The Atlanta Urban Debate League is committed to providing excellent debate education programs, services, and opportunities to diverse students, educators, and members of the community!
Beginner High School Curriculum Guide
Welcome to the Atlanta Urban Debate League!
Hi! We’re glad that you’ve decided to compete as a novice debater. Debate is a fun, engaging activity that will teach you skills that last a lifetime. You’ll build lifelong relationships with your teammates, and you’ll become a more confident and convincing public speaker.
This is the first of a two-part guide to the High School Novice division. If you’re just beginning to debate, this is the place to start! If you’ve been to a few tournaments already, the intermediate version might be more useful for you.
As a debater, your job is to convince your judge to vote for your team. At a tournament, you’ll compete in four debate rounds. During them, you’ll give two speeches, defend them from questions asked by your opponents, and ask questions to your opponents.
To give those speeches, you’ll get a handy evidence packet – that file has everything you need to know about each year’s topic. In recent years, topics have ranged from education policy to American arms sales. Under each topic, the team who speaks first will read a plan, or a specific policy proposal, that they will defend throughout the round. They are the affirmative team because they must prove why their plan is a good idea. The team who speaks second is the negative team, and they must prove why the plan is a bad idea.
You can use this curriculum guide along with your evidence packet to learn debate skills. If you have any questions, check out the table of contents below to find out where they’ll be answered! If you’re just starting out with debate, then start with Part 1!