These Curriculum Outcomes are usually covered, or partly covered in a debating program. A brief explanation of how the outcome relates to debating is provided in italics.
 

 

ENGLISH: YEAR 5

 

LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION

 

• Understand that patterns of language interaction vary across social contexts and types of texts and that they help to signal social roles and relationships (ACELA1501)
  
  When students research material for debates, they need to look at a variety of sources that use different patterns of language – informal, formal, academic, etc. Students learn which sources are most credible and why.

 

• Understand how to move beyond making bare assertions and take account of differing perspectives and points of view (ACELA1502)
  
  This outcome is at the very heart of debating. Students learn to provide evidence for assertions and consider different points of view.

 

• Use interaction skills, for example, paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes (ACELY1796)
  
  Students learn to paraphrase in sharing their research, to question, consider the audience, choose vocabulary and vocal effects accordingly.

 

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

 

• Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view (ACELY1699)
  
  Debating requires students to present and justify a point of view, as well as clarifying content as it unfolds and draw on their own experiences.

 

• Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations for defined audiences and purposes incorporating accurate and sequenced content and multimodal elements (ACELY1700)
  
  Debating involves planning, rehearsing and delivering a presentation, however a debate does not usually incorporate multi-modal elements.

 

INTERPRETING, ANALYSING, EVALUATING

 

• Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text (ACELY1701)
  
  In debating, students often examine persuasive texts and identify language features used. This helps inform their debates.

 

• Navigate and read texts for specific purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning (ACELY1702)
  
  Students need to do this when they are engaging in research for a debate.

 

• Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources (ACELY1703)
  
  This is also part of learning research skills in debating.

 

CREATING TEXTS

 

• Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience  (ACELY1704)
  
  Although a debate is a verbal presentation, students write a draft of their speech and then write palm cards using appropriate text structures for debating.

 

• Re-read and edit student’s own and others’ work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features (ACELY1705
  
  In debating, team members need to review their own work as well as the work of others. Often a checklist of criteria is provided for students to help them edit their work.

 

EXPRESSING AND DEVELOPING IDEAS

 

• Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts (ACELA1512)
  
  This outcome is accomplished when we teach students how to define the topic of their debate.

 

TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION

 

• Understand how texts vary in purpose, structure and topic as well as the degree of formality (ACELA1504)
  
  Students learn about the purpose and structure of a debate (text) and learn about the level of formality required in a debate.

 

​

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES: YEAR 5

 

The outcomes below from Humanities & Social Sciences are practiced as part of a debating program. There will also be outcomes that are covered from History, Geography and Civics & Citizenship strands, depending on the topic being covered.

 

QUESTIONING AND RESEARCHING

 

• Identify current understandings, consider possible misconceptions and identify personal views on a topic (WAHASS50)
  
  This is part of the debating process, especially when discussing and learning about a topic.

 

• Develop and refine a range of questions required to plan an inquiry (WAHASS51)
  
  Developing a range of questions for an inquiry into their topic is part of the research process in preparing a debate.

 

• Locate and collect information and/or data from a range of appropriate primary sources and secondary sources (WAHASS52)
  
  Students use a variety of sources to research their debating topics.

 

• Record selected information and/or data using a variety of methods (e.g. use graphic organisers, paraphrase, summarise) (WAHASS53)
  
  Students are required to paraphrase and summarise research and data in writing their palm cards.

 

• Use ethical protocols when gathering information and/or data (e.g. acknowledge the work of others, reference work appropriately) (WAHASS54)
  
  Students must state their sources in their debate, which is similar to referencing.

 

ANALYSING

 

• Use criteria to determine the relevancy of information (e.g. consider accuracy, reliability, publication date, usefulness to the question) (WAHASS55)
  
  Students are taught to consider the accuracy, credibility and relevance of information for their debate.

 

• Interpret information and/or data collected (WAHASS56)
  
  Students need to interpret the information and data they find in terms of relevance to their debates.

 

• Identify different points of view/perspectives in information and/or data (WAHASS57)
  
  Students need to do this in order to identify bias in their own and others’ debates.

