the
answer he gave the previous day was fact. If it was not, have him give the correct response.
If the answer the expert gave the previous day is correct AND if the expert can now provide proof of this, give the expert ten points.
3. As the expert finishes each question, refer back to the data you gathered yesterday on the
Expert Tracking Sheet to see whether the majority believed the response or not. Assign
points based on the Points Distribution Guidelines and note them on the sheet.
4. Add up the points for each expert to determine an overall winner.
Student Products
Secretaries for each expert will produce a list of questions and a synopsis of the answers
their experts give.
Students will research the answers to the questions they answered as an expert and cite
appropriate sources.
Assessment
Classmates will assess students spoken word, body language, gestures, and presentation by
voting on their credibility as experts. You can assess their research on the questions asked.
Extensions and modifications
Panel members can discuss the topic, citing expert evidence they have researched.

Chapter 4 |139

Resource Sheet

Panel Assignments
Relationships Panel
Dr. Barry GoldmanA psychiatrist
Joan WatersA relationship coach
Anna LoveMarried for 13 years and mother of two
John AndrewsMarried six times

European Union Panel

Alan OHarePrime Minister of United Kingdom
Agafia MonteyForeign Affairs Officer to Uzbekistan
Basir MuzzafaraTurkish Ambassador to the United Nations
Dovidas LigthahForeign Affairs Officer to Lithuania

Christmas Traditions Panel

Joop Van HornDutch shop owner
Gillian MasseyEnglish storyteller
Bruno WeissGerman toy maker
Paul RogersCanadian dogsled racer

Dieting
Dr. Joe CarbsCreator of popular fad diet
Rabbi GouldRabbi from California
Maureen FinnActress who recently lost 50 kilos (110 lbs.)
Mahteab OtongaGold medal winner for mens marathon in 1996 Olympics

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140| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Expert Tracking Sheet

Expert name: _____________________________________________________

Panel subject: _____________________________________________________
Question 1: ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______Majority believed
______Majority did not believe
Points: ______
Question 2: ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______Majority believed
______Majority did not believe
Points: ______
Question 3: ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______Majority believed
______Majority did not believe
Points: ______
Question 4: ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______Majority believed
______Majority did not believe
Points: ______
Total Points: ______
2008 International Debate Education Association
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Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |141

Question and Response Tracking

Sheet
Expert: _______________________________________________________
Secretary: _____________________________________________________
Question 1: ________________________________________________________________
Response: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Actual Answer: ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Source(s): ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Question 2: ________________________________________________________________
Response: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Actual Answer: ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Source(s): ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

142| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Question 3: ________________________________________________________________
Response: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Actual Answer: ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Source(s): ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Question 4: ________________________________________________________________
Response: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Actual Answer: ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Source(s): ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |143

Points Distribution Guidelines for

Panel of Experts
If the audience felt that the expert was making up the answer
and it turns out that the expert was correct

+1

If the audience felt that the expert was making up the answer and
it turns out that the expert did make it up

-1

If the audience felt that the answer that the expert gave to a
question was believable and it turned out that the answer was
fabricated

+1

If the audience felt that the answer that the expert gave to a question was believable and it turns out that the expert was right

+1

If a question asked of the expert does not have a reference such as

a personal opinion, but the audience believed them

+1

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144| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

19. Write, Read, Action!

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
follow oral and written directions
give oral and written directions
request and provide clarification of their ideas and those of others
elaborate and extend other peoples ideas and words
review and give feedback on the work of others
take notes to record important information and direct ones own learning
analyze common tasks and be able to write out detailed how-to instructions

Description
Students work in pairs to write detailed instructions of how to do common activities that
other students then act out as the instructions are read.
Time
2 class sessions of 4560 minutes
Materials
How to Wash and Dry the Dishes resource sheet
Outline for How to Wash and Dry the Dishes resource sheet (copy for each student)
Outline for Instructional Material activity sheet (copy for each student)
Class layout and grouping of students
Students initially will work in pairs. In the second part of the lesson, they will work in
groups of six.
Procedure
Day 1
1. Organize the students into groups of six and ask each group to form pairs, labeled A, B,
and C. Tell the class that each pair will write detailed instructions on how to perform
a common activity. After they have completed the instructions, one pair in their group

Chapter 4 |145

will read their instructions while another pair acts them out. The remaining pair will takes
notes and critique the instructions so that the pair who wrote them can revise them. The
next day they will have a chance to read their narration again and have the pair that initially critiqued their writing act out their narration, while the pair that initially acted now
does a critique.
2. Share the following example using How to Wash and Dry the Dishes resource sheet. Ask
two outgoing volunteers to come to the front of the room. Assign one of them to be the
washer and the other the dryer. Read the narration as the volunteers act it out.
3. After you finish reading, ask the class how the two volunteers did. Were any parts of the
instructions confusing? Analyze the description and the acting with the class.
4. Distribute Outline for How to Wash and Dry the Dishes and Outline for Instructional
Material, and review. Explain that when writing their instructions, the students should
first develop an outline listing all the steps necessary to complete the task. They can then
elaborate on the outline in their instructions.
5. Assign one of the three activities to each pair in the group. The activities are
a. How two people wash a car
b. How two people put up and decorate a Christmas tree
c. How two people wrap a large present
6. Allow the students 3040 minutes to write their instructions. Walk around the room to
ensure that pairs are on the right track.
7. Tell Pair A to read their instructions to their group, while Pair B acts them out and Pair
C takes notes so that they can offer a critique. When they are finished, instruct Pair C to
present their critique. Pair A should take notes so that they can revise their instructions.
8. Repeat the exercise until all three groups have presented their instructions.
9. After the final critique, call the class to order and tell the students that they will have time
in the next class period to further refine their work.

Day 2
1. Assemble the class in their groups and review yesterdays activity. Tell the class that the
pairs will have 25 minutes to revise their instructions. As the students work, walk around
the room to provide guidance where necessary.
2. After 25 minutes, Pair A presents their instructions while Pair C acts them out and Pair B
takes notes and presents the critique.
3. Repeat the exercise until all pairs have presented. Make sure that a pair does not critique
the same presentation it critiqued yesterday.
4. After the final critique, call the class to order and collect the final instructions. You may
choose to ask if any pairs would like to volunteer to showcase their reading or acting for
the group.

146| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Student Products
Detailed instructions that have been through the revision process
Assessment
You can assess students informally as you walk around the room during pair work and as
the pairs read their instructions. You can formally assess the final instructions.
Extensions and modifications
1. Allow the students to create their own situations. You judge whether a situation is appropriate.
2. Have the students act out descriptive passages and have them identify particular words
that help to bring a situation to life.

Chapter 4 |147

Resource Sheet

How to Wash and Dry the Dishes

Note that for the purposes of this narration, dish refers to any reusable item that you can use for
eating, serving, or cooking. It can be a plate, cup, glass, pan, pot, or other utensil.
First determine who will wash and who will dry. The washer makes sure he starts with a clean sink
and then blocks the drain using a stopper. Next, he fills the sink three-fourths full with warm water.
He then adds dishwashing soap to make the water sudsy. The washer also needs to make sure that
he has a washing cloth, brush, or sponge to wash the dishes. He must also decide how to rinse the
soapy dishes. One method is to fill an adjacent sink with clean warm water and dip the soapy dishes
in it. The other method is to simply run the hot water to rinse over the soapy dish.
The dryer makes sure that there is an area for the washer to place the cleaned dishes so that the extra
water drains off. (This also makes the process more efficient because the washer does not have to
wait to hand off each dish to the dryer.) This area can be a countertop covered with a clean towel, a
dish drainer, or an adjacent sink. The dryer also makes sure that he has one or two clean dish towels.
Once the sink and the drying area are ready, they can begin.
The washer scrapes any large particles of food off the dirty dishes into the garbage. Then he stacks
the dirty plates, cups, saucers, and cookware into separate piles next to the sink. The washer starts
the process with the most delicate dishes, such as glassware and cups, first and then moves on to
plates and bowls. Finally, he washes the cookware. The washer may place stacks of dirty dishes
into the soapy water to allow the items to soak, or he may wash each item separately. Whatever he
decides, the washer should handle each dirty dish with care and use the sponge, cloth, or brush to
wipe the surfaces of the dish until it is clean. The washer then rinses the dish in whichever manner
he has chosen and places it in the drying area.
The dryer picks up the wet dish and uses a towel to dry all surfaces. He then either puts the dish
in its proper place or, if he does not know where to put it, stacks it in a clean area of the kitchen
for storage later. Once he has finished drying the dish, he repeats the process with the other wet
dishes.
When the washer finishes all the dishes, he pulls the plug from the drain and empties the sink of
dirty water. He then uses the cloth or sponge to wipe down any wet surfaces near the sink and wipe
down the inside of the sink, taking care to remove food particles and other trash that may have collected near the drain.
When the sink area is clean and all the dishes have been properly washed and dried, the team has
successfully washed and dried the dishes!
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The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

148| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

Outline for How to Wash and Dry

the Dishes
Activity: How to Wash and Dry the Dishes
Roles involved in activity: Washer, Dryer
General activities associated with each role: Washer must clean and fill sink, get a sponge or
cloth, scrape dishes, stack dishes, wash dishes, rinse dishes, and clean sink and adjacent area. Dryer
must make a clean area for wet dishes, find and use clean towel, dry and store dishes.

