Debate in the

Classroom

Lesson Plans for Teachers

Written By: Kelley Bieringer

Debate in the

Classroom

Lesson Plans for Teachers

Written By: Kelley Bieringer

Debate in the

Lesson Plans for Teachers

1

Introduction

Debating

Debating is done every day. People debate with themselves over what to eat or what clothes to wear.

Students debate with their teachers over going to the bathroom during class or how much homework

should be assigned. Friends debate with each other over what movie to see or while discussing the

news. Informally, debating is an exchange of opinions and ideas. Formally, debaters present arguments

or opinions and use facts to support these claims. There is a judge who decides which side makes

stronger arguments. Informal debates are often resolved with the heart, while formal debates are

determined by which side presented more effective arguments.

Arguments

Arguments are formed using three steps: Assertion, Reasoning, and Evidence, which are referred to as

A-R-E. First, an assertion needs to be made. An assertion is more than just a statement. It is an opinion

with passion behind it. For example, schools should be year-round. Secondly, reasoning needs to be

given for why the assertion was made in the first place. This reason continues with the previous

example, because it will increase teacher retention. Lastly, evidence needs to be given. Evidence should

be fact based, either as a traditional fact like a statistic or as a case-study where one person or group

show the results of what is being argued. For example, according to Apple Education, teachers who

leave the profession within the first 3-5 years report burnout as one of the top causes.

Impact

Impact is the effect or consequence of the argument. Without an impact or consequence, the argument

is pointless. Arguing that pencils should be red instead of yellow has minimal impact on people’s lives.

This makes it a weak argument. The greater the impact is, the stronger the argument is. When the

argument has been formed, ask so what? If the “so what” has been answered within the argument,

then the argument is complete. If it has not been answered, it needs to be included.

Rebuttal (Replies)

Rebuttals follow a simple 4-step refutation method. They said…but we think…because…therefore… This

allows the judge and audience to know exactly which argument is being refuted and keeps the debater

focused. Using the example from above, the rebuttal may look like this: They said that year-round

schools will increase teacher retention, but we think that teachers will be disappointed that their

summers are shorter because, many people consider the long summer to be one of the best benefits of

teaching. Therefore, if you shorten the summer, less people will be attracted to education as a job and

there will be even fewer teachers. Rebuttals may focus on the assertion, reason, evidence, or the

argument as a whole. The point is to tear down the opponent’s argument by attacking the weakest

point.

2

Debates in the Classroom

Round Table Debate

This is based on the idea that in business, when people sit at a round table, everyone’s opinions are

equal. So, everyone should be heard. The topic should be written where everyone can see it. Give each

student a small piece of paper or coin. Each student gives an argument, for or against the motion or

refutes an argument that was made. As each student speaks, they turn in the paper or coin. Teachers

monitor who spoken. Arguments and rebuttals use the A-R-E format and 4-point refutation method.

Variation: Give each student two pieces of paper. Each student must make at least one argument or

rebuttal, and then those that want to speak again may do so with the second piece of paper. Make sure

everyone speaks at least once before letting students go a second time.

Someone Else’s Shoes

This come from the saying, “don’t judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes.” Pick a topic that

effects lots of different groups of people, like Off road driving should be illegal in the Qatar desert. Then

assign students to different groups, like environmentalists, tourism board, Qatar family, and the

government. Students brainstorming or do research to decide which side of the debate their group

should be on and then create arguments. Students also plan rebuttal by thinking of potential arguments

from the other groups.

Other topics: The US should relax the laws concerning immigration. Groups: Mexican immigrants,

Asian immigrants, health care providers, environmentalists (yes, there are environmental arguments

about immigration), US citizens for it, US citizens against it, etc.

Qatar should not allow non-Qataris to become citizens. Groups: Qatari citizens, people born in Qatar

without citizenship, people who work and live in Qatar, historians, etc.

Water rights are also interesting, in terms of people damning rivers to collect water. Groups: farmers,

people who live down the river, government, environmentalists, local business owners, etc.

Class Preparation for a 3 vs. 3 Debate

Most formal debates are held with either 2 or 3 speakers on both sides, but this alone is not practical for

the classroom because it leaves most students with nothing to do. Therefore, assign roles to each

student to help prepare for the debate. For each side of the motion, assign the following jobs for a class

of 20 students:

3 speakers

1 organizer (this person helps the speakers decide who is giving what arguments, in what order, and

helps with organizing individual speeches; this person is also the alternate in case one of the debaters is

absent the day of the debate)

3

2 researchers (they either need books on the topic or access to the Internet)

1 A-R-E expert

1 4-Step Refutation expert

2 potential rebuttal experts (these students think of all the potential arguments the other team may

bring up and how to refute them- they work closely with the 4-Step Refutation Expert)

Variation: If you have a larger class, pick two motions and split the class into 4 teams then have two

debates, one after the other.

POI’s

This activity works well if there are six students who really excel, need to be challenged, and have extra

time to prepare a separate debate. Chose a topic for these six students and assign them to the

proposition or opposition team. Give them time (either a few hours or a few days depending on the

difficulty of the topic) to prepare their arguments and speeches. Have the students debate in front of

the class, with the class making POIs as well as the opposing team. Extend the time of the speeches to

allow for the extra POIs.

