ProCon
School Uniforms
Americans spend around one billion dollars each year on school uniforms, but are they necessary? As pupils research the debate topic, they form their own opinions. They review the history of school uniforms and discover the top pro and...
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School Uniforms: Debating the Issue and Creating an Advertisement
Fifth graders debate the issue of school uniforms. They research, finding supporting evidence supporting their stance. Using the Lincoln-Douglas form of debate, 5th graders discuss the positive and negative issues of the topic. They...
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Role Play Debate
Suggested topics for a role play debate include school uniforms and culpability for drunk driving, but any issue of interest to your class will work. What are the hot issues in your community or on the news right now? Class members...
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Stage a Debate: A Primer for Teachers (Lincoln-Douglas Debate Format)
For a comprehensive overview of debate styles and formats, look at this resource. It details the Lincoln-Douglas debate format (one-to-one debate with specific, timed rounds of points, cross-examination, and rebuttals). You can also find...
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Elementary School Uniforms
Fifth graders debate the pros and cons to wearing school uniforms. In this uniforms lesson plan, 5th graders identify, research, and present pros and cons in a debate setting.
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36 Public Policy Questions to Energize Your Government/History Classroom Debates
Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...
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Four Corners Debate
Should the student population wear uniforms to school? Pupils express whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a controversial statement, moving to a designated corner of the room to indicate their stance....
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School discipline includes paddling
Students debate the pros and cons of paddling in schools. Students investigate the policy in their corporation. If students disagree with the policy, students write an editorial that helps your readers find ways to make the necessary...
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Persuasive Writing I
Examine the characteristics of an effective persuasive paper. In a group, eighth graders discuss the analogy of a debate being like a persuasive paper. After brainstorming topics, they write an argument and then debate it. Secretly, the...
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Liberty, Equality, Uniformity?
Students examine the French draft law to ban religious symbols from public schools. They research "secularist" and "pluralist" positions regarding this ban, debate the topic in class, and draft a position paper on the ban.
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Know the Code
Students explore the pros and cons of wearing school uniforms as a deterrent to on-campus crime. roles are assumed and the controversial issue is brought before the school board.
Anti-Defamation League
Student Dress Codes: What's Fair?
The controversy over school dress codes continues. The debate involves questions like, why is there a policy? Who sets the policy? Who enforces the policy? What is a fair policy? Tweens and teens have an opportunity to engage in the...
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The Commission of Inquiry
Learners explore the role and functions of a commission of inquiry and participate in a democratic debate.
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Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan: Dress Codes
High schoolers examine the pros and cons of the implementation of public policy matters and the specific issue of dress codes. They develop a list of pros and cons of a school dress code, examine and discuss a local editorial newspaper...
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Japanese Manners and Life Style
Pupils continue their examination of modern Japan and its culture. Using a map, they locate various cities and landforms in the country and watch a video on related topics in which the make a timeline of key events. In groups, they...
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Take Your Students Behind the Veil
Students consider race relations in Britain. In this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to understand religious dress, Muslim practices, and the crisis regarding multiculturalism in Britain.
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Forces for Good?
Young scholars consider the role of the British Army. In this British forces lesson plan, students visit selected websites to discover information about the history and function of the army. Young scholars create their own...