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ELA 5: Preparing for a Debate 137 Views
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Description:
Read over your points, remember to relax, and rub a yam on your forehead. We totally did that before our last debate and we won. We're not stopping any time soon.
Transcript
- 00:04
[Coop and Dino singing]
- 00:13
Essays and debates might seem pretty different. [Man and woman at a debate]
- 00:16
After all, debates generally involve people arguing with each other…
- 00:19
…while essays just kinda…sit there.
- 00:21
And if your essay does start arguing with you, you should definitely get that checked out. [Man sitting in a room and essay smiles]
Full Transcript
- 00:25
That'd be some kind of Harry Potter nonsense….
- 00:27
However, writing an essay and debating are kinda similar! [Man jumps out of window]
- 00:30
Debates involve a lot of give and take.
- 00:32
Sure, you've got your position that you want to argue…
- 00:34
…but it's your opponents job to prove that you're dead wrong.
- 00:37
Luckily debates generally have rules of decorum and dignity, which usually keeps the pie throwing [Pie flies over mans head]
- 00:42
to a minimum.
- 00:43
Because of the general no-pies rule, debating means coming up with new arguments to stop
- 00:47
your opponent's counterarguments in their tracks.
- 00:49
And no, just because pies are out doesn't mean that throwing a wedding cake should be [Woman dodges pies and picks up a wedding cake]
- 00:53
your go-to strategy.
- 00:55
We see this exact same thing in argumentative essays.
- 00:58
When you write an essay, you need to provide a whole bunch of solid arguments for your main idea…
- 01:02
…and you need to take on any counterarguments someone might use to attack your position. [Table of differences for essays and debates]
- 01:07
So in a way, debating and essay writing are really different forms of the same argumentative
- 01:12
dance: argument, counterargument, defend, plié!
- 01:15
Kinda like a waltz! [People watching a couple performing a waltz]
- 01:16
But with more arguing!
- 01:17
And no actual dancing!
- 01:19
So not like a waltz at all!
- 01:21
Though if you started waltzing during a debate, you'd probably throw your opponent off, so…don't [Man dancing on stage during a debate]
- 01:25
knock it till ya try it.
- 01:27
And because debates and essays are so similar, you can even use one of your essays as a set
- 01:31
of talking points for a debate.
- 01:32
Unfortunately, you can't just read your essay, start to finish.
- 01:36
Unless part of your argumentative strategy is to make your opponent fall asleep. [Man falls asleep on stage and falls over]
- 01:40
Tricky….very, very tricky…
- 01:43
But if it's not your strategy, then try breaking your essay down into the main arguments, [Coop teaching debate strategies]
- 01:47
counterarguments, and defenses.
- 01:49
Write short notes for each, and maybe even using notecards, so that you can keep track
- 01:53
of everything while you're up there in the spotlight.
- 01:55
You'll also need to think a bit about what style you'll use in your debate. [Woman looks at herself in a mirror]
- 01:59
Will you be conversational, and try to keep things light?
- 02:01
Or will you be formal and cool, and try to keep everything under control? [Woman puts on sunglasses]
- 02:05
Whatever you do, make sure you leave the pies at home.
- 02:08
…And the cake.
- 02:09
We see you. [Woman drops large wedding cake]
- 02:11
You tricky fiend, you…
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