AUDL ES Resource Packet (Youth Voting Topic) 2022-2023

Developing critical thinkers for a critical time
2022 - 2023
Elementary Resource Packet
ATLANTA URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE
2022-2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......1
Format & Skills Focus Overview......2
Skills Focus
Reading Comprehension......3
Original Argumentation......4-7
DR.MO - "Clashing" in Debate......8
MR.T - Clashing at the Impact Level in Debate......9-10
Public Speaking......11
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication......12
AUDL Elementary Debate Format......13
Debate Team Composition & Debate Room Set-Up......13
Speaker Order & Roles of Each Speaker......14
Speech Templates......15-16
Cross-Examination.......17-19
Judge Evaluation......20
Topic Materials......21
Georgia Standards for Excellence & Debate......22-25
2022-2023
INTRODUCTION
The Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL) is inspired by the strength and resilience
of our community and continually seeks new ways to support student and educator
access to debate education. We are so excited to be starting another year of in-
person debate and are looking forward to some amazing students exercising their
voice and critical thinking this year.

ACADEMIC ALIGNMENT
Both the topic choice and the format for the 2022-2023 debate season reflect the
AUDL's ongoing efforts to align elementary debate closely with Georgia
Standards of Excellence (GSEs) for 4th and 5th grade in social studies and English
language arts. It is our belief that this shift will reduce the amount of time our coach
educators have to spend on topic education, lower the bar to student engagement,
and encourage familial support and engagement.

TOPIC ARTICULATION
The AUDL seriously values the feedback of our coach educators. In the past, our
coaches have often shared that the complexity of the elementary topic sometimes
inhibited student participation, and elementary debaters often struggled with the
dual challenges of attempting to grasp the skills and structure of debate while also
attempting to understand a complex topic with multiple positions. In an ongoing
recognition of the unique challenges presented to our youngest debaters, the AUDL
has attempted to choose an accessible topic that will engage elementary students'
innate curiosity and perspective sharing while also supporting grade-level skill
acquisition objectives.
The AUDL elementary topic will alternate between this year's topic, lowering the
legal voting age, and the climate change topic. While the packets may be updated
to include new debate education activities and resources, educators will be able to
re-use lesson plans and other materials developed to support their students. As
students only participate in Debate in the elementary division for two years, no
student will see the same topic more than once.
ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 1

2022-2023
2022-2023 FORMAT OVERVIEW
Teams & Speech Order
For the 2022-2023 debate season, the Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL)
elementary division will use the same debate format as last season of 3-person
teams, where each student delivers one speech, and each team will have two
opportunities to cross-examine the opposing team during the round. Both teams
will be allowed a total of 1 minute of preparation time during the round.
Evaluation
With support from colleagues of the Milwaukee Debate League, the AUDL has
developed a division-level-specific rubric that focuses on debate comprehension,
speech presentation, and sportsmanship.
SKILLS FOCUS OVERVIEW
For the 2022-2023 debate season, the AUDL will continue to focus explicitly on the
promotion and development of the following skills. It is our expectation that
elementary students that consistently participate in AUDL programming will
demonstrate improvement in the following areas:
Reading Comprehension
Integrate and analyze information from different sources on the same topic, and,
compare and contrast the presented perspectives.
Original Argumentation
Write informative or persuasive speeches that include facts, definitions, details,

precise language, and concluding statements.
Public speaking
Comprehend key ideas expressed by others and explain their own ideas in context;
and logically present their opinion, using appropriate sequencing, facts, and details
to support their ideas.

