Class Debate

Debate any topic in your classroom using this class debate framework.

Difficulty Level: Average      Time Required: 1 Class

1. Introduce debates by producing the rubric that you will be using to grade them. For a sample rubric, please see related sites at the bottom of this page.
2. A few weeks before the debate(s), give students the topic(s) to be covered.
3. Have students give you an ordered list showing in which debates they prefer to participate in order of preference.
4. From these lists make a debate group consisting of two students for each side of your debate: pro and con.
5. Before you hand the debate assignments out, explain that some students might be debating positions opposite to their beliefs. This is an important skill for them to learn.
6. On the day of the debate, give students in the 'audience' a blank rubric. Explain that it is their job to judge the debate objectively.
7. Begin the debate with the pro side speaking first. Allow them 5-7 minutes of uninterrupted time to explain their position. Both members must participate equally.
8. Repeat step number seven for the con side.
9. Give both sides about three minutes to confer and prepare for their rebuttal.
10. Begin the rebuttals with the con side and give them three minutes to speak. Both members must participate equally.
11. Repeat step number 10 for the pro side.
12. Allow the audience to ask questions of the debating teams.
    

1. Possibly give extra credit to the audience for well thought out questions.
2. Use the audience members' rubrics to help give comments on your official rubric for each team.

Newscast

A newscast typically consists of the coverage of various news events and other information, either produced locally by a radio or television station newsroom, or by a broadcast network. It may also include such additional material as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, commentary and other material that the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience.

In some parts of the world there are 'rolling news' TV channels that broadcast news 24 hours a day.

Television news consists of several different elements, introduced by a news presenter or presenters. The presenters read 'links' and do interviews.

Most news stories come in the form of short 'packages'. These are pre-recorded reports usually lasting from one to five minutes. News reporters gather and edit together interview clips, pictures and their own 'pieces to camera' to tell a story. They script and record a 'voice-over' to explain the pictures and link the elements together.

Some stories are done as live reports. This can be a reporter on the scene of a story either being interviewed by a studio presenter (sometimes known as a 'two-way'), a reporter interviewing one or more other people, or simply live pictures and sound of an event. The sound and pictures are sent back to the TV station via fixed cable links, bounced off a satellite from a vehicle carrying a satellite dish (a 'sat truck'), or sent through microwave radio transmissions from a vehicle carrying a microwave transmitter. With the growth of "rolling news" channels the use of live material has increased enormously and TV reporters are now often judged as much on their ability to perform live in front of a camera as on their package-making or writing skills.

TV news programs are put together by producers, who decide what goes in and what gets left out, and how long and in what form each story is presented. They put together 'running orders' - a list of the stories in what they decide is the right order.

A separate news editor is often responsible for co-ordinating the gathering of material.