4

Warm-Up Activities

Just a Minute

Have students call out topics and write them on the board (e.g. banana, Qatar, basketball, etc.)

One student, as the judge, selects the first speaker who must stand in front of the class (the only way to

get over the fear of public speaking is to do it) and speak about the topic chosen by the judge for one

minute without doing any of the following:

Hesitating- saying um, err, or having any long pauses

Deviating- saying anything that is not directly related to the topic

Repeating- saying the same word/phrase (except for the topic word) more than once (this can be left

out if students are not speaking in their native tounge)

If the speaker does any of the above, then any student may challenge by raising their hand and

explaining to the group what the speaker has done wrong.

If the challenge is successful (the judge decides if it is unclear) then the challenger continues to speak on

the same topic for one minute

The judge then picks another topic. The process repeats for another minute for a total of four minutes

(which is four topics). In the final minute, the judge picks two out of the four topics and the speaker

must speak for one minute on both topics at once.

The winner is the student who managers to speak for the longest period of time.

The Alphabet Chain

The class stands in a circle and everyone closes their eyes because this is a listening activity. The first

student starts by saying the first letter of the alphabet (A). The person to the right says the next letter

(B) and the person to the right says (C) and so on. If two people say the letter at the same time, if a

letter is skipped, or if there is a pause of more than 2 seconds then the Alphabet Chain must start again

with the person who made the mistake. It only sounds easy!

Alley Debate I

Split the class into two groups, standing in two lines facing someone on the other team.

The first member of group A must give an argument.

The first member of group B (standing opposite them)must give a response to this argument.

The second member of group A must give a new argument.

5

The second member of group B must give a response to the new argument.

After all the members of group A have given an argument, the groups swap roles.

This exercise helps students practice generating new lines of argument in a debate and avoiding

repetition of arguments.

Alley Debate II

Split the class into two and stand in two lines facing someone on the other team.

The first member of group A must give an argument.

The first member of group B (standing opposite them) must give a response to this argument.

The second member of group A must respond to the response made by the first member of Group B.

The second member of group B must give a response to the response of the second member of Group A.

This exercise helps students to directly respond to arguments in a short space of time.

Why

One student stands in front of the class and states an opinion.

The entire class loudly asks, “WHY?”

The speaker must reply.

The entire class loudly asks, “WHY?”

The speaker replies.

This continues until the speaker runs out of reasons.

Then, another student does the same.

This exercise helps build arguments and really brings out the impact of the arguments. Many debates

are won by showing a stronger impact of why things should be…or not be.

6

Building an Argument: A-R-E

Materials:

1. Paper

2. Pen or Pencil

Purpose:

Students learn how to form opinions that are supported by facts using the A-R-E format.

Assert the opinion

Reason why it is correct

Give an evidence or evidence of this. It should be a fact that cannot be argued with.

Objectives:

Students will learn the A-R-E format to construct an argument.

Lesson:

1) Demonstrate how to use the A-R-E format. Begin by writing a topic (called a motion in a debate) on

the board that students can argue for or against without doing any research, like Children’s

television does more harm than good. (At some point in the discussion, you may need to set an age

limit, like children up to 12 years old.) Ask students to give you reasons and evidence of how this is

true or false. Make sure you get the assertion, reason, and evidence out of the student before going

on to the next idea. If a student says, “there is a lot of violence on TV,” ask, “why is that bad?” The

student should say something like, “because kids act out what they see on TV.” Then ask for

evidence. The student should easily come up with a show like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. An

example of a positive TV should be Sesame Street, because it teaches kids the alphabet or positive

social skills. After a few of these, both for and against the opinion/motion explain the A-R-E format.

You can even write something like this on the board:

Assertion: There is a lot of violence on TV.

Reason: Children copy what they see on TV when they play. When they see violence, that’s what

they do.

Evidence: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Then, have students put the other ideas they came up with into the A-R-E format. This can be done

verbally.

2) Either ask students what kinds of topics they would like to debate, or just give them one.

(Suggestions are below.) Write the topic/motion on the board.

7

3) Students create 2-4 arguments for the topic/motion and 2-4 arguments against the motion, using

the A-R-E format. The worksheet below may be used or students can do this on their own paper.

4) Have students share their arguments using the A-R-E format. (Sometimes it is best to call on the

lower students first because then they can contribute successfully and their arguments aren’t

already used.)

Possible topic suggestions, that don’t require research:

Eating meat is wrong.

Parents should pay for their children’s crimes.

English should be the official language of (the US, Qatar, Kenya, etc.).

Beauty pageants do more harm than good.

Schools should eliminate letter grades.

8

Name:_________________

Building Arguments

The motion (topic): ___________________________________________________________________

Proposition: (for the motion)

Argument #1

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Argument #2

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Argument #3

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Opposition: (against the motion)

9

Argument #1

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Argument #2

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Argument #3

Assertion:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence:_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

10

Other Ways to Practice A-R-E

Materials:

• Paper

• Pen or pencil

Purpose:

Students learn the difference between the argument and the reason and that there are often more than

one of each. First, students learn how to give a reason for the argument. Then, they create arguments

from the reasons. Lastly, they provide evidence for these arguments.