2022-2023
SKILLS FOCUS:
READING COMPREHENSION
The ability to comprehend what one reads is a skill foundational both to debate and
to one's ability to participate fully as a member of society. Students who consistently
participate in AUDL programming will become better at integrating and analyzing
information from different sources on the same topic or idea. They will also be more
prepared to compare and contrast the perspectives presented.
Under "Topic Materials," we have provided an introduction to the elementary topic,

including the topic itself, a brief history, an overview of the clash area, and some
suggested grade-level appropriate resources.
Being able to understand and explain your evidence is important to success in

debate. When you understand your evidence, you are prepared to 1) explain your
position to the judge, or audience, 2) provide support for why your position should be
preferred to your opponent's position, and 3) answer questions your opponents have
about your evidence, which they may ask about during cross-examination.
ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT
Modified Popcorn Reading
Popcorn reading (where one student reads out-loud before selecting another
student to continue reading) can be challenging for students with weaker reading
skills or less confidence. Modified popcorn reading allows strong readers to volunteer
to read passages of evidence out-loud, and allows other students to summarize what
was read in an argumentative statement or to ask the reader a question
demonstrating their comprehension of the text.
Break It Down
Being able to explain your evidence is critical to being a good debater. In this activity,
after students have read a piece of their evidence out loud, they should then, in their
own words, explain why the evidence is significant and what it means to the position
they are advocating.

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SKILLS FOCUS:
ORIGINAL ARGUMENTATION
Debates are built upon persuasive argumentation. While persuasive argumentation

is somewhat of an art, anyone can learn by following this structure.
ARE – HOW TO MAKE AN ARGUMENT
An argument is comprised of three parts: an assertion, reasoning, and evidence.
Assertion
A confident statement of fact or belief
A claim or contention
What you are trying to prove
Reasoning
The justification for an action or belief
A warrant, basis, or rationale
The "because" or "why" of an argument; it should support the assertion
Evidence
Facts or information indicating whether a assertion is valid or true
Proof; may include examples or facts but should not be personal anecdotes
The evidence should support the assertion and reasoning provided
Is it an argument?
Consider the following examples and determine if they are arguments. If they are not
arguments, explain why.
Example 1.
Schools should require all students to wear uniforms because it will make school
clothing more affordable for parents. Parents would only be required to purchase a
couple of sets of clothing for their students as opposed to an entire wardrobe.

2022-2023
Example 1 is a complete argument. The first sentence includes both the assertion, "all
students should be required to wear uniforms," and the reasoning, "because it will
make school clothing more affordable for parents." The second sentence includes the
evidence, in the form of an example, that parents would purchase less clothing for
their students.
Example 2.
Schools should not require all students to wear uniforms because it will make school
clothing more expensive for parents. Parents would be required to purchase
uniforms instead of allowing their children to wear hand-me-downs or more
affordable clothing.
Example 2 is also a complete argument. It also demonstrates why you cannot have a
debate about assertions. If a judge were asked to only consider the assertions from
examples 1 and 2, it would be impossible for the judge to evaluate whether or not
school uniforms would cost parents more or less than regular clothing. It is only with
the support of evidence, in this instance, examples, that the judge can begin to
evaluate whether or not one complete argument is more persuasive than the other.
Example 3.
Cats are better than dogs because they are cleaner. On average, a domestic
American cat lives three years longer than a dog.
Example 3 is not an argument. While the example does include an assertion and
reasoning, and evidence, the evidence provided does not support them.
Arguments form the basis for debate
As explained in example 2, arguments form the basis for debate and it is not possible
to have a debate about assertions: assertions cannot be comparatively judged.
Consider the following simple example:
"Moana" was a better movie than "Cars 3."
"Cars 3" was a better movie than "Moana."

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Both of these are examples of assertions and both could be true. However, it is only
through an evaluation of the reasoning and evidence for each that the judge can
determine which is "truer," more persuasive, or supported by better reasoning.
Another reason why you cannot have a debate exclusively about assertions is
because it is possible to have the same assertion but different reasoning or evidence.
Consider the following example:
Volleyball is a better team sport than basketball, which is why it is more popular.
Last year, more than 400 million more people played volleyball than basketball
worldwide.
Volleyball is a better team sport than basketball because it has fewer members on
each team. Basketball is played with six team members while volleyball is played
with only two.
Despite the fact that each of these complete arguments has the same assertion, the
reasoning and evidence are different. The bulk of most debates is spent examining
the reasoning and evidence of arguments. Debate is a competition of ideas. To
compete, you have to make good and complete arguments to advance your idea.
A final example:
Just because an argument is complete doesn't mean it is good.
Dogs are better than cats because they are taller. On average, dogs are more than 3
inches taller than cats.
While the above argument is a complete argument, it isn't necessarily good or