 

EVALUATING

 

• Draw and justify conclusions, and give explanations, based on the information and/or data in texts, tables, graphs and maps (e.g. identify patterns, infer relationships) (WAHASS59)
  
  Students need to be able to look at data and draw conclusions that they can summarise for their debates, since debates have a strict time limit.

 

• Use decision-making processes (e.g. share opinions and personal perspectives, consider different points of view, identify issues, develop possible solutions, plan for action, identify advantages and disadvantages of different options) (WAHASS60)
  
  Teamwork and decision-making is a big part of debating and students learn decision-making techniques.

 

COMMUNICATING AND REFLECTING

 

• Present findings, conclusions and/or arguments, appropriate to audience and purpose, in a range of communication forms and using subject-specific terminology and concepts (WAHASS61)
  
  Students present debates in oral form.

 

• Develop a variety of texts, including narratives, descriptions, biographies and persuasive texts, based on information collected from source materials (WAHASS62)
  
  Debates are persuasive texts based on information collected from source materials.

 

• Reflect on learning, identify new understandings and act on findings in different ways (e.g. propose a course of action on an issue that is significant to them) (WAHASS63)
  
  Often it is part of a debate to come up with a solution to the problem that is suggested to the audience. Depending on the topic, a debate may also lead to further action.

 

​

ENGLISH: YEAR 6

 

TEXTS IN CONTEXT

 

• Compare texts including media texts that represent ideas and events in different ways, explaining the effects of the different approaches (ACELY1708)
  
  While researching a topic, students may need to compare texts that provide information on the topic in a way that supports the affirmative argument and that supports the negative argument.

 

LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION

 

• Understand the uses of objective and subjective language and bias (ACELA1517)
  
  In debating, students learn about these concepts in order to present arguments based on fact rather than opinion and to identify when the opposing team is using bias. 

 

TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION

 

• Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose (ACELA1463)
  
  Students learn the structure and language features of a debating text which is very similar to the structure of an essay.

 

• Know some features of text organisation including page and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and different types of diagrams, for example timelines (ACELA1466)
  
  Students learn these concepts when researching their debates using books or websites.

 

• Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience and purpose (ACELA1470)
  
  In debating, students choose language deliberately in order to persuade an audience.

 

INTERPRETING, ANALYSING, EVALUATING

 

• Identify the audience of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts (ACELY1668)
  
  Students identify and consider the audience of their persuasive texts (debates).

 

• Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to analyse texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, language and visual features and print and multimodal text structures (ACELY1670)
  
  Students use these skills when reading and researching information for their debates.

 

CREATING TEXTS

 

• Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1671)
  
  Students create persuasive texts when debating and use relevant text structures. The same structures apply to persuasive writing as they do to a debating text.

 

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

 

• Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)
  
  Students work in teams for debating and practice all of these skills.

 

• Plan and deliver short presentations, providing some key details in logical sequence (ACELY1677)
  
  Students deliver presentations when they debate, presenting their points and arguments logically.

 

• Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making positive statements and voicing disagreement in an appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone, volume and pace appropriately (ACELY1789)
  
  These skills are all practiced in a debating program and are very important to debating well.

 

​

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES: YEAR 6

 

QUESTIONING AND RESEARCHING

 

• Identify current understandings, consider possible misconceptions and identify personal views on a topic (WAHASS50) 
  
  This is part of the debating process, especially when discussing and learning about a topic.

 

• Develop and refine a range of questions required to plan an inquiry (WAHASS51)
  
  Developing a range of questions for an inquiry into their topic is part of the debating process.

 

• Locate and collect information and/or data from a range of appropriate primary sources and secondary sources (WAHASS52)
  
  Students use a variety of sources to research their debating topics.

 

• Record selected information and/or data using a variety of methods (e.g. use graphic organisers, paraphrase, summarise) (WAHASS53)
  
  Students are required to paraphrase and summarise research and data in writing their palm cards.

 

• Use ethical protocols when gathering information and/or data (e.g. acknowledge the work of others, reference work appropriately, obtain permission to use photographs and interviews) (WAHASS54)
  
  Students must state their sources in their debate, which is similar to referencing.

 

ANALYSING

 

• Use criteria to determine the relevancy of information (e.g. consider accuracy, reliability, publication date, usefulness to the question) (WAHASS55) 
  
  Students are taught to consider the accuracy, credibility and relevance of information for their debates.

