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Should we ban books? It's DebateAble.

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Did you know that the first book was banned in the United States in 1637? That year, Thomas Morton published what the Puritan government considered a severe and heretical critique of Puritan practices in his book New English Canaan. Called “an infamous and scurrilous book,” it was subsequently banned throughout Quincy, Massachusetts. Book bannings are still with us, of course, and in the past two years more books have been banned or challenged than at any other time in our history.

This past fa…

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Halloween Debate: A Zombie Apocalypse

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Halloween is right around the corner and your debaters must decide: Which of them can survive the Zombie Apocalypse??

PLAY ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

  • SET THE STAGE
    (Read out loud): A terrible illness has invaded Planet Earth turning everyone who's infected into a ZOMBIE!! The good news is that there's a group of surviving humans in your town who live on a compound surrounded by a fence too high for zombies to climb. They are working to create a new society and this month they have room for just on…

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Why Teach Debate to Kids?

By DebateAble Coach, Sarah Yatsko 

As for many, the run up to the 2016 presidential election laid bare for me the fragile state of civil discourse. My social media feeds were full of friends and family members dismissing one another based on which candidate they supported or where they stood on a particular issue. There was little engagement, effort to understand or thoughtful debate. 
Coach Sarah and her first year DebateAble club 

In the middle of t…

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DebateAble Table Volume 7: LOGICAL FALLACIES

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In this post, we're focusing on logical fallacies. Logical fallacies are flaws in reasoning. People use logical fallacies to distract from the topic being discussed or argued when they can't come up with a direct response. We've been covering logical fallacies in some of our online debate clubs and we noticed that kids are quick to grasp the different types of fallacies and to spot them in their own arguments and the arguments of others.

For most DebateAble Table lessons, we suggest that fami…

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DebateAble Table Volume 6: GAME DAY

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Today is Game Day at DebateAble Table! In this week's edition we are sharing mind bending brain teasers and original DebateAble games with your student. The activities are pulled straight from our own curriculum so we know they're fun! 

DebateAble Table includes all the content and instructions needed to engage in these activities today. Just click on the DEBATEABLE TABLE button for the Activity Packet, print it out and pass it to your young debater. No debate experience necessary. Our aim is to …

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DebateAble Table Volume 5: Voting should be mandatory in the United States

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We're so excited to bring you this week's timely DebateAble Table topic, asking kids to consider whether voting in the United States should be mandatory. Our free DebateAble Table Activity Packet is simply bursting with information about this issue, from the history of US voting rights, to the top excuses given for not voting, and so much in between. Of course, we've provided evidence supporting both sides of the issue to encourage kids to consider multiple perspectives. There are also questio…

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DebateAble Table Volume 4: Finding and Evaluating Evidence

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Today we're talking about evidence, what it is, where we find it, what makes it reliable and how we use it. Learning to be smart about the evidence we consume and to use it to make decisions, form opinions and debate is the first and best step to creating effective arguments— no matter what side of an issue we take on. 

DebateAble Table Newsletter includes all the content your child needs for their debate at home. No experience necessary. Just print the attached documents, pass them to your y…

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Psssst.... Take a look inside a debate club

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Every week, we hear from adults who believe in the power of debate and want to bring it to kids in their community. Most of the messages include questions, like: 
  • Do I have to have a debate background to lead a club?
  • How do I get my community engaged?
  • How will your curriculum help?
  • How do I do it!?
We could talk all day about our program and its benefits, but we thought it might be more helpful to get insight from others who are using DebateAble's curriculum in their clubs.
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Coach and…

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DebateAble Table Volume 3: Freedom of Speech in Schools

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Today we're asking kids to think about freedom of speech - what it means and how it applies to them, as students. This is a topic very large in scope that a lot of smart people, from educators and students to politicians and voters, continue to debate, and we tried to narrow it down to make it relatable for kids. In the end, we know that no matter what anyone's opinion might be, there's always more than one side to every issue. Every perspective has value. And everyone has a seat at the table.…

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DebateAble Table Volume 2: Are Participation Trophies Good or Bad for Kids?

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We are excited to introduce this week’s DebateAble Table topic and activity, but first we wanted to share something we hope is helpful as you navigate through this period of time with your children. The National Association of School Psychologists has offered solid guidance for talking with our kids about what's going on in a way that both respects and empowers:

Let your children's questions guide you. Answer their questions truthfully, but don't offer unnecessary details or facts. Don't avo…

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