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Year 4 - English

An informal debate

Getting ready to debate

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the concept of debating and the importance of justifying opinions. They learn what a motion is, how to create effective motions and techniques for agreeing or disagreeing respectfully. The unit concludes with an informal debate, allowing pupils to apply their skills.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to take part in an informal debate.

Key Notes

  • A debate often involves speakers disagreeing with each other.
  • The motion is the name for the belief or proposal that is being debated.
  • The PEPS structure stands for: point, explanation, proof, summary.
  • In a debate, a speaker will make a point and then explain it.
  • Adding proof gives credibility to an argument.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • point: an idea or reason to support your opinion
  • explanation: giving reasons to help someone understand an opinion
  • proof: refers to the evidence used to support an opinion
  • summary: a brief recap of the main parts of a speech

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may feel unprepared for the debate as the tasks leading up to Task C are verbal discussions.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

A debate often involves speakers disagreeing with each other. The motion is the name for the belief or proposal that is being debated.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'point'

an idea or reason to support your opinion.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may feel unprepared for the debate as the tasks leading up to Task C are verbal discussions. Correction: Plan an additional lesson where pupils prepare their speech using the PEPS structure and give them time to rehearse and write down their ideas. Then, conduct the debate in a separate lesson.

More Lessons In This Unit

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