@The Arts Unit Creative Classes
That's debatable!
Learn how to construct an effective rebuttal for a primary debate
Student debating resource developed by The Arts Unit
Years 5 and 6 debating
What will I learn?
Welcome to the class
Duration: 00:30You will:
discover how to write an effective rebuttal
compose a rebuttal
present your rebuttal
refine your rebuttal skills.
Before you begin
For the lesson, you will need:
a device to watch the videos
your debating journal (or paper) and a pen.
- Discover
To win a debate, you need strong arguments to prove your team’s case, but you also need strong rebuttals to disprove your opposition.
A rebuttal explains why the other team’s argument was incorrect, inaccurate or unimportant. It is basically a structured way to disagree with an idea during a debate.
So, how do you actually rebut?
Watch the video How to write a fantastic rebuttal in a primary debate with Tony Davey to find out!
Make sure you also write notes as you watch so you can refer to them later.
How to write a fantastic rebuttal in a primary debate
Duration: 10:362. Compose
Watch the video Example argument for a primary debate.
Listen to debating coach, Indigo, as she presents an argument for the topic 'Homework stops kids from getting the exercise they need in the afternoon’.
Compose a rebuttal to Indigo’s argument by following the four steps of rebuttal.
Step 1 – "The other team's idea was ..."
Step 2 – "We have two reasons why that's wrong"
Step 3 – "Firstly ..."
Step 4 – "Secondly ..."
Check that your rebuttal makes sense and edit it if you need to.
Example argument for a primary debate
Duration: 01:49The 4 steps are explained for further guidance
Step 1: Write a short heading that summarises the idea that you are about to attack.
Remember, it is really important to rebut the main ideas and not every little sentence they have said in their speech.
Start with “The other team’s idea was …”
Step 2: State that you have two reasons as to why their argument is wrong.
You should always try to have at least 2 reasons why their argument is wrong. If you have 3, you can say “We have 3 reasons why that’s wrong” instead.
For this step, simply write “We have two reasons why that’s wrong.”
Step 3: Write the first reason explaining why their argument is wrong.
Remember, your first reason should be a ‘direct rebuttal’. This means you need to explain how their idea was undeniably wrong, that the problem doesn’t exist, or what they’ve said is completely untrue.
Start with “Firstly …”
Step 4: Write the second reason explaining why their argument is wrong or unimportant.
The second reason can also be a direct rebuttal. Alternatively, you could explain why their argument is unimportant in the big scheme of things (for example: that a student’s academic future is more important than them getting a little bit annoyed about having to do homework).
Start with “Secondly …”
3. Present
Now that you’ve thought about your rebuttal, let’s have a go at practising how you would rebut in an actual debate.
Before you begin, convert your rebuttal into a single palm card. Remember, you should only use simple dot points, reminders or headings – no full sentences!
When you are ready, have a go at presenting your rebuttal using only the palm card. You can present to your team, debating coach or your peers.
Don’t forget to use the dot points as reminders, then elaborate as much as you can. This can be a bit tricky at first, but it’s important that you can improvise in rebuttal, so practising this is necessary!
Watch the video Example rebuttal for a primary debate.
Listen closely to Tony rebutting the same argument.
Example rebuttal for a primary debate
Duration: 03:17Reflect on the rebuttals.
What did you say in your rebuttal that was the same (or similar) to Tony?
What do you think Tony did well?
What did you think you did well?
What would you like to improve upon in rebuttals – what is your goal?
What could you do to reach this goal?
4. Refine
Refine your debating skills by continuing to practise.
This time, let’s have a go at rebutting more than one argument.
Watch the video Stop rebutting yourself with Charlie Witherdin.
In this video, experienced debating coach, Charlie Witherdin, looks back to when he debated in a primary school final. He then has a go at rebutting his past self on the topic 'That films are making books obsolete'.
Your task:
As you watch the video, pretend that you are in an actual debate. As you listen to the speaker’s ideas, write down notes so you are ready to rebut. Remember – one palm card per rebuttal, with headings or dot points only!
When the speaker is finished, pause the video and present your rebuttals as if you were the next speaker in the debate.
Un-pause the video and watch Charlie rebut his past self.
Consider what Charlie has said in his rebuttal. Compare and reflect on your own rebuttal.
Stop rebutting yourself with Charlie Witherdin
Duration: 10:36
Extension activities
The key to improving your rebuttal skills is to practise as much as you can.
The following videos all show an experienced debater looking back on their past self when they were debating in a primary school final.
To continue improving your skills, you might want to practise with one rebuttal video per week.
Stop rebutting yourself with Ainsley Halbmeijer
Duration: 11:01 ‘That we should abolish homework for primary school students’Stop rebutting yourself with Sarah Jackson
Duration: 13:17‘That we should abolish homework for primary school students’Stop rebutting yourself with Maja Vasic
Duration: 17:48 'That we should ban cosmetic surgery for people without a medical reason’Stop rebutting yourself with Elinor Stephenson
Duration: 16:17 ‘That political advertising should be banned during election campaigns’Stop rebutting yourself with Theodora Von Arnim
Duration: 12:16 ‘That we should teach current affairs instead of history in primary school’Stop rebutting yourself with Toby Hemmings
Duration: 10:33 ‘That films are making books obsolete’Congratulations!
You have completed this @The Arts Unit Creative Class.
If you are interested in watching a full debate, you might like to view the 2019 Primary Schools State Debating Championships Final.
You can view more debates at The Arts Unit Vimeo.
To continue learning about debating and develop your skills, you might like to complete these other debating @The Arts Unit Creative Classes:
