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!
Middle School Varsity Curriculum Guide
Skills from Junior Varsity Debate
Choosing Your Arguments
In Junior Varsity, you learned how to use multiple advantages, disadvantages, and affirmatives. You learned how to pick between them before the round based upon impact quality and evidence quality, and you learned how to pick between them during the round based on your judge and the other team’s answers.
Judge Adaptation
You learned how to deal with different kinds of judges, from parents to coaches to experienced debaters. You learned that you had to ask the judge questions before the round. You also learned how to read their body language to modify your strategy during speeches or cross-examination.
Evidence Comparison (ABCD)
You also learned how to compare different pieces of evidence. You learned that the author of a card’s qualifications can help (or hurt!) your side, you learned that the basis for a piece of evidence is best if it cites multiple studies, you learned that the context within the evidence can help prove or disprove the argument, and you learned that the date of the card can shape how relevant it is to present-day debates.
Debate Structure and Longer Speech Times
Lastly, you learned the basic structure of a debate round. While the speech times are changing in Varsity, the point and order of each speech remains the same. You know that a debate consists of constructive and rebuttal speeches, that you must ask cross-examination questions, and that you have five minutes of prep time. Here’s a chart, just as a reminder:
