DEBATE

Pro
Book 6

Teacher’s Guide
Teaching Guide for Each Section
 Unit A Learning about the Topic

Warm-Up

Main Purposes

• To draw upon students’ prior knowledge about the topic

• To get the students mentally ready to learn about and discuss the debate topic in detail

Suggested Teaching Method

• Ask students if they can explain the title of the unit.

• Ask students questions to get them to share their background knowledge about the topic.

• If possible, show pictures and videos related to the topic.

Learning about the Topic

Main Purposes

• To provide a general overview about the topic by providing arguments for and against the topic

• To illustrate to students how to formulate supporting ideas

• To improve students’ reading comprehension

Suggested Teaching Method

• For lower-level classes, you should play the audio file or read the passage aloud to the

students. Intermediate-level students should take turns reading the passage aloud. More

advanced classes should read the passage silently by themselves.

• While reading the passage, have students circle vocabulary words they do not know. Then, after

reading each paragraph or the entire passage, write the students’ words on the board and

define them.

• Ask students to determine which body paragraph provides ideas in favor of the topic and which

paragraph provides counter arguments. Have them circle the main ideas in each body paragraph.

• Ask students to underline the supporting arguments in each body paragraph.

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 Vocabulary Check

Main Purposes

• To ensure that students understand the reading passage by learning key vocabulary words

• To provide students the vocabulary necessary to debate the topic successfully

Suggested Teaching Method

• Ask students to find each of the vocabulary words in the passage and circle them. Explain that

they should try to figure out the words from context.

• If the students still have trouble understanding the words, give them model sentences using the

words.

• Encourage the students to determine the part of speech for each word to help them find the

correct definitions.

Comprehension Questions

Main Purposes

• To ensure that students understand the main ideas and supporting ideas from the reading

passage

• To develop students’ critical thinking skills

Suggested Teaching Method

• Before answering the questions, have students refer to the reading passage and review the

main ideas and supporting ideas.

• For lower-level classes, you should read the questions aloud to the students. Intermediate-level

students should take turns reading the questions aloud. More advanced classes should read the

questions silently by themselves.

• When answering the questions, ask students to identify the sentence(s) that support(s) each

answer.

• If time allows, ask the students to explain why the incorrect answer choices are wrong.

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 Questions for Debate

Main Purposes

• To get students to think critically about the topic by having them draw upon their general

knowledge and the information from the reading passage

• To help students practice formulating coherent opinions supported by logical ideas

Suggested Teaching Method

• For lower-level classes, you should read the questions aloud to the students. Intermediate-level

students should take turns reading the questions aloud. More advanced classes should read the

questions silently by themselves.

• Ask the students comprehension questions to make sure they understand the questions. Define

difficult vocabulary words if necessary.

• Explain to the students that they can use the reading passage to help them answer the

questions, but emphasize that they should also use their own knowledge and opinions.

• Explain the difference between opinions and supporting ideas. Create a sample answer for one

or more of the questions if necessary.

• Have students share their answers in pairs or as a class.

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 Opinion Examples

Main Purposes

• To show students examples of supporting arguments with clear examples for and against the topic

• To provide students with additional arguments related to the topic

• To develop students’ critical reading and brainstorming skills

Suggested Teaching Method

• For lower-level classes, you should play the audio files or read the passages aloud to the

students. Intermediate-level students should take turns reading the passages aloud. More

advanced classes should read the passages silently by themselves.

• Before answering the questions, have students explain the overall idea of each passage.

• Give students time to answer the questions individually before checking the answers as a class.

Practicing Debate Skills

Main Purposes

• To teach students a variety of skills necessary for successful debate

• To improve students’ overall knowledge of the debate process

Suggested Teaching Method

• Before beginning this section, be sure that students understand the skills outlined in the Skills

for Debate section.

• For lower level classes, do the first exercise together. Have higher level classes answer the

questions by themselves. Emphasize to the students that they must provide clear supporting

ideas using complete sentences.

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 Unit B Debating the Topic

Creating Your Debate

Main Purposes

• To help students prepare for the debate by having them generate supporting arguments with

relevant examples for the motion

• To develop students’ logic and argumentative skills

Suggested Teaching Method

• Assign teams for the debate. This can be done based on the students’ opinions about the

motion, by having the students draw straws, or by having you pick the teams. Have the same

number of members on each team if possible.

• Give the teams approximately 10 to 15 minutes to create their arguments. Encourage the

students to refer to the Reading Passage, Opinion Examples, and Workbook to help them

create their arguments.

• As the students prepare their debates, make sure that each argument is supported by clear

logic and examples.

• Have the students determine the roles each team member will have. Have them decide who will

give the opening statement, first supporting argument, first rebuttal, etc.

• When the preparation time is over, arrange the desks or tables in the classroom that students

face each other during the debate.

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 Actual Debate

Main Purposes

• To have students successfully debate the topic

• To familiarize students with the debate process by having them present logical arguments and

use formal debate language

Suggested Teaching Method

• Before starting the debate, have the students fill out the flow chart with their team’s arguments.

• During the debate, have students write the opposing team’s arguments in the appropriate half

of the flow chart.

• Give each team between one and two minutes to present each of their arguments and

rebuttals.

• If students do not have enough space on this page to write their arguments, then have them

use the note taking page in their debate books or write in their notebooks.

Sum Up the Debate

Main Purposes

• To have students recall the arguments and examples presented during the debate

• To develop students’ critical thinking skills

Suggested Teaching Method

• Ask the students to refer to the Actual Debate page to help them complete this section.

• Encourage the students to paraphrase each argument and rebuttal. Write an example answer on

the board and paraphrase it at least once to illustrate how to paraphrase well.

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Answer Keys and
Sample Answers
 Chapter 1. Organizing Supporting Arguments
In this chapter, you will teach students how to organize their supporting arguments. In the first unit,

students will be taught to organize their arguments in order of importance. The second unit instructs

students how to create supporting arguments that build upon each other.

Unit 01 Restricting Mass Tourism

In this debate, students will learn about restricting mass tourism. The arguments in favor of limiting

tourism focus on the environmental damage caused by tourism, whereas the arguments against such a

plan deal with the economic and social benefits of tourism.

Warm-Up (page 12)

Possible Answers

Part A

1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see two men, two women, and two children. They look like a family that is going on vacation.

2. Based on the clothing the people are wearing, where do you think they are going to visit?

→ The adults are all wearing sunglasses and one woman is wearing a big hat, so I think that they are

going to visit a sunny place.

3. How could traveling on an airplane be bad for the environment?

→ The jet engines of the airplane produce pollution, and building airports causes damage to the

environment.

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Part B

1. Where are some places that you and your family have taken a vacation?

→ My family and I have traveled to Japan, China, Thailand, the United States, and Canada.

2. What are some activities that people do on vacation that can damage the environment?

→ When people visit forests, beach, and other nature areas, they can litter and damage the local plants

and animals.

3. Do you think people pay less attention to the environment when they are on vacation?

→ Yes, I think that people pay less attention to the environment because they want to relax and forget

about the problems of the world.

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Unit 01_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 14)

1. aim

2. hostile

3. awkward

4. fragile

5. recreational

Comprehension Questions (page 14)

1. What is true about both parks and beaches?

→ They are ecosystems damaged by tourism.

2. What are some of the environmental problems brought on by the creation of tourist facilities? Choose

TWO correct answers.

→ Wearing away soil / Laying down pavement

3. Why might some people living in tourist areas feel angry toward visitors?

→ Because some tourists expect the locals to wait on them

4. How does sustainable tourism address the shortcomings of traditional tourism?

→ It preserves the natural environment in order to maintain its structure.

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 Questions for Debate (page 15)
Possible Answers

1. Whenever you go on vacation, do you show concern for the local environment? Explain.

During my vacations, I try to keep the local environment as clean as it was when I find it.

To clarify my point, consider that I never throw my trash on the ground and take care not to harm the

local plants and animals.

2. Do you think that people are more likely or less likely to pollute when they are on vacation?

I believe that most people are more likely to pollute when they are traveling.

I feel this way because people want to forget about their problems and responsibilities during their

vacations, and this includes protecting the environment.

3. Do you think the economic benefits of mass tourism offset the problems caused to the environment?

I am convinced that the economic benefits make it worthwhile.

For example, people in poorer countries such as Indonesia are able to make a good living from the

tourism industry.

4. What are some ways that governments can reduce the environmental damage caused by tourism?

It would be possible for them to make stricter laws that control the number of tourists in an area.

Consider that Australia limits the number of people who may visit the Great Barrier Reef in order to

preserve it.

5. How do local citizens probably feel when they are forced to interact with tourists all the time?

My feeling is that they might get irritated having to deal with travelers all the time.

My reasoning is the tourists might ask many of the same questions and may not always respect the

locals.

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 Opinion Examples (page 16)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: This is why I think the idea of banning tourism is silly.

• Opinion B: This is why mass tourism should be put to an end.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- Sure, building hotels and restaurants damages the natural environment, but human beings will

affect the natural environment no matter where they go.

- In addition, we cannot overlook the economic benefits of tourism. For many developing countries,

tourism is a huge source of income.

• Opinion B:

- Chiefly, tourists create too much garbage.

- And let’s not forget the facilities for tourists.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Going on vacation to faraway and exotic places is fun for millions of people.

• Opinion B:

- Mass tourism can lead to hostile relationships between native people and foreign travelers.

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 Practicing Debate Skills (page 17)

Answers may vary.

Arguments: ⓐ It will be easier to help the environment in the future with better technology.
Reasons: As technology advances, we will be able to solve environmental problems
more efficiently.
Example: Car companies are continually developing more efficient hybrid and electric
cars. Someday, all cars may be electric only.
ⓑ The current environmental problems we face are not that serious.
Reasons: Many parts of the world are cleaner than they have been in decades thanks to
the cleaner technology that we have today.
Example: Pollution levels in most major cities around the world continue to decline and
even huge cities like Los Angeles have perfectly clean air.
ⓒ Economic development directly improves people’s quality of life.
Reasons: When people make more money, they are able to afford more comforts and
conveniences that make life more enjoyable.
Example: Even a person earning $500 a month will be able to afford essential
technology such as refrigerators and washing machines that make life better.
Order: ( ⓒ )→( ⓑ )→( ⓐ )
Explanation: I put argument C first because it has a strong emotional appeal. Argument B is second

because it shows that we should not worry about our current environmental problems,

while argument A is last since it explains the solutions to the problems given in argument B.

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Unit 01_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 20)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

Our team is convinced that mass tourism in fragile ecosystems must be put to an end.

Agree Argument 1
The first reason we believe this is building amenities for tourists causes great harm to fragile ecosystems.
Some of the most popular tourist areas are located in areas that can be easily damaged by development,
such as forests and beaches. Such construction can permanently alter the natural environment in these
areas. The only way to protect these ecosystems is to outlaw mass tourism. For instance, the mining of coral
for use in tourist hotels in the Philippines has destroyed many large coral reefs in the region.

Rebuttal 1
The problem with your argument is that you underestimate the power of governments to regulate who
comes through their borders. To ensure that tourists do not do any sightseeing, immigration can grant
tourists with only short-term visas.
Agree Argument 2
Secondly, tourism must be banned due to the fact that tourists generate huge amounts of waste. Compared
to local people, tourists create huge amounts of trash. This has an immediate impact on the local
environment, where waste pollutes the landscape. Just as importantly, the excessive trash production strains
the infrastructure of these places, which are not equipped to deal with such high volumes of trash. For
example, the passengers on cruise ships produce 3.5 kilograms of waste each day compared to the 0.8
kilograms of trash that local citizens produce.

Rebuttal 2
Despite your contention that green tourism is becoming more popular, we hold the idea that most tourist
facilities around the world are still not environmentally friendly.
Agree Argument 3
As for our third point, it is the fact that tourism can lead to hostility between locals and tourists. A large
number of tourists visit a place and show little respect to local people and their culture. This is especially
true when the tourists come from rich countries and are visiting poorer countries. Not surprisingly, the local
people can feel angry toward tourists since many of them act rudely. For instance, a survey of shop owners
in a tourist district in Thailand found that over half of the owners did not like dealing with foreign tourists
because they did not try to speak Thai and did not act politely.

Agree Closing Statement

In spite of our opponent’s arguments, it is obvious that it is better to ban mass tourism than to allow it to
continue.

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● Disagreeing Side
Disagree Opening Statement
We feel the exact opposite. It is our belief that tourism does not pose any major threat to the environment
as long as it is regulated well.