 

• Interpret information and/or data collected (e.g. sequence events in chronological order, identify cause and effect, make connections with prior knowledge) (WAHASS56)
  
  Students need to interpret the information and data they find in terms of relevance and meaning to their debates.

 

• Identify different points of view/perspectives in information and/or data (e.g. analyse language, identify motives) (WAHASS57)
  
  Students need to do this in order to identify bias in their own and others’ debates.

 

EVALUATING

 

• Draw and justify conclusions, and give explanations, based on the information and/or data in texts, tables, graphs and maps (e.g. identify patterns, infer relationships) (WAHASS59)
  
  Students need to be able to look at data and draw conclusions that they can summarise for their debates, since debates have a strict time limit.

 

• Use decision-making processes (e.g. share opinions and personal perspectives, consider different points of view, identify issues, develop possible solutions, plan for action, identify advantages and disadvantages of different options) (WAHASS60)
  
  Teamwork and decision-making are a big part of debating and students learn decision-making techniques.

​

COMMUNICATING AND REFLECTING

 

• Present findings, conclusions and/or arguments, appropriate to audience and purpose, in a range of communication forms and using subject-specific terminology and concepts (WAHASS61)
  
  Students present debates in oral form.

 

• Develop a variety of texts, including narratives, descriptions, biographies and persuasive texts, based on information collected from source materials (WAHASS62)
  
  Debates are persuasive texts based on information collected from source materials.

 

• Reflect on learning, identify new understandings and act on findings in different ways (e.g. suggest additional questions to be investigated, propose a course of action on an issue that is significant to them) (WAHASS63)
  
  Often it is part of a debate to come up with a solution to the problem that is suggested to the audience. Depending on the topic, a debate may also lead to further action.

 

 

INTEGRATION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

 

MATHEMATICS

 

The main area where debating overlaps with mathematics is in data and statistics. In debating, we encourage students to find statistics and data to back up their arguments. This often involves students interpreting and summarising data.

 

THE ARTS

 

Debating integrates with the arts in the area of Drama in particular. A debate is not the same as a drama performance. However, there are skills that are relevant in both drama and debating. These skills include:

· Making eye contact with the audience

· Voice projection

· Expression and variation in one's voice

· Body language and natural movement

· Self-expression

· Confidence in speaking or presenting in public

· Connecting with the audience

 

We often use role-play and drama games in learning specific skills for debating too. Other areas of the arts such as visual arts, music, dance and media arts may be involved depending on the topic. Arts-related topics may include:

“That music can change the world.”
“That dance is a sport.”
“That graffiti is a form of art.”
“That public art can change a town.”

“That the arts are more important than sport.”
“That every child should learn to play a musical instrument.”

 

SCIENCE

 

Like mathematics, there may be times in a debate where students need to find, interpret and communicate statistics and data. The main way that science integrates with debating is when a topic relates to an area of science, or requires some scientific explanation. A few examples of science-related topics include:

“That we use too many chemicals in our homes.”
“That wind power is the energy of the future.”
“That there should be a tax on sugary drinks.”
“That sharks deserve protection.”

“That eliminating single-use plastic is the best thing we can do for the environment.”
“That Australia needs its brumbies.”

“That Australia’s progress depends on solar energy.”

TECHNOLOGIES

 

Students use computers in researching their debates. They practice using technology effectively in finding relevant and credible information. Debate topics may also be related to technologies. Some examples of innovation, resources and design-related topics include:

“That we need more creative housing solutions.”
“That we need to design schools differently.”
“That typing is more important than handwriting.”
“That water is our most precious resource.”

“That self-driving cars are the way of the future.”

​

PHYSICAL & HEALTH EDUCATION

 

In Physical and Health Education, “Communicating and Interacting for Health and Wellbeing” outcomes relate to debating in that students need to practice collaboration, communication and teamwork with their peers. Some debate topics may also relate to health and physical education, such as in these examples:

“That it would be beneficial to devote more school time to sport.”
“That bystanders can stop bullying.”
“That working together is better than working alone.”

“That fast-food ads are damaging to the public’s health.”

“That sport unites people.”

“That every school needs a vegetable garden.”