Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name is Mrs. Riley, and I'll be teaching you today.

In our lesson today, we are going to be learning all about debating.

I wonder if you've heard of a debate before or if you already know anything about debating.

Well, in today's lesson, we're going to find out all about what a debate is.

Let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to define a debate and an opinion.

These are the key words for our lesson today.

That means these words are really important, so let's make sure we all understand what they mean.

We're going to a little bit of my turn, your turn.

So make sure you're ready.

Here's the first word.

Debate.

Debate.

Well done.

A debate is a structured argument between two teams. The next key word is opinion.

Opinion.

An opinion is a view or belief that a person has.

I might have a different opinion to you.

We all are different, so we all have different opinions, different beliefs, and that's fine.

The next key word is reasoning.

Reasoning.

Reasoning is explaining why a person has a certain opinion.

So if I shared my opinion with you, it always helps to give reasoning why I have that opinion.

And finally, justify.

Justify.

Justify is giving clear reasoning for an opinion.

So I might justify my opinion with clear reasoning.

So all of these words are going to be really important in our learning today and in a debate.

So in our lesson today, we're first of all going to look at what a debate actually is, and then we're going to look at giving opinions and justifying them.

So let's start off by learning what a debate is.

So welcome, first of all, to debating lessons.

These lessons will be a little bit different to others and they will be filled with lots of speaking and lots of listening, and hopefully you are gonna find them really enjoyable.

So we're gonna start off today by discussing what makes a successful speaker because speaking is really important in debating.

Use these images to help you.

Imagine someone walked into the room right now and was going to speak to all of you.

How would they do that successfully? Pause the video now and discuss this with your partner.

Okay, brilliant.

Well done.

It's so nice to hear you having such lovely, rich discussions.

So here are some top tips to help you be a successful speaker.

So these are going to be important in debating.

Standing up straight.

If we're slouched looking to the ground, we're straight away giving off bad sort of body language.

If we stand up straight, we instantly are going to seem confident and the audience are going to trust in what we say.

Speak in a loud, clear voice.

Otherwise, we won't.

The audience won't be able to hear us.

Make eye contact with the audience that's gonna help you to connect with them.

If you spend your whole time looking down and reading notes, you're not going to connect with the audience in the same way.

Keep your feet grounded and flat on the floor.

Again, that's going to make you seem really confident and let the audience trust in what you're saying rather than sort of shuffling around.

And introduce yourself when you start speaking and thank the audience when you're finished.

Starting off by saying, "Hello, good afternoon, everyone," or, "Good morning, everyone.

My name is, hmm, and today I'm going to be talking to you about this." And then at the end, thanking them for their time, thanking them for their listening.

Everyone will be really impressed by that.

So here are some top tips to be a successful speaker.

And we know debating, part of being in a debate is being a successful speaker.

So all of these are going to be really important when we're learning about debating.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

Is this true or false? Successful speakers use a loud, clear voice.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Yes, the answer is true.

Successful speakers should use a loud, clear voice.

Have a little bit of thinking time now.

Why is that? You don't need to pause the video, but just have some thinking time.

Why should successful speakers use a loud, clear voice? Okay, they should use a loud, clear voice because the audience must be able to hear the speaker.

If they can't hear the speaker, then there's no point in them speaking so loud.

Clear voices are essential.

Okay, so I would like you now to have a think about whether you have ever seen a debate.

It might be, it might have been something you've seen in real life or maybe on television.

But I'd like you to pause the video and discuss with your partner if you think you've ever seen a debate.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely to hear those discussions again.

So a debate is a structured argument between two teams. A structured argument.

So it's not like two people bickering and having a silly argument over something.

It's a structured argument.

And a debate is a great way to settle an argument in a formal way, often in front of an audience.

An audience watches and listens to a debate.

In a debate, people will give their opinion and justify this with reasoning.

So let's just think about a real life example.

Let's imagine at your school, you wear school uniform, but lots of the pupils and the parents are starting to say they think it'd be better for children to be able to wear their own clothes to school so they can express themselves.

But there's a divided opinion.

Lots of people want to keep the school uniform and lots of people want to stop wearing a school uniform.

So rather than lots of people bickering and having arguments about it, you could say, "Okay, why don't we hold a school debate, and we can choose some people to represent the people that would like to have a school uniform and a group of people to represent the people who don't want to have a school uniform." And they can both give their opinions and justify it with reasoning.

So they're going to give lots of reasons why they think they should or shouldn't have a school uniform.

And an audience can watch and listen and that will then help them to make their decision.

They'll hear all the different ideas and then at the end, perhaps they could do a vote to decide what they think is best.

So that is why a debate, it can be really useful in real life.

It's a way that you can settle something by having a structured argument.

It allows people to share their opinions and give reasons for their opinions.

And hopefully, an outcome could be decided from a debate.

Okay, so is it true or false? A debate is a structured argument between two teams. True or false? Pause the video now.

Well done, it is true.

And why? Because a debate has two teams who share their differing opinions.