persuasive. The strongest arguments have a clear and coherent link between the
assertion, reasoning, and evidence, and persuade the audience or judge to easily
draw the same conclusion as the presenter.
Order Doesn't Always Matter
Generally, arguments are presented in the above-described order: assertion,

reasoning, and evidence. However, in some instances, an assertion may be presented
after the reasoning, or evidence may be presented prior to the assertion and
reasoning. While this is less likely to occur in debates, you may encounter this
argument structure in op-eds, articles, and other reading materials.

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ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT
What's my argument?
This activity can be organized for large or small groups. The activity begins with one
student offering an assertion. A second student offers reasoning to support the first
student's assertion. A third student offers an example, or other evidence where
possible, to support the assertion and reasoning provided. As students get better at
developing arguments, time limits can be introduced to increase difficulty.
Things Fall Apart
The activity begins with the instructor presenting a complete argument to the group.
The instructor then removes part of the argument. Students are then asked to
explain which part of the argument had been removed (the assertion, reasoning, or
evidence, and why the argument is no longer complete.

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DR.MO – "CLASHING" IN DEBATE

What is the difference between giving a speech and debating? Giving a speech
focuses on building a relationship between the speaker and the audience: being
likable, clear, and persuasive to the person or people to whom the speaker is
speaking. Those considerations are also important to debate, but debate adds
another dynamic: the other team. Good debaters engage, or “clash,” with the ideas
and arguments presented by their opponents. This takes the form of directly
challenging what the other team says, and it is an important aspect of every speech.
The acronym DRMO can help to ensure clash with the opposing team.
Deny Reverse Minimize Outweigh

To prove your
To explain
To prove that opponent's To explain
why your
your idea has the why your
argument
opponent's opposite opponent's
matters more
argument is consequences argument is
than your
not true. than what insignificant.
opponent's.
they say.
If we go back to our "cats are better than dogs" argument, what might be a response
that utilizes DR.MO be?
Cats are better than dogs because they live longer. On average, a domestic
American cat lives three years longer than a dog.
Deny - The lifespan of a pet is highly dependent upon their quality of life. We
could expect a well-cared-for dog to live almost as long as a cat.
Reverse - Pets that live longer tend to have higher veterinary costs associated
with their care. For this reason, the shorter average lifespan of dogs is
preferable to cats'.
Minimize - The lifespan of a pet is not as important as the quality of time you
get to spend with them. You can do a lot more activities with a dog than with
a cat.
Outweigh - People should be far more concerned about how they spend their
time with their pets than how long they live.

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MR. T - CLASHING AT THE "IMPACT" LEVEL IN DEBATE

In debate, an "impact" is a problem or undesirable occurrence that results from a

course of action or lack of action. Often, the affirmative team proposes a plan to
address negative or bad impacts they have identified that exist at present; and, the
negative team presents bad impacts or "bad things" that will happen as a result of
the affirmative teams' plan. The impact debate is perhaps the most important part of
the debate because it is where the judge determines the significance of the
arguments presented.
In rebuttal speeches, you’ll need to prove that your impacts, or the problems you
claim to solve, are more important or more significant than those presented by the
opposing team. You do so using the “O” in DR. MO–outweigh.
There are three general reasons why one impact might

be more significant than another:
Magnitude
How significant is the impact?
"Size"
How many people does it affect?
How much does it affect them?
Risk
How likely is the impact to occur?
"Probability"
Is it so likely that we can already see it
happening?
Time Frame
How long until the impact occurs?
"Speed"
When will we know if the impact will occur?
How much longer do we have to solve it?

