HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL TOPIC POLICY DEBATE SEASON 2023-24
| Tournament Date | Name | Location | Tournament Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 23rd | MDTA Jamboree | Wayzata High School | 8:30 AM-4:00 PM |
| Sept. 30th | Rosemount | Rosemount High School | |
| Oct. 6-7 | UofM Invitational | University of Minnesota – Humphrey School of Public Affairs | Fri: 4-8:30 PM
Sat: 8AM-5PM |
| Oct. 27-28 | Rosebowl | TBD | Fri: 4-8:30 PM
Sat: 9 AM-4 PM |
| Nov. 3-4 | Farmington | Farmington High School | |
| Nov. 10-11 | Tamar Kaplan Invitational | TBD | Fri: 4:30-8:30 PM
Sat: 9:30AM-4:30PM |
| Nov. 18 | UMBrooks | University of Minnesota – Humphrey School of Public Affairs | 10 AM-5:30 PM |
| Dec. 1-2 | JV / Novice State | Eagan High School | |
| Dec. 9 | UDL City Championship | Washington Technology Magnet School | Fri: 3:30-8:00 PM
Sat: 9 AM-4:30 PM |
| Jan. 5-6 | MSHSL Sections | TBD |
Key Materials – High School
Materials for JV/Varsity
Open Evidence – This site has a lot of evidence on this year’s topic. You can find camp files and other uploaded files sorted by argument and argument type. Great for starting research or finding new arguments to try!
HS Debate Wiki – You can find what arguments other teams are using plus their cites on this website! It’s a great place to look at what the most successful teams are running or just browse around to find something that interests you. If you are in varsity you should upload your argument citations to this page also!
Games, Resources, & More
Anatomy of Debate Evidence
(Why it is formatted the way it is and what you can change)They Said, We Say, We Win
This graphic organizer helps students recognize how to create clash with their opponents arguments and think about why the judge should prefer their arguments.Impact Analysis
This graphic organizer helps students think about the probability, timeframe, and magnitude of their impacts well before the round.Claim, Warrant, Data
This graphic organizer helps students understand the argument made by each cardFrayer Model
This is a generic graphic organizer for learning new vocabulary. It is useful for both generic debate concepts and topic specific vocabulary.Debate Games/Drills
This is a laundry list of a variety different games and drills you can do with students in practice.
Curriculum – Middle School
Primary Coaching Resources
Activity Binder (Fun debate games!)
Guide to the MS Evidence Packet
Find all 2023 evidence materials, including example speeches, here. Also see the Debate FAQs for questions.
Speaker Point Rubric
In a debate round, judges will score each debater individually on their presentation, quality of arguments, responsiveness to their opponents’ arguments, and use of evidence. This is the rubric that judges will use to assign those scores.
You can use the rubric to get a sense of which division is appropriate for a students. Debaters who are getting mostly 1’s should be in the Rookie Division. Students receiving mostly 1’s and 2’s should be in the Novice Division. Students who are receiving mostly 2’s and 3’s should be in the JV Division. Students who are receiving mostly 3’s and 4’s should be in the Varsity Division.
Argument Limits
This Argument Limits Document outlines which arguments will be allowed in which divisions, and contains a link for each type of argument to the relevant portion of the Guide to the Evidence Packet. Both coaches and students are responsible for knowing which arguments are allowed in their division.
How to Use or Modify Evidence
Because evidence is the basis of a good debate, it is helpful to make sure students are using the evidence in the same way. To keep every debate clear and balanced for the students, we have developed this Anatomy of Evidence Document with the guidelines and conventions of evidence use in policy debate.
LEVERAGE YOUR RESOURCES!
To learn more about how you can get your workplace involved in supporting the Minnesota Urban Debate League, email Amy Cram Helwich, Executive Director: cramhe@augsburg.edu
