Holding Debates in the Classroom ideas Upper Elementary

Whether you are getting ready to learn about Groundhog Day or learning about persuasive writing, holding a classroom debate is the perfect activity!

Turn your classroom into a courtroom and hold your own high-interest debates in your classroom to engage students and practice persuasive writing, argumentative discussions, and speaking and listening skills in a safe and structured environment. 

Debates provide students with the opportunity to see that it is OK to disagree with their peers. It also helps them to understand different perspectives and points of view on a variety of topics. 

This can include different holiday and seasonal topics like to have more winter or early spring (think Groundhog Day), should pranks be allowed at school (think April Fools Day), or a generic high-interest topic like, should homework be assigned? which is perfect to tie into Election Day activities!

I love using debates in the classroom. 

Not only does it address multiple skills and objectives, it allows students to put all of their persuasive writing strategies and knowledge into action within a real world activity.

While working on debate projects, students will sharpen ALL of these skills:

• persuasive writing
• reading
• research and note-taking
• point of view
• listening and speaking
• collaboration and teamwork
• public speaking and eye contact
• conversation etiquette

The best part about holding debates is that it is naturally engaging for students. By directly teaching students how to participate in a debate even your most timid students and reluctant writers will be ready to participate.

Here is how I break down and explain this genre of writing for my upper elementary students to help them understand the nuances specific to debates, as well as make connections to persuasive writing.

What is a Debate? What is Persuasive Writing?

Writing debates is always part of our persuasive writing unit. I love that debates give students the opportunity to use their persuasive writing skills in real-world situations. Here is how I define both persuasive writing and debates for my students:

• Persuasive writing is a form of opinion writing used to convince others to think in a certain way and persuade the readers to share the writer's point of view.
• A debate is a formal argument in which there are two sides that take opposing viewpoints and discuss them in an organized and structured way while trying to persuade listeners to share the speaker's point of view. 

By using these definitions, students can easily see the connection between persuasive writing and debate work. We also discuss that a judge will listen to both sides of the debate and decide which side made a better "case" and supported the argument.

Why Participate in a Debate?

It is important to me to let students in on the "why" behind the lessons that I teach. When students participate in debates they develop listening and speaking skills. They begin to understand both sides of an argument and gain perspective from their peer's point of view. Additionally, by practicing public speaking in the form of a speech, students' fear of speaking in front of peer groups will decrease. Students need a lot of time to practice speaking in public. Help students get over any insecurities and fear by having them work in groups to debate different topics throughout the year. The more practice they have, the better!

What are Genre Specific Key Words?

Just like other writing genres have key words to signal key points, so do debates. Together as a class we brainstorm persuasive writing words that would help them successfully write an organized debate speech. For example, In my opinion, Consequently, Therefore, Specifically, That is why, are some key words to help you get started brainstorming with your own students.

How are Debates Organized and Written?

Debate speeches are organized in a familiar format for students. It begins with an introduction, requires supporting details, and ends with a conclusion. This is the same structure that students use when writing about reading. The major difference is the rebuttal component. The idea of a rebuttal is new for upper elementary students so it takes center stage of my lessons. Here is the debate structure I use with my students:

• Introduction: Introduce yourself, the topic and the side you will be arguing for, and your claim
• Support Your Idea: Have 3-4 strong and relevant points to support your claim
• Rebuttal: Address and state a reason that will counter what the opposing side is claiming
• Conclusion: Restate your claim and points and then thank the audience with eye contact.

What Makes a Debate Different than Persuasive Writing?

The key elements that students need to understand when it comes to debates are pros, cons, and rebuttals. To fully understand these concepts students need direct instruction and practice. I love to use modeled writing to help students identify the different elements of debates, especially these three areas:

• Pro: The pros or proposition side of a debate is the affirmative side. It is the why you believe in the side of the topic you are debating. The pros are for the topic at hand.
• Con: The con side of a debate is the negative side. It is the why you do not believe in the topic. A con is against the topic at hand.
• Rebuttal: A rebuttal is a statement made about the opposing side's claim to explain why their claim is wrong.

What are the Steps of a Debate?

Once students write their debate speeches it is time to actually debate. Since debates are structured and organized in such a way that allows both sides to have equal time to speak, students must be aware of the format. Here is a shortened version of the debating speaking order that I use with upper elementary students.