Steps for each role:

1. Preparation
Washer
a. Start with a clean sink
b. Block drain
c. Fill sink with warm water
d. Add soap
e. Get a washcloth, brush, or sponge
f. Decide how to rinse the soapy dishesdip soapy dishes into clean warm water or run hot
water tap
Dryer
a. Find clean place for wet dishes
b. Find 12 towels

2. Activity
Washer
a. Scrape dirty dishes
b. Stack dirty items next to the sink or in water
c. Carefully wash with sponge, cloth, or brush

Chapter 4 |149

d. Rinse dish
e. Place clean dish in drying area
Dryer
a. Dry dish
b. Put dish away or stack in a clean area
c. Continue drying another dish

3. Completion
Washer
a. When finished washing, drain sink
b. Wipe down any wet surfaces near the sink
c. Wipe down inside of the sink and remove food particles and trash in sink
Dryer
None

Extra Notes:

First you need to determine who will wash and who will dry.
Dish = any reusable item that you can use for eating, serving, or cooking. It can be a plate, cup, glass,
pan, pot, or other utensil.
The washer should start to wash the most sensitive dishes, such as glassware and cups, first then
move on to plates and bowls, and finally wash pots, pans, or skillets.

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

150| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Activity Sheet

Outline for Instructional Material

When writing instructions you must describe each step in detail, to leave no room for errors or
questions. The best way to make sure you do not forget a step is to use an outline such as that below.
Then you can write your detailed instructions.
Activity: ____________________________________________________________________
Number and name of roles involved in activity: ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
General activities associated with each role: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Steps for each role:

1. Preparation

Role 1:

Role 2:

Etc.

2. Activity:

Role 1:

Role 2:

Etc.

3. Completion

Role 1:

Role 2:

Etc.

Extra Notes: ____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
2008 International Debate Education Association
The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |151

This page intentionally left blank

20. Session of the Security Council

Instructional objectives
Students will be able to:
demonstrate good comprehension during a variety of exchanges by verbally responding appropriately
respond critically to the opinions and views of others
actively participate in full-class discussion
work in team to achieve common goals
use written sources of information to support their oral presentations
use the appropriate degree of formality with different audiences and settings
analyze the social context to determine appropriate language use
practice variations for language in different social settings

Description
Students are involved in a role play of a session of the UN Security Council, focusing on
resolving a fictitious conflict. They will research and present their nations stand on the issue and then attempt to negotiate a possible solution.
Time
2 class sessions: 1 of 45 minutes and 1 of 6090 minutes
Materials
Global Security Issues resource sheet (optional)
UN Security Council Country List resource sheet
Country Profile activity sheet (copy for each student)
Rules of Procedure for the UN Secretary General
names of Security Council countries on cardboard (to be placed in front of each student
team)
timer
Preparation
1. Select an issue for the class to address during the session (see Global Security Issues for
some suggestions).
Chapter 4 |153

2. Select the non-permanent members of the Security Council from the options on the
UN Security Council Country List.
3. You will need to conduct the student preparation one to two weeks before the session.

Class layout and grouping of students

Set up the classroom to resemble the Security Council chamber, with the tables and chairs
either forming a circle or a square, so that all student teams face each other.
Procedure
One to Two Weeks before the Lesson
1. Explain to the students that in a week or two they will participate in a simulation of a
UN Security Council session. Explain that the Security Council is the arm of the United Nations that has the responsibility to maintain peace and security among nations.
It has the power to make decisions that governments that are members of the United
Nations must abide by. The Security Council is made up of fifteen member states, five
of which are permanent members and ten of which are temporary seats. The permanent
five are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For further
information on the UN and its Security Council, check out www.un.org/sc/.
2. Divide the students into groups of two or three (depending on the size of the class) and
assign a country to each group. You should have fifteen groups.
3. Announce the topic of the session. Use current events such as the crisis in Darfur, the
conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, or maybe the Middle East crisis. You will need
to be specifica list of possible topics is given below.
4. Distribute the blank Country Profile sheets. Tell the delegations that they have one or
two weeks to do the following:
Research their country and complete the country profile
Research the issue, and how their country stands on it
5. When the session convenes, each country will offer a three-minute speech clearly stating where it stands on the issue. Then they will meet with another delegation to develop
a proposal to solve the problem.
6. Remind the groups to work together on the assignment and choose the delegates who
will present their positions.
7. After all groups have prepared, choose a flexible, outgoing student to be the UN secretary general and provide him or her with a copy of the Rules of Procedure.

During the Session

1. Place the country nameplates on the desks and ask the delegations to take their seats behind the appropriate plate. Remind the delegations of how the meeting will proceed.

154| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

2. Invite the UN secretary general to conduct the meeting. As the meeting progresses,
keep track of time and prompt the secretary general if he or she is confused about the
next step in the process.
3. Once the session is complete, debrief the exercise. You may use the following questions:
Were there any disagreements during the caucus sessions on how to address the
crisis? How did you handle them?
What lines of reasoning did your caucus present in support of your solution?
Did the language you used in this diplomatic session differ from what you
would use in another context?
Why is the language of diplomacy important?
Assessment
You can informally assess students during the country presentations and during their interactions in the caucus session. You also will be able to evaluate how well they present new
proposals with limited preparation time and how well they stepped into their roles.