So there'll be two teams with different opinions having a structured argument.

And there are lots of reasons why people might debate.

So I just gave you one example.

So maybe it's to settle an argument, maybe it's to make decisions, maybe it's just to give their opinion or to practise their speaking skills.

So which of these are two reasons? So which two of these are reasons why people might have a debate? Which two? A, to settle an argument; B, to create conflict; C, to make decisions; or D, to shout loudly.

Which two of these are reasons why people might have a debate? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

The correct answers are A, to settle an argument or C, to make decisions.

These are two reasons why people might have a debate, a structured argument between two teams. Debating is an important skill for children to have for many different reasons.

So this isn't just something that adults need to learn to do.

Children should learn to debate for many different reasons.

And here are some of them.

It helps them know how to give their opinion.

It's really important.

Your opinions are really important.

So it's really essential that you know how to give and share your opinion in a confident way.

It teaches them how to convince people.

So if someone thinks differently to you, you can try to convince them if you learn how to debate.

And it will help children to make changes in the world.

Children are so important.

You can make changes.

And so if you learn to debate from a young age, you can help to make changes in the world that you want to see.

So which two are reasons why debating is an important skill for children to have? A, it helps them to be argumentative; B, it helps them to know how to give their opinion; C, it helps them to make changes in the world; or D, it helps them to always get their own way.

Which of these are reasons why debating is an important skill for children to have? Pause the video now.

Well done.

The correct answers are B, it helps them to know how to give their opinion, and C, it helps them to make changes in the world.

So let's now think about when debates take place in real life.

Debates take place in order to make changes.

This might be in politics, this might be in universities, this might be in schools.

Okay, so it's now time for your first task today.

In this task, you're going to be discussing using your words and I'd like you to just complete these sentences.

A debate is, so I'd like you to tell me what a debate is and debating is important for children because.

Could you pause the video now while you complete this task? Okay, well done.

It was really nice to hear you explaining what debates are and why they are important for children.

I can tell you've been really concentrating.

So well done.

So let's have a look at an example of what you might have said.

A debate is a structured argument between two teams and debating is important for children because it helps them know how to give their opinion.

So we're now going to move on to our second learning cycle.

But before we do that, let's just have a quick movement break.

Maybe have a quick fidget, maybe have a stretch, maybe take one deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Well done.

So we have learned already what a debate is.

Now we're going to learn more about giving our opinions and justifying them.

So a key part of debating is being able to give an opinion.

Remember, an opinion is a view or belief that a person has.

It's something you think or feel.

It's not a fact.

So a fact and opinion are two different things.

An opinion belongs to the person sharing it.

And a speaker will often use words like I or my to show the opinion is theirs.

And here are some examples.

I think dogs are the best pet.

I believe that orange is the best colour.

My favourite food is pizza.

Now, they don't, opinions don't have to start with the words I or my because I could, for example, say dogs are the best pet.

That's still my opinion.

But often, words like I or my are used when you are sharing your opinion.

And you'll see these are not facts, it's just what a person believes.

So the fact, it's not a fact that pizza is the best food in the world.

Other people might not, some people might not like pizza.

But somebody might say, "My favourite food is pizza." It's their belief, it's their view.

So let's check which of these is an opinion.

Not a fact, an opinion.

A, there are 11 players in a football team; B, I am nine years old; C, I believe that pasta is the best food; and D, I live in Wales.

Pause the video and choose which of these is an opinion.

Well done.

The correct answer is C.

I believe that pasta is the best food.

All of the other examples are facts.

For example, I am nine years old.

You either have been alive for nine years or you haven't.

It is a fact.

That pasta being the best food, that's someone's opinion.

So here are some more examples of opinions.

School uniform should be banned.

Being a doctor is a better job than being an actor.

Tennis is the best sport.

Now, hopefully, as you listened to those opinions, you might have reacted to them and thought whether you agreed or disagreed.

For example, you might think being a doctor is a better job than an being an actor.

You might agree or disagree with that.

So I'd like you to discuss that now.

I would like you to discuss with your partner whether you agree or disagree with each of these opinions.

Pause the video now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Well done.

It was really nice to hear those discussions.

And isn't it good that we all have different opinions because we are all different.

If we were all the same, it would be really boring.

Okay, so which is a fact rather than opinion? So this time, I want you to find the fact.

A, the best food in the world is pizza; B, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland form the United Kingdom; C, hamsters are easier pets than cats.

Which of these is a fact? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Hopefully, you identified that B is a fact.

The best food in the world is pizza is just someone's opinion.

And again, hamsters being easier pets than cats is someone's opinion.

Somebody else might disagree and say, "Actually, I think cats are easier than hamsters." So an important aspect of debating is justifying opinions.

Justifying is one of our key words and it means explaining why you think a certain way.

So if you think that hamsters are easier pets than cats, you can justify it by explaining why you believe that.

An argument outlines someone's opinions and their justifications.

So could you now save these sentences aloud by filling in the missing words and the three options you have are opinions, justifying, and argument, which you might have noticed are three of our key words today.

