LD Training Week 5 - The Resolution

Welcome to week 5 of The Great Debate's introduction to Lincoln-Douglas Value Debate. Today's lesson is entitled "The Resolution" This lecture provides the background on what every debate round needs: a topic!  The resolution is the focus of every debate round and learning what a topic will require of you as a debater is the first step toward having a debate round.  Just as a basketball game wouldn't be fun if we couldn't agree where the out of bounds line is, a debate round isn't fun if we can't agree that we're only going to debate certain things.  Every debate team shows up ready to talk about the resolution, and the resolution should be what every round discusses.

Before you watch the video, do the following:

Find a value resolution you will be debating.  If you are going to compete in a league, I'd suggest looking at the resolution for next month just so you have time to actually prepare.  Write this resolution at the top of your paper so you can look at it during the video.  If you're a teacher, you might want to write the resolution on the board on a big sheet of paper for all your students to see.

The resolution will tell you the main objective of at least one team in the debate round and will often tell you what context the round should consider.  In our next class we'll talk about how the resolution is applied using values.

This week's lesson is available on the Great Debate's youtube page. It is also available on the Great Debate website in embedded format. Finally, you can see the videos right here:

If you haven't already, be sure to visit The Great Debate website to request your free packet of outlines. If you are a student, you can request the student packet and coaches can request a coach packet with additional resources including a syllabus and answer keys.
It's time to brainstorm the resolution.  What do you think this resolution is all about?  If you'll be using any of this year's high school LD topics, be sure to check out the Great Debate on twitter. We've posted a series of 10 questions about each LD topic for you to think about.  Take these questions home and get your parents's feedback and ask your friends what they think to.  After you ask the question and get answers, be sure to ask "why do you think that?" and see how you can expand your knowledge.

After you watch the video, be sure you download Coach Marko Djuranovic's Ultimate LD Handbook. Read pages 34-50 before next week's lecture. Don't worry if it doesn't all make sense. You are just trying to understand the big picture right now.

Finally, as homework, find an article that gives a good overview of the topic you'll be debating.  Some leagues provide background materials for you.  Other leagues make you do this yourself.  Either way, read through the article and see what kind of questions you have about the resolution and which side you think is the strongest.  Also, take the 3 arguments you have for and against the resolution and decide if you think any of the overview materials indicate some other argument should be on your list.  Include those arguments in your list.

Have a great week and we'll see you next week for our sixth debate lesson, "Values: Structure & Criteria"

If you are interested in learning a form of debate other than Lincoln-Douglas value debate, The Great Debate is a wonderful textbook for policy debate written by the teacher in these videos. The Great Debate provides training in the basics of debate and includes information for debaters who have already learned the fundamentals and are looking for more intermediate level training. The Great Debate has a teacher's guide (coming soon) which includes lesson plans and additional material for coaches. For more information about The Great Debate, visit our website. We also have produced a video training series for Public Forum Debate. The public forum series is another free resource from The Great Debate.