Objectives:

Students will write reasons to match arguments and arguments to match reasons. Then, students will

provide evidence for these arguments.

Lesson:

1) Explain how after an assertion is made, there are strong and weak reasons. For example, I

deserve a good grade in this class because I have worked very hard this year, has a strong

reason. But, I deserve a good grade in this class because the dates are delicious this year, is a

very weak reason. In fact, it is completely irrelevant because the assertion and reason have

nothing to do with each other. They must relate to each other in a meaningful way for it to be

useful. Human cloning should be allowed because we need more animals to eat, makes no

sense. Animal cloning should be allowed because we need more to eat, makes sense. There

must be an obvious and direct connection between the assertion and reason for them to work

in an argument.

2) Students will copy each assertion below and provide and reason (“because…”) for it.

Remember, the reason should be strong and clearly relate to the assertion.

a. Cigarettes should be illegal, because…

b. It is never right to take a life because…

c. Television is a bad influence because…

d. Tortured is justified for national security because…

e. Children should not be allowed to have credit cards because…

f. Schools should eliminate letter grades because…

g. Schools should be year round because…

h. Beauty contests are harmful because…

i. It is more important to study math than English because…

j. All students should learn to draw because…

3) Next, there are several reasons below. Students must think of an assertion that the reason

would support. For example, is the statement is because going to bed late makes one unable to

11

concentrate the next day, you might assert, students should have curfews. There is no correct

assertion for each reason. Students should pick the one they think is best.

a. Because eating junk food is bad for you,

b. Because too many buildings are abandoned,

c. Because there are things on the Internet that students should not see,

d. Because English is the most common language in the world,

e. Because everyone has a right to clean drinking water,

f. Because driving without a seat belt is dangerous,

g. Because it is bad for the environment,

h. Because lots of TV shows are violent,

i. Because athletes are paid too much,

j. Because it is important to read books,

4) Lastly, students provide evidence for 8 of these arguments. There are lots of types of evidence.

Example or illustration is the most common. A student might make the following argument,

using an example: Children should not watch TV because lots of shows on TV are violent. For

example, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is only about fighting as you can see by the weapons the

turtles always carry with them, even when eating. Evidence can also come in the form of an

analogy. Many advertisements use this technique. For example, when a dirty shower is cleaned

with the Magic Cleaner, the evidence is the analogy between the dirty shower on TV and your

own. Lastly, statistics are another common type of evidence. Statistics are usually used to

establish facts. If one can demonstrate that 95% of people who die of lung cancer smoke

cigarettes, one can make the argument that cigarettes should be illegal because they cause

unnecessary deaths. Because statistics are the result of a survey, there are questions that need

to be asked: 1) Is this source reliable? Do you trust CNN? What about entertainment or gossip

shows? 2) What questions were asked in the survey? If a survey finds that 75% of students like

Kit Kats, what was the question? The survey will get different results based on these two

questions: What is your favorite chocolate candy? Or Do you like Snickers or Kit Kat better?

These questions cannot always be answered, but they should be in your mind as you evaluate

statistics.

After explaining the different types of evidence, students will pick 8 of the arguments (with

reasons) and add evidence to them.

5) Now that students have 8 complete A-R-E arguments, they should share with each other. This

can either be in pairs or to the whole class.

12

Other Ways to Practice A-R-E:

Commercials

Materials:

• Enough objects for each student to have one (pencils, lip stick, shoes, etc.)

Purpose:

Students will practice their public speaking skills, with the purpose of engaging their audience, and use

the A-R-E format to sell a product.

Objectives:

Students will create a 1 minute commercial, using the A-R-E format, to see a product. Students will

improve their public speaking skills.

Lesson:

1) Demonstrate the difference between an interesting commercial and a boring one simply by

changing your voice tone and pace at which you speak.

2) Discuss common commercials and identify the A-R-E in each or bring in magazine

advertisements and find the A-R-E in those.

3) Pass out one object per student (or in pairs). Give students 30 minutes to create a 1 minute

commercial, making sure to include the A-R-E

4) Have students present the commercial to the class. (Sometimes it is more entertaining if extra

points are given for including a jingle or song.)

13

Replying to an Argument: 4-Point Refutation

Materials:

3. Paper

4. Pen or Pencil

Purpose:

Students learn how to reply to an argument using the 4-point refutation format.

They said…

But we think…

Because…

Therefore…

Objectives:

Students will learn the 4-point refutation format to reply to an argument.

Lesson:

1)

a. Demonstrate the 4-point refutation format by writing the following topic on the board: Eating

meat is wrong.

b. Using the A-R-E format, have students give you an argument for the topic. For example, Eating

meat is wrong because (Assertion) an animal has to die for you to eat. (Reasoning) It is wrong to

kill any living thing. (Evidence) Most religious books say it is wrong to kill.

c. Now, have students create a reply using the 4-step refutation format. For example, They said

that it is wrong to kill any living thing. But, we think that killing an animal for food is how we stay

alive because we need the protein from meat to stay healthy. Therefore, killing animals for

survival is not wrong.

d. Now create an argument against the topic, using the A-R-E format and a reply using the 4-step

refutation format.

e. Do this as many times as necessary for students to understand.