Chapter 4 |155

Resource Sheet

Global Security Issues

1. Avian flu virus has mutated with a human flu virus. The first outbreak of deadly flu took
place in one of the northern provinces of China. If the virus is not contained, it can spread
worldwide and kill 20% of the affected population.
2. Iran has developed a nuclear weapon and has recently threatened to attack Israel. Israel has
declared a state of national emergency and has promised to retaliate. The United States has
responded by saying that in case of any attack on Israel it will use its nuclear arsenal against
Iran.
3. The United States has decided to withdraw all its forces from Iraq. The situation in the country has deteriorated further, and violent clashes have erupted between the Sunnis and the
Shiites. There is a real possibility of a civil war in the country.
4. The situation in Kashmir has worsened. Following violent clashes between Indian and Pakistani forces in the region and a number of civilian casualties on both sides, the two countries
have come to a military standoff, and pro-war rhetoric is building. Both countries are in possession of nuclear weapons.
5. Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe has ordered the white population to leave the country.
About 80,000 people have been rounded up and some have been driven to the border areas
with neighboring Botswana and Mozambique. Clashes with the police have resulted in civilian casualties. Botswanas government, working together with the UN High Commission
for Refugees, has prepared for the outpour of refugees. The United Kingdom has warned the
Zimbabwean government that it is considering military action to protect the refugees and
stop evictions and forced displacement.

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Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

156| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Resource Sheet

UN Security Council Country List

PERMANENT MEMBERS:
China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States
NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS:
Option 1:
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Ecuador, Hungary, Indonesia, Netherlands, Portugal,
Romania, Zambia
Option 2:
Argentina, Bolivia, Cameroon, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Thailand,
Zambia
Options 3:
Australia, Botswana, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Moldova, Peru, Sweden, Turkey, Singapore,
Ukraine
Option 4:
Angola, Austria, Bangladesh, Chile, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Uruguay, Tanzania,
Venezuela
Option 5:
Algeria, Cambodia, Croatia, Egypt, Haiti, Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

2008 International Debate Education Association

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Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |157

Activity Sheet

Country Profile
Country Name: ______________________________________________________
Capital: ___________________________________________________________
Official language(s):___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Population:_________________________________________________________
Neighbors:_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Political system:______________________________________________________
Economic profile:____________________________________________________
Recent history (up to 200 words):_______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

158| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Stand on the topic being discussed in Security Council:______________________

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Alliances:___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Disputes:__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 4 |159

Rules of Procedure for the UN

Secretary General

1. Welcome all the representatives and introduce the issue for consideration (up to five minutes).
2. Ask the country delegations to present their stand on the issue. Each presentation should not be
longer than three minutes. You may want to inform the presenters that you will give them two
signals: at one minute and at thirty seconds before their time elapses.
3. After the last presentation, call for a break and invite the country representatives to caucus
another delegation to develop a joint proposal on the issue. Move from one group to another
and assist the delegations with negotiations. Caucuses should be allowed to last no more than
twenty minutes.
4. Invite the caucuses to present their solutions. Allow each group up to five minutes for its presentation.
5. Conclude the proceedings by thanking all the country representatives for participating in the
session.

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160| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Chapter 5
Student Evaluation

Determining whether your students have mastered the learning objectives of a lesson requires evaluation. This can take many forms, but most teachers unfortunately restrict their
evaluations to written exams or tests.
Deliberative methodology is a hands-on teaching technique that is generally incompatible with these traditional forms of assessment. It requires teachers to use rubrics to evaluate
the students as they debate, give a speech, role-play, etc. This section explains why using
rubrics is important and discusses how to develop and use them.

What is a rubric?
A rubric is a tool used to score a students progress or skill. It consists of an even number
of point values listed across the top of a matrix and a list of skills and/or content sets along
the side. These skills and/or content sets vary according to the work being evaluated and
the educators specific objectives. The rubric lists criteria for each skill along the point value
scale, with high skill exhibition correlated to the highest point value and progressively
lower skill exhibition assigned to progressively lower point values.

Why use a rubric?

Rubrics are very helpful in assessing learning in a way that is measurable and meaningful to
students. They make teacher expectations very clear and help students keep track of their
performance and measure progress over time.
Rubrics permit peer evaluation that is understandable and constructive. Often when
students evaluate each other, they are unsure how to provide feedback. Rubrics allow students to give very specific feedback with no training and are an easy tool for students to
understand and administer.
Rubrics typically reduce the amount of time teachers spend evaluating student work.
You will find that in using a rubric, all aspects of the work have been addressed, with no
need to provide extensive written comments to explain a grade. If you want to stress an
aspect of a students work, you can simply circle the criteria or skill in the rubric, rather
than struggle to explain the flaw or strength you have noticed.
Best of all, rubrics accommodate a wide variety of learning abilities and styles. You can
create rubrics for students with special needs or develop separate criteria that are specific to
their learning plan. While the three rubrics presented here have four gradations of quality
for each criterion, you can modify them to suit the specific needs of your students.

Chapter 5 |161

How do I use one?

Take a look at the rubric for speech and presentations below: The rubric lists the skill criteria in the column on the left. The skills being evaluated include body language, eye contact,
introduction and closure, pacing, poise, voice, and content. The four columns to the right
of the criteria describe varying degrees of quality, from excellent to poor, with each assigned
a point value. As concisely as possible, these columns explain what makes a good presentation or speech good and a bad one bad.
The criteria in a rubric must meet the learning objectives for the lesson. This means
that if a student is giving a speech on types of world government and your objective is for
students to be able to describe at least four main types, your rubric criteria should focus
on knowledge presented, detail given, etc. It should NOT focus on aspects of good speech.
If, on the other hand, the lesson has two objectivesknowing government types and describing them clearly to a group, part of the rubric should focus on content and part on
presentation.
To use a rubric that you developed for a deliberative methodology activity, distribute it
in advance of the presentation, debate, or role play and explain it to your students. When
it is time for a student to present, fill out the student information such as name, work being evaluated, etc. on a new rubric form. As they present, fill out a form for each student.
If there is a specific point you wish to emphasize, circle it or write a brief comment on the
form. When the student has finished, tally the points and give a grade, such as 20 points
out of a possible 24 or 20/24.

How do I teach my students to use a rubric to assess their

peers?
Rubrics are great tools for students to easily and more precisely assess each others work.
While the teachers assessment on a rubric should always be the data used to actually assign
a grade or measurement, reviewing rubrics that students complete on their peers provides
valuable feedback to the student and to the teacher to assess how well the rest of the class
understood the work presented. For example, imagine that Student A gives a presentation
on the elements of a story and Student B completes a rubric on Student As performance.
As Student B completes the rubric, he gives Student A low scores on every aspect but you
give top scores on every aspect. This evaluation gives you valuable data on Student Bshe
does not fully understand the content or possibly she does not understand how to complete a rubric. Both pieces of data are important to know so that you can determine what
content to reteach.
While the prospect of completing a rubric may seem intimidating at first, you can teach
your students the basics with a simple 10-minute lesson. Keeping in mind that rubrics are
to be tailored to the learning objectives of the lesson, use the following guide to teach the
correct use of completing and reading a rubric.

How do I create a rubric?

We have presented three rubrics below, but you should learn how to create your own
rubrics to tailor them to your teaching objectives. Math lessons, speeches, science experiments, debating, practicing a job interviewall can be evaluated with a rubric, provided its
criteria meet the objectives. Here are the steps you need to create your rubrics:

162| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

1. Define the learning objectives you wish to measure. Typically these are the objectives for
the lesson. You can finely tune this list as you develop your rubric.
2. Create a list of criteria to evaluate. Decide what counts in quality work. Avoid general,
unhelpful descriptions like the volume was bad. This tells us little about what the
problem waswas it too soft, too loud? Rather, define lower levels of quality in a way
that is simply descriptive of the work presented, such as, the volume was too low for
audience to hear speaker.
3. Articulate gradations of quality. Determine how many levels you want to create. Describe the best and worst levels of quality, and then fill in the middle levels. The more
levels you create, the more defined the quality for each characteristic.
4. Distribute the rubric. Always distribute a blank copy of the rubric before you use it. This
allows students to see exactly what defines excellence. It also defines the lessons objectives clearly.
5. Use the rubric. For most deliberative methodology lessons, do not wait to complete
a students rubricrecall will not be sufficient to complete the rubric accurately. Fill
out the rubric during the student presentation, before another presentation or activity
begins. You can evaluate written work any time you have it available.
6. Return the completed rubric to the student immediately after you have recorded the
points he has earned. This ensures that the work is still fresh in his mind.
7. Always give students time to revise their work based on the feedback they get in Step 6.
This could mean rewriting an assignment or using the same rubric to evaluate another
presentation on a different topic.
8. When students evaluate each other, use the same rubric that you use to evaluate student
work. Consistency of evaluation instruments is key to reliable and valid evaluation information.

Three Deliberative Methodology Rubrics

Review the three deliberative methodology rubrics provided below. Note that these rubrics
are tied to learning objectives about aspects of giving a speech or presentation, participating
in a debate, and taking part in a role play or simulation. Feel free to use them as they are
or to start creating your own. See the Resources section at the end of the book for other
rubric resources.

