Civics Learning Week
Competitive Speech & Debate Creates a Better Civil Society
Since 1925, the National Speech & Debate Association has been providing recognition and support for students participating in speech and debate activities. While our organization has evolved over the decades, our mission is more relevant today than ever before. We connect, support, and inspire a diverse community committed to empowering students through competitive speech and debate.
NSDA membership builds confidence, boosts classroom performance, improves communication, and increases critical thinking skills; providing students with the most in-demand portable skills. More individuals who are equipped with these essential life skills who are used to applying them to engage in civil dialogue and civic engagement, improves the world.
March 11-15, 2024
Multiple peer reviewed studies and nearly 2 million alumni demonstrate that competitive speech and debate is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Intro to Philosophy in Debate
Debate is a wonderful place for testing out ideas and determining what you think about them.
This guide serves as an introduction to the most common philosophies in debate. By the end of this guide, debaters will be able to:
- Apply philosophies to strengthen or weaken arguments.
- Differentiate the three main branches of philosophy.
- Engage constructively with philosophies that are commonly used in competitive debates.
Congressional Debate Round Introduction
Congressional Debate is a simulation of the U.S. Congress. In this event, students generate a series of bills and resolutions for debate in advance and alternate delivering speeches for and against the topic in a group setting. Students are assessed on their research, argumentation, and delivery skills, as well as their knowledge and use of parliamentary procedure. This video breaks down a round of Congressional Debate.
Public Forum Debate Round Introduction
In Public Forum Debate, students work in pairs of two to debate both sides of a topic. Topics are based on current events and change frequently, which gives students the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects and keeps debates exciting and new. Students present prepared cases, then engage in rebuttal and questioning periods with limited prep. This video breaks down a round of Public Forum Debate.
Extemporaneous Speech Breakdown
In Extemporaneous Speaking, students deliver a speech on a current event with limited preparation time. A student’s understanding of important political, economic, and cultural issues is assessed along with critical thinking and analytical skills. This video breaks down an expert Extemp speech.
Free Lesson Plans: Teaching Advocacy to Students
The National Speech & Debate Association empowers students to discover the impact of their voices and to use them to speak up for what they believe in. In these lessons, students identify an issue in their community and work in groups to develop and enact a solution. These easy to follow lesson plans are backed up with ready-to-use resources and materials. The first three lessons are available as a free preview: no membership required!
2:2-Column Layout
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2:3-Column Layout
Use Cases:
This is a basic way to start with 2-column content and continue with 3-column content.
Header
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Header
Header
Header
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.