I'm doing a school debate... help?
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that Dr Benjamin Rush the founder of public schools felt that the bible should be the central book of public schools. he wrote.  \n\n    I lament that we waste so much time and money in  punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them... we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government ; that is, the universal education of our youth in the princeples of Christianity by means of the bible.... equility among mankind... respect for just laws... and sober and frugal virtues.  \n\n  and then there is this statement by President John Adams.\n\n  We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constituation was made only for a relious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.\n\n  hope this helps. both quotes come from Under God written by Toby Mac and Michael Tait from dctalk
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This "English School Watch" Discussion Board might help.\nhttp://www.englishschoolwatch.org/webboard_detail.php?topic_id=1168
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Are you into iPods or other mp3 players?  Talk about DRM and whether or not companies should have the right to restrict what you can do with music that -you- have purchased.\n\nHmm ... or how about net neutrality ... school dress codes ... how about whether game players should buy a Nintendo Wii or a PS3 (if your speech teacher is nice enough to let you talk about something like that =), or whether or not games like 'Bully' or 'GTA' should be permitted ... talk about whether or not certain games (like *wince* dodgeball) should be banned in gym classes ... persuade people to adopt a pet from the pound rather than buying one from a breeder, or speak about whether or not sports like greyhound racing are okay ... persuade people to watch less TV (or heck, persuade 'em that they should all tune in and watch your favorite show) ... if there's a club you're in or a 'cause' in which you're particularly interested, talk about why other people should get involved with it too ...\n\nHmm, well, there are a few off the top of my head ... honestly, my biggest suggestion would be to pick something you're personally interested in - it makes -such- an immense difference, people tend to sound so much more interested (and thus to -be- more interesting!) when they're speaking about something they actually care about.  Good luck to ya =)
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You know your campus better than any of us.  What is an issue on your campus? Are people polarized about the war in Iraq? Legalizing marijuana? Selling beer at football games?  Can men be the victims of domestic violence? Was Carlsbad really a government conspiracy to hide the truth about aliens? Anything that you can get people to argue about could be a good topic for a persuasive speech.  Then you take a side, any side, and argue persuasively for that side.   I have my students do their next persuasive paper arguing the reverse side of the issue.   The following websites has dozens of ideas for persuasive topics.  Good luck.
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See what they want to talk about, and ask them about that. But make sure you don't ask too personal questions.\n\nAsk challenging questions. Say something absurd or ridiculous (such as: "cows can fly") as if you really meant it, and wait for their reaction. You can also add a justification to your statement, that will be as ridiculous as the statement itself.\n\nMake them talk about what they know best. Don't tell them to do some research before the discussion: Propose discussion topics that will prompt them to do the research even if you didn't ask them to do it. A teacher in my country (Argentina) says that we make a mistake by asking them to solve questions they had never even thought about. We should first show them the problem, make them ask the questions, and help them find the answers. That way, it is their question, and they will probably not stop untill they have an answer for it.
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I am sorry. Do you have to write an essay or speak in a debate? If it is a debate you should have POINTS that you will use, not written out speeches, or you will be lost if the other person makes a point that you did not write out in your speech.\n\nImran
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State what you are going to prove.  List 5 ideas that prove your statement.  Conclude by saying what you just proved.  (e,g, BEGINNING: It's not good for kids under the age of ___ to walk to and home from school alone. FIVE SUPPORTING POINTS:  1. it subjects children to victimization by criminals; 2. it subjects kids to physical injury while crossing the street; 3. kids who are victims of crime are subject to grow up with deep traumas and sometimes have lasting phobias; 4. parents whose children are kidnapped, murdered, molested, etc. are sometimes more likely to be less productive members of society due to life-long grief and related emotional problems; 5(a). parents who fail to adequately provide for the safety of their children increase the burden on law enforcement agencies who have to incur time and resources in locating children, or 5(b) all society is hurt when children are hurt because everyone loves children. CONCLUSION:  Therefore, due to the fact that -------, ----, -----, -----, and ----, parents should not allow children under the age of ___ to walk to and from school unchaparoned by an adult or responsible older child.\n\nThat's just an example.\n\nYour essay is something you want to prove.  It has a beginning, a middle and an end.  It can be anything from "Why it's tough to make it in the world today," to "Why I've chosen to be a ____" when I graduate.  Have fun with it - and goodluck.  \n\nBe sure to choose a NARROW topic - it gets crazy when you choose a broad topic. Then brainstorm only stopping to make rough notes of what comes out of your mind.  Just let all your thoughts about the subject flow out uninhibited. Don't interrupt the flow. Then look closely at all the rough ideas and select the best ones.  Hopefully, you'll have 10 or more. Next, pick the top five-your very best-points.  Now you have your topic and 5 excellent points to support your topic.\n\nP.S.  