Unit 1 City and village

Activity 3,4

Objectives: to revise and consolidate all the material in the unit; to develop

PP ability to work independently

Write the motion on the BB. 'Sport is always a good thing. We should have sports lessons every day at school.'

Divide the class into those who are 'for' the motion and those who are against. Ask PP to arrange the classroom with the 'Fors' opposite the 'Againsts' and the Chairperson in the middle. Give each P except the Chairperson a small piece of paper. When a P speaks, s/he puts the paper in a box. Every P must get rid of the paper; no P can speak if s/he has used her/his paper. This ensures that all PP take part and no P dominates. Explain that you will not take part in the debate. The Chairperson is in charge and PP must do what s/he says. Explain that at the end of the debate the Chairperson will ask them to vote. At that point they may vote according to their own ideas, not according to their role in the debate. Ask the Chairperson to begin the debate by reading the paper you have given him/ her. Do not interrupt the debate; try to sit in a place where PP do not notice you and note down any repeated mistakes PP make, any particularly good things they say, any things they want to say but can'1/or say in mother tongue. You will need these notes for feedback at the end of the debate. Make sure that after 20 minutes the Chairperson ends the debate and organises the vote. After the vote bring the debate to a close. Let PP return to their proper seats. Then ask them for feedback on the activity.

PP say why they like or do not like the activity. Then T tells them her/his feedback explaining strong and weak answers of each team. For detailed steps of how to organise Debates look at the introduction to the Teacher's Book.
NOTE: As this is the first time PP have a debate, the activity may be only partially successful. For example, some PP may try to read their ideas from the paper instead of saying them, and the activity may take longer than it should. The Chairperson may read his/her notes. Don't worry, this is normal. There are more debates in the book and PP will get more practice. If the debate is only partially successful, and if you have time, you could repeat the debate. PP will do better the second time and this will give them a great feeling of success!