2022-2023
Continued from "MR. T - Clashing at the 'Impact' Level."

Let us consider the "cats are better than dogs" debate from above. If you were trying
to persuade an audience or judge that cats are better than dogs, and you thought
that another speaker might make the reasonable argument that "dogs are better
than cats because you can play with them outside," what might you say at the
impact level, in context of DRMO or MRT? Might you say, this means that you have to
give dogs more baths? Could that time be spent doing other things like doing
homework, watching television, or spending time with your friends or family?
The impact level of argumentation is about fully explaining your argument well
enough to appeal to both the logical and emotional reasoning of your judge or
audience.
ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT
Telling the Story
This activity can be done independently or as a supplement to other debate

education activities. After developing a complete argument (including the assertion,
reasoning, and evidence), have a student or group of students explain what the
impacts would be. Encourage students to consider the arguments the opposing
team might present and why the impacts they are highlighting are more significant.
The goal is to get debaters to learn to fully explain the "story" of their argument to
the listener.
Story Swap
One of the benefits of debate is that it encourages you to understand both sides of
an argument. After students have developed a complete argument, have them swap
arguments with another student or group of students and develop the impacts for
an argument they did not create. The goal is to encourage students to critically think
through an argument or perspective that may not be their own.

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SKILLS FOCUS:
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Debate is a form of public speaking. Debaters should focus continually on developing

their speech delivery skills. In this context, “delivery” means the ability to speak
persuasively in a way that encourages the judge or audience to listen and agree with
the arguments you are presenting. While many factors contribute to delivery, there is
an acronym for some of the most significant factors: 2PAC.
TWO WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

Verbal - What is said and how it is
said
Non-Verbal - What is done and and
how it is done
PREPARATION
Do you understand your arguments
and evidence?
Have you practiced answering
questions about them?
AUDIENCE
Who is in the audience, and how
might the message be best
communicated to them?
CONTENT
Speeches should be logicially
organized
Does the speech "flow," or are parts
disconnected?

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VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal communication encompasses any form of communication involving words,

spoken, written, or signed. Non-verbal communication includes body language,
such as gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and posture. Verbal and non-verbal
communication are complementary skills, and each have a place in effective public
speaking and debate.
Verbal and non-verbal communication include, but are not limited to:
Verbal Non-Verbal
Spoken Body
Words Language
Signed Eye
Words Contact
Written Posture
Words*
*Written words may be used to support accessibility for differently abled participants.

2022-2023
AUDL ELEMENTARY DEBATE FORMAT 2022-2023

For the 2022-2023 Elementary topic, we will be using a topic that will focus on switch-
side debating. This means that there is a topic with a clear affirmative and negative
side to defend and debate teams will have to be prepared to both defend the topic
and reject the topic. Team 1 is the Affirmative Team and will support the topic. Team
2 is the Negative Team and will argue against the topic.
DEBATE TEAM & ROOM SET-UP

Here are the speaker positions for each team during a debate round and how a room
will look during a tournament.
TEAM 1 TEAM 2
CONSTRUCTIVE CONSTRUCTIVE
SPEAKER SPEAKER
(AFFIRMATIVE) (NEGATIVE)
TEAM 1 TEAM 2
REFUTATION REFUTATION
AND EXTENSION AND EXTENSION
SPEAKER SPEAKER
TEAM 1 TEAM 2
REBUTTAL REBUTTAL
SPEAKER SPEAKER
JUDGE

2022-2023
AUDL ELEMENTARY DEBATE FORMAT 2022-2023

For the 2022-2023 Elementary topic, we will be using a topic that will focus on switch-
side debating. This means that there is a topic with a clear affirmative (pro) and
negative (con) side to defend and debate teams will have to be prepared to both
support the topic on the affirmative side and reject the topic on the negative side.
Team 1 is the Affirmative Team and will support the topic. Team 2 is the Negative Team
and will argue against the topic.
SPEAKER ORDER & ROLES OF EACH SPEAKER
Team 1 Constructive Speaker (1CS) - A three (3) minute speech in which a member of Team 1 provides
arguments in support of the topic.
CX - A two (2) minute cross-examination of the 1CS speaker by a member of Team 2 who is not speaking
next.
Team 2 Constructive Speaker (2CS) - A three (3) minute speech in which a member of Team 2 provides
arguments against the resolution.
CX - A two (2) minute cross-examination of the 2CS speaker by a member of Team 1 who is not speaking
next.
Team 1 Refuation & Extension (1RE) - A two (2) minute speech in which a member of Team 1 responds
to the arguments presented by Team 2. In this speech, the speaker should also explain why the judge
should prefer the arguments presented by the 1CS.
CX - A two (2) minute cross-examination of the 1RE speaker by a member of the second team.
Team 2 Refutation & Extension (2RE) - A two (2) minute speech in which a member of Team 2
responds to the arguments presented by Team 1. In this speech, the speaker should also explain why the
judge should prefer the plan presented by Team 2.
CX - A two (2) minute cross-examination of the 2RE speaker by a member of Team 1.
Team 1 Rebuttal (1RB) - A two (2) minute speech in which a member of Team 1 extends or explains
further the strongest argument(s) for why the judge should prefer the affirmative or pro side of this debate.
They may also extend the strongest reason not to vote for the arguments presented by Team 2.
Team 2 Rebuttal (2RB) - A two (2) minute speech in which a member of Team 2 extends or explains
further the strongest argument(s) for why the judge should prefer the negative or con side of this debate.
They may also extend the strongest reason not to vote for the arguments presented by Team 1.

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SPEECH TEMPLATES
Policy debate is unique from other types of speaking activities in that only the first
speeches--the constructive speeches (CS)--are scripted. While a debater may create an
outline for what they think should be included in the refutation and extension (RE) or
rebuttal speeches (RB), the strongest RE & RB speeches result from the debater taking
careful notes about their opponent's arguments and responding to them as the
arguments change each debate round. Debaters might consider the following:
Constructive Speech (CS)
Part 1: Stating the topic and your team's adamant support for or against it. The 2022-
2023 topic is, "Resolved: The State of Georgia should expand voting access to people
ages ten (10) and over." The CS should make it clear to the judge and audience whether
they support this topic (Team 1 - affirmative side) or they do not support this topic
(Team 2 - negative side).
Part 2: Debaters should briefly, in a sentence or two, Team 1 (affirmative side) should
explain the problem and why it is something the State of Georgia needs to address. The
goal is to state the problem concisely and to make the judge understand that taking
action is urgent. Team 2 (negative side) should explain why the current state of things
(the Status Quo) is a system that does not need the change the affirmative team is
advocating for in this debate.
Part 3: Advantages & Disadvantages - Debaters on the affirmative side should clearly
state the benefits of doing the plan. Debaters on the negative side should clearly state
the problems of doing the plan. Each benefit (advantage), or problem (disadvantage)
should include the following:
Assertion: What is the first reason the State of Georgia should or should not support
the proposed plan?
Reasoning: What is the benefit of doing what has been asserted? Why should the
judge think the affirmative plan is a good idea? Or, what is the consequence of doing
what has been asserted? Why should the judge think the affirmative plan is a bad
idea?
Evidence: What evidence supports the benefits of doing the plan (affirmative side)?
What evidence supports the disadvantages to the plan (negative side)?
Part 4: Repeat Step 3 until the team has three strong advantages in support of doing
the plan or three strong disadvantages against doing the plan.