Rebuttal 1
You are mistaken to think that we must not build any tourist facilities in areas that are fragile such as
beaches. A superior alternative would be to create more environmentally friendly tourist facilities that
complement local environments rather than avoid them altogether.
Disagree Argument 1
The argument we will make first is implementing a ban on tourism would be difficult to achieve. As of
today, around one billion people travel to foreign countries each year. It would be extremely difficult for
authorities in any nation to monitor whether foreign visitors are coming for tourism or for other purposes.
This would be a major drain on a government’s resources. It would also be difficult to guarantee that
somebody traveling abroad on business does not do any sightseeing. Simply allowing tourism is far more
practical.

Rebuttal 2
Your argument is just not true. Rather, many tourist areas have better facilities than surrounding local areas
in order to deal with excess waste produced by tourists. Also, a lot of tourist facilities recycle most of their
waste.
Disagree Argument 2
To continue, let us point out that green tourism is becoming more popular all the time. People today are
aware of the negative impact that they have on the environment, and so they are interested in tourism
options that do not harm the environment. Green tourist facilities are built using local materials and use far
less electricity and water than traditional resorts. In this way, tourism is becoming more and more
environmentally friendly all the time.

Rebuttal 3
It is wrong to say that tourism necessary leads to poor relationships between visitors and locals since the
majority of people who vacation to foreign countries are wealthy and educated people who have good
manners.
Disagree Argument 3
Our concluding argument is tourism is a major source of revenue, particularly for developing countries.
Millions of tourists spend billions of dollars during their vacations each year, and this is a major boost for
local economies in many places. If tourist were to be banned, then this source of revenue would disappear.
For example, visitors to Bangkok, Thailand, spend more than $15 billion each year. This is a huge amount of
money which provides for the livelihood of thousands of people working and living in Bangkok.

Disagree Closing Statement

Overall, we firmly believe that it would be a mistake to ban tourism altogether.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 21)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The issue we debated today was whether to restrict mass tourism.

The agree team argued that mass tourism must come to an end.

For starters, the pro team stated that the facilities that are built for tourists damage the
environment.
Their example was the mining of coral for tourist hotels in the Philippines has destroyed many
coral reefs there.

The second point they mentioned was the tourists themselves create too much garbage.
For instance, the passengers on cruise ships produce 3.5 kilograms of waste each day compared
to the 0.8 kilograms of trash that local citizens produce.

As for their third argument, it was tourists and local can have bad relationships with each other.
In detail, they stated that more than 50 percent of shop owners in Thailand said they do not like
foreign tourists because they are rude.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

Conversely, the opposing team felt that tourism does not have to lead to environmental problems
and, therefore, does not have to be banned.

Their first argument was that it would difficult to restrict the number of tourists entering a
country.
The evidence that they presented was the fact that it would be almost impossible for officials to
monitor what tourists do and where they go once they are inside the country.

The team’s second point was green tourism is becoming more common.
For example, most new tourist facilities are built to minimize waste and preserve the local
environment.

Their final assertion was that tourism boosts the economies of local nations.
The support that they offered was the fact that tourists to Bangkok spend $15 billion a year.

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 Unit 02 Privatizing Education

In this unit, the topic of the debate whether all public schools should be replaced with private schools.

The arguments in favor of doing so include the superior education offered by private schools, whereas

the debates against it focus on the inconsistent quality of public schools and their high cost.

Warm-Up (page 22)

Possible Answers

Part A

1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see two students and a teacher in a school classroom.

2. What subject are the students learning about? Does it look challenging enough for their age?

→ The students appear to be studying geometry. I think it is challenging enough for their age.

3. Do you think that this is a public school or a private school? Explain your reasoning.

→ I think that it could be a private school because the girl seems to be wearing a uniform and that the

material looks difficult for the age of the students.

Part B

1. Do you go to a public school or a private school?

→ I have always attended a public school.

2. What are some advantages of attending a private school?

→ Some of the main advantages are smaller class sizes and more difficult curriculum.

3. What are some drawbacks of attending a private school?

→ The main drawback is the cost. Another drawback is the lack of standardized curriculum.

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Unit 02_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 24)

1. swindle

2. exacerbate

3. engaging

4. accountable

5. unscrupulous

Comprehension Questions (page 24)

1. What evidence proves that students at private schools learn more?

→ The fact that their SAT scores are 200 points higher than public school students’ scores

2. How does being able to fire teachers lead to a superior quality of education?

→ It allows schools to get rid of teachers who do not instruct students effectively.

3. Why is it difficult to regulate the academic content taught by private schools?

→ Because the curriculum is different at each private school

4. How would the privatization of education widen the education gap between wealthy and

impoverished families?

→ It would lead to students from poorer families going to lower-quality schools.

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 Questions for Debate (page 25)
Possible Answers

1. Do you attend a public school or a private school? What is the learning environment like?

My school is a public school.

The learning environment there is mostly good, but there are disruptive students who make it hard

to study.

2. What characteristics do you think are important for providing a high-quality education?

Some of the most important characteristics are having high-quality teachers, updated curriculum,

and modern facilities.

These are important because they help students learn the latest materials as effectively as possible.

3. Do you think that it is necessary for schools to be able to fire their teachers? Why or why not?

To me, it seems that schools need to be able to fire teachers sometimes.

The reason I say this is that a small number of teachers do not do their job well or just do not care

about their students.

4. What are some reasons that private schools can actually be worse than public schools?

Some of the reasons are the teachers may be less experienced and the curriculum may not be

sufficient.

For instance, private schools often pay teachers less money than public schools do, so many of the

teachers are often younger and lack teaching experience.

5. Should the government regulate private schools as it does public schools? Explain.

My feeling about this is government regulation of private schools is not necessary.

This is due to the fact that the government often does a poor job of regulating public schools, so it

is likely that their interference would lower the quality of private schools.

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 Opinion Examples (page 26)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: Replacing public schools with private ones sounds plausible, but it will not work in

practice.

• Opinion B: Therefore, it makes no sense for us to let the government educate our children.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- The primary obstacle is that private schools are too expensive.

- Even if cheaper private schools open, there is no guarantee that they will offer a better learning

experience than public schools.

• Opinion B:

- One reason is that private schools have higher-quality teachers.

- It is also necessary to keep in mind that students can learn more at private schools.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Public school teachers are held accountable to strict teaching standards set by the state.

• Opinion B:

- Parents can choose among many different private schools, so they will be able to send their

children to schools that they feel offer the best education.

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 Practicing Debate Skills (page 27)
Possible Answers

1. All citizens should be required to graduate from college.

FOR AGAINST

• Making sure that everyone is college educated • Not everybody has the ability or desire to attend

will improve society. college.

• College-educated people are able to work more • A large number of people do not have academic

skilled jobs that can grow an economy. skills.

• Having more college graduates will increase the • Having too many college graduates can lead to

number of cultural activities and decrease crime. unemployment.

2. The government should invest more money into schools.

FOR AGAINST

• Increased government spending will lead to a • Many governments already have too many

higher-quality education. expenses as it is.

• Public schools will be able to hire more qualified • There are more urgent issues that the

and capable teachers. government must invest in to correct.

• Schools will be able to upgrade their facilities • Private schools can make up for the deficiencies

and equipment. of public education.

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 Actual Debate (page 30)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

It is our team’s firm conviction that private education should replace public education.

Agree Argument 1
The most obvious point in our favor is that students will be educated by more qualified and talented

teachers at private schools. Unlike public school teachers, private school teachers are held accountable for

their instruction. Teachers must work hard to make sure that their students learn well. If they do not, then

they are likely to lose their jobs. The students benefit by having teachers who work hard. In the United

States, around 10 percent of private school teachers lose their jobs every year due to poor performance. In

contrast, the firing rate for public school teachers is less than 1 percent.

Rebuttal 1
The main flaw with the argument that private school teachers are less qualified is that it assumes that all
private schools have the same hiring standards and standardized test results. This is simply not the case.
Agree Argument 2
In addition, we feel that most students at private schools are able to learn more than their peers at public
schools are. Many private schools feature more rigorous curriculum than public schools do. As a result, the
students cover a larger amount of material that better prepares them academically. The effects of this are
most apparent in the standardized test score gap between students at private and public schools. Private
school students have SAT scores that are 200 points higher on average, which is a significant difference.

Rebuttal 2
Your argument is false since private schools have to meet state-mandated standards in order to be
accredited educational institutions.
Agree Argument 3
To conclude, we must bring up the point that teachers at private schools can employ a variety of teaching
methods to make their lessons more engaging for students. Whereas public school teachers are given little
freedom to control the content of their lessons, private school teachers have more flexibility when it comes
to deciding their lesson plans. This often results in having more creative and group-based projects for
students to work on. Such projects not only help students gain academic knowledge, but also the social
skills needed to succeed in today’s society.

Agree Closing Statement

Our team maintains the idea that private schools are a superior alternative to public schools.

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● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

As for our side, we contend that it would be a mistake for private schools to take the place of public
schools.

Rebuttal 1
You wrongly assume that students will receive a better education at private schools. Rather, consider that
private schools often pay their teachers less than public schools do, meaning that they attract younger and
less capable teachers.
Disagree Argument 1
For starters, we believe that the quality of education at private schools is not always better than at public
schools. Some private schools outperform public schools, but a number of them do not. Poor-quality
private schools may hire less experienced teachers, or they may give their teachers little feedback. This
means that students do not always learn more at private schools. On the PISA test given to 15-year-old
students in the United States, the average test scores of private school students were only about 10 points
higher than the scores of students in public schools. This is not a significant difference.

Rebuttal 2
Your belief that students perform better at private schools is flawed because the students who attend
private schools are already good students. Most private schools have strict admissions standards, meaning
that the students who are accepted would be near the top of their class in public schools.

Disagree Argument 2
The next point we will make is that private schools are harder to regulate than public schools. While the
government monitors public schools and makes sure that they all follow a standard curriculum, private
schools are largely free to do whatever they want. In some cases, this can mean that private schools teach
a far more rigorous curriculum than public schools. In other cases, though, private schools can have a very
easy curriculum that teaches students almost nothing.

Rebuttal 3
You said that private school teachers have more freedom to teach their classes however they want.
Nevertheless, we believe that having a unified, state-mandated curriculum is a better way to guarantee that
all students receive the fundamental education that they deserve.
Disagree Argument 3
Finally, it is obvious that the cost of private schools would be a major problem. A private school gets little-
to-no funding from the government. They cover their operational costs by charging tuition. Obviously, if all
schools were made private, then all schools would have to charge tuition. These schools can cost $10,000 a
year or more, making them unaffordable for all but the wealthy. This would widen the education gap
between the wealthy and the poor.

Disagree Closing Statement

In summary, we contend that getting rid of public schools in favor of private schools would be a huge
mistake.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 31)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The topic of today’s debate was whether to replace public schools with private schools.
The opinion of the first team was private education should take the place of public education.

First, they claimed that teachers at private schools are more qualified than teachers at public
schools are.
In detail, they stated that private school teachers have to perform well. Otherwise, they will lose
their jobs.

The next point that they mentioned was that students at private schools learn more than students
at public schools do.
For instance, private school students have SAT scores that are 200 points higher on average.

Their final argument was that teachers at private schools use a large number of teaching methods
to make their classes more enjoyable.
More specifically, they claimed that private school teachers can use group projects that help
students learn both academic skills and social skills.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

The other team felt just the opposite and stated that private schools cannot replace public schools.

For one, it was their belief that private schools do not always teach their students better than public
schools do.
Their supporting idea was private school students have PISA scores that are only 10 points higher on
average than the scores of students in public schools.

They also argued that it is more difficult for officials to regulate the curriculum in private schools.
In particular, they outlined that while some private schools have a curriculum more rigorous than the
curriculum at public schools, many private schools do not.

As for their closing argument, it was private schools would be too expensive for the majority of parents
to afford.
The evidence that they offered was the fact that private schools routinely cost more than $10,000 a
year, making them too expensive for all but the wealthy to send their children to.

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 Chapter 2. Developing Logical Supporting Reasons
In this chapter, students will learn ways to make their supporting reasons logical. The exercise in Unit 3

teaches students how to make supporting reasons show progression. In Unit 4, students will learn about

some logical fallacies.

Unit 03 Talking on Cell Phones on Public Transportation

The debate in this unit deals with making phone calls on cell phones while riding public transportation.

The arguments in favor of banning cell phone calls include the fact that they distract and irritate other

passengers, while the arguments against a ban include personal rights and ways for other passengers to

ignore people talking on their phones.

Warm-Up (page 34)

Possible Answers

Part A
1. What do you see in the picture above?
→ I see a young Asian woman sitting in a subway car and talking on her cell phone.

2. What might the woman’s conversation be about?

→ I think she might be talking to a friend about a meeting they are going to have together since she is
smiling.

3. Do you think the other passengers on the train are irritated by the woman’s conversation?
→ I do not think so because there are no other passengers near the woman and the other passengers
seem to be using their own cell phones.

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Part B
1. Do you ever make phone calls when you are on public transportation? Why or why not?

→ Yes, I do sometimes because I want to use my time on public transportation efficiently.

2. Why would it be inappropriate for people to talk on their phones while taking public transportation?
→ If the subway car or bus is very quiet, then other passengers might be upset to hear other
passengers talking on their phones. People may also have inappropriate conversations on their phones.

3. What are some ways that people can use their phones without irritating other passengers?
→ People can play games, listen to music, and send text messages to other people without distracting
other passengers.

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Unit 03_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 36)

1. confirm

2. denial

3. inconsiderate

4. excessive

5. irritating

Comprehension Questions (page 36)

1. What is true about taking the subway in Japan?

→ Riders are not allowed to talk on their cell phones.

2. Why does talking on a cell phone make people more likely to have inappropriate conversations in

public?

→ Because they are less likely to be aware that they are in a public place

3. How can people use cell phones in a way that does not irritate other people?

→ They can play games or surf the Internet almost silently.

4. In what way is disallowing people to talk on their cell phones an excessive control of personal

freedoms?

→ Because talking on cell phones does not directly hurt other people

30
 Questions for Debate (page 37)
Possible Answers

1. Do you ever talk on your cell phone while riding on public transportation? Why or why not?
When I take public transportation, I usually use my cell phone to make calls.
I do this because I have the most time to call other people when I am riding public transportation.

2. Why would cities make it illegal to talk on cell phones while riding on public transportation?
My opinion about this is they would make it illegal to talk on phones since it can be annoying to
other passengers.
To go into detail, public transportation consists of enclosed spaces, so other people are often forced
to listen to a person’s cell phone conversations.

3. If having phone conversations on public transportation were made illegal, should it also be illegal for

people to have conversations with other passengers? Explain.

To me, it seems that if talking on cell phones becomes illegal, then so should talking to other people
on public transportation.
In particular, talking on cell phones on public transportation is usually outlawed because talking
annoys other people. Likewise, it logically follows that having conversations should also be banned.

4. What is an appropriate way for passengers to respond when somebody talks on their cell phone?

I contend that people should just move to another seat or put on headphones and listen to music if
they are annoyed.
My reasons for feeling this way are other passengers do not have a right to disturb someone else
while they are taking public transportation.

5. Rather than banning cell phone conversations, how else could governments solve this problem?
A better possible solution may be creating specific cars and bus sections for people to talk on their
cell phones.
I think this will be more effective because people can still use their cell phones to make phone calls
and other people who do not want to hear cell phone conversations do not have to.

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 Opinion Examples (page 38)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.
• Opinion A: To me, it makes perfect sense to ban people from talking on their cell phones on public
transportation.
• Opinion B: I think this is a ridiculous idea for many reasons.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion A
• AGAINST: Opinion B

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:
- For one, public transportation consists of enclosed spaces.
- Furthermore, when people ride on public transportation, they are often tired or stressed out.

• Opinion B:
- First, there is nothing illegal about having a conversation in public.
- Banning people from calling on their cell phones on public transportation would also be hugely
inconvenient.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:
- When people talk on their cell phones, they are more likely to be inconsiderate than if they talk
to someone who is with them.
• Opinion B:
- Riding public transportation is one of the most convenient and appropriate times to talk on one’s
cell phone.

32
 Practicing Debate Skills (page 39)

Possible answers.

1. Argument: Having loud phone conversations on public transportation is disrespectful to other

passengers.

Details: When people are in public places, they should respect the feelings of other people. However,
by talking loudly on their phones, they are ignoring the feelings of other passengers who want

to ride public transportation in peace.

Conclusion: As a result, people will be more likely to talk on their phones at home.
Rewrite: As a result, people are likely to get upset at people who talk on their phones on public
transportation.

2. Argument: People can still communicate on their phones without having to have spoken
conversations.

Details: Today’s smartphones have many features that make it possible to communicate without
having to call other people. Some of these features include text messaging, chatting, and using
social media sites.

Conclusion: Therefore, it should be illegal for people to carry their cell phones on public

transportation.
Rewrite: Therefore, people should have the right to carry their cell phones on public transportation as
long as they do not use them make phone calls.

33
Unit 03_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 42)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

To us, there is no doubt that people should not be allowed to talk on their cell phones while riding public
transportation.

Agree Argument 1
First of all, we contend that having phone conversations on public transportation can irritate other

passengers. On public transportation, people are forced to stay in close contact with others. Because

personal space is limited, it is easy for people to annoy other passengers by talking on their phones. For

instance, 78 percent of Americans feel that talking on the phone during plane flights should be outlawed

because the noise distracts other passengers.

Rebuttal 1
Despite your belief that enforcing a ban on cell phone conversations would be difficult, it is our contention
that it would not be difficult to enforce at all. Staff could simply check periodically to make sure that no one
is using their cell phones and ask them to end their conversations.
Agree Argument 2
In addition, consider that people’s conversations on cell phones are more likely to be inappropriate. When
someone is talking to a friend riding with them, both speakers are aware that they are in a public place.
However, when people have cell phone conversations, the other person is not with the speaker. The other
person can be in a private place, such as home. This can lead people to have rude or vulgar conversations
because they can forget their surroundings.

Rebuttal 2
The problem with your statement that talking on cell phones does not harm other people is the fact that
talking on cell phones on public transportation is a form of public disturbance. For this reason, it should be
illegal.
Agree Argument 3
Lastly, people do not actually have to talk on their phones to use them. Many features of today’s
smartphonesᅳtexting, playing games, listening to music, and using the Internetᅳdo not require users to
speak at all. In other words, passengers could still use their phones in a variety of ways even if calling
people on the phone is banned.

Agree Closing Statement

In spite of our opponent’s arguments, we feel that people should not be allowed to talk on their cell phones
on public transportation.

34
● Disagreeing Side
Disagree Opening Statement
We completely disagree. Our stance is that banning people from talking on their cell phones on public
transportation is completely wrong.

Rebuttal 1
Your argument is absolutely wrong because people can move to other seats if nearby passengers keep
talking on their cell phones.
Disagree Argument 1
Our opening argument is that a ban on phone conversations on public transportation is unlikely to work.
People would still want to talk on their phones even if doing so is banned. Rather than making it illegal to
talk on phones, it would be better for cities to create designed places where people can and cannot talk on
the phone. Some cities in Europe have created separate cars on subway trains where people are allowed to
talk on their phones. At the same time, they have created phone-free cars where people are not permitted
to use their phones.

Rebuttal 2
You falsely argue that talking on cell phones makes people more likely to have vulgar conversations. The
fact is rude individuals are going to have rude conversations no matter where they are, whereas most
people will be considerate of others when talking on their phones.
Disagree Argument 2
Another point we must mention is not allowing people to have cell phone conversations on public
transportation is an excessive restriction of personal freedoms. In general, most activities are lawful so long
as they do not directly harm other people. Having to listen to other people’s phone conversations can be
annoying, but it does not lead to any sort of injury. Furthermore, banning people from talking on their cell
phones is a denial of freedom of speech. Considering these points, it is clear that such a ban would be
unlawful.

Rebuttal 3
The argument that a ban on making phone calls would be acceptable since people can use the other
features of their phones is incorrect since it would still deny people from using the most important feature
of their phones: the ability to call other people.
Disagree Argument 3
As for our closing argument, we must point out that cell phones were designed to be used outside the
home, in public places. Millions of people everyday use their cell phones to call family, friends, and business
associates to arrange meeting times, ask help for advice, or confirm items on a grocery list. If talking on cell
phones were made illegal, then people would be hugely inconvenienced anytime they need to call another
person when they are on public transportation.

Disagree Closing Statement

To summarize, we believe that making cell phone conversations illegal on public transportation is a mistake.

35
 Sum Up the Debate (page 43)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The topic of today’s debate was whether to outlaw people from talking on their cell phones on public
transportation.
The main opinion of the first team was talking on cell phones on public transportation should be
banned.

One argument that they gave was listening to other people’s conversations on public transportation
can be irritating.
Their supporting detail was the fact that 78 percent of Americans feel that cell phone conversations
should be banned during flights.

In addition, they explained that people’s phone conversations are more likely to be inappropriate.
For instance, people can forget that they are in a public place when they are talking on the phone
because the other person is not with the person speaking.

The final point that they mentioned was the fact that most features of phones today do not require
people to speak at all.
Specifically, they stated that texting, playing games, listening to music, and using the Internet can be
done without talking.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

Conversely, the opposing team believed that it would be wrong to ban people from talking on their cell
phones.

Their first argument was that a ban on cell phone conversations would be difficult to enforce.
The details that they talked about included making separate cars for people to talk on their cell phones
rather than banning it outright.

Second of all, a ban on cell phone conversations is an excessive restriction of personal freedoms.
Their supporting evidence was the fact that talking on one’s cell phone does not directly harm other
people, so it should not be banned.

The last point that they mentioned was the fact that cell phones were meant to be used in public areas.
They illustrated this by talking about the reasons that people would have to make phone calls while
they are out in public.

36
 Unit 04 Banning Bottled Water

In this unit, students will learn about bottled water and why it should be banned. The reasons in to

support a bottled water ban include the environmental costs of making the plastic bottles and the

quality of the water itself whereas the reasons against a ban focus on water safety and the ease with

which the bottles can be recycled.

Warm-Up (page 44)

Possible Answers

Part A

1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see a young boy wearing a helmet and safety pads drinking a bottle of water.

2. Why do you think that the boy is drinking bottled water?

→ It seems like the boy has been exercising, so he is probably drinking the water to rehydrate.

3. What are some other ways that the boy could rehydrate besides drinking bottled water?

→ He could eat fruit or drink water from a water fountain.

Part B
1. How often do you drink bottled water?

→ I drink bottled water every day.

2. What are some reasons that people prefer to drink bottled water over tap water?

→ Bottled water usually tastes better than tap water. In addition, it is convenient to carry around, and

the bottles can be thrown away or recycled easily.

3. How can producing bottled water be harmful for the environment?

→ Perhaps producing the water bottles can require a lot of energy or use a lot of resources.

37
Unit 04_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 46)

1. toxin

2. portability

3. strain

4. undrinkable

5. insignificant

Comprehension Questions (page 46)

1. How many bottles of water do people in the United States drink annually?

→ 50 billion

2. Why is bottled water supposedly better to drink than tap water?

→ Because it uses water from fresh sources such as mountain springs

3. What is the advantage of using PET plastic to make water bottles?

→ It can be easily recycled into many products.

4. How is the argument that water bottles are easy to recycle made invalid?

→ By the fact that only 20 percent of U.S. citizens actually recycle their used water bottles

38
 Questions for Debate (page 47)
Possible Answers

1. Do you or your family ever drink tap water instead of drinking bottled water? Why or why not?
In my case, my family and I rarely drink tap water.
This is due to the fact that the tap water in my area has a strange taste that we find unpleasant.

2. Only about 20 percent of people recycle their water bottles. Is this an appropriate amount?
I believe that this amount is far too low.
To be more specific, recycling products today is easier than ever, so everyone should do it.

3. Do you think that most people would still drink bottled water even if they knew how much energy
making the bottles requires? Explain.
From my point of view, it is clear that many people will continue to drink bottled water even if they
know that it harms the environment.
For example, I understand the problems of drinking bottled water, yet I continue to drink it every day.

4. Does the convenience that bottled water offers outweigh its environmental drawbacks?
There is no doubt that the convenience of bottled water makes it worth drinking.
This is due to the fact that bottled water lets us have a cool and refreshing drink even when we are
not home and did not bring any water with us.

5. Instead of drinking bottled water, what are some other ways that people can stay hydrated when they
are out?
Some other ways to stay hydrated include using public water fountains and using refillable bottles to
carry water.
These are better alternatives because they create less pollution and waste, not to mention that they
are cheaper.

