Mastering the Art of Debate: Assertion, Reason, and Evidence

Mastering the Art of Debate: Assertion, Reason, and Evidence

Learning Objective

Understand the concepts of assertion, reason, and evidence and how to effectively use them in debates and texts.

What do you already know about debates and their components?

What is a Debate?

A debate is a structured argument where two opposing sides present their viewpoints and engage in discussion.

Assertion

An assertion is a strong statement or claim presented by one side in a debate to support their argument.

Reason

Reason is the logical explanation or justification given to support an assertion in a debate or text.

Evidence

Evidence is the factual information, data, or examples used to support a reason and validate an assertion.

Using Assertion, Reason, and Evidence in Debate

In a debate, participants use assertions, provide reasons to support them, and present evidence to back up their claims.

Applying A.R.E. in Writing

In writing, authors use assertion, reason, and evidence to construct persuasive arguments and support their claims.

Interactive Activity: Analyzing Debates

Students will analyze a debate and identify the assertions, reasons, and evidence presented by each side.

Conclusion and Review

Summarize the key points about assertion, reason, and evidence, and their role in debates and texts.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.