Top 10 debating topics for students in 2021

Classroom debating is always a popular activity for students be it 2019 or 1969. In short they love to argue, and be heard. As a teacher your challenge is to harness those elements into a structured teaching and learning opportunity about structuring an argument and a response to others.

We are just about to get into some class debating.  Here are a few suggestions that you might like to use with your students.

Remember that if you are looking for more great free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English especially writing be sure to visit literacyideas.com

---

Are social networking sites harmful?

Is it acceptable for society to put someone to death?

Should animal testing be legal or illegal?

Is protesting a justified behaviour to break the law?

Should we stop space exploration?

Does beauty or brains get you ahead in life?

Should there be any zoos in the world?

Is peer pressure beneficial or harmful?

Should students be required to wear uniforms at school?

Television is better than books?

Which came first? Chicken or Egg?

I'd Love to hear your ideas?

Weekly Quick Writes for your Students

I have just introduced the weekly quick write for my students as it offers them some freedom in selecting their own weekly writing topics but still ensures that they are working to a plan.

The idea of the quick write is that out of a one hour block the teacher discusses a ten minute focus for writing such as linking sentences or using figurative language.  Next students write for a dedicated 40 minutes and then finally spend 10 minutes highlighting areas of their text and reflecting upon the focus that started the lesson. 

The planner I have put together lasts for a term and You can download it here.

Paper Helicopters - Learn about Flight

If you are looking for something fun to spice up your writing sessions that you can do with students of all ages then look no further.  Simply Download this template pack I found on Paper Helicopters from Primary Science and you can choose to fo as little or as  far as you like with the science elements from the planner.

Then get you students to create a procedural text explaining how the paper helicopter works.  If you are looking for somewhere to start with procedural texts then look no further than here.

you kids will find this a fun writing activity and really enjoy the opportunity to do something different.  I hope you enjoy it.

Science and Literacy Task: Paper Helicopters

If you are looking for something fun to spice up your writing sessions that you can do with students of all ages then look no further.  Simply Download this template pack I found on Paper Helicopters from Primary Science and you can choose to fo as little or as  far as you like with the science elements from the planner.

Then get you students to create a procedural text explaining how the paper helicopter works.  If you are looking for somewhere to start with procedural texts then look no further than here.

you kids will find this a fun writing activity and really enjoy the opportunity to do something different.  I hope you enjoy it.

Using Visual.ly in your maths lessons

If haven't already seen it visual.ly is the webs best collection of info graphics and basically a statisticians dream. Visually takes any concept and breaks it down into the simplest key statistics and facts relating to thousands of topics.

As a maths teacher this offers a wealth of data to inform students and a great starting point to lead to larger mathematical questions.

For Instance the info graphic below is related to the explosion of Halloween Stores across the United States. Take a look at this with your own students and do some of your own research in these areas to see how your students compare to the national average. This will lead you to seek out further statistical information regarding your findings.

There are a multitude of options for using maths and writing in Visual.ly and it will really engage your students because it is current, topical and looks amazing. Access it here.

Free Set of Times Tables Charts for your Classroom

It really amazes me how poor kid are at times tables today which is disappointing because kids who know their times tables well are much better mathematicians than those who don't. Which is contrary to a range of trends in mathematical thinking going around at the moment.

So I have found a great set of times tables charts at Scribbled which also has loads of awesome art & craft ideas that can be printed to either A3 or A4 size depending on what you need. They look great and will really help your kids get a handle on the alphabet of maths. Access them here.

Awesome science experiments for your classroom

ScienceBob has been a self confessed science nut for years and has appeared in hundreds of classrooms, textbooks and even television shows around the globe. He has a great collection of really fun and innovative science lessons that can be done in nearly any classroom.

My kids did the hoop glider experiment today and it was a real success. Access ScienceBob here and let me know how you go with any of his experiments below by adding a comment.

Great Bullying Analogy for Students

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stomp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said …they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home.