39
 Opinion Examples (page 48)

1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: There is no doubt that bottled water should be banned.

• Opinion B: I drink bottled water almost every day, and I don’t see a problem with it.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- These plastic bottles may be designed to be recycled, but the truth is that only a fifth of them

are.

- Not only do these bottles pollute the land, but they also pollute the air.

• Opinion B:

- The main reason that I like bottled water is that it is usually cleaner.

- Another reason that I prefer to drink water from bottles is that it is convenient.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Producing plastic water bottles uses a huge amount of resources, mainly water.

• Opinion B:

- The plastic water bottles are easy to recycle and can be made into a variety of products.

40
 Practicing Debate Skills (page 49)
Possible answers.

1. People who choose to drink bottled water hate the environment.

• Fallacy Type: straw man

• Rewrite: People who drink bottled water feel the convenience of bottled water offsets the

environmental problems that it may cause.

2. The people who want to ban bottled water are ignorant and do not understand the real world.

• Fallacy Type: ad hominem

• Rewrite: People who drink bottled water may not be aware of the environmental damage caused by

producing bottled water.

3. If we continue to allow people to drink bottled water, then it will definitely lead to the destruction of

the planet.

• Fallacy Type: slippery slope

• Rewrite: If we continue to drink bottled water, then it will contribute to the environmental problems

that face our planet.

41
Unit 04_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 52)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

It is our team’s firm conviction that people must be allowed to drink bottled water.

Agree Argument 1
For one, bottled water provides a source of safe drinking water for millions of people. In dozens of countries
around the world, the water is not safe to drink. These countries have high levels of pollution or inadequate
water treatment facilities. Bottled water offers an easy way for these people to drink pure, safe water.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that 780 million people worldwide do not have
access to clean drinking water. The organization recommends that these people drink bottled water.

Rebuttal 1
Your argument is flawed because plastic water bottles are made with recycled materials, reducing their
environmental impact. Also, new bottles designs that use less plastic are being produced.
Agree Argument 2
As for our next point, it is the fact that plastic water bottles are easy to recycle. The plastic used to make
water bottles is polyethylene terephthalate. This is a thin plastic that can efficiently be recycled into a variety
of products, including bags, carpets, and jacket linings. In this way, drinking bottled water has minimal
negative impact on the environment.

Rebuttal 2
Our opponents wrongly contend that most plastic water bottles are not recycled. Their evidence is based on
one study of American people’s habits, which hardly represents the entire world.
Agree Argument 3
The final point we will make is the overall convenience of bottled water. We have all experienced times
when we are out in public on a hot day and are very thirsty. We did not bring a water bottle from home
and there are not water fountains nearby. In this situation, the best solution is to stop by a convenience
store and pick up a bottle of water. We can get the refreshment that we need at a reasonable cost. When
we are done with the bottle, there is no need for us to carry it around. We can simply put the empty bottle
in any plastic recycling bin.

Agree Closing Statement

In summary, plastic water bottles are an excellent way to stay hydrated while on the go.

42
● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

On the contrary, it is our supposition that bottled water is too harmful to allow people to use.

Rebuttal 1
The notion that bottled water is safer than tap water is erroneous since many brands of bottled water are
just tap water.
Disagree Argument 1
Our opening argument is the production of bottled water creates huge amounts of pollution. Making the
plastic bottles for water requires lots of energy and produces a great deal of pollution. None of this
pollution would occur if people simply drank tap water. Producing one plastic water bottle requires three
times the amount of water that the bottle actually holds. The total amount of oil used to produce all plastic
water bottles exceeds 17 million barrels annually.

Rebuttal 2
The problem with your second point is that it assumes that the majority of plastic water bottles are recycled.
Unfortunately, this is not the case, with over 80 percent of plastic water bottles finding their way into
landfills rather than recycling bins.
Disagree Argument 2
In addition, we feel that the plastic water bottles present a huge environmental problem. While the bottles
may be recyclable, the fact is that few of them are. According to statistics, only around 20 percent of
Americans recycle their water bottles. This means that the majority of plastic water bottles are simply thrown
away, where they will pollute the Earth for centuries to come.

Rebuttal 3
Your belief that the convenience of bottled water makes them worth drinking is not true.
Instead, consider the environmental damage caused by plastic water bottles before buying them.
Disagree Argument 3
Lastly, bottled water is exorbitantly expensive. Bottled water is many times more expensive than tap water,
even though the quality of the water is often similar. To give an example, a two-liter bottle of water can cost
$1.50, whereas two liters of tap water costs around $0.02. This huge price difference means that people
spend lots of money drinking bottled water when they could drink tap water for almost free.

Disagree Closing Statement

Overall, we contend that bottled water must be banned due to its environmental harm and outrageous cost.

43
 Sum Up the Debate (page 53)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The topic that we dealt with today was banning bottled water.
It was the opinion of the first team that drinking bottled water is perfectly fine.

First, they claimed that bottled water is cleaner and safer than tap water.
Their supporting detail was the fact that bottled water can provide a safe source of drinking
water for people who do not have clean water supplies.

Next, they presented the notion that plastic water bottles were designed to be recycled easily.
The example that they gave was the products that plastic water bottles can be recycled into,
which include bags, carpets, and jacket linings.

Finally, the agree side claimed that the convenience of bottled water makes them worth drinking.
Their evidence was that people can buy, use, and recycle plastic water bottles almost anywhere
and anytime.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

The other team argued the opposite by stating that bottle water creates too many problems to
continue its usage.

The fact that bottled water creates lots of pollution was their first argument.
They pointed out that bottled water production uses more than 17 million barrels of oil annually
to bolster their argument.

Their second point was most plastic water bottles are not recycled.
To go into detail, only 20 percent of Americans recycle their plastic water bottles according to
statistics.

Their closing argument was the high cost of bottled water.

For instance, bottled water is around 75 times more expensive than tap water, meaning that
people waste lots of money whenever they buy bottled water.

44
 Chapter 3. Developing Effective Supporting Reasons
This chapter will teach students ways to develop strong supporting reasons. The first exercise will outline

the characteristics of effective supporting reasons, and the second exercise suggests different rhetorical

structures.

Unit 05 Returning Art Stolen during Wars

Returning artwork plundered during times of war is the topic for this unit. The arguments in favor of

returning the artwork deal with the issues of ownership and preservation of the pieces. As for the

arguments against, they focus on how common stealing artwork has been throughout history and the

importance of keeping the artworks safe.

Warm-Up (page 56)

Possible Answers
Part A
1. What do you see in the picture above?
→ I see five statues from Ancient Egypt similar to the Great Sphinx.

2. What country do you think that these sculptures originally came from?
→ These statues are probably from Egypt.

3. Where do you think these pieces are being displayed?

→ These pieces are being displayed in a museum. It is unclear where the museum is located.

45
Part B
1. Do you think that a piece of artwork belongs in the country where it was made?
→ In cases where the original creator of an artwork is no longer alive, then the piece should be kept in
the country where it was made.

2. Is it right for nations to steal valuables from the nations that they defeat in war?
→ No, I do not think that it is right in our modern age. The damage caused by war is already terrible
enough for the losing nations.

3. Should countries be expected to return stolen artwork if they take good care of the pieces?
→ It depends on the situation. If the artwork was stolen from a country that is highly unstable, then the
nation that stole the pieces should keep them if they preserve the works well.

46
Unit 05_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 58)

1. seize

2. monument

3. basis

4. civilization

5. victorious

Comprehension Questions (page 58)

1. What was outlined by the Hague Convention?

→ That armies are not allowed to steal artwork from other countries during wars

2. Why should looted artwork be returned to stable and wealthy nations?

→ Because these nations are able to take care of the works properly

3. For what reason did nations originally steal valuable artwork from the nations that they defeated?

→ They did it in order to cover their war expenses and to pay their soldiers’ salaries.

4. What would probably happen if artwork stolen from Egypt is returned to the country?

→ The artwork would likely disappear or be destroyed.

47
 Questions for Debate (page 58)
Possible Answers

1. Has your country ever stolen artwork from other nations, or have other nations stolen artwork from
your country? How does this make you feel?
To the best of my knowledge, my country has never stolen artwork from other nations.
The way that I feel about this is proud. I am happy that my country has never stolen anything from
other nations.

2. Should countries be allowed to keep works of art that have no clear owner?
It is my opinion that countries that take care of artworks should be allowed to keep them if there is
no clear owner.
The reason I believe this is it is better to have the artworks be preserved than to waste time and
money trying to figure out where they belong.

3. How would keeping looted artwork affect a country’s relationships with other nations?
As far as I am concerned, keeping looted artwork can make a country’s relationship with other
nations worse.
For instance, some nations have fought over the ownership of various pieces of art, which has
caused these countries to cooperate less with each other on other key issues.

4. Should a nation’s economic or political situation be considered when it requests the return of looted
artwork?
The most logical thing to do in this case is consider the overall development and stability of a
nation before returning the artwork.
To give you a better idea, think about how developing nations have many basic social problems
they need to address before they can take care of looted artwork.

5. Aside from returning stolen artwork, what else can nations do to compensate the countries they
have stolen artwork from?
It is my conviction that these nations should pay money to the countries that they stole from.
More specifically, the looting nations can compensate the nations that they stole from for the value
of the painting and for damages from stealing with works in the first place.

48
 Opinion Examples (page 60)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: It is unrealistic to expect nations to return artwork that they have rightfully taken.

• Opinion B: This is why plundered artwork must be returned immediately.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- To begin with, most of the artwork that has been looted was taken at a time when it was

acceptable to do so.

- In any event, much of the plundered artwork is well preserved.

• Opinion B:

- For one, our society strictly bans armies from looting other nations.

- Another point to consider is that these plundered pieces form the national culture of their home

nations.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Stolen artwork does not have a clear owner in most cases.

• Opinion B:

- The stolen artwork belongs to the nations where they were produced.

49
 Practicing Debate Skills (page 61)
Answers will vary.

1. Taking art classes at school helps children develop their creativity.

• what: When children study art at school, they can learn to express themselves using a variety of
media.
• why: This is important for the development of their creativity because they have to rely entirely on

their own ideas to create images that express how they perceive the world.
• how: Consequently, having students take art classes will lead them to overcome challenges in a
variety of ways rather than relying on skills such as route memorization.

2. The government should censor artwork to prevent the spread of harmful ideas.

• what: Artwork can sometimes depict images that are disturbing or controversial.
• why: The reason that this presents such a major issue is artwork can cause people to question social

norms or even to disrupt society.

• how: By censoring artwork, the government can ban images that may cause social unrest and

threaten the stability of society.

50
Unit 05_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 64)

● Agreeing Side
Agree Opening Statement
The main position held by our team is artwork stolen during wars should be returned to their home
countries.

Agree Argument 1
To start off with, plundered artwork should be returned because it belongs to the nations that originally
produced it. Looted artwork was stolen from the nations that lost wars. The losing nations did not give
permission to have their works taken by other countries. Since stealing is wrong, it is similarly wrong for
nations to keep artwork that they have plundered. The international community specifically banned the
looting of artwork during wartimes with the adoption of the Hague Convention for the Protection of
Cultural Property.

Rebuttal 1
We disagree with your point. Consider that causing excessive harm to another nation is cruel and
unnecessary.
Agree Argument 2
Next, let us point out that most looted works of art should be returned to their rightful owners. We admit
that most of the artists who created these works died many years ago. However, this simply means that the
works belong to the national governments of where the works were created. In 2005, the Japanese
government returned looted monuments to South Korea on the basis that the works belonged to the nation
where they were made.

Rebuttal 2
You still have it wrong. The fact is that most looted artworks have clear owners and must therefore be
returned as soon as possible.
Agree Argument 3
We will conclude by mentioning that looted artworks are ones with significant cultural and historical
importance. These pieces form the basis of the culture for these nations. When these looted artworks are
kept by other nations, then the nations from which the works were stolen suffer cultural loss. For instance,
the Silver Bible forms a major piece of Czech history, but it is being kept in a foreign country for the Czech
people cannot see it or learn about it.

Agree Closing Statement

Our overall stance remains that nations have a right to get back the artworks that were looted from them.

51
● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

Unlike our opponents, we are convinced that looted artwork belongs to the countries that stole them.