2) Then, either ask students what topic they would like to debate, or pick one from the list below.

3) Students must first come up with an argument for the motion, using the A-R-E format, then come up

with the refutation using the 4-point refutation.

Possible topic suggestions, that don’t require research:

Cigarettes should be illegal. (Yes, this is a topic that can be researched, but the basic arguments for and

against it do not require it.)

14

Schools should be year round.

Torture is justified for national security.

All experiments on animals should be banned.

Ban boxing!

15

Name:______________________

Responding to Arguments

The motion (topic): ___________________________________________________________________

Argument #1

Assertion:___________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Reason:_____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

___________________________________

Evidence:____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Rebuttal #1

They said ________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

But we think______________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Because__________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

________________________________________

Therefore________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Argument #2

Assertion:___________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Reason:_____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Evidence:____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Rebuttal #2

They said ________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

But we think______________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Because__________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Therefore________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

16

Argument #3

Assertion:___________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Reason:_____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Evidence:____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Rebuttal #3

They said ________________________________

_________________________________________

_______________________________________

But we think______________________________

_________________________________________

_______________________________________

Because__________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Therefore________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Rebuttal #4

They said ________________________________

_________________________________________

_______________________________________

But we think______________________________

_________________________________________

_______________________________________

Because__________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Therefore________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Argument #4

Assertion:___________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Reason:_____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Evidence:____________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

17

Other Ways to Practice 4-Point Refutation:

“I Disagree”

Materials:

• Paper

• Pen or pencil

Purpose:

Students practice the 4-Point Refutation format.

Objectives:

Given an assertion, students refute it using the 4-point refutation format.

Lesson:

1) Ask everyone in the class to write down an assertion at the top of a piece of paper.

2) Pass the assertion to the student on the right. Each student must take the assertion and write a

refutation using the 4-point refutation format.

3) Pass the assertion to the right again. That student must write a different refutation using the 4-

point refutation format.

4) Have each student stand up, read the assertion and the two refutations.

5) If you want to continue, either do it again with a blank sheet of paper and pass to the left this

time. Or, give students the following claims and have them each write a refutation:

a. Violent video games should be banned.

b. Uniforms should be worn in all schools.

c. Cell phones should be allowed in schools.

d. Schools should not require science classes.

e. Communities should have tougher punishments for graffiti.

f. Junk food should be banned in schools.

g. Football players should wear helmets.

h. Cats are better than dogs.

i. Every citizen should be required to vote in elections.

j. Ban boxing!

18

Turning Arguments into Persuasive Essays

Materials:

1. Paper

2. Pen or Pencil

3. Research materials (either books on the topic or the Internet), if necessary

Purpose:

Since students know how to form arguments and rebuttals, they can use these skills to write a

persuasive essay.

Objectives:

Students write persuasive essays.

Lesson:

1) Explain the format of a persuasive essay. Any format is fine; the most basic is the five-paragraph

essay. The first paragraph is the introduction with a thesis (the debate motion), a brief

overview of the three arguments (basically, just the assertion for each), and a concluding

sentence that shows the impact. The next three paragraphs are the three arguments supporting

the thesis. Using the A-R-E format, students should write one paragraph for each argument,

including the impact. The fifth paragraph is the conclusion. The conclusion is the summary of

why the thesis is true. It should reassert the main arguments (using different words) and show

at least the major impact.

2) Give students the topic. Either assign them a side or let them pick proposition or opposition.

3) Students outline the essay using the worksheet from Building an Argument: A-R-E. They should

write down all the arguments they can think of- even the silly ones. Pick the best three and

decide in what order to write them.

4) Using this outline, students should be able to write a persuasive essay.

Variations:

For beginners, easy topics like the ones listed below focus more on the writing skills because they do not

require research. As students’ writing progresses, they should incorporate research into their essays.

Don’t forget to teach them how to site a source.

Lunch time should be longer at school.

There should be a morning break in the school day.

More money should be spent on books.

The school day should be longer.

19

Educational vs. Competitive Debate

Educational debate building skills in many areas including public speaking, critical thinking and writing

skills, and persuasive abilities. The purpose is for every student to improve in these areas.

Pedagogically, every student will benefit, to various degrees, by incorporating these lessons into the

classroom. Competitive debating’s purpose is to win! The goal is to present better arguments than the

opponents; build a case while tearing down the other team’s arguments; proving that one side is

stronger than the other. They are both beneficial to students in different ways. For some, the comfort

of sitting at the desk preparing and writing only to present in front of classmates is comforting and

allows them to move forward fearlessly. For others, it is the thrill of victory that drives the research and

development of arguments. Whatever form you decide to bring into the school, everyone wins!

These lessons were designed with you, the teacher, in mind. QatarDebate hopes these lessons are

valuable to your curriculum. If you are interested in learning more about our competitive tournaments,

classroom workshops, or starting a debate club, please email qatardebate@qf.org.qa or call 974 454

0396.