• Affirmative side speaks to state their claim and supporting details.
• Negative side speaks to state their claim and supporting details.
• Negative side states their rebuttal and closing.
• Affirmative side states their rebuttal and closing.

A Few Tips and Tricks...

• Help students prepare for the debate by creating a checklist to keep them organized.
• Allow students to pick their own side or mix it up by randomly assigning which side they will be "for". This is a great way to differentiate for your top writers, too. 
• Assign cooperative group roles to help students stay on track! I have found the best roles to use for debating units are recorders, time keeper, and speakers.
• Do not try to have students memorize their speeches. Instead, have students write their speeches in bullet form to help them read it fluently while they are presenting.
• Encourage students to practice their debate speeches within their small groups several times before presenting to help build their confidence.
• Since speaking in front of their peers can be intimidating, help them feel positive by giving a lot of encouragement and positive praise.
• Make it fun! Make the kids laugh and giggle at YOU by dressing up as a judge complete with a gavel to take the pressure off the kids!
• Use the holidays and seasons to engage students in meaningful topics to debate:
• Perfect for the long winter and Groundhog Day: Debating over Winter or Spring
• Who doesn't love April Fools' Day: Debating over Pranks Being Played at School
• Tie seasonal debates with history: Thanksgiving Debate and Columbus Day Debate
• Use current events and topics of interest for debates, such as:
• Should Homework be Assigned at School

Holding debates in the classroom is a fun and engaging way to keep students working hard and practicing so many different skills at once. Provide students with many opportunities to debate over topics in the classroom. Not sure of an idea to have students debate about? Ask them! They always come up with the best topics to debate. 

You might be interested in this printable AND digital debate resource.

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4 Simple Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Mathematical Discourse

If your students are like mine, they love to talk! 

They love to talk about anything and everything...what happened on the bus, their favorite podcasts or TV shows, what their younger brother or sisters are up to, and even what book they are reading. 

But when it comes to engaging in meaningful math discourse, it can sometimes be crickets! 

I learned quickly that even though my students loved to talk, they did not always love to talk about their mathematical thinking.  The fear of being wrong often set in and kept my students as quiet as mice during math.  This was a mindset that I wanted to change and change quickly, right from the first day of school.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) defines mathematical discourse, as "ways of representing, thinking, talking, agreeing, and disagreeing."  When students are engaged in meaningful math discourse every day, it provides you with many opportunities to listen into their conversations with peers and get a better understanding of what concepts students fully grasp and which ones remain a struggle for them. It also provides you the opportunity to give on the spot support, take anecdotal notes, and informally assess students. 


By providing students with the time and appropriate tasks that are specifically designed to spark these types of math discussions, students grow as mathematicians at a quick rate. They strengthen their own mathematical skills, help their peers' level of understanding, and learn from others' knowledge, too.

Mathematical discourse in the classroom is a win for everyone involved!

With all of those benefits taking place in one math lessons, engaging students in mathematical discourse is a MUST DO in every upper elementary classroom. Follow these easy to implement tips to get your students discussing math in meaningful ways this school year.

Plan Explicit Instruction

As with any expectation you have, having students engage in mathematical discourse is something that needs to explicitly be taught.  

Taking time at the beginning of the year to explicitly teach the expectations you have for math discourse will allow students time to practice how to talk about math problems and strategies with partners in meaningful ways. 

I always create class anchor charts of how to engage in math discussions with my students during the first few days of school. I use prepared math discussion stems and discussions questions that I expect students to use when they work with their partner,  as a guide to get our discussion going. I always am sure to include students' ideas on the charts, too. Just like when students stop to turn and talk about their reading ideas during reading workshop, students are expected to make eye contact with their math partner, refer to the problem at hand, stay on task, and use the discussion prompts and questions given to them to guide their discussion. 

As the year progresses, students will not need the prompts and questions as they have fully embraced these prompts as their own, but they should keep a copy in their math journals as a reference. 


Another expectation that I explicitly teach is for students to use specific math vocabulary in their discussions. This means that they can refer to unit specific math terms on our word wall, from our journals, or from our math alphabet. By being specific, students' conversations will truly serve as a tool to increase their understanding. 

As with any new skill and classroom procedure, be sure to model, model, model your expectations.  