Rebuttal 1
The main drawback to your point is that much of the artwork that has been stolen was taken at a time
when looting artwork was a widely accepted practice.
Disagree Argument 1
As for our first point, it is the looting of artwork is a natural consequence of war. During war, nations always
suffer losses. Their soldiers die on the battlefield, and their citizens have their homes destroyed. It is only
natural to expect victorious armies to loot valuable works of art from losing nations. There is a common
saying: “To the victor go the spoils.” This refers to the idea of victorious nations taking items of value from
the countries that they defeat in war.

Rebuttal 2
It is incorrect to assume that most of the looted works have clear owners since in some cases, the nations
where the works created no longer exist, meaning that these pieces have no owners from a legal
standpoint.
Disagree Argument 2
Additionally, it would be almost impossible to determine the rightful owners of the majority of stolen
artworks. As we already mentioned, some of the civilizations where the works were created no longer exist,
such as the Aztec civilization of Central America. In other cases, the pieces cannot even be properly
identified, so it would be impossible for authorities to decide who the original owners were.

Rebuttal 3

Despite your contention that nations suffer cultural loss when looted artworks are kept outside the county,
we feel that the stolen pieces actually offer more cultural benefit by being kept in other nations because the
people of these foreign nations can learn about other nation’s cultures.
Disagree Argument 3
Our last argument is the fact that many of the looted pieces would be lost or destroyed if they were
returned to their home nations. By default, the nations that looted the most artwork were the most
victorious, such as France and the United Kingdom. Today, these nations remain wealthy, stable, and
powerful. In other words, the victorious nations are in the best position to care for and maintain these
looted works of art.

Disagree Closing Statement

To summarize, we still maintain that looted artwork should be kept by the nations that took the pieces.

52
 Sum Up the Debate (page 65)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The motion that we focused on today was whether nations should return artwork that they have stolen.
On the one hand, the members of the pro side argued that the plundered pieces of artwork should be
given back to the owners.

First of all, they argued that the stolen pieces belong to the nations that produced them.
The evidence that they offered was Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, which
specifically bans nations from taking works of art from other nations.

The next point that they made was the fact that most of the pieces have clear owners.
In detail, they posited that the stolen artworks belong to the countries where they were produced in
the event that the original artist has passed away.

Their concluding argument was the cultural significance of the stolen works of art.
The famous Silver Bible, an integral part of Czech history, was their supporting reasoning.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

On the contrary, the other team firmly believed that the stolen artworks should remain where they are.

Their opening argument was looting of artwork was a natural consequence of war.
To go into detail, the quote “to the victor go the spoils” highlights the fact that winners in wars are
given the right to take whatever valuables they wish.

Their second point was that determining the rightful owners of most stolen artworks would be
extremely difficult.
For example, the artwork stolen from the Aztecs cannot be returned because their civilization no longer
exists.

They wrapped up by pointing out that looted pieces have a high chance of being destroyed if they are
returned to their home nations.
The proof that they offered was the notion that the nations that stole the most artwork are very among
the wealthiest nations today, and therefore in the best position to care for the pieces.

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 Unit 06 Single-Gender Schools

Students will learn about the benefits and disadvantages of making all schools single gender. Some of

the reasons to make all schools one gender include the differences in learning styles between boys and

girls, while the arguments against such a change include the importance of learning about the opposite

sex and the fears that single gender schools may lead to social inequality.

Warm-Up (page 66)

Possible Answers

Part A

1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see a group of teenaged students in a coeducational classroom. The woman on the left side of the

picture is probably their teacher.

2. Do you think that the students in the picture are concentrating on their work? Explain.

→ I think the students are concentrating on their work. The students are either taking notes or raising

their hands to answer the teacher’s question.

3. How does attending school with students of both genders affect the learning environment?

→ When students of both genders attend the same school, it can result in more conflicts between

students and their learning styles.

Part B

1. Do you attend a single-sex school or a coeducational school?

→ I have always attended coeducational schools.

2. Would attending a single-gender school affect students’ ability to study?

→ I think it could make it easier to study since boys and girls often fight with each other in school.

3. Do you believe that teachers treat students differently at single-sex schools? Why or why not?

→ Yes, I believe that the teachers could pay more attention to girls at single-sex schools because they

often pay more attention to boys in coeducational schools.

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Unit 06_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 68)

1. reinforce

2. indicate

3. equivalent

4. attraction

5. depression

Comprehension Questions (page 68)

1. Which of the following assignments would be better suited to a girls-only class? Choose TWO correct

answers.

→ Summarizing a short story read in class / Creating sentences from new vocabulary words

2. How are boys and girls treated differently by teachers in coeducational schools?

→ Teachers are more likely to respond to male students and not to listen to female students.

3. Why do coeducational schools help students prepare for the adult world?

→ They teach children how to relate to the opposite sex.

4. For what reason are men who attended boys’ schools more likely to get divorced?

→ Because they do not properly understand the emotional needs of girls

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 Questions for Debate (page 69)
Possible Answers

1. Would you prefer to attend a coeducational school or a single-sex school? Why?

In my case, I would rather attend a coeducational school.
I feel this way because coeducational schools would give me better preparation for the real world,
where men and women have to interact with each other.

2. What are some differences between boys and girls in terms of their personalities and interests?
Boys and girls are different in terms of their levels of activity and how they interact with other people.
More specifically, boys tend to be more aggressive and enjoy physical activities, whereas girls usually
are more reserved and prefer talking with their friends.

3. Why do you think that teachers often pay more attention to male students than to female students?
The reason this probably happens is that boys are more likely to speak up in class and behave actively.
For example, almost all of the loudest students in my class at school are boys, while most of the girls
are usually shier, quieter, and less confident.

4. How do coeducational schools better help students to prepare for the adult world?
The advantage of coeducational schools is they force boys and girls to interact with each other,
despite their differences in personality.
The importance of this is boys and girls have to learn how to interact with the opposite sex as
children in order to be more successful as adults.

5. Instead of making gender-segregated schools, what could an alternative for teaching boys and girls
more effectively be?
A superior alternative might be encouraging boys and girls to interact with each other more regularly
in school.
This would work better because it would teach boys and girls how to overcome their differences and
work well with each other.

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 Opinion Examples (page 70)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: The world is not single-sex, and our schools shouldn’t be either.

• Opinion B: Overall, it has been a great experience.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- The main problem with single-sex schools is that they don’t teach students how to befriend

members of the other sex.

- In addition, single-sex schools can cause children to develop gender stereotypes.

• Opinion B:

- One reason is that single-sex schools are more comfortable.

- I also like my girls-only school because of the lessons.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Another drawback is that single-sex schools can lead to unequal educations for the two genders.

• Opinion B:

- Single-sex schools are also better because the students can focus more on their lessons.

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Unit 06_B Debating the Topic

Practicing Debate Skills (page 71)

Possible Answers
1. Debate Motion: It is better for children to be homeschooled.
Argument: Exceptionally bright students can learn more by being homeschooled.

They can learn Smarter students

more as a result. can study more
materials.

More intelligent Classes move at

students can the pace that the
study faster. Homeschooling students want.
lets students learn
Benefits of Your Argument at their own pace. Cause-and-Effect

2. Debate Motion: Schoolteachers should be required to carry firearms.

Argument: Arming teachers would make schools safer.

Armed criminals Police cannot

can easily shoot respond quickly
and kill students. to threats.

Unarmed teachers The other side

cannot protect assumes that
students. Schools with poice can help.
unarmed teachers
are vulnerable.
Problems with the Opposite Argument Flaws in the Opposite Argument

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 Actual Debate (page 74)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

We hold the belief that single-sex schools should take the place of coeducational schools.

Agree Argument 1
For one, we contend that students can experience a more comfortable learning environment at single-sex
schools. Boys and girls have several major differences in terms of the way that they learn, socialize, and
interact with other people. These differences can make students at coeducational schools feel
uncomfortable being around members of the other sex. Professor Rosemary Salomone of St. John’s
University has stated, “Many students in single-sex classes report feeling more comfortable raising their
hands and expressing uncertainty regarding a lesson or topic without fear of embarrassment or teasing from
the opposite sex.”

Rebuttal 1
The problem with your argument is it makes the unfounded assertion that boys gain a deep understanding
of girls while they are in school. This is almost never the case.
Agree Argument 2
Let us next point out that boys and girls distract each other from learning when they attend school
together. As younger students, boys and girls often fight with each other due to differences in their
behavior. When students get older, the two genders will feel physical attraction toward one another. In
either case, single-sex schools eliminate the problems caused by the differences between the two genders.

Rebuttal 2
Despite your contention that boys and girls benefit from learning under a variety of teaching methods, we
have to bring up the point that the majority of boys and girls learn best from styles tailored to their unique
educational needs.
Agree Argument 3
The last argument we will make is the different genders also have differences in learning styles. Some
teaching methods are more effective for boys, while other methods work better for girls. When the two
genders are in the same classroom, it makes it difficult for teachers to accommodate the differences in
learning needs between boys and girls. Separating boys and girls into different schools will allow teachers to
educate them more effectively, giving more projects to boys’ classes and more discussion time to girls’
classes.

Agree Closing Statement

To summarize, we assert that single-gender schools are superior to coeducational schools.

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● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

To us, there is no doubt that making all schools for one gender only would be a bad idea.

Rebuttal 1
The flaw in the argument that single-sex schools create a more comfortable learning environment is that the
learning environment does not reflect the realities of our society.
Disagree Argument 1
The first reason we believe that students can learn how to interact with members of the opposite sex at
coeducational schools. In adult society, men and women interact with each other on a daily basis. The
separation of genders at single-sex schools makes it almost impossible for students to learn about the other
gender. This is a problem because children need to learn how to live with members of the opposite sex. The
Institution of Education in London has found that men who attended boys’ schools have a much greater
chance of getting divorced since they did not learn how to interact with females as children.

Rebuttal 2
Your second argument is unsound because it states that the boys and girls cannot control their behavior.
While there may be times when boys and girls fight simply because they are different, this does not mean
that boys will never fight with other boys and that girls will never fight with other girls.
Disagree Argument 2
To add to our first statement, coeducational schools help boys and girls to learn using a variety of teaching
methods. Proponents of single-sex schools frequently posit that boys learn in only one way and that girls
learn only in different ways. This is hardly a universal fact. In reality, some boys excel in the arts just as some
girls excel in the sciences. Separating boys and girls into different schools would only perpetuate the idea
that they have completely different learning styles, but this is not true.

Rebuttal 3
Unfortunately, you have failed to consider that many of today’s teachers are taught to avoid gender bias in
their classrooms, and that good teachers will give both boys and girls equal change to voice their opinions.
Disagree Argument 3
To share our third argument, placing students into gender-segregated schools can lead to an unequal
education. History has shown us that the idea of “separate but equal” is rarely true in real life, and this
suggests that separating the two genders is bound to lead to vast differences in the quality of education
given to each gender. Consider the case in the United States, where black and white children attended
segregated schools. In almost every case, the schools for black children were worse than white schools.

Disagree Closing Statement

Overall, it is clear that single-sex schools are an inferior alternative to coeducational schools.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 75)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

Our debate today focused on the argument whether to replace coeducational schools with single-sex
schools.
The first team expressed the belief that single-sex schools are better than schools for boys and girls.

First, they claimed that single-gender schools offer a more comfortable learning environment for students.
The example that they gave was a quote from Professor Rosemary Salomone, who stated that girls are
likely to feel embarrassed in a coeducational classroom.

The second point that they made was the fact that boys and girls prevent each other from focusing on
their schoolwork.
The fact that boys and girls can fight with each other or show physical attraction for each other was their
supporting evidence.

The notion that boys and girls learn differently from one another was their final point.
In detail, they explained that teachers could create lessons suited to the needs of each gender when
students are segregated, helping them to learn more.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

The second team felt differently. They explained that coeducational schools offer a superior education
over single-sex schools.

The first argument that they made was boys and girls learn to interact with members of the opposite
sex in coeducational schools.
A study by the Institution of Education in London that found that men who attended single-sex schools
were more likely to get divorced was the example they gave.

The team also felt that coeducational schools expose students to a wider range of teaching styles.
For instance, some boys would benefit from instruction in the arts, while some girls would benefit from
learning sciences.

The final point they made was that creating single-sex schools could lead to unequal educations.
Specifically, they argued that segregating boys and girls into different schools could have the same
educational outcome as the racial segregation of schools in the United States.

61
 Chapter 4. Giving Supporting Examples
In this chapter, students will learn strategies for create supporting examples. The first unit exercise
explains what constitutes an example and asks students to differentiate between strong and weak
examples. The second unit outlines four different types of examples.