20

Standards that support the debate in the classroom:

Grade 9

English

3 Listen and respond

3.1 Understand a range of spoken texts containing complex utterances in a

variety of face-to-face and audio (phone, broadcast, TV, film) forms on

general and abstract topics with sufficient grasp to:

• understand purpose, gist, and details, and identify key words or

expressions;

• make inferences: infer a point of view, distinguish fact from opinion,

discern speakers’ moods or intentions, draw conclusions about the text;

• relate to own experience, form a view, generalise, agree/disagree.

3.2 Follow a discussion between two people using context and key words to

understand gist and main ideas on:

• an abstract topic where one participant is enquiring and commenting,

and the other explaining, demonstrating or directing;

• a debate on an issue where protagonists hold differing views.

3.3 Follow and respond to hypothetical arguments, statements and questions,

choosing between options, weighing consequences, forming preferences

with reasons.

Students, as ‘trustees’ of charitable funds, are presented with proposals to spend the

money on worthy causes and must decide who to award a grant to.

3.4 Follow a straightforward persuasive argument – to express a point of view,

publicise, complain:

• understand its purpose and main message;

• distinguish fact from opinion;

• identify key words or expressions;

• notice some grammatical features.

use of imperative to gain audience attention

use of present tenses to create urgency and a sense of ‘happening now’

use of dramatic or exaggerated language

use of personal commitment: I believe that …, If it were up to me, … Like I said, …

If you don’t believe me, …

4 Develop speaking strategies 4.1 Speak accurately and at length to explain, present opinions, recount,

describe and summarise events and plans, using a series of 6–8 clear,

connected, utterances with:

• accurate and appropriate use of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation;

• cohesive devices to link ideas (cause, result, etc.) within utterances and

organise ideas at discourse level;

• where appropriate, more than one subordinate clause, joined with

coordinating or subordinating conjunctions (as above);

• precise delivery of ideas backed by relevant examples and minimised

use of redundancy;

• ability to deal with unexpected questions or comments.

21

4.3 Show awareness of other participants through:

• recognising the main points made by other speakers and responding in

relevant ways;

• repeating or paraphrasing what was said to check meaning;

• asking follow-up questions;

• using basic expressions to request or invite views from others and to

show interest; I see. Yes, go on.

• using verbal and non-verbal expressions to show (dis)agreement,

interest or ignorance;

• using a range of verbal and non-verbal expressions for

– turn-taking, After you …

– interrupting, May I come in here please?

Could I just say/add …?

– suggesting. I suggest …, Maybe …, Perhaps …

4.5 Speak with some degree of fluency:

• stay on the topic and maintain relevance;

• take longer turns and allow others to develop their longer turns;

• talk at length without too many hesitations and not too slowly;

• negotiate meaning, and keep talking.

5 Speak to communicate and interact 5.1 Prepare, present and discuss an explanation or description of a process, an

event, a topic of interest or a project undertaken to interest and inform.

5.2 Prepare and present an opinion, point of view or justification intended to

convince or persuade.

5.3 Summarise and relate main points in sequence from a text heard, read or

seen using some key words or expressions from the text.

5.5 Discuss possible scenarios in the present and the future, based on

hypothesis and supposition, using first and second conditionals with if,

unless, could and might:

• familiar and important topics from other subjects e.g. health issues; If mosquitoes were controlled, millions of children wouldn’t die of malaria every year.

• personal desires and aspirations; If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?

I wouldn’t go to Japan unless I had lots of money.

• planning and arranging with others to do something; We can have a barbecue provided it doesn’t rain.

• weighing alternatives and options. If you took the exam a second time, you might pass.

Using renewable energy sources might work in other countries but …

5.6 Consolidate ability to talk with reasonable accuracy and fluency about

events in the future using present and future tenses, and extend to future

continuous (will/may/might/won’t be (do)ing) in positive and negative

statements, and yes/no and wh-type questions with long and short answers:

• to make predictions; What will you be doing ten years from now? I might be travelling around the world.

Will you still be living in Doha in twenty years time? Probably. But I hope I won’t

be doing a boring job.

• to describe continuous or long term actions in the future and contrast

with will (simple) future for one-off actions; How will I recognise you? I’ll be wearing a blue suit.

22

• with attention to time phrases. ten years from now, in ten years time, when I’m 25, by the time he’s 40

5.7 Consolidate ability to talk with reasonable fluency about events in the past

using past tenses: simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect

continuous, present perfect for unspecified past, using irregular past and

past participle verb forms accurately. Recount and compare personal experiences, social events, situations and narratives.

5.8 Consolidate ability to talk with reasonable accuracy and fluency about

unfinished actions which started in the past but continue in the present

using present perfect and present perfect continuous with for and since.

5.9 Consolidate ability to talk with reasonable accuracy and fluency about

events in the present using present continuous and simple present tenses.

6 Develop reading strategies

6.5 Prepare to research information by reviewing what they already know, what

they need to know, and where and how they will look to find out.

6.6 Search and navigate the Internet to derive predetermined and specific

information from a variety of sources; collate by downloading, cutting,

pasting, etc. to form a coherent text.

7 Read and respond 7.1 Interpret and evaluate texts:

• discern the overall message or theme;

• consider alternative actions, outcomes, etc. to those in the text;

• compare and contrast information in texts;

• interpret a real-world application of information in texts;

• evaluate in relation to preferences or purposes.

