Debate23

=Debate 2 & 3 - Main Page= toc

Introduction
The Debate 2 and 3 courses are designed as independent study courses for second, third, and fourth year members of the Jack C. Hays High School Speech and Debate Team. Hays High School has a long tradition of success in speech and debate and it is our goal to train students to carry on a commitment to excellence in all of their academic, personal, and professional pursuits.

The focus of Debate 1, 2, and 3 at Hays High school is to prepare students for success at interscholastic debate tournaments. While students will gain a working understanding of the many skills associated with argumentation, rhetoric, and public speaking we will primarily apply these skills in the area of [|Policy Debate], [|Lincoln-Douglas Debate], [|Student Congress], and [|Extemporaneous Speaking].

Additionally, Mr. Martin will help supplement and facilitate each student's individual work by preparing lectures and lessons on advanced issues in debate strategy, theory, and research.

Expectations
Students enrolled in the Debate 2 & 3 have made an active choice to assume advanced levels of personal responsibility and rigorous academic work. All varsity members enrolled in Debate 2 & 3 are expected to contribute to the Jack C. Hays Debate Team in three primary ways:

1 - Research: Varsity debate members must initiate and participate in original academic research projects on current debate topics. Mr. Martin and Mrs. Stage will help guide and facilitate student research, but it is the debater's responsibility to take an active role in the research process and contribute to the team's success through the creation of well-researched debate files.

2 - Competition: Varsity debate members are expected to travel to all local debate tournaments. Interscholastic debate competitions provide a healthy, fun, and productive forum for debaters to test their ideas, improve their speaking skills, and put their research to work.

3 - Leadership: Varsity debate members will help contribute to the tradition of excellence at Hays High School by mentoring and teaching younger debaters enrolled in the Debate 1 course. Varsity members must attend two hours of after-school debate practice each week. During this time they will have the opportunity to work with novice debaters, lead by example, and fulfill all course requirements.

Course Information
Syllabus Debate Tournament Calendar

Parent's Portal
Parents' Portal

Assignments
As noted in the syllabus, students will receive daily grades from the following two activities: 1. Weekly Assignments - Students enrolled in Debate 2 or Debate 3 have ongoing individual assignments for their particular competitive activity. These include, but are not limited to, research, writing and revising cases, practice speeches, and rebuttal reworks. On Monday, students will provide Mr. Martin with a list of tasks that they intend to complete over the course of the week. The following Monday, the students are responsible for showing Mr. Martin the assignments they have completed. 2. Participation - All Debate 2/3 students are expected to take full advantage of the privilege of having an entire class period dedicated to debate. To do so, students must actively participate in class activities and discussions and demonstrate 100% on-task behavior during class time. Students are not allowed to use this class period to complete homework from other courses or engage in any behaviors or activities that do not directly contribute to the excellence of the Hays Debate Team.

Research Resources
Research Resources Main Page

Policy Debate - Topic Analysis
Topic Papers - Alternative Energy

Lincoln-Douglas Debate - Topic Analysis
NFL Resources