S23 - Spring Debate - Wednesday

Middle School Debate: Wednesday, 4 to 6 PM from February 7 to May 17

New England Academy's program brings debate to students of all ages.  This class builds the fundamentals of argumentation, refutation, and speaking with confidence, and allows students to continue to build upon those skills.  While composing and practicing logical and evidence-supported arguments, students prepare for competitions, including the Orange County Debate League (OCDL) Tournaments. The class is open to all ability levels.

This 10 week course focuses on improving students' confidence and persuasive speaking, and is intended for students of all levels.  No experience is necessary, as multiple instructors are on site to work with each level of student:

Students with little experience will be introduced to the fundamentals of argumentation, refutation, and speaking with confidence. Students will also be taught the structure of logical arguments.  Students with experience will continue to practice, improving introductions and conclusions, analyzing opponents' arguments for weaknesses, and constructing complex responses to arguments.  As necessary, experienced students will be exposed to logical fallacies, topicality issues, frameworks, and other advanced ideas.

All levels will be blended together to engage in multiple debates on different topics, preparing them for OCDL Tournaments.  Topics are relevant, academic, and often related to current real world issues.

Events available for this class (all fees and judging requirements are included in the tuition for this class):

• OCDL David Anderson Tournament - Scheduled for March 18
• OCDL Championship Tournament - Scheduled for May 13

No classes held March 22 (TUSD Spring Break), April 5 (IUSD Spring Break), nor April 12 (Traditional Spring Break).

This class is intended for students in grades 5 through 8, but is open to gifted 4th grade students.

COVID-19 - This class is offered as a PHYSICAL class.  Masks are strongly recommended for all unvaccinated individuals.