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Judge Adaptation: Keep It Simple! – Argument Summary
Learning Objectives
Simplify and explain arguments to “lay” judges.
Improve word economy.
Improve familiarity with the evidence packet.
Time Needed
~30 min.
Resources & Materials
Paper (2-3 sheets per student)
Pencil/pen (1 per student)
Evidence packet (1 per student)
Teacher Preparation
Review fundamentals of judge adaptation per the AUDL curriculum.
Select an argument from the AUDL evidence packet.
For less experienced students, choose either the affirmative (1AC) or a negative disadvantage.
For more advanced students, choose an affirmative (1AC) or negative off-case position that your teams would read in front of a “lay”/less experienced judge.
Lesson Outline
- Keep It Simple! – Argument Summary (Activity)
- To begin, divide students into pairs.
- Announce the assigned argument.
- Give each student a brief period of time (no more than five minutes) to:
- Review the assigned argument.
- Write a brief (1 minute) speech explaining the argument to someone who is not familiar with either the topic or debate.
- Begin the activity, following the format below.
- Round 1 (1:00 Speech)
- Each student should present their speech to their partner.
- Select (or ask for) a volunteer to present a speech to the squad.
- Flow the speech.
- Provide brief feedback. Common errors include:
- Lack of organization.
- Focusing primarily on details, not summary.
- Use of topic-specific vocabulary without explanation.
- Overreliance on debate jargon (e.g., author names/argument titles).
- Complete two more rounds, reducing the speech time by ~20 seconds per round.
- Round 1 (1:00 Speech)
- Keep It Simple! – Argument Summary (Reflection)
- Introduce principles of judge adaptation, focusing on debating in front of “lay” judges.
- Focus on examples from student speeches as much as possible.
- Using feedback from student speeches, create two lists:
- BEST PRACTICES of what students SHOULD do in front of lay judges.
- WORST PRACTICES of what students should NOT do in front of lay judges.
- Introduce principles of judge adaptation, focusing on debating in front of “lay” judges.
Points of Improvement
Students focus primarily on details, not synthesis.
Students are overly reliant on topic-specific vocabulary and debate jargon.
Signs of Mastery
Students clearly and concisely explain arguments without relying on overly specific details about the topic.
Instructor Notes
The goal of this activity is to help students adapt to debating in front of judges with no topic knowledge or debate experience.
Make sure students TAKE NOTES on each other’s speeches. They can use these to write 2AC/2NC overviews!