7.6 Read and understand persuasive texts:

• read a variety of texts presenting and arguing for a particular point of

view

– understand a range of purposes for persuasive writing, to complain or criticise, argue an issue of concern, plead for support, defend a

point of view, expose an injustice, publicise, sell

– identify typical contexts where persuasion would be used, letters to newspapers, evidence to enquiries, leaflets or fliers, advertisements,

tourist publicity

– distinguish between fact and opinion in reading, referring to the text

for evidence;

• understand how persuasive arguments are typically organised

– an opening statement, People should cut down the use of cars.

– a sequence of supporting arguments, In the first place, they overcrowd the roads. As well as that, they pollute … If

fewer people used their cars , …

– reiteration of the case to persuade; It is obvious that …

• read and evaluate a variety of publicity and advertising texts noting the

use of persuasive language, how opinion can be disguised as fact and

half-truths presented as facts, referring to the texts for evidence.

7.7 Read a wide variety of notes and summaries in different forms to interpret

and use as models for own note-taking, including:

• formal summaries for others to read in bullets or continuous text;

• telegraphic notes for personal use based on key words and main ideas

from a text;

• pictorial and diagrammatic notes.

23

timelines, pictorial symbols with captions, flowcharts, concept maps

Compare a variety of notes on, or summaries of, the same text with the

original, to evaluate their clarity and effectiveness.

8 Develop writing strategies 8.1 Retell or relate texts in ways that would make sense if written down:

• orientating the audience;

• sequencing information;

• using complete sentences;

• using appropriate dialogue language; in direct speech: she asked, he replied, they shouted

in reported speech: they said that …, she wanted to know if …

• using appropriate tenses and connectives for different purposes –

narrating, presenting information, instructing.

8.6 Independently review and edit own writing with the needs of an identified

audience in mind.

9 Compose written texts 9.1 Independently compose texts of up to 15 sentences in 3 or more connected

paragraphs, as appropriate to the purpose.

9.4 Write persuasive texts, in the form of short essays, letters or scripts for oral

presentation, arguing for or against a particular view on an issue of topical,

or personal interest:

• use titles and introductory statements to capture the reader’s attention

and win sympathy for the arguments; Stay healthy and get rich!

Five hundred children die every day because of …

If we continue to over-fish the oceans, very soon there will be no fish left at all.

• articulate a clear position in an introduction; The development of another shopping centre in the city will add to congestion and

do little to increase choice.

• provide supporting arguments in the form of points plus elaboration; Eggs contain protein. Protein is necessary because …

• conclude by reiterating or summarising. We have seen that …

So it must be clear that …

9.5 Compose short essays, up to 200 words, drawing on work in another

curriculum subject or an issue of topical interest, using the organisational

features typical of a discussion text to balancing and weigh arguments, and

drawing a conclusion:

• an introduction which states issues;

• the arguments in favour, plus supporting evidence or examples;

• the arguments against, plus supporting evidence or examples

(alternatively presented as point-by-point argument and counterargument);

• conclusion: summary to weigh the cases, conclusion or

recommendation.

24

Standards:

Grade 10

English

3 Listen and respond 3.3. Understand and respond to recounts, commentaries and non-chronological

information texts on familiar and unfamiliar topics:

• understand gist and detail;

• relay main points and detail in appropriate sequence to a third party;

• generalise and link to knowledge from other sources;

• transfer information to other contexts.

3.4. Follow short (about 10 minute) lectures and presentations on a range of

familiar but abstract and/or technical subjects:

• identify main and some subsidiary points;

• use notes to organise points into headings;

• select and note some relevant detail;

• formulate questions to seek clarification.

4 Develop speaking strategies 4.1 Speak accurately, using a series of up to 10 connected, simple and complex

utterances with:

• accurate and appropriate use of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation,

including appropriate stress and intonation;

• appropriate cohesive devices to link ideas within utterances and organise

ideas at discourse level;

• a variety of subordinate clauses, linked with appropriate conjunctions;

• precise delivery of ideas backed by relevant examples and minimised

use of redundancy;

• ability to deal with unexpected questions or comments.

4.4 Interact in group, paired and more formal discussion:

• actively participate, contributing relevant opinions, examples and

suggestions to the discussion;

• show independence by initiating new ideas.

4.5 Show awareness of other participants through:

• recognising the main points made by other speakers and responding in

relevant ways; I accept what you say and would just like to respond …

• repeating or paraphrasing what was said to check meaning; Did you mean to say that …?

• asking follow-up questions;

• using basic expressions to request or invite views from others and to

show interest; I see …

Yes, go on …

• using verbal and non-verbal expressions to show (dis)agreement,

interest or ignorance. Well, actually, I would have to (dis)agree with you there.

That’s very interesting, do go on …

I am not familiar with that, maybe you could tell me more.

4.7 Speak with increasing fluency:

• stay on the topic and maintain relevance;

25

• cooperatively develop the topic;

• show independence by eliciting more from the interlocutor;

• negotiate meaning and keep talking;

• take longer turns;

• begin to process and express more complex ideas.