Chapter 5 |163

Debate Rubric
Student/Team Name: __________________________________________________________
Side: _______________________________________________________________________
Topic: ______________________________________________________________________

Eye
Contact

Holds attention of
entire audience
with the use of
direct and appropriate eye contact

Fairly consistent
use of direct eye
contact with
most of the audience

Displays minimal
eye contact with
all of the audience. OR Focuses
on only 1 or 2
people

No eye contact with audience

Opening
Statement

Team accurately
and clearly outlines content of
teams speeches;
captures the
attention of the
audience

Team delivers
opening statement clearly;
statement is
organized

Team does not

outline content of
speeches; some
disorganization

Teams opening statements are

confusing or
non-existent

Closure

Student delivers opening and

closing remarks
that capture the
attention of the
audience and set
the mood

Introductory and
closing remarks
are clearly delivered

Student clearly
uses either an
introductory or
closing remark,
but not both

Student does
not display
clear introductory or closing
remarks

Pacing

Student meets
time interval
nearly exactly

Delivery is wellpaced, but

does not meet
apportioned time
interval

Delivery is given
in bursts and
does not meet
apportioned time
interval

Delivery is
either too
quick or too
slow to meet
apportioned
time interval

Poise

Student appears
relaxed and selfconfident, makes
no mistakes in
articulation or
body language

Makes minor mistakes but quickly

recovers from
them; displays
little tension

Displays mild tension; has trouble

recovering from
mistakes

Tension and
nervousness
are obvious;
has trouble
recovering
from mistakes

164| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Points
Earned

Points
Earned

Voice

Use of fluid
speech and inflection maintains
the interest of the
audience; consistent appropriate
volume

Satisfactory use
of inflection,
inconsistent use
of fluid speech;
mostly maintains
consistency
of appropriate
volume

Displays some
level of voice
inflection
throughout
delivery; volume
sometimes inappropriate

Consistently
speaks in a
monotone
voice; volume
consistently
inappropriate

Argument

Evidence is
well-researched
and presented;
all points are
addressed; arguments are clear
and well understood

Evidence is
present; most
major points are
addressed; arguments are mostly
clear

Evidence is not
consistently given;
2 or more major
points are not
addressed; arguments are confusing to follow

Topic and/or
all major
points are not
addressed;
no evidence
is presented;
arguments
make no/little
sense

Rebuttal

Refuting opposition is respectful

yet to the point;
rebuttal always
supported by evidence; all points
raised by opposition are sufficiently addressed

Refuting opposition is mostly

respectful yet
to the point;
rebuttal mostly
supported by
evidence; most
points raised
by opposition
are sufficiently
addressed

Refuting opposition is sometimes

disrespectful;
rebuttal lacks
some clarity and/
or evidence; some
points raised by
opposition are
insufficiently
addressed

Disrespect
is shown to
opposing
team; rebuttal
is confusing
or does not
respond to
points raised

Total Points ________

Score: ______/ 32

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Chapter 5 |165

Speeches and Presentations Rubric

Student / Group Name: __________________________________________________________
Speech / PresentationTitle: ________________________________________________________

Body
Language

Movements are
fluid and help the
audience visualize

Movements
and/or gestures are neutral in affecting
presentation

Very little movement or descriptive gestures

OR
Movement or
gestures are
somewhat distracting

No movement
or descriptive
gestures
OR
Movement
and/or descriptive gestures
are distracting
and take away
from presentation

Eye Contact

Holds attention
of entire audience with the
use of direct and
appropriate eye
contact

Fairly consistent use

of direct eye
contact with
most of the
audience

Displays minimal eye contact

with all of the
audience.
OR
Focuses on only
1-2 people

No eye contact
with audience

Introduction Student delivand Closure ers open and

closing remarks
that capture the
attention of the
audience and set
the mood

Introductory
and closing
remarks are
clearly delivered

Student clearly
uses either an
introductory or
closing remark
but not both

Student does
not display
clear introductory or closing
remarks

Pacing

Delivery is
well-paced but
does not meet
apportioned
time interval

Delivery is given
in bursts and
does not meet
apportioned
time interval

Delivery is
either too quick
or too slow to
meet apportioned time
interval

Student meets
time interval
nearly exactly

166| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Points
Earned

Poise

Student appears
relaxed and selfconfident, makes
no mistakes in
articulation or
body language

Makes minor
mistakes but
quickly recovers from them;
displays little
tension

Displays mild
tension; has
trouble recovering from mistakes

Tension and
nervousness
are obvious;
has trouble
recovering from
mistakes

Voice

Use of fluid
speech and
inflection maintains the interest
of the audience

Satisfactory
use of inflection, inconsistent use of
fluid speech

Displays some
level of voice
inflection
throughout
delivery

Consistently
speaks in a
monotone
voice

Content

Content is well
thought out;
arguments are
clear and well
understood

Content is
organized;
there is some
confusion in
speech

Content is not
well-organized
but major topics
are addressed

Content is disorganized; does

not address the
topic at hand

Points
Earned

Total Points ________

Score: ______/ 28

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 5 |167

Role Play / Simulations Rubric

Student / Group Name:__________________________________________________________
Situation: ____________________________________________________________________
Role:_______________________________________________________________________
4

Planning

Interprets the
situation creatively and without prompting;
plans dialogue
and action that
deepens the
characterization
or reinforces the
dramatic situation