Unit 07 Celebrities Having No Right to Privacy

The topic covered in this unit deals with whether the media should report on the lives of famous people. The
arguments in favor of the motion include how such reporting keeps celebrities honest and how the public
has a right to know about these famous people’s lives. On the other hand, the passage points out how
celebrities have a right to privacy just as anybody else and that celebrity reporting reduces the amount of
coverage for more important news stories.

Warm-Up (page 78)

Possible Answers
Part A
1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see a man and a woman. Three photographers are behind them taking their pictures.

2. Why do you think the photographers are taking pictures of these people?

→ The man and the woman look like celebrities.

3. How do the people probably feel about having their pictures taken?

→ They have their backs to the photographers and are not smiling, so my guess is that they are not

happy.

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Part B
1. Do you ever follow celebrity news and gossip? Why or why not?

→ No, I do not follow celebrity gossip because I have no interest in the lives of celebrities.

2. Why is it important for the public to know about the personal lives of celebrities?

→ Celebrities are important figures in our society, and what they do in their personal lives can have

great effects on the rest of society.

3. What are some situations where it might be inappropriate for the media to report about the lives of

public figures?

→ I would say when the reporting puts celebrities’ lives in danger or intrudes upon their time with

family.

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 Vocabulary Check (page 80)
1. step down

2. paparazzo

3. distress

4. disgraced

5. vice-versa

Comprehension Questions (page 80)

1 What makes it different to separate the personal and private lives of famous people?

→ The fact that the events in their private lives affect their public lives

2 Why does the media spend so much time writing stories about celebrities?

→ Because many people are interested in learning about celebrities’ private lives

3 Why does the passage mention Princess Diana?

→ To explain how media scrutiny harms the lives of celebrities

4 How has news reporting changed in recent decades?

→ It has a greater focus on reporting celebrity news stories.

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 Questions for Debate (page 81)
Possible Answers

1. What types of news stories about famous people are often covered in the media? Are these important
for people to know about?
The news stories are usually about the clothing that celebrities wear, the people they date, and their
children.
As to whether they are important, I believe that these news stories are not important for people’s daily
lives.

2. Do you think it is possible for a person to be a celebrity while still having a private personal life?
I believe that it is possible, but very difficult to achieve.
To go into detail, whenever celebrities go into public, people recognize them and want to take their
pictures. This makes it hard for celebrities to maintain their privacy.

3. Is it appropriate for the public to look up to celebrities as role models? Why or why not?

My feeling about this is it is not appropriate.

This is due to the fact that most celebrities have not made any significant social contributions. They
are simply famous for their acting or singing, talents which do little to improve society.

4. In the past, the media did not report on the private lives of famous people, but it does today. What

do you think has caused this change?

This has probably changed because we have much greater access today to media than people did a
couple of decades ago.
For example, the only media in the past was radio, newspapers, and a small number of television
channels. Today, we have the Internet and hundreds of channels on TV.

5. What would happen to news reporting if the media could not report on the lives of celebrities?
The effect on the media would probably be a reduction in readership and viewership.
The impact of this is there would be fewer news reporting agencies, which would lead to less news
coverage overall.

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 Opinion Examples (page 82)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: We should keep in mind that celebrities are still people and deserve to have as much

privacy as anybody else.

• Opinion B: This is why the media examination of celebrities’ private lives has to continue.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion B

• AGAINST: Opinion A

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- First, celebrities have personal problems that the world does not need to know about.

- The media should also respect the privacy of celebrities because scrutiny of their lives gives them

lots of stress.

• Opinion B:

- One benefit is that it ensures that celebrities live up to their public roles.

- Furthermore, the actions of celebrities in their private lives can influence their public lives.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Citizens should have a right to maintain their safety from any dangers that they may face.

• Opinion B:

- People can use their firearms out of frustration or anger, which can lead to many accidental

shooting deaths.

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 Practicing Debate Skills (page 83)
Possible Answers

1. Argument: Famous people often behave in ways that are immoral.

Example: The media always reports on celebrities behaving badly. These celebrities may act rudely
toward others or do illegal activities. If children look up to famous people as role models,
then they will likely imitate celebrities’ bad behavior. (WEAK)
 The media often reports on the activities of the pop singer Justin Bieber. The media reports
about the times that he attacks other people, drinks too much alcohol, and uses drugs. Knowing
these types of news stories could encourage people to behave similarly as Justin Bieber.

2. Argument: Looking up to famous people can motivate children to work toward greater personal

goals.

Example: Oprah Winfrey is one of the most powerful media figures in the world today. However, she
had to work hard to reach the top. She was born into poverty and was abused by her

parents. Through her hard work, she became the host of her own talk show and now owns
her own media corporation. (STRONG)
 This example is strong because it focuses on one person, gives details of her life story, and
explains how she overcame her difficult circumstances in a way that proves the argument.

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Unit 07_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 86)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

Our team contends that it is entirely correct for the media to report on the private lives of celebrities.

Agree Argument 1
First, allow us to point out that the coverage of celebrities in the media gives people insight into the lives of
these powerful figures. Celebrities are people with great control over our lives. They influence our culture,
language, and society. Reporting on their private lives enables normal people to understand these public
figures better and to appreciate their social contributions. Many people consider the celebrity chef Gordon
Ramsay to be rude and arrogant. However, reports about his private life shows that he is actually caring and
considerate. These reports help the public to understand Ramsay better.

Rebuttal 1
You have it completely wrong. The truth is that there is still plenty of news coverage about more important
stories. Some media outlets report only on important stories, while other outlets focus on just celebrity
gossip. This means that more serious news stories get all the coverage necessary.
Agree Argument 2
To continue, we also reason that reporting on the lives of celebrities ensures that they remain honest in
their work. This is particularly true with politicians, whose work has a direct influence over the lives of
everybody in a society. News reports about their personal lives can help guarantee that politicians behave
honestly. Those who break the law often step down from their positions. This is what happened to members
of the British Parliament who were found guilty of committing tax evasion.

Rebuttal 2
We will rebut your argument by pointing out that celebrities lose their right to privacy as soon as they
become famous. It is illogical to demand privacy when your job requires you to be in the public eye.
Agree Argument 3
Our concluding argument is celebrity gossip is popular because they are the type of news stories that the
public wants to know about. A large number of people, particularly younger people, are interested primarily
in the lives of famous people. This is evidenced by the fact that some of the most popular newspapers
report only on celebrity gossip. The most widely circulated daily English newspaper is the Sun from the
United Kingdom, Over three million copies are printed each day, more than any paper which focuses on
important news stories. This shows the public demand for celebrity gossip.

Agree Closing Statement

In summary, we hold on to the belief that the media should report on the lives of famous people.

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● Disagreeing Side
Disagree Opening Statement
On the contrary, it is our assertion that the media cannot and should not scrutinize the private lives of
celebrities.

Rebuttal 1
Your argument that reporting about the lives of celebrities helps people understand them better is flawed
since most reporting focuses only on the negative aspects of the lives of celebrities.
Disagree Argument 1
Our opening argument is the coverage of celebrities’ private lives takes time away from the reporting of
more serious news stories. A disproportionate amount of news coverage today is about the lives of
celebrities. Less and less time is spent covering news stories that have relevance to people’s lives. The
problem with this is that people will be ignorant of issues that can affect them. A recent poll of Americans
by Rasmussen Reports found that 87 percent of Americans believe that the media spends too much time
covering celebrity gossip and scandals.

Rebuttal 2
Despite your supposition that media reporting on the lives of celebrities can keep them honest, we contend
that the majority of celebrity news reporting focuses only on the trivial events in the lives of actors and
singers, not the criminal acts of politicians.
Disagree Argument 2
The next factor to consider is that many celebrities deserve privacy just as regular citizens do. When
celebrities make public appearances or perform, then of course they do not expect privacy. However, when
they are shopping at the store or going out for a meal, they expect to have privacy. The media, however,
often takes away from this private time, making most celebrities angry and irritated. This is why some
celebrities have taken journalists to court to ensure their privacy, which is what Jackie Kennedy, the wife of
former president John F. Kennedy, did.

Rebuttal 3
To us, it is wrong to say that the majority of people care about celebrity gossip because surveys and

statistics indicate that most people feel that the amount of celebrity news reporting today is excessive.

Disagree Argument 3

The final point we would like to mention is that reporting on the lives of celebrities causes the celebrities
great distress. Always having to shy away from the prying eyes of the camera gives celebrities lots of stress,
which is bad for their physical and mental wellbeing. In extreme cases, journalists have lead to the death of
celebrities. This is what happened to Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash while trying to get away
from the paparazzi.

Disagree Closing Statement

The overall opinion of our team remains the media should spend less time reporting celebrity news stories
and more time focusing on the news stories that matter.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 87)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

Our debate topic today was the argument that celebrities do not have a right to personal privacy.
The first team was in favor of the notion and claimed that the media should report on the lives of
celebrities.

First of all, celebrity news coverage helps the public understand the lives of these famous people.
More specifically, when the media reports on these famous people’s lives, the public can better
understand and appreciate their work.

Additionally, they posited that the news reporting helps to guarantee that celebrities remain honest.
The reason that they felt this way was the media can expose famous people who do dishonest or illegal
activities, which can shame them and make them leave the public arena.

Finally, they explained that celebrity gossip should continue because it is what the public wants.
To illustrate this, they mentioned that a celebrity gossip newspaper, the Sun, is the most widely
published English language newspaper, ahead of newspapers which focus on serious news.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

Unlike the first team, the second team argued that it is wrong for the media to report on celebrity
gossip.

Their opening argument was the fact that celebrity news reporting takes away reporting time from more
serious news stories.
For instance, 87 percent of Americans believe that too much time is devoted to reporting on celebrity
gossip.

To continue, they mentioned that celebrities are entitled to privacy, just as normal citizens are.
The evidence that they provided was the case of Jackie Kennedy, who sued tabloids after they
photographed her and her family during their private time.

That celebrity news reporting causes celebrities emotional distress was their closing argument.
Their example was the case of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash trying to escape the
paparazzi.

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 Unit 08 Replacing Textbooks with Tablets
The debate topic of this unit is replacing school textbooks with tablets. The arguments in favor of the

topic outline the cost savings to schools and the ease of use for tablets. The arguments against using

tablets deal with the high initial costs of purchasing the tablets and the possible distractions they may

pose.

Warm-Up (page 88)

Possible Answers

Part A

1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see a group of young men and women sitting at tables and using tablets.

2. What do you think that the people are doing with their tablets?

→ They seem to be watching videos with their tablets.

3. Why might the man and the woman be smiling?

→ I would guess that they are watching amusing videos since they are smiling.

Part B

1. What are some of the advantages that tablets have over textbooks?

→ Tablets can be updated instantly with the latest information. They can also be used to watch videos

and to play educational games.

2. Do you think that it would be easier to study by using a tablet? Why or why not?

→ I think it would be harder to study because the other features of tablets can be distracting.

3. How would schools benefit if they gave students tablets instead of textbooks?

→ Schools would benefit by saving money on textbook expenses and by being able to make classes

that are interactive and more engaging.

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Unit 08_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 90)

1. scan

2. dispose of

3. store

4. transition to

5. interruption

Comprehension Questions (page 90)

1. What are the primary reasons that tablets are more convenient to use than textbooks? Choose TWO

correct answers.

→ They can hold more information / They can be used almost anywhere.

2. How could tablets be used to create lessons that are more informative for students?

→ Teachers would be able to create lectures that students can participate in.

3. Why would tablets force students to spend more time studying?

→ Because they would have a harder time reading the text on the screen

4. What percentage of students use their tablets for purposes other than studying?

→ 80 percent

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 Questions for Debate (page 91)
Possible Answers

1. What are some features of tablets that would enable students to study their texts more efficiently?

Some of the features include being able to search for information instantly and being able to use
other media forms to study.
These would help students learn more because students could spend less time searching for
information and could study with more engaging forms of media, such as videos.

2. Would it be more cost effective for schools to give students textbooks or tablets? Explain.

It seems to me that tablets would be more cost effective in the end.

The reason I feel this way is digital textbooks could be downloaded for a fraction of the price of
regular paper textbooks.

3. Do you believe that it is easier to read information from a textbook or a tablet? How would this affect

a student’s ability to study?

I think that it is actually easier to read text from a book.

This would affect students in terms of being able to go over their texts for class more quickly.

4. In what ways would tablets help teachers instruct students more effectively?

Tablets would be beneficial in terms of creating interactive lessons for students.

