Basics of Structured Argumentation and Debate Rounds
Each unit is designed to provide students with the necessary skills to compete in the coming tournament. Tournament 1 (T-1) can be very overwhelming for new debaters.
We strongly believe that the first novice rounds should be limited to:
- COMMON FILES – We believe students should begin with the benefit of well-structured files that all teams use.
- ONE CASE – We believe that the first case students use should be a model for a well-designed case. We provide a manageable 1AC in our core files.
- CASE ARGUMENTS ONLY – We believe students should start with stock issues in order to learn the fundamentals of logic and clash. We provide a Neg packet to accompany the 1AC.
- COACHING CROSS-X – We believe that the students would benefit more from an open cross-x where the judge guides and prompts.
The lessons in this unit will introduce your new students to:
- debate structure and language
- components of an argument
- responding to an argument
- flowing
- debate round structure
- roles of each debater during a round.