Grab FREE math stems and questions to engage students in mathematical discourse at the bottom of this post.

Create Safe Partner Zones

When it comes to expecting students to engage in meaningful discourse it is important to create a classroom climate that welcomes mistakes! 

Students must absolutely feel safe to share their mathematical thinking, especially if they know they do not understand a concept. One way that I create a safe zone for students is by giving them two different math partners. (These math partnerships change every marking period.) Students have a red and green partner during math.  Red partners are partners that are at the same math level and green partners are partnerships of one higher math student and one lower math student.  

Students develop strong and trusting relationships with both types of partners and are able to learn from both, too. Having both types of partnerships gives all students the chance to shine, help others, get support, and work as a team to complete any task. Most times, red partners are used during instructional work times and green partners are used during math mini-lesson instruction and discussion.  

By having designated go to math partners, students will feel safe in your classroom environment and begin to take risks knowing that someone will always have their back. Their interest in solving math problems increases, too! Read more ways to strengthen your classroom community HERE.

Use Manipulatives

When students are given simple manipulatives to encourage participation and discourse, excitement and involvement increases tremendously. Two simple manipulatives to use to increase participation in your classroom discussions are paddle dry erase white boards* and agree and disagree cards. 

Students love to use the paddle dry erase boards to show their work and compare their thinking.  Kids love holding these by the handle and These are so easy to stack in the classroom and take up very little space. Agree and disagree cards are simple cards that you can make to provide students the opportunity to agree or disagree with their partner or classmate's thinking. 

Students love using these cards and the best part is that when students agree or disagree, they have to provide a rationale to support their opinion. 

Try these FREE 3rd grade math error analysis tasks to get students agreeing, or disagreeing with mathematical work. 

• 5th-grade version HERE 
• 4th grade version HERE
• 2nd grade version HERE

Teacher Tip: When copying your agree and disagree cards, color-code your cards so you can see quickly who agrees or disagrees with a given answer.

Provide Specific Math Tasks and Prompts

While it is possible to ask students to discuss any question in math, including how to solve an equation, the most meaningful discourse takes place when students are knee deep in problem solving and error analysis tasks. Problem solving activities require critical thinking and understanding, planning steps to solve, and then completing multiple steps to figure out the solution. 

Error analysis math tasks are also a great way for students to work with math partners to engage in meaningful math discourse. These are especially perfect for math discussions as students are expected to agree or disagree with how a problem was solved and explain their rationale. 

Talking about math truly helps students understand math concepts and self-reflect on themselves as mathematical learners. Math discourse aligns with the Mathematical Practices set forth from the Common Core State Standards. Remember,  just like any other lesson or activity, engaging students in meaningful math discourse must be planned.  

You can use any problem solving activity that you already have to try this out, but instead of having students head off to work independently, pair them up, send them off with math discussion stems and discussion questions, throw in some manipulatives, and get ready to listen in and support your learners as they begin to love solving and discussing math tasks! 

Their interest in solving math problems increase, too! Read more ways to get your math students to LOVE math problem solving HERE.

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Small Group Classroom Management Idea

As teachers, we know that nothing motivates students more than working with a partner or within a small group. This is true for all subject areas. When a partnership or small group works well together there are so many benefits. That is why it is so important to have classroom management in place for small group work, plus it helps build classroom community, too!

Some include students engaging in meaningful discourse, taking ownership of their own learning, taking risks and sharing ideas, learning from others, and of course strengthening their collaboration and teamwork skills. And these are just a few! We also know that when a partnership or small group does not work well together, no learning takes place, arguments develop, and student relationships become strained.


That is why I love to spend some time at the beginning of the year getting to know how each of my students likes to work, their learning style, and what type of partner they want to work with during project time and cooperative group learning. By discussing this with students and getting them to discuss it with each other, students quickly learn these important lessons:

• Friends do not always make the best working partner
• Everyone has their own learning and working style
• The stronger a group is, the better they can work and learn

The classroom discussions that take place during the first week of school about individual learning and working styles are my favorite. They not only help me get to know students and better plan partnerships and groups, but it also helps the students to better know each other and their learning styles', and build classroom community too!

Grab this easy to use and engaging partner activity that I use during the first week of school to help you get to know your students AND to help your students get to know each other at the bottom of this post. 

👉See more back to school getting to know you activities HERE.

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