Interprets
the situation
imaginatively
and with little
prompting;
plans dialogue
and action that
is appropriate to
the characters
and situation

Interprets the
situation literally
and with some
prompting;
plans dialogue
and action that
is conventional
but is mostly
appropriate to
the characters
and dramatic
situation

Interprets the
situation with difficulty and much
prompting;
plans dialogue
and action that
is superficial,
stereotypical, or
inappropriate to
the characters
and dramatic
situation

Preparing

Shows leadership
while planning
and rehearsing

Makes constructive contributions while

planning and
rehearsing

Makes some
constructive
contributions
while planning
and rehearsing

Makes very few

constructive contributions while
planning and
rehearsing

Speaking
in Role

Speaks very audibly, clearly, and

expressively in
their assigned
role

Speaks audibly,
clearly, and
somewhat
expressively in
their assigned
role

Speaks audibly
and clearly in
their assigned
role

Speaks inaudibly,
unclearly, and
inconsistently in
their assigned
role

Action

Uses movement
and body language in a consistently expressive,
appropriate, and
creative way

Uses movement and body

language often
in an expressive
and appropriate
way

Uses some
movement and
body language
expressively and
appropriately

Uses little or
no movement
and/or body
language expressively and appropriately

168| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Points
Earned

Reflecting
and Understanding

Reaches the
overall goal of the
activity; is able to
make generalizations about the
characters and
dramatic situation

Mostly reaches
the overall goal
of the activity;
can make inferences about the
characters and
dramatic situation

Partially reaches
the overall goal
of the activity; somewhat
confused about
how characters
and situations
relate to the
subject

Does not have

an understanding of the overall
goal; very confused about the
relation of the
situation and
the lesson being
taught

Teamwork

Respectful of
others on team;
encourages
others contributions

Works largely
with team, as
a team; values
others contributions

Sometimes it
is not apparent
that student is
part of a team;
indifferent to
others

Disrespectful of
others or of their
assigned roles;
doesnt work
with team at all

Points
Earned

Total Points ________

Score: ______/ 24

2008 International Debate Education Association

The Publisher grants permission for the reproduction of this worksheet for non-profit educational purposes only.
Activity sheets may be downloaded from www.idebate.org/handouts.htm

Chapter 5 |169

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Glossary
Affirmative
The side or team in a debate that supports the resolution.
Argument
A controversial statement, frequently called a claim, supported by grounds (evidence) and
a warrant. The standards of a logically good argument include acceptability, relevance, and
sufficiency.
Argument Construction
The process of formulating a debate or exchange that is for or against some particular
viewpoint.
Articulation
To pronounce or say words clearly and slowly.
Assessment
A formative, process-oriented, reflective, diagnostic means of deciding how well material
has been understood and retained.
Ballot
A sheet of paper on which the judge records the decision (who won the debate), the reasons for the decision (why that team won), and speaker points awarded to each debater.
Brainstorming
A process of listing as many ideas that an individual or group can think of on a topic.
Categorize
Organize material into meaningful groups or classes.
Claim
A controversial statement an arguer supports using reason. Claims can be fact claims,
policy claims, or value claims.

Glossary |171

Coaching
A pedagogical methodology in which the teacher gently guides a class discussion, largely
allowing the students to run it. As a coach, the teacher does not give direct instruction
nor even provide answers to questions raised. The coach directs questions back to the students to ponder and answer.
Code-Word System
A language acquisition technique whereby learners link words in their native tongue with
new target language vocabulary using mental visual representations.
Communication Skills
Speaking and listening are the communication skills most critical to successful language
acquisition.
Con
The two person negative team in Public Forum debate.
Constructive Criticism
To make positive comments about a performance so as to motivate and educate.
Constructive Speech
A speech that presents a debaters basic arguments for or against the resolution.
Cooperative Learning
A learning technique in which students are placed in small teams, typically comprised of
students with different levels of ability, and are expected to work together to achieve an
end goal.
Credibility
The quality of being thought believable or trustworthy.
Criteria
In debate, that which must be proven to win; the most important values or standards.
Critical Listener
A person who listens carefully, evaluates what they hear, and remembers important information.
Critical Thinking
The mental process in which one conceptualizes, analyzes, and evaluates information to
reach a conclusion.

172| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Critique
An oral evaluation of a presentation.
Cross-Examination
A period during a debate when a member of one team asks questions of a member of the
opposing team.
Debate
The process of arguing about claims in situations where a judge must decide the outcome.
Debate Format
The arrangement of a debate with rules establishing time limits, speaking order, and the
manner in which a debate will be conducted.
Decision
The judges determination of which side won a debate.
Deliberative Methodology
A set of teaching approaches that utilize debate, role plays, simulations, speeches, and presentations to build critical thinking skills in a variety of subjects.
Direct Quotation
To read evidence word for word to support a claim.
ESL/EFL
English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language.
Evaluation
A summative, product-oriented, prescriptive tool that judges whether a student has retained the material taught.
Evidence
Different types of information (facts, statistics, theories, opinions, or narratives) that are
used to support arguments. Evidence can be divided into two categories: that relating to
reality (facts, theories, and presumptions) and that relating to preference (values, value
hierarchies, and value categories).
Flow Sheet
Notes taken during a debate, usually written in columns, that enable the user to trace the
progression of arguments.

