Debate Topic: Canada is a big country - EcoKids

The Great Garbage Debate Page 1
Using debates in the classroom can encourage critical thinking, personal expression, tolerance of
others' opinions and improve presentation skills. In this activity, your students will hold a roleplay
debate on how Canadians feel about the amount of garbage we produce by examining
various different points of view. In advance of the debate, we suggest that your students visit the
waste section of our web site (ecokids.ca) called “It’s not Waste Until You Waste It.”
Debate Topic: Should the government charge us for each bag of garbage we put on the curb or
down the garbage chute?
Objectives:
• Discuss the issue up for debate.
• List various people with a stake in the debate.
• Play the role of a stakeholder in the debate.
• Assess their own and/or their peers' performances in the debate.
Materials Needed:
• Index cards or scrap paper of uniform size
• Photocopies of the debate rubric (on reverse side)
Key Words:
• Debate
• Issues
• Controversy
• Stakeholder
• Role play
• Persuasive
• Argument vs. Rebuttal
• Fact vs. Opinion
Lesson Plan:
1. Identify (or ask students to help you identify) the stakeholders in the debate. Suggestions
include the government, an average citizen, an environmentalist, a garbage-collecting
company, a moose (or other wildlife) and another country (e.g. the U.S.)
2. Then gather the index cards and count one card for each student. Write the roles of the
stakeholders on the index cards, one stakeholder per card. Be sure you have at least three
index cards for each stakeholder role.
3. Let students randomly draw an index card. Then have students gather with classmates
holding the same stakeholder cards. Those small groups of students are responsible for
putting themselves in the position of their assigned stakeholder and formulating the
arguments they will present in a classroom debate on the topic.
4. Assign an appropriate period of time in which the groups have to discuss, prepare and present
their point of view. A persuasive argument should have a strong introductory statement,
relevant supporting facts and a compelling closing. Refer the students to the rubric
beforehand to ensure that these and other points are addressed.
5. When it is time to debate, each stakeholder group presents their point of view. After the
presentations, the entire class can ask questions of the various stakeholders. In the end,
students decide which side of the debate -- the Affirmative or Negative -- presented the
strongest case.
6. Lastly, students can use the debate rubric to assess their own and/or their classmates' debating
skills.
ecokids.ca

The Great Garbage Debate Page 2
DEBATE RUBRIC*
Instructions:
1. Use the following rubric to evaluate your peers on their debating ability.
2. Give a score of 1 to 4 for each of the five categories. Giving someone a score of 4
means that you think they are excellent at debating. Giving someone a score of 1,
however, means that you think they need a lot more practice!
3. When you are finished scoring, add up all the numbers to obtain a total score.
Category
Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs
Improvement
Addresses
Issues
Support with
Facts
Persuasiveness
Teamwork
Organization
Always
addresses
topic
Uses many
facts
that support
topic
Arguments
clear and
convincing
4 3 2 1
Used team
member
effectively
and each had
equal air time
Electrifies
audience in
opening
statement and
closure
convinces
audience
Usually addresses
topic
Uses some facts
that support topic
Arguments are
sometimes clear
and convincing
One member does
the talking 75%
of the time
Grabs attention
and brings
closure to the
debate
Rarely
addresses topic
Uses few facts
that support
topic
Arguments are
rarely clear
and
convincing
One member
does the
talking 100%
of the time
Introduces
topic and
brings some
closure to the
debate
Did not address
topic
Does not use
facts that
support topic
Arguments are
never clear and
convincing
No one talks
Does not
introduce topic;
no closure
Score
* Adapted from Education World (educationworld.com).
TOTAL SCORE __________
ecokids.ca