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SPEECH TEMPLATES
Refutation & Extension (RE)
This speech should not be scripted. The purpose of this speech is for the debater to
respond to what was said by the opposing team and to briefly extend the arguments
presented by their teammate in the constructive speech. The debater giving this
speech might consider the following:
What does the opposing team state are the advantages or disadvantages of doing
the plan? Do the advantages or disadvantages make sense? Is there any way that
something bad might happen instead of something good?
Does their evidence support their plan? Is it good evidence? Is your evidence
better?
Why is your plan a better plan than their plan? Does your plan have a bigger
impact? Does it help more people? Will the benefits happen faster?
Rebuttal (RB)
This speech should not be scripted. The purpose of this speech is for the debater to
make a final summary "pitch" to the judge as to why the judge should vote for their
team's arguments. In this speech, the debater might choose the strongest advantage
for doing the plan and explain why it is important in greater detail to the judge. The
debater giving this speech might consider the following:
What is the biggest flaw of your opponent's side? What have they not
considered? Why should the judge not vote for them?
What is the strongest reason for the judge to vote for your side? What is really
important that you think your plan achieves? What is the reason that the judge
should vote for your plan? Who are you helping by defending your side? Are your
plan's advantages more significant than the other team's?

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CROSS-EXAMINATION
Cross-examination (cross-x or cx) is the part of the debate where each team has the
opportunity to ask the other team questions about their arguments. It lasts two (2)
minutes, which should give you enough time to ask several questions. To make the
most of cross-examination, you should try and prepare a few concise questions.
What makes a good cross-ex question?
Two (2) minutes isn’t a lot of time, so debaters should plan ahead. The best questions
are ones that set-up arguments that you will make later in the round. A good cross-
ex of a speaker may expose weaknesses or inconsistencies in their argument, or
through deliberate questioning, point the judge to negative impacts the speaker did
not address in their speech.
For example, if you wanted to point out that a speaker’s argument is self-
contradictory, you could ask them to briefly repeat what they said, and then follow-
up by asking them to explain how that is consistent with the rest of their speech.
You should focus your questions on the speech that has just been made. While a pre-
planned set of questions is a good start, the best questions are specific to what the
speaker has just said. You should also think about what follow-up questions you can
ask after an initial question. For example, if you believe your opponent’s evidence is
out-of-date, you could ask them when it was published. This would allow you ask a
follow-up question about current events that make their evidence and argument
weaker.
Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts
Do’s – Asking
Ask questions that strengthen the arguments you are going to make later in the
round.
Ask specific questions about your opponents’ speeches.
Give your opponent time to answer.

2022-2023
Continued from "Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts"
Do’s – Answering
Pay attention to your opponents’ questions and try to answer them as well as you
can.
Make connections between the question and what you’ve said in your speech.
Ask for clarification if you aren’t sure what the other team is asking.
Don’ts – Asking
Ask questions about the topic in general or for general definitions.

Interrupt your opponent when they are answering your question.
Ask open-ended questions.
Ask too many clarification questions.
Make statements. Ensure that you are asking a question.
Don’ts – Answering

Get distracted while the other team is asking their question.
Give up because you aren’t sure what the best answer is – use your evidence and
do your best.
Say nothing because you aren’t sure what your opponent is asking.
Overtake your teammates' cross-ex. If your teammate needs help or support
answering questions, do so in a way that is respectful of both your teammate and
the person asking the question.

2022-2023
Continued from "Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts"
ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT
King/Queen/Monarch of the Hill
King/Queen/Monarch of the Hill was designed to help debaters get better at cross-
examination. It requires the speaker to have a strong understanding of their
arguments and evidence and allows them to get more comfortable answering
questions. It helps the cross-examiner get better at listening and understanding
their opponent's argument and learn to develop questions that demonstrate a
knowledge of the argument and its consequences.
1) Select one student to reign as king/queen/monarch of the hill.
2) The monarch will pick a topic (or the topic can be provided by the coach
educator) and the position they will defend.
3) Once the topic has been determined, the rest of the class asks questions from
the opposing position. The objective of the game is to "stump" the monarch. The
coach educator can also set a time limit on how long the monarch has to answer
the question before forfeiting their throne.
4) Once the monarch is unable to answer a question, they must give up their
throne, and the person who asked the question becomes the new monarch.

