Lesson Plan

Class: ___________

Date: ____________________________________

Unit: Colonial Displacement

Title: Activity #1: Provocation Introduction to Debate
Lesson Number _1____ out of __4___ Total in Unit
Objective of Lesson (in own words): To introduce students to the practice of debate by having
them discuss and debate a relevant issue that could impact them.
Learner Outcomes (Program of Studies)
English Language Arts
1.1 Explore and Discover
Express ideas and develop understanding:
use appropriate prior knowledge and
experiences to make sense of new ideas and
information
read, write, represent and talk to explore
personal understandings of new ideas and
information

use own experiences as a basis for exploring

and expressing opinions and understanding
1.2 Clarify and Extend
Consider the ideas of others:
seek the viewpoints of others to build on
personal responses and understanding
Combine ideas
use talk, notes, personal writing and
representing to explore relationships among
own ideas and experiences, those of others and
those encountered in oral, print and other
media texts
Extend understanding
search for further ideas and information from
others and from oral, print and other media
texts to extend understanding
2.1 Use Strategies and Cues
Use comprehension strategies
comprehend new ideas and information by
responding personally, taking notes and
discussing ideas with others
3.1 Plan and Focus
Focus attention
combine personal knowledge of topics with
understanding of audience needs to focus
topics for investigation
3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate
Organize information
organize ideas and information to emphasize
key points for the audience
add, delete or combine ideas to communicate
more effectively
4.3 Present and Share

Plan for Differentiation/Inclusion:

Differentiation Strategies: (ELL) A few of days before
the lesson, the teacher will provide a short video on
debate; allow the use of technology for the short
written assignment.

Prerequisite Knowledge, Skills, Strategies and

Attitudes
Respect
Team work
Brainstorming
Open to others opinions

Preliminary Matters (Announcements, etc.)

Resources
Computers, iPads, pen and paper

Use effective oral and visual communication

adjust volume, tone of voice and gestures to
engage the audience; arrange presentation
space to focus audience attention

Introduction
Time
Teaching Strategy
(link to previous
learning, introduction
of new concepts)

10 minutes

Student Activity
Resources
Assessment

Following the morning routine, the teacher tells the students she heard a rumor that
as of September 2017, students in Alberta will no longer be allowed to bring their
iPads into the classroom.
None
None
None
Activity Sequence

Time
Teaching Strategy
(Presentation,
explanation, practice,
approach, etc.)

35 minutes
Students immediately react. The volume in the classroom goes up and the teacher
observes their reactions and listens to the comments being made. (3 minutes)

Teacher gets the students' attention and asks them if they want to share their ideas.

She asks students to pair up with the person next to them to discuss the rumor.
(2 minutes)

Students who are in favor of this idea will sit on the right side of the classroom,
while those who are against it will sit on the left side of the room.

Teacher clearly specifies that this is a group activity and that she expects everyone
to participate.

Students they have 15 minutes to discuss among themselves and come up with four
reasons why they are in favor of this idea or against it, depending on the side of the
room they chose.

If they cant agree on the four reasons to put forth, they can vote.

Teacher says that two students on each team must take notes while the other team
is presenting its points.

One student must be the timekeeper, making sure that both teams respect the time
allocated for each activity.

Once the 15 minutes are over, the teacher announces that each team must choose 4
students and each one will present one of the points they have come up with.

Student Activity

Resources
Assessment

Time
Teaching Strategy
(Summary of learning
& link to upcoming
learning)

After each team has presented its points, both teams have 5 minutes to regroup and
come up with 4 points that will serve to discredit the points brought up by the
opposing team.

Each team will choose 4 new students to present these 4 points.

Once the activity is finished, the class will vote to determine the winning team.
Each team will choose 4 new students to present these 4 points.

Students will go sit on the side of the classroom that corresponds with their opinion
about the issue.

All students participate actively in the discussion.

All students listen attentively and respectfully to the points put forth by the other
team.

Some students will have specific duties: speaker, secretary, and timekeeper.
Laptops, iPads, paper, pencils, cell phone to time the activity
Formative: Assessment of and for learning: Teacher will assess students knowledge
through group and class discussion. Teacher will observe both teams to see if everyone
is participating. Also, she will stand next to each team to ensure that everyone's opinion
is taken into consideration. Once the impromptu debate is over, the teacher knows that
the basic knowledge required to continue exploring debate has been met.

Closure
15 minutes
All students participate actively in the discussion.

Teacher explains to the students that they have just participated in a debate. She
briefly explains that different types of debate are commonly used when a decision
needs to be made or a consensus reached.

Teacher announces that during their next class, they will be going on a fieldtrip to a
local high school where they can watch high school students in a real debate.

Student Activity

Resources
Assessment

Teacher hands out consent forms and waivers.

Students will write 5 sentences on the argument they thought was the strongest and
explain why.
None
Summative assessment of the paragraph.

Reflection