This week, our class took a field trip to the Sam Houston School House. There, we learned about bee keeping, growing crops, candle making, the life and education of a child in Sam Houston's school, and the legacy of Sam Houston.
After the field trip, we used the information we had learned along with research we collected from a book and video to debate the following:
Each group of students was assigned a stance. Individuals collected ideas from the field trip, book, and video by creating a concept map of details that support their stance.
Then they brought their ideas to their group and began to prepare for a debate.
The debate included the following components:
- Opening Arguments (3-5 minutes each)
- 10 Minute Work Session to Prepare Rebuttals (Audience Recesses)
- Rebuttals (2 minutes each)
- Closing Statements (1 minute each)
I think that my favorite part of the debate process was watching the students during work sessions passionately preparing their rebuttals.
While half of the class debated, the other half (along with some guests from Mrs. Best's class) evaluated their peers using the rubric below. After the first debate, we reversed our groups for a second debate.
The teachers and TAs from both classes, along with our special guest judge, Mr. Doig, deliberated. Although, both teams did an unbelievable job of collecting evidence, using research in a persuasive way, and speaking publicly, the results were as follows:
- Round 1 Winners: Noah, Murphy, Grant T, Mia, and Caroline (Role Model Stance)
- Round 2 Winners: Madi, Kiyana, Sara, Landen, and Bailey (Rebel Stance)
Congratulations to all four teams! Your standard of excellence in everything you do blows me away every time!