Debate for Middle School Students

This is a unit I am doing with my 8th grade Honors ELA students. It could be adapted for any group of students. The key ideas of this unit are: 

1. The best way to be prepared is to know both sides of an argument. 
2. The more data and resources you have, the more nuanced an argument you can make. 
3. Novelty is essential for student engagement in middle school. 
4. Learning is social.
5. Public performance is crucial for authentic tasks. 

Here's the quick overview: students drew a number to determine what their TOPIC was going to be for the debate. All students who drew that number spent about a week in the library researching both sides. After that, we returned to the classroom where they then drew to find out which side they were on and find out who was on their "side" with them. They then work together to prepare for the debate. 

The debate is a combination of desired elements, but it is also structured to fit within one class period of 41 minutes. 

The schedule and overview are below.