5 Speak to communicate and interact 5.1 Consolidate the ability to make predictions, describe continuous or long

term actions in the future and contrast with specific actions and future

states, using the future continuous, the will future and appropriate time

phrases. Twenty years from now I’ll still be the same person. I’ll be dressing in the same way and

working at the same job. I might not be living in the same house but you’ll still recognise me.

Extend to talking about finished actions in the future using the future

perfect and future perfect continuous: will have done and will have been

doing, in positive and negative statements, yes/no and wh-type questions

with long and short answers and appropriate time phrases. Two hundred years from now, the sea will have risen twelve metres and the Maldives

will have disappeared.

Don’t have the party in May – I won’t have finished my exams by then.

Will you have found the right job by then? I hope so.

By the end of next week, how long will you have been living here? Three and a half

months.

5.2 Talk about the hypothetical past:

• speculate and make accusations using past modals, should, could,

would, might have done; They shouldn’t have taken the car.

She could have killed herself.

I wouldn’t have done it like.

You might have called.

• express regrets with wish + past perfect; Jaber wishes it had never happened.

I wish you’d been there too!

• talk about past unreal possibilities with the third conditional, in positive

and negative statements, yes/no and wh-type questions with long and

short answers. If the ambulance had arrived on time, he wouldn’t have died.

If there hadn’t been so much traffic, we might have made it in time.

If they’d changed the music, would you have stayed? Yes, I would have.

What would your dad have done? He would have called the police.

5.3 Discuss possible scenarios in the past, present and future, based on

hypothesis and supposition:

• familiar and important topics from history or science; environmental issues such as GM crops, globalisation, health

• personal desires and aspirations;

• planning and arranging with others to do something;

• weighing alternatives, options and consequences.

Use conditional and hypothetical language including:

• first, second and third conditionals;

• modals will, can, could, may, might, be able to, and their negative forms;

• connectives if, when, unless, provided (that),otherwise, suppose/supposing. There’s no reason we can’t have clean production provided that it costs the same.

If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?

If we stopped globalisation, more native languages might survive.

We drove to the shops, otherwise it would have taken much longer.

Supposing the computer hadn’t been invented? We wouldn’t have progressed very far.

5.4 Recount and compare events, situations, narratives and personal

26

experiences in the past, using the simple past, past continuous, past perfect

and present perfect for the general past, as appropriate.

5.5 Report what people say or believe:

• summarise monologues, conversations and group discussions; He talked about his journey. He told us how he crossed the desert alone.

Basically, what he said was …

Most people thought that …

In the end they all decided to …

• use direct quotations for emphasis or effect; So then Noor said, ‘You’d better not go there’ and we all laughed.

• use reported commands with verbs other than say, tell and ask, and

active and passive voice; He begged us to stay.

She invited us to go with her.

I was advised not to bring too much luggage.

• use reported statements and questions with verbs of speech and thought

other than say, tell and ask; She promised to look into the problem.

No-one believed that he was guilty.

Samer was sure he could get the job done in time.

We wondered how long it would take.

• use the correct sequence of tenses, and appropriate changes in time

phrases and demonstrative adjectives.

5.10 Prepare and present to an audience an opinion or point of view to convince

or persuade, in a series of complete utterances with appropriate use of:

• first and second person language; If you ask me …

What I think is …

In my opinion …

It’s my opinion that …

You may already know that …

You will be aware that …

What you may not have considered is …

• expressions to indicate degrees of certainty; perhaps, maybe

It is possible that …

It is probable that …

definitely …

You may not believe this but …

I’m (not) sure that …

Take my word for the fact that …

Everyone agrees that …

• connectives for reasons and consequences. that’s why …, because (of) …, due t …, as a result of …, owing to …,

because of this …, as a result …, therefore, as a consequence …, consequently,

for this reason …

5.11 Summarise and evaluate persuasive texts: magazine features or short documentaries on protecting endangered species, eating

healthily, visiting Morocco, plans to redevelop the port area of an old city

• discuss merits, intentions, accuracy and effectiveness;

• distinguish fact from opinion and give reasons for views, drawing on

evidence from the text;

• give feedback, seek clarification, weigh up options, state preferences;

• discuss alternatives in proposals for business, social and community

purposes. It was well put together and quite believable.

I liked the way they used the photographs.

I wonder what is meant by …

27

Of the two options they’ve given us, I prefer option two.

It sounds like a good idea but what about …

Have you considered …?

6 Develop reading strategies 6.1 Independently and intensively, read texts up to 1200 words long.

6.4 Search the Internet for information related to a text, infer information from

evidence in the text, read, understand and respond to written arguments.

Collate by downloading, cutting, pasting etc. to form a coherent whole.

6.5 Use active reading strategies:

• use techniques (e.g. highlighting a paper text) to pick out key points and

remain focused on the material;

• use indexes, pictures, tables of contents, and glossaries to help locate

and assimilate information;

• skim and scan written and screen-based texts for information;

• discern the overall message or theme;

• consider alternative actions, outcomes, etc. to those in the text;

• compare and contrast text information;

• interpret a real-world application of text information;

• evaluate in relation to preferences or purposes.

