West Clay Elementary School – DEBATE 1

Apr 2026 · 2nd Semester

Debate, a one-semester course based on the Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts, is the study and application of the basic principles of debate involving support for the basic types of arguments (induction, deduction, causation) and debate strategies (affirmative or negative argument construction and extension, case development, refutation or rebuttal of argument claims and evidence, and persuasive speaking). Students will be exposed to Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Congressional debate styles as outlined by the National Forensic League. Beginning with the class of 2029, this course will meet the requirement for one (1) credit in a Communications-focused course for graduation and will also count as one (1) of the eight (8) required English credits.