Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating
I can effectively plan and confidently participate in a debate, and use a success criteria to evaluate my contribution.
Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating
I can effectively plan and confidently participate in a debate, and use a success criteria to evaluate my contribution.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Planning is an important part of the debating process.
- Being prepared will mean you can confidently deliver your arguments and rebuttals.
- Positive body language can help if you feel nervous.
- It’s important to reflect after a debate so you can understand what to improve next time.
Keywords
Initial - at the beginning; first
Anticipate - to expect something to happen and prepare for it in advance
Efficient - in note-taking, this means quickly capturing key information in a clear and organised way without wasting time or writing too much
Common misconception
I do not need to plan for a debate.
To participate effectively in debate you will need to have clear arguments and rebuttals, that are backed up with evidence. Planning will ensure you can do this confidently.
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Time to debate: planning, evaluating and participating, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 english lessons from the Participating in effective debates unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.