It's a good idea to deal with ideas that are the extreme position of yours, but discuss them in your essay to dispel them or break them down.  Whenever you write anything, assume that the reader already knows the other side.  So deal with it, acknowledging it, BUT topple it with your points. For example:  for point 1 above, which reads: subjects children to victimization by criminals.  Some parents will say, "we live in a safe neighborhood and no children have ever been harmed in our neighborhood" -- you might want to write:  Some parents believe their neighborhoods are safe and permit their children to walk to and from school.  Other parents allow their children to walk to and from school because the school is onely a couple of blocks down the street.  The reason neither of these ideas are good ones is because statistics have shown that child molesters are subject to pick up kids from affluent neighborhoods as they are from other ones.  [sometime like that - gotta run - hope it helps]
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"I can't help what I believe in"? I know you did not mean this the way it came out, but come on- YOU are in charge of your own beliefs.\n\nDid you see Numbers last week? The one professor (not the math genius) said he would love to tell high school kids one piece of advice, and I agree with him totally on this...\n\nHigh school is ephemeral. It may seem like a big deal and a long time, but it is not.\n\nIgnore your mockers as long as you have the courage of your convictions. If they want to have a real dialog, great. Otherwise, take away their fun by just pretending to not be bothered by them. Smile and nod and go on. Politely point out their more stupid errors in what they say about you if you feel like it, but do not get drawn into conflicts, shouting matches, 'he said, they said' pointless debates, etc.\n\nEven the Bible warns against pointless arguements and debates. Not bad for a book that many people here say is 'full of lies'.\n\nIt will take a lot of work at first, but after a while the tormentors will find a new target, someone who feeds into their games. (Assuming you are not egging them on somehow, such as a big bumper sticker posted on your locker or something. Rethink anything like that if you want the **** to stop!)\n\nBy the way- this is the same advice I'd give pretty near ANY student being tormented for being 'different'.
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You could talk about Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) and microbiology, including whether it is good to add vitamins to rice and reduce our dependence on pesticides, or what impact does it have on 3rd world countries to sell seed that doesn't reproduce itself? Pick whether you think GMO is good or whether you want to argue against it. \n\nYou could talk about whether the use of stem cells is good or bad, including whether it could help cure disease and save lives or whether it kills life because it is from blasticists.  \n\nThere are so many topics to choose.  Choose one that is controversial and then persuade why it is good or bad.  Good luck to you!
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Option 1: take a controversial topic and defend one side. (like abortion, immigration, national security, homosexuality, etc.)\n\nOption 2: take a ridiculous topic and defend one side (like "the sky is purple" "people should eat elephants" "convicts should eat each other" "Canada should annex Zimbabwe" etc"\n\nOption 3: take a mediocre topic and talk about it (like "people are good" "I should have an A on this presentation" etc.)
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Is this for a conference or for a classroom exercise? If for a conference - it depends on: (a) how much time you have and (b) what the purpose is - but you should spend a  little bit of time introducing and giving a foundation for your topic. Then create at least 3-5 questions that you can ask the people participating that will either lead them to look at your topic from different perspectives or get them engaged in a mini debate. If this is for some paper you are still writing (like a dissertation or thesis), you may also want to ask the participants for more ideas. If this is for a classroom . . . I have no ideas! :-)
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Government debates....
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Please give us a little more detail. For example, what government are you talking about? What is your speech trying to prove? What are the criteria? As a general guideline, if you are writing this to persuade, then make sure you have some persuasive elements in you speech. Such as appeals (rational, emotive etc). For more info, go to http://aal15.tutor.com/nGEN/Apps/SocWeb/main.aspx?ID=9f3e62b7-fff2-4173-bbe3-c33e445cb66e, where real people will give you reliable answers.
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Sigh. Can't you contribute something intelligent to the debate. And, hon, you must need it real bad if you're willing to put yourself out there looking like that. Put some clothes on before our retinas burn out!
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I am a HS English teacher. This year my students had to do debateable topics on their research papers. Here are some of the topics my students did that I enjoyed most:\n1. Is surrogate parenting a good idea?\n2. Is there a truly such a thing as Christian "Rock"\n3.  Illegal immigration, do we send them back?\n4. Why are we in Iraq?\n5.  Child abuse or Biblical "Spare the Rod"\n6.  Is Cosmetic Surgery a Sin?\n7. Overseas Adoptions, should we stay in America for our  Babies?\n8.  Interracial Dating, who does it benefit?\n9. Cloning, How many more of YOU can we stand?\nJust ideas. Hope they help!
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I would cite examples that people in your school would agree with such as local students raising money for charity or doing volunteer work.\n\nIf you could look through your school newspaper for examples or your local paper, that would make a big impression.
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specify the debate topic please...if you have to make one up i would say either birth control/abortion rights, women's rights/feminism, the necessity of the war in iraq, or same-sex marriage/homosexiality...all of which are good topics which could create a nice debate