7 Read and respond

7.6 Read widely for information:

• prior to reading, identify key questions and possible sources;

• use skimming and scanning strategies to

– identify key information,

– distinguish relevant from irrelevant detail;

• synthesise information from at least three sources;

• make detailed legible notes in a form which suits the purpose – written,

diagrammatic, abbreviated – sufficiently to structure an essay;

• evaluate

– at least three different texts on the same topic,

– the reliability and relevance of information from a given source.

7.7 Read and understand a variety of persuasive texts presenting and arguing

for a particular point of view:

• understand a range of purposes for persuasive writing; to complain or criticise, to argue an issue of concern, to plead for support, to defend

a point of view, to expose an injustice, to publicise, to sell

• identify typical contexts where persuasion would be used; letters to newspapers, evidence to enquiries, leaflets, advertisements, tourist

publicity

• distinguish between fact and opinion in reading, referring to the text for

evidence;

• understand how persuasive arguments are typically organised

– an opening statement, People should cut down the use of cars.

– a sequence of supporting arguments, In the first place, they overcrowd the roads. As well as that, they pollute. If fewer

people used their cars …

– reiteration of the case to persuade; It is obvious that …

• read and evaluate a variety of publicity and advertising texts noting the

use of persuasive language, how facts can be manipulated and halftruths

presented as facts, referring to the texts for evidence.

7.8 Read a variety of discussion, debate and argument texts which present and

28

balance arguments from differing viewpoints:

• understand the purpose and typical organisational features of these texts

– an introduction stating the question at hand,

– the arguments on one side, with evidence and examples to support

the case,

– the arguments on the other side, with evidence or examples to

support this case,

– an alternative structure may present as alternating point-by-point

arguments, with each point individually set against the opposing

view,

– a summary of the arguments leading to a conclusion with a

recommendation for further action,

– an alternative structure may start with the conclusion, then give a

summary of the arguments to support that conclusion with a

recommendation for further action;

• recognise and understand the use of typical language features

– use of the present simple tense,

– impersonal, formal style with frequent use of passive voice and

modals for objectivity and to distance the author,

– logical connectives (therefore, so, however) and other features of

cohesion such as pronominal reference, sequencing through

paragraphs,

– text moves from the general to the specific,

– lexical field related to subject matter;

• form a view on any conclusions or recommendations presented in the

argument, relating them to own views and values, referring to evidence

in the text for justification.

8 Develop writing strategies 8.1 Extend techniques from Grade 9 for retelling ideas in ways that make sense

as written texts:

• orientating the audience; This story takes place a long time ago.

• sequencing information, chronologically, logically, in order of

importance, relevance etc;

• using complete sentences;

• using appropriate and expressive dialogue language or reported speech

as appropriate; she asked, he replied, they shouted, they said that

• using appropriate tenses and connectives (e.g. for narrating or

instructing).

8.2 Extend ability to plan a piece of writing in note or diagrammatic form

showing the main points in sequence.

9 Compose written texts 9.1 Independently compose texts of approximately 10–15 to sentences in a

coherent structure using:

• three connected and coherent paragraphs;

• varied sentence structure, and choice of words and phrases for precision

and effect;

• connecting words and phrases to link sentences cohesively.

9.3 Drawing on experience of reading, compose information texts which

present information based on personal knowledge or research, showing

29

ability to:

• construct a plan in the form of notes, a summary, a flow-chart, concept

map etc. showing the main elements and the connections between them,

as a basis for writing;

• synthesise information from two written sources;

• extend ability from Grade 9 to select vocabulary and typical language to

suit the purpose including a range of connectives for addition, contrast,

reason, purpose, result, condition, concession; in addition, moreover

however, although, even though, in spite of/despite the fact that, whereas, on the

other hand

because (of), since, as, due to, caused by, as a result of, led to, brought about by

consequently, nevertheless, nonetheless

• enhance precision of writing through using a wide range of quantifying

words and expressions;

• use ICT to organise and present the text attractively.

9.4 From Grade 9, extend writing of persuasive texts, which argue for or

against a particular view on an issue of topical, or personal interest, in a

variety of forms: letters to newspapers, statements of evidence to enquiries, fliers and leaflets to lobby

views, short essays on given topics, scripts for oral presentation

• use titles and introductory statements to capture the reader’s attention

and win sympathy for the arguments;

• articulate a clear position in an introduction;

• provide supporting arguments (e.g. as points plus elaboration);

• support points using personal views, anecdotes and evidence as

appropriate;

• conclude by reiterating or summarising;

• use ICT to organise and present persuasive writing to particular

audiences

– use formatting to capture interest and emphasise key messages,

– structure points and paragraphs,

– illustrate,

– compare.

9.5 Compose short essays drawing on work in another curriculum subject or an

issue of topical interest, using:

• organisational features typical of a discussion text to balance and weigh

arguments

– an introduction which states issues,

– the arguments in favour and against plus supporting evidence or

examples,

– a conclusion which summarises and weighs the arguments, draws a

conclusion or makes a recommendation;

• formal written English typical of the styles used in discussions and

debates

– the present simple, predominantly for generalisation and nonspecificity,

– the use of general terms and zero articles, There are …

Most people believe …

Clouds form every day.

– discourse markers for explicit logical organisation, therefore, accordingly, subsequently, in fact, nonetheless, however

– complete sentences rather than elliptical forms.