Glossary |173

Framework
A time line of expected skills and content to be taught and learned in a particular subject.
Government Team
The team affirming the resolution in a parliamentary debate. Also called the gov.
Impromptu Speaking
Speaking with little to no preparation time.
Interactive Instruction
Instruction that relies on student-teacher discussion, communication, and/or collaboration to reach a learning objective.
Instructional Objectives
A statement that describes the outcome of a specific educational activity, usually tied to
the standards within the curricular framework.
Leader of the Opposition
The first oppositional speaker in parliamentary debate.
Loci Method
A technique whereby the learner imagines walking through the rooms of a familiar building, all the while connecting a part of the information to be learned with each room.
Member of the Government
The affirmative speaker who speaks after the Leader of the Opposition in parliamentary
debate.
Member of the Opposition
The negative speaker who speaks after the Member of the Government in parliamentary
debate.
Methodology
Principles or procedures for a discipline. In this text, it refers to educational techniques or
approaches.
Mnemonics
A formula or rhyme that a learner uses to remember something.

174| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Monotone
An unvarying tone of voice.
Narrative
A story or account of events.
Negative
The side in a debate that rejects the resolution.
Opponent
In debate, the term used to describe the other team.
Opposition
The team negating the propositional team in parliamentary debate. The opposition opposes the proposition.
Parliamentary Debate (National Parliamentary Debate Association)
A debate format in which the two teams take on the role of governmental leaders. This
format requires a different topic for every round.
Parliamentary Debate (Worlds Style or European/British Parliament)
A version of parliamentary debate in which four teams compete at the same time, two for
the proposition and two for the opposition.
Plan
When debating a proposition of policy, the course of action the affirmative proposes to
solve the problems identified in the need.
Policy Debate
A debate format that focuses on a current (usually a governmental) policy. Typically debaters have the same topic for the entire school year and read evidence, word for word.
Preparation Time
The time allotted to each team for preparation during a debate (eight minutes in Karl
Popper debate).
Prime Minister
The first propositional speaker in a parliamentary debate.

Glossary |175

Pro
The two-person affirmative team in a public forum debate.
Propositional
The team opposing the oppositional team in parliamentary debate. The propositional
team supports the proposition.
Public Forum
An audience-oriented debate forum that does not usually allow expert debate judges.
Topics are new each month and are chosen for their balance of evaluative arguments on
both sides.
Rebuttal Speeches
The speeches in the debate that challenge and defend arguments introduced in the constructive speeches.
Refutation
The process of attacking and defending arguments.
Research
The process of locating and selecting evidence in preparation for a presentation.
Roadmap
A statement given at the beginning of a speech that lets the audience know the order of
the speech.
Role Play
An exercise in which the participants assume the identity of a character in a scenario.
Scope and Sequence
A charted curricular plan in which a range of instructional objectives, skills, and content
is organized.
Simulation
An exercise in which participants are given extensive documentation and background to
take on a role in a scenario. Participants are usually asked to make difficult decisions.
Socratic Discussion
A teaching methodology in which the teacher or student(s) pose questions to the group
in an attempt to reach some kind of truth or understanding. Rarely is there only one
right answer, or sometimes even any answer at all.

176| Using Deliberative Techniques in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Standards
Broadly stated expectations of what students should know and be able to do in particular
subjects.
Statistics
Evidence expressed in numbers.
Status Quo
The current course of action; the present system.
Story Building
A technique in which the learner invents a story using the new vocabulary to be learned.
Strand
Curricular theme or topic.
Style
The use of language, voice, and body language in a presentation.
Theory
A statement that explains other facts or that predicts the occurrence of events.
Thesis Statement
A one-sentence statement given at the beginning of a debate or speech that lets the audience know the purpose: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.
Warrant
In a debate, a stated or unstated reasoning process that explains the relationship between
the evidence and the claim.

Glossary |177

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Resources
If you want to find out more about deliberative methodology for EFL and other subjects,
check out the following Web sites:
Deliberative Methodology Information
Debatabasea database of debate topics
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/index.php
Debating Links
http://www.idebate.org/resources/links.php
International Debate Education Association homepage
www.idebate.org
National Forensic League
http://www.nflonline.org/Main/HomePage

English as a Foreign Language

Center for Applied Linguistics
http://www.cal.org
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction
Educational Programs
http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/resabout/

Evaluation
Alternative Assessment Toolbox
http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/rubrics.htm
Chicago Public Schools Rubric Bank
http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/rubric_
bank.html

Resources |179