To go into detail, teachers could show videos or play educational games in class, which could make
students more interested in their studies.

5. How could schools make sure that students are not distracted by the other features of tablets?

Schools could install programs that disable the other features of tablets.
For example, they could put irremovable apps on tablets that disable chat programs or video games.

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 Opinion Examples (page 92)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: They need to replace their textbooks with tablets.

• Opinion B: As great a technology as tablets are, they are not a suitable replacement for textbooks.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion A

• AGAINST: Opinion B

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- One benefit of tablets is that they are highly efficient.

- On top of this, tablets can allow teachers to make interactive lectures.

• Opinion B:

- For starters, tablets distract students.

- Schools should also keep their textbooks because it is easier to study from printed books.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Tablets enable students to study more quickly and efficiently.

• Opinion B:

- Another problem is that tablets require a large initial investment from schools.

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Unit 08_B Debating the Topic

Practicing Debate Skills (page 93)

Possible Answers

1. Argument: Laptops would make it easier for students to do their homework.

Example: According to a survey of 2,000 students, the majority stated that they completed their

homework faster by using laptops since they were able to search for information instantly.

2. Argument: Laptops would present a major financial burden for many students.

Example: The truth of the matter is one laptop costs several hundred dollars, and many parents do

not have extra money to spend on such a purchase. As result, many students cannot afford
it.

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 Actual Debate (page 96)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

We hold the firm conviction that tablets should take the place of textbooks in schools.

Agree Argument 1
Our first argument is tablets make learning more fun and interactive for students. Students today want to
use technology as much as possible. Bringing tablets into the classroom will make students more interested
in their studies. For this reason alone, students will learn more by using tablets. For instance, over 90
percent of students in one survey claimed that technology in the classroom helps them stay more interested
in their studies.

Rebuttal 1
You posit that tablets would be too costly for schools to buy initially. Yet we believe that when schools
consider the long-term savings offered by tablets, they will be more willing to make that high investment.
Agree Argument 2
The second reason we support this idea is tablets will save schools money. Traditional textbooks are hugely
expensive. A single book can cost $100 or more. Considering that each student has between 5 and 10
textbooks or more each year, the huge cost of purchasing new textbooks every year for students becomes
apparent. On the contrary, tablets are much cheaper. The cost of a tablet is greater than the cost of a book,
but downloading digital books each year for students as they advance to higher grades would cost almost
nothing.

Rebuttal 2
You claimed that schools would have to spend a lot of money replacing damaged tablets. This is flawed
because tablets can be covered in strong protective cases. As for the software and hardware, today’s tablets
are very reliable and can be used for many years.
Agree Argument 3
Our last contention is tablets are easier to use and carry. Books are thick and heavy. They cannot be read in
the dark and are hard to take notes in unless you are sitting at a table. Tablets, on the other hand, can be
carried almost anywhere. They weigh far less than even a single book, yet can contain thousands of titles.
They can be used in the dark and are easy to take notes with even by using your two hands. This makes
them more convenient for today’s active students.

Agree Closing Statement

On the whole, it is our conviction that old-fashioned textbooks must be abandoned in favor of tablets.

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● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

To us, it seems that it would be wrong to get rid of textbooks in favor of tablets.

Rebuttal 1
That argument does not make sense. Think about how difficult it would be for teachers to utilize such
complex technology in the classroom. Older teachers would have an especially difficult time adapting to
these new forms of technology.
Disagree Argument 1
The main reason that we oppose this motion is schools cannot afford to buy tablets for all of their students.
While tablets would be cheaper in the end, their upfront cost is simply too much for schools to afford. They
cannot get enough funding at one time to purchase tablets for every one of their students. The cost of one
tablet can be $300 or greater. On the other hand, schools may only have to purchase one or two new books
per student each year, which would be much cheaper.

Rebuttal 2
It is wrong to say that schools would save money on tablets because they do not buy new books for every
class each year. Most schools use the same textbook for several years before buying new editions. In other
words, schools spend much less on textbooks than the other team suggests.
Disagree Argument 2
Additionally, paper textbooks are more durable and longer lasting than tablets. Books can be dropped on
the ground, slammed on desks, and even left in the rain and they will still be perfectly usable. The same
cannot be said of tablets. If a student cracks the screen, the whole tablet can be ruined. Also, let’s not forget
that tablets can get viruses and malfunction. In the end, schools would have to replace damaged or broken
tablets all the time. This would be hugely expensive.

Rebuttal 3
The main fault in your third point is that you assume that students are constantly out and about when they
need to study. The fact of the matter is that most students do their studying at home where portability is
not necessary.
Disagree Argument 3
As for our final argument, tablets would distract students from their studies. In today’s hyper-connected age
of multimedia, tablets are one of the main tools used to keep students away from their studies. Tablets
would give students the ability to surf the Internet, chat with friends, and play games in the palms of their
hands when they should be thinking only about studying. In one survey, over 80 percent of students
responded that they use for their tablets for more than just doing their homework.

Disagree Closing Statement

Our primary belief remains tablets would make a poor substitute for textbooks.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 97)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

Our debate topic today was whether to replace textbooks with tablets.
The pro team agreed with the motion and posited that textbooks should be pushed aside in favor of
using tablets.

The first point that they made was that tablets make learning more fun and enjoyable for students.
The evidence that they offered was a survey which found that 90 percent of students believe that
technology helps them be more interested in their studies.

Next, they claimed that schools will spend less money on textbooks by purchasing tablets.
To share their details, they pointed out how inexpensive digital textbooks are in comparison with paper
textbooks.

Their final argument was tablets are easier to use for studying than books are.
For instance, one school textbook can be difficult to carry and study with, whereas tablets are light and
highly portable.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

The other team refuted the motion by claiming that getting rid of textbooks in favor of tablets is a
mistake.

The first point they mentioned was the fact that schools cannot pay the upfront costs of tablets.
The fact that one tablet costs several hundred dollars by itself was their supporting example.

They also claimed that paper textbooks last longer than tablets.
The evidence that they offered was that tablets can be easily damaged or malfunction, unlike paper
textbooks.

Lastly, they stated that tablets will only distract students from their studies.
The support they gave was a poll where 80 percent of students replied that they use their tablets for
more than just studying.

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 Chapter 5. Doing Research
In this chapter, students will learn about doing research to create supporting ideas for their debate. The
first exercise explains how to find information online and what key words to use. The second exercise
teaches students to differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources.

Unit 09 Fat Tax on Unhealthy Foods

Whether to enact a fat tax on unhealthy foods is the focus of this unit. To support the motion, the
passage explains the health benefits for individuals, while the arguments against the motion deal with
loss of personal freedoms.

Warm-Up (page 100)

Possible Answers
Part A
1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see an overweight man using a laptop and eating a sandwich. Next to him on the table is an

excessive amount of food.

2. Which foods in the picture are healthy? Which foods are unhealthy?

→ The sandwich and salad could be healthy, whereas the French Fries and desserts are not healthy.

3. Do you think the man is healthy or unhealthy? Why do you think so?

→ I would say that the man is unhealthy. His portion sizes are far too big, and he is clearly overweight.

Part B
1. What foods do you think are unhealthy? List at least three of them.

→ Hamburgers, fried chicken, and pizza are not very healthy.

2. How would a tax on unhealthy foods improve people’s eating habits?

→ Making unhealthy foods more expensive would encourage people to reduce their consumption of

them.

3. What are other products that the government places extra taxes on for the health of its citizens?

→ The government places extra taxes on cigarettes and alcohol.

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Unit 09_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 102)

1. implement

2. pleasure

3. precedent

4. luxury

5. disproportionately

Comprehension Questions (page 102)

1. What types of foods would be covered by a fat tax?

→ Foods that are high in saturated fats, salt, and sugar

2. What is the legal justification for the creation of a fat tax?

→ The fact that the government places a sin tax on unhealthy items such as cigarettes

3. Why do people choose to eat unhealthy foods instead of fresh foods?

→ Because processed foods often cost less than fruits and vegetables

4. Which solutions would best encourage people to become healthier? Choose TWO correct answers.

→ Encouraging people to do physical activities / Making healthy foods easier to obtain

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 Questions for Debate (page 103)
Possible Answers

1 How many times a week do you eat unhealthy foods such as snacks and candy? Why?
Each week, I eat unhealthy foods almost every day.
I eat them this often because they are cheap, easy to buy, and easy to eat quickly.

2 What are the main reasons that people choose to eat unhealthy foods?
People probably eat unhealthy foods because they do not have time to sit down and eat a proper
meal.
To share an example, each day after school, I have to attend several academies. I rarely have time to
go home, and I do not have time have a full dinner. So, I just eat junk food.

3 Do you think the government has the right to restrict people’s diets? Explain.
My opinion about this is the government has a responsibility to promote healthy lifestyles to ensure
the overall well being of their population.
I feel this way since governments are supposed to care for their citizens, and this includes stopping
them from doing harmful activities.

4. How is a fat tax different from a sin tax on items such as cigarettes and alcohol?
The difference between them is that cigarettes and alcohol are luxury items, whereas people need to
eat in order to survive.
This is important to note because a tax on junk foods could force people to eat fewer meals or even
go hungry.

5. Other than creating a fat tax, what are some effective ways that governments can improve their
citizens’ diets?
Some other possible alternatives include giving tax breaks to citizens who meet certain levels of
physical healthy.
These could be more effective since it would combine monetary incentives with the promotion of
good exercise habits.

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 Opinion Examples (page 104)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: A fat tax can solve this.

• Opinion B: The creation of a fat tax clearly violates this idea.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion A

• AGAINST: Opinion B

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- People mainly buy junk foods because they are cheaper than fresh foods.

- It is also necessary to point out that obesity is a problem that affects everyone.

• Opinion B:

- Most notably, people must eat in order to survive.

- Besides, eating unhealthy foods does not guarantee that a person will become obese.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- It is difficult for individuals to change their habits without some outside help.

• Opinion B:

- The government does not have the right to try to control what people eat.

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 Practicing Debate Skills (page 105)
Possible Answers

1. It is the government’s job to restrict people’s unhealthy behavior.

Online Search Engine Key Words: lawmakers, junk foods, loss of personal freedom, fat tax

Online Encyclopedia Key Words: fat content, fast foods, obesity rates by country, obesity epidemic,

sin tax

2. Many fast-food products today contain dangerously high amounts of fat.

Online Search Engine Key Words: saturated fat, cheeseburger, worst foods, unhealthy diets,

nutritional information

Online Encyclopedia Key Words: fast-food chains, unhealthy food, leading causes of death, calories,

fast-food controversy

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Unit 09_B Debating the Topic

Actual Debate (page 108)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

To our team, it is clear that the creation of a fat tax is necessary to ensure the health of the population.

Agree Argument 1
To start with, many food products today are dangerously unhealthy. A number of fast-food products today

contain huge amounts of fat and calories that are far more than people need to have. People who eat too

many of these foods are likely to develop many serious health problems. A fat tax would discourage people

from eating such unhealthy foods often. The Baskin-Robbins large Oreo Chocolate Shake contains 2,600

calories, 135 grams of fat, and 263 grams of sugar. This is equal to eating three healthy meals throughout

the day.

Rebuttal 1
In spite of your assertion that people should be allowed to eat whatever foods they choose, we are certain
that the government has a right to intervene when people’s eating habits directly affect their health.
Agree Argument 2
Second, consider that there is legal precedent for creating a fat tax. The government already has sin taxes,
which are additional taxes placed on cigarettes and alcohol. This is done to raise the prices of these
products in order to encourage people to consume less of them. A fat tax works on the same principle. The
extra tax would make fast foods more expensive, and thereby discourage people to eat less of these
unhealthy foods.

Rebuttal 2
Once again, you are mistaken. The reality is fast food is mainly consumed by middle income people who
want a quick meal. These people can easily afford to purchase more expensive, healthier foods.
Agree Argument 3
Finally, a fat tax would help correct the massive price imbalance between healthy and unhealthy foods. To
get the same amount of fat and calories one gets by eating a $3 fast food meal, a person would have to
buy over $30 worth of fruits and vegetables. Clearly, this is an undesirable situation. A fat tax that doubles
or even triples the price of unhealthy foods would close the price gap between foods that are bad for you
and foods that are good for you, thereby causing more people to eat healthy.

Agree Closing Statement

On the whole, it is obvious that governments must make fat tax sooner rather than later.