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JUDGE EVALUATION
In elementary debate, a judge is asked to determine which team did a better job
presenting their side of the debate and individual debaters' performances. Judges will
share brief verbal feedback with debaters that are designed to support them in their
next debate round and more significant feedback with debate coaches through the
completion of a ballot.
Judges will be asked to consider the following in their evaluation of debaters:
Case Organization
This category Is to recognize a speaker's speech organization (introduction, logical flow

of arguments, conclusion). Were arguments arranged logically and easy to follow?
Analysis
This category is to evaluate a speaker's argument construction and development. Did

conclusions flow from evidence with clear impacts?
Clash & Cross-Examination
This category is to evaluate whether a speaker has considered reasonable objections to

their argument in their speech, how they engage examiners during cross-examination,
and the effort they make to participate in the round regardless of whether they are
speaking or not. Were questions and answers concise and promote good
sportsmanship? How were arguments defended and opposing arguments refuted?
Delivery
This category is to evaluate a speaker's public speaking abilities (confidence, intonation,

verbal and non-verbal, etc.). Were speeches clear and easy to understand?

2022-2023
TOPIC MATERIALS 2022-2023
TOPIC - Resolved: The State of Georgia should expand voting access to

people ages ten (10) and over.
The Atlanta Urban Debate League (AUDL) works with our elementary coach
educators to better understand how our youngest debaters learn and engage with
information and how debate can best support their continued development as
students and thinkers.
We believe the 2022-2023 topic area of youth suffrage has great accessibility for
students at every grade level and should be significant to all of us as residents of
Georgia. What follows is a list of resources that we suggest as starting places for
students and coach educators as they develop arguments in response to the
resolution. We also encourage debaters to do their own research and argument
creation for and against this topic.
Affirmative Side (clickable links)

Fair Vote: Lower the Voting Age for Local Elections
9 Reasons We Need More Young Voters Than Ever
Negative Side (clickable links)

The Chant: Why the voting age should not change to 16
PBS: One Reason Teens Respond Differently to the World: Immature Brain
Circuitry
Verywell Family: 10-Year-Old Child Development Milestones
Both Sides (clickable links)

Scholastic Magazine: Should Teens Be Allowed to Vote?
PBS Newshour: Should 16-year-olds Be Allowed to Vote?
General Non-Partisan Voting Lesson Plans and Activities for Additional Classroom
Support
Kids Voting USA (clickable links)
https://www.kidsvotingusa.org/educators/sample-curricula
https://www.ccsoh.us/cms/lib/OH01913306/Centricity/Domain/202/3-
5%20Kids%20Voting%20Activities.pdf

2022-2023
GEORGIA STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE (GSES) & DEBATE
We believe the promotion of reading comprehension through the activity of debate

specifically addresses the following Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSEs) for 4th
and 5th grade:

Grade 4 - English Language Arts - Reading Informational (RI)

ELAGSE4RI – Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text
says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
ELAGSE4RI2 – Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by
key details; summarize the text.
ELAGSE4RI3 – Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific,

or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information
in the text.
ELAGSE4RI4 – Determine the meaning of general academic language and domain-

specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
ELAGSE4RI5 – Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison,

cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or
part of a text.
ELAGSE4RI6 – Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the

same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
ELAGSE4RI8 – Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support

particular points in a text.
ELAGSE4RI9 – Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to
write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Grade 4 - Social Studies - Information Processing Skills
3 - Identify issues and/or problems and alternative solutions

6 - Identify and use primary and secondary sources
15 - Determine the adequacy and/or relevancy of the information
16 - Check for consistency of information

2022-2023
Grade 5 - English Language Arts - Reading Informational (RI)
ELAGSE5RI1 – Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly
and when drawing inferences from the text.
ELAGSE5RI2 – Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are
supported by key details; summarize the text.
ELAGSE5RI3 – Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals,

events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific
information in the text.
ELAGSE5RI4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
ELAGSE5RI5 – Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison,
cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more
texts.
ELAGSE5RI6 – Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important
similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
ELAGSE5RI8 – Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular
points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence supports which point(s).
ELAGSE5RI9 – Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write
or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Grade 5 - Social Studies - Government/Civic Understandings
SS5CG1 – Explain how a citizen’s rights are protected under the U.S. Constitution.
SS5CG3 – Explain how amendments to the U. S. Constitution have maintained a

representative democracy/republic.
Grade 5 - Social Studies - Information Processing Skills


