For elementary students, repetition in debate topics can be rather irritating. To retain interest in debating, you need to brainstorm some new and intense debate topics for elementary students, which can help them have an interesting and enriching debate.
Education in the USA
All across the globe, the definition of elementary school varies significantly. It depends on the educational system prevalent in that country. Nevertheless, in the USA, elementary schooling is from the kindergarten to a grade between 5th and 8th. Now, this is not a fixed rule, and it may have some variations, depending on states. In general, elementary school kids are between kindergarten and 8th or 7th grade. Searching debate topics, which are apt for their age and add to their values and knowledge, often turns out to be a boring task for the children.
Points to Remember
- Choosing topics for a debate is a challenge, both for teachers and students.
- At the elementary level, children don’t have the maturity, experience, and knowledge to handle controversial issues, and hence, such subjects are not an ideal choice for them.
- Very intriguing ones that require deep knowledge, facts, and figures can also be very abstruse. Hence, parents and teachers should choose titles that are easier to research on, and kids in classes can discuss them with ease.
- The titles needn’t be political and very tough. In fact, they can even be funny, easy, and comfortable for all to understand and present their own views.
- The idea for choosing an apt title should trigger analytical thinking skills in kids and improving classroom participation.
List of Topics
Interesting Topics
~ Books are better than television.
~ Importance of teachers in education.
~ Should computers replace teachers?
~ Are school uniforms needed?
~ Reading – an emerging trend or a dying interest?
~ Should mobile phones be allowed in schools?
~ Junk food must be banned in schools.
~ Are sports and games as important as studies?
~ Is year-round schooling necessary?
Unique Topics
~ School attendance must be voluntary.
~ Homework should be banned.
~ Do violent video games trigger violent behavior in kids?
~ Are online chat rooms for kids necessary?
~ What household chores must kids be allowed to do?
~ Animals should not be kept in cages.
~ Should the school duration be increased?
~ Is there life on Mars?
~ Do we learn from history?
Challenging Topics
~ Should career choices be made based on academic scores or interest areas?
~ Participation in co-curricular activities is important in schools.
~ Are children over-influenced by fashion these days?
~ Should children be involved in television advertising?
~ Should animals be used for scientific experiments?
~ Should skating be allowed on roadside walks?
~ Should cartoon cards and accessories be allowed in schools?
The ‘Dos’ of Debating
Do not forget to:
- Greet ‘Good evening/morning’ to respective authority.
- Stand/Sit well in front of the timekeeper, judges, and audience. In case you’re debating in a group that is sitting in a circle, make yourself comfortable. An alert body language and displaying keen interest is necessary in group discussions.
- Wait for formal announcements before the session begins.
- Applaud every speaker positively.
- Use cue cards that you had prepared.
- Be silent while others are speaking and during judging time, when adjudicators are awarding points.
- Be in proper and neat uniform as per the occasion.
- Arrive early, before the scheduled time. Coming 15 minutes before the scheduled time is necessary, as it makes you comfortable at the venue.
- Accept defeat positively and learn from mistakes. Ultimately, have fun.
The ‘Don’ts’ of Debating
Avoid certain pitfalls while debating, like:
- Don’t forget to greet important personnel, like the chairman, etc. If adjudicators are a part of the audience (they generally are), then you needn’t greet them.
- Don’t include some team line or your school team punch before beginning.
- Don’t use long sheets of paper to make a note of your arguments.
- Proper dress, hairstyle, and presentation is crucial.
Although there can’t be a large pool of debate topics unlike persuasive or informative speech topics for college students, we can pick up several of them from a wide range of subjects included in elementary school books. Debating is certainly a must-do activity in schools, as that inculcates several personality skills in kids.