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● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

Unlike our opponents, we feel that the adoption of a fat tax would do little to curb the obesity epidemic.

Rebuttal 1
You are mistaken. The truth is the majority of fast food products contain a reasonable amount of fat and
calories. The examples you gave are cases of the worst fast foods, not foods that represent the norm.
Disagree Argument 1
The first point we will make is people should have the right to eat whatever they want even if they become

unhealthy. Eating food is a personal choice. The government does not have the right to dictate what people

may put into their bodies. However, the creation of a fat tax would severely restrict people’s freedom of

choice. To illustrate this point, consider purchasing a bicycle. The government does not tax people for

buying bikes even though riding them can be very dangerous.

Rebuttal 2
Your claim that a fat tax would be similar to a sin tax is invalid because a sin tax is placed on luxury items
which people consume for pleasure, whereas a fat tax would be placed on food, which people need to live.
Disagree Argument 2
Another point to keep in mind is a fat tax would unfairly target the poorest members of society. As we just
stated, a fat tax is not like a sin tax. The reason is a fat tax would be placed on productsᅳfoodᅳthat
people consume in order to survive. Many lower-income individuals purchase potato chips, cola, and fast
foods as their regular meals. If a fat tax were enacted, then these people would be forced to eat less food,
possibly to the point of going hungry. This is not the right thing to do.

Rebuttal 3
Despite your opinion that raising the prices of unhealthy foods would be better, it is our conviction that
the government should make healthy foods cheaper, not make unhealthy foods more expensive, if it wants
people to improve their diets.
Disagree Argument 3
One more point we will mention is a fat tax is unlike to work. Countless studies have shown that raising the
prices of products that people want to buy will not discourage them from buying and eating these
products. In one study, it was determined that raising the prices of junk food by 20 percent would do little
to stop people from eating them. To affect people’s eating habits, the government needs to make healthy
foods cheaper and to encourage people to be active more regularly.

Disagree Closing Statement

In summation, it is evident that a fat tax simply would not work.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 109)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

The topic of today’s debate was whether to create a fat tax for unhealthy foods.
The first team believed that a fat tax is the best solution to make people eat better.

For one, they claimed that most of the fast food products today are dangerously unhealthy.
The supporting details they provided included the large Oreo Chocolate Shake from Baskin-Robbins,
which contains an entire day’s worth of fat, calories, and sugar.

Their next argument was that a fat tax would be similar to a sin tax.
Their evidence was the fact that the government already taxes unhealthy items such as cigarettes and
alcohol.

They concluded by mentioning that a fat tax would balance the prices of fast foods and healthy foods.
That healthy foods are ten times more expensive than junk foods in terms of fat and calories was their
example.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

Oppositely, it was the second team’s opinion that a fat tax would have little-to-no effect on people’s
eating habits.

The first argument that they presented was that people should have a right to eat whatever foods they
choose.
For example, the government does not tax people for riding bicycles, even though that is also a
potentially dangerous activity.

Second of all, the poor in society would be unfairly affected by a fat tax.
Their justification was that poor people are the greatest consumers of junk foods, meaning that their
diets would be most adversely affected by the enactment of a fat tax.

As for their final reason, it was the notion that a fat tax is unlikely to work.
Their rationale was even a significant increase in the prices of junk food would not prevent people from
buying and eating them.

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 Unit 10 Banning Homework at Schools

In this unit, students will debate whether to abolish homework in schools. The arguments in favor of

doing so include the ineffectiveness of homework and the matter that it wastes teacher resources. The

arguments against this proposition include the importance of reviewing study materials and the

independent work skills that doing homework builds.

Warm-Up (page 110)

Possible Answers

Part A
1. What do you see in the picture above?

→ I see a young woman in a library. She is using a laptop, and there is a stack of books next to her.

2. What does the girl appear to be doing? How can you tell?

→ She seems to be studying. I can tell people of the fact that she is in a library and by the look of

concentration on her face.

3. Do you think that the girl is enjoying herself? Why or why not?

→ I don’t think the girl is having much fun. She looks like she is deep in concentration.

Part B
1. How much time do you spend doing homework each week? Do you think that this is an appropriate

amount?

→ I spend about 10 hours a week doing homework. I think this is a little too much.

2. What are the primary ways that students would benefit from a homework ban?

→ Students would have more time to rest and to pursue other activities, such as playing sports.

3. What are the primary ways that teachers would benefit from a homework ban?

→ Teachers would benefit by having more time to prepare lessons and to help students in class.

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Unit 10_A Learning about the Topic

Vocabulary Check (page 112)

1. misuse

2. retain

3. guidance

4. deep

5. carelessly

Comprehension Questions (page 112)

1 What is true about students in Japan and Denmark?

→ They have some of world’s best test scores.

2 How does assigning homework misuse teacher resources?

→ It makes it difficult for teachers to spend enough time creating interesting class activities.

3 Why do homework assignments enable students to better understand their lessons?

→ Because students must make use of the information that they learn in school

4 What is the potential drawback of having students only do in-class assignments?

→ They will not develop the skills to work independently as adults.

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 Questions for Debate (page 113)
Possible Answers

1. What types of assignments are appropriate to give students as homework?

I believe that reading assignments and writing assignments are best left for homework.
The reason that I feel this way is that these are assignments that students can do easily by themselves
but would take up too much time during class to complete.

2. How would teachers’ lessons change if they could not assign homework?

If homework were banned, then teachers would be able to devote more time to creating interesting
and information class lessons.
To go into more detail, teachers could spend up to an hour or more each day planning their lessons
and using more media to help keep students interested.

3. Is it possible for students to understand all of the materials that they study in class without help from

their teachers? Explain.

To me, it seems that the best way for students to learn is to get help from their teachers.
More specifically, teachers could spend more time helping students with their learning materials by
giving them feedback during class rather than checking homework assignments.

4. How does having too many homework assignments negatively affect students’ lives?

When students have too much homework, then they have far less time to devote to other, non-
academic activities.
A clear example of this is the fact that students in Asian countries are far less likely to play sports or
spend time with friends after school because they are too busy studying.

5. Rather than banning homework, what are some other ways that schools could help students to learn more?

Other solutions that may be more effective include making class sizes smaller and creating more
practical curriculum.
I think that this would work because teacher-student interaction is key to ensuring that students learn,
and having more practical curriculum would ensure that students take their studies seriously.

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 Opinion Examples (page 114)
1. Underline the main idea of each opinion.

• Opinion A: While there are certainly drawbacks to assigning homework, it is not practical to ban it

completely.

• Opinion B: Doing homework is simply a waste of time for the majority of students.

2. Which opinion is for the topic? Which one is against it?

• FOR: Opinion A

• AGAINST: Opinion B

3. What supporting ideas does each opinion give?

• Opinion A:

- For starters, think about all of the assignments that we don’t have time to complete in class.

- Homework also gives students the chance to review the concepts that they learn about in class.

• Opinion B:

- Chiefly, students don’t focus on their homework.

- Even worse, homework takes away time from other activities.

4. Create one more supporting idea for each argument.

Possible Answers
• Opinion A:

- Doing homework helps students develop independent study skills.

• Opinion B:

- Creating and grading homework assignments can be a huge drain on teacher resources.

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Unit 10_B Debating the Topic

Practicing Debate Skills (page 115)

Possible Answers

Argument 1: Using technology in school will prepare students for the job market.

Research: Nearly all middle-class white-collar jobs require applicants to have at least basic computer

skills, including knowing how to use word processors and spreadsheets. (RELEVANT )

This example is relevant because it explains the importance of learning computer skills for students’

futures.

Argument 2: Technology in the classroom would only distract students from learning.

Research: Researchers have recently discovered that over 90 percent of schools have computers in the

classroom. (IRRELEVANT)

Researchers have discovered that over 90 percent of students use school computers for non-academic

activities, such as using them to chat with friends, read web comics, and play games.

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 Actual Debate (page 118)

● Agreeing Side

Agree Opening Statement

We hold the firm conviction that schools should not assign homework to students.

Agree Argument 1
To start with, homework assignments have little effect on student academic achievement. The majority of

learning at school takes place in the classroom. Doing homework rarely teaches students new information

and may actually confuse them about what they have learned. To learn effectively, students must study

under the guidance of their teachers. For instance, students in Japan and Denmark have among the highest

standardized test scores in the world. The reason is that they spend more time studying at school and

almost no time doing homework.

Rebuttal 1
It is a mistake to say that students need to review lessons from class on their own in order to understand
them properly. An effective educator would make sure that students understand everything in class.
Agree Argument 2
Next, we must point out that making homework assignments is a waste of teacher resources. One of the
most time-consuming parts of a teacher’s work day is writing homework assignments and checking the
work of dozens of students. Doing these activities takes away a teacher’s time from creating more
interesting lessons and helping students understand their work while they are in class. Getting rid of
homework would make it far easier for teachers to help students understand their schoolwork while they are
at school, rendering homework unnecessary.

Rebuttal 2
Your argument that teachers can understand what students have not learned in class is wrong because
teachers can still understand what concepts students have trouble with by asking them questions during
class and by giving them quizzes and exams.
Agree Argument 3
Our third assertion is doing homework takes away the chances for students to do other activities. Many
students, especially middle school and high school students, spend several hours each day doing
homework. This makes it impossible for them to do other, equally important activities such as playing
sports, spending time with friends, or having part-time jobs. For students to be well rounded, they must not
study all the time when they are outside the classroom. They need to experience the other aspects of life.

Agree Closing Statement

The points that we have made clearly prove why schools need to abolish homework assignments from their
curriculum.

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● Disagreeing Side

Disagree Opening Statement

Conversely, from our perspective, it seems that abolishing homework from schools would be a huge
mistake.

Rebuttal 1
The main shortcoming of your argument that homework does little to improve academic achievement is the
fact that schools in Japan and Denmark have longer school days and more days of class per year. This is the
main reason for their superior academic performance.
Disagree Argument 1
As for our first argument, it is students need to do homework in order to review what they have learned

about at school. People, especially children, need to learn about a concept multiple times before they can

master it. The benefit of homework is that children can review the material that they have learned and study

it repeatedly until they fully understand. Research by Duke Professor Harris Cooper has revealed that

elementary school students who have homework assignments have higher test scores than students who do

not get homework.

Rebuttal 2
In spite of your supposition that teachers would have more time to devote to lesson planning if homework
were abolished, we contend that the majority of teachers would simply use their extra time to relax, not to
do unrequired planning work. This would not benefit the students at all.
Disagree Argument 2
Another reason we disagree with this topic is homework helps teachers to assess how much students have
learned. When students do work in class, the teacher guides them and often gives them the correct
answers. In this situation, teachers have little idea of how much the students understand by themselves.
When teachers grade homework assignments, they can clearly see each student’s weakness, and adjust their
lessons to help the students correct their shortcomings.

Rebuttal 3
Your argument is flawed because it assumes that students will never have the time to do any non-academic
activities. This is definitely not the case.
Disagree Argument 3
Finally, doing homework enables students to develop their independent working skills. If students always
study under the guidance of their teachers, then they will surely never develop the ability to work on their
own. To succeed as an adult, students must learn how to take initiative and solve problems on their own.
Doing homework does a great job of teaching students this valuable skill.

Disagree Closing Statement

Ultimately, we feel that schools must keep homework as part of their curriculum.

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 Sum Up the Debate (page 119)

Agreeing Side’s Argument

Our debate today was about banning homework in schools.

The opinion of the first team was that homework should not be assigned to students.

They started by positing that homework does not help to boost student academic achievement.
For instance, students in Japan and Denmark have very high test scores despite not doing much
homework.

Additionally, preparing homework assignments wastes teacher resources.

To go into more detail, teachers have to devote great amounts of time and energy to create homework
assignments for students.

Their final point was doing homework prevents students for doing other activities.
They offered the fact that students cannot play sports, spend time with friends, and work at part-time
jobs as supporting evidence.

Disagreeing Side’s Argument

To contradict the first team, the second team stated their belief that banning homework from schools
would be a major mistake.

The first reason they opposed the motion was that doing homework helps students review the
materials that they have learned in school.
They gave the example of research by Professor Harris Cooper that homework helps students learn
more.

Next, they posited that teachers can understand how much students have learned by giving homework.
Their support was the fact that teachers can clearly see what students do and do not understand by
checking homework assignments.

To wrap up, they stated that completing homework assignments teaches students how to develop their
independent work skills.
The importance of being able to take initiative to solve problems as a necessary skill was their
reasoning.

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