2022-2023
Connection to Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSEs)

We believe the promotion of original argumentation through the activity of debate

and 5th grade:

Grade 4 - English Language Arts - Speaking and Listening

ELAGSE4SL3 - Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support

particular points.
ELAGSE4SL4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an

organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to
support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
ELAGSE5SL3 - Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is
supported by reasons and evidence.
ELAGSE5SL4 - Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas

logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support
main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Grade 4 & Grade 5 - Social Studies - Information Processing Skills

Grade 5 - Social Studies - Government/Civic Understandings
SS5CG1 – Explain how a citizen’s rights are protected under the U.S.
Constitution.
SS5CG3 – Explain how amendments to the U. S. Constitution have

maintained a representative democracy/republic.

2022-2023
Connection to Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSEs)

We believe the promotion of public speaking through the activity of debate

and 5th grade:

Grade 4 & Grade 5 - Social Studies - Information Processing Skills


ELAGSE4SL2 - Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in

diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

ELAGSE4SL3 - Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support

particular points.
ELAGSE4SL4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an

organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to
support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
ELAGSE5SL3 - Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is
supported by reasons and evidence.
ELAGSE5SL4 - Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas

logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main
ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

AUDL ES Resource Packet (Youth Voting Topic) 2022-2023

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AUDL ES Resource Packet (Youth Voting Topic) 2022-2023

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Developing critical thinkers for a critical time

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 1

2022-2023 FORMAT OVERVIEW

Teams & Speech Order

SKILLS FOCUS OVERVIEW

Write informative or persuasive speeches that include facts, definitions, details,

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 2

Under "Topic Materials," we have provided an introduction to the elementary topic,

Being able to understand and explain your evidence is important to success in

Modified Popcorn Reading

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 3

Debates are built upon persuasive argumentation. While persuasive argumentation

ARE – HOW TO MAKE AN ARGUMENT

An argument is comprised of three parts: an assertion, reasoning, and evidence.

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 4

Arguments form the basis for debate

"Moana" was a better movie than "Cars 3."

"Cars 3" was a better movie than "Moana."

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 5

Just because an argument is complete doesn't mean it is good.

While the above argument is a complete argument, it isn't necessarily good or

Order Doesn't Always Matter

Generally, arguments are presented in the above-described order: assertion,

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 6

Things Fall Apart

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 7

DR.MO – "CLASHING" IN DEBATE

Deny Reverse Minimize Outweigh

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 8

MR. T - CLASHING AT THE "IMPACT" LEVEL IN DEBATE

In debate, an "impact" is a problem or undesirable occurrence that results from a

There are three general reasons why one impact might

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 9

Continued from "MR. T - Clashing at the 'Impact' Level."

Telling the Story

This activity can be done independently or as a supplement to other debate

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 10

Debate is a form of public speaking. Debaters should focus continually on developing

TWO WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 11

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication encompasses any form of communication involving words,

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 12

AUDL ELEMENTARY DEBATE FORMAT 2022-2023

DEBATE TEAM & ROOM SET-UP

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 13

AUDL ELEMENTARY DEBATE FORMAT 2022-2023

SPEAKER ORDER & ROLES OF EACH SPEAKER

CX - A two (2) minute cross-examination of the 2RE speaker by a member of Team 1.

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 14

Constructive Speech (CS)

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 15

Refutation & Extension (RE)

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 16

What makes a good cross-ex question?

Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 17

Continued from "Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts"

Ask questions about the topic in general or for general definitions.

ELEMENTARY RESOURCE PACKET 18

Continued from "Cross-Ex Dos and Don'ts"

King/Queen/Monarch of the Hill