So the first sentence is an important aspect of debating is justifying, hmm.

The next sentence is, hmm, means explaining why you think a certain way.

And finally, an, hmm, outlines opinions and their justifications.

So you need to fill in each blank with one of those keywords.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

So the correct answers are an important aspect of debating is justifying opinions.

Justifying means explaining why you think a certain way.

And an argument outlines someone's opinions and their justifications.

When someone is justifying their opinion, they use reasoning.

Reasoning outlines the reason someone holds their opinion.

In a debate, one speaker's reasoning may be more convincing than their opponents.

So remember, you've got two different teams. So one person's reasoning may be more convincing than their opponents.

So let's go back to that example of one team saying, "We want to keep school uniform," and one team saying, "We think we should wear our own clothes." If I'm in the audience watching that debate, that structured argument, one team might give better or more convincing reasoning and that might make me agree with them.

So it's really important that we are really convincing and that we give really good strong reasoning for our opinions.

So is it true or false? To get the audience to agree with them, a speaker's reasoning must be more convincing than their opponents.

True or false? Pause the video now.

Well done, this is true.

Why? Because the reasoning for an opinion is what convinces an audience.

There is an important word that is often used in debating.

It signals to the audience that a speaker is sharing their reasoning for opinion.

And that word is because.

So which word signals the start of the reasoning in an argument? Is it A, and; B, so; or C, because? Pause the video now Well done, the answer is C.

So in any debate that you watch, you should hopefully hear this keyword, because, a lot because hopefully they are using it to give their reasons why they have an opinion.

So I'm now going to do an added task and you are then going to copy the task in a second.

So we're gonna swap roles for a second.

You're the teacher, I'm the pupil.

So check if I'm doing it right.

I am going to use because to give reasoning for this opinion.

Here's the opinion.

I believe that dogs are better pets than cats because.

Okay, so I've got to use because to give a reasoning, give reasoning for this opinion.

So I might say, "I believe that dogs are better pets than cats because you can take them for walks." That's my reason that I've given why I think dogs are better than cats.

Here's your turn.

You're going to give, use because to give reasoning for this opinion.

I believe that homework should be banned because.

Now, even if you don't believe that, just imagine you do for a moment and give a reason why you might have that opinion.

I believe that homework should be banned because.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Wow, I heard lots of different reasons why you thought homework should be banned.

One example might be, I believe that homework should be banned because children should have free time after school.

So here's some reminders of some top tips to be a successful speaker.

Now, in a minute, you're going to be doing it, sharing your opinions, and doing some speaking.

So I need you to really concentrate and remember all these top tips.

Stand up straight.

Speak in a loud, clear voice so the audience can hear you.

Make eye contact with the audience.

Don't just look down.

Look at the audience.

Connect with the audience.

Keep your feet flat and grounded on the floor so that you stand strong and confident rather than shuffling around.

Introduce yourself when you start speaking and thank the audience when you are finished.

All these things, try to remember.

So it's time for your final task in today's lesson.

And you for this task are going to have a go at sharing your opinions in front of an audience.

And you're going to use the word because to give reasoning for this opinion.

You can use any of these topics to help you think that an opinion and share it by standing up and telling someone.

So you could give your opinion on the best school trip ever.

It could be your favourite sporting hero.

It could be the best fictional character.

So any made up character in a book or a film or a TV series.

It could be your favourite food.

So here's an example.

You might start off by saying, "I think the best school trip ever would be," and then you also would want to give your reasoning using the word because.

Or the best fictional character is, hmm, because, and then give your added reasoning.

So remember all those things.

Have a think first what your opinion is, and then think about your delivery.

Think about standing up straight.

Think about making sure you give a reason using because.

Think about speaking loud and clearly and keeping eye contact with your audience because that way, they are going to really be able to listen to and understand what your opinion is and why you have that opinion.

So good luck.

I hope you enjoy this task and I hope you enjoy sharing your opinions.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely.

Let's come back together.

So here are some examples of what you might have said.

So if you were, get sharing your opinion on the best school trip ever, you might have said, "I think the best school trip ever would be to a farm because I want to see the different animals.

My favourite sporting hero is Serena Williams because she is an amazing role model for girls in tennis.

My favourite food is pizza because there are lots of different toppings." So in all of these, we've shared our opinion and we've given reasoning using that keyword because.

So let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've learned that a debate is a structured argument between two teams. An opinion is a view or belief that a person has.

It's different from a fact.

It's just our opinion.

They can all be different.

In a debate, people will give their opinion and justify this with reasoning using that word because.

I believe this because.

So the word because signals to the audience that a speaker is sharing their reasoning for their opinion.

Speaking in a loud, clear voice, making eye contact with the audience, and standing up straight are some of the top tips to become a successful speaker.

So thank you for joining me today.

Hopefully, you have a strong understanding of what a debate is, and you feel confident sharing your opinions and giving reasons and justifying why you have those opinions.

Hopefully, I'll see you for some more learning another time.

Bye.