Vote for the Topic that you would like to hear on May 12, 2016 at 7:00 PM! We have our 4 participants! We also will be honoring Veterans during our debate for National Military Appreciation Month! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7VKB2TN_
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Any well rounded argument will be backed up by facts, research, personal input, and good speaking, and will likely have one more interesting but often forgotten thing: a beginning, middle, and end. Debaters often like to start with the nice introduction, get into the nitty gritty in the middle, and finish off with a strong and clear statement to make people really think about what you said. But how do we indicate what section of the "story" we're on? Simple: we use transitions! Transitional words and phrases are like connectors. They join two parts of writing together in a smooth, consistent way. For example, say I wanted to tell people why they should do something. I might say "Firstly, you should do this because ____. Secondly, it's also _____. Finally, it's a great _____". The words at the beginning of those sentences clearly illustrate where the argument is going. The cool thing is that these words and phrases may not seem like much on their own, but they bring an extra layer of finesse and are a great way to help your audience understand your points since they make them clearer and stronger. You can use them to clarify, contrast, compare, illustrate, intensify, indicate time, place, or cause, and much, much more! Transitions are excellent things for us to use in our debates. Using things like "first of all", "further more", "as I said", and "in conclusion" make what we say sound polished, well thought-out, professional, and well put-together. They can be especially useful for rebuttals since you have a wide range of contrasting transition statements to choose from. "However", "with that said", and "on the other hand" are all great ways to bring attention to our points and immediately let the audience know what kind of thing you're about to say. Plus they're handy when you aren't 100% sure just what you're about to say but know the kind of tone you want it to have. Check out this website (non-sponsored) if you want to see some helpful examples: http://www.smart-words.org/linking-words/transition-words.html Here's how it's going to work: Below this introduction I'm going to post some special questions and activities for you to work on. After you've read the challenges you'll have to post your answers in the comments. Submissions will end at 7pm (so no posts after that will count) and the first person to get all of them right will get to choose their side at the next debate. The top three winners (the first three to get everything right) will be named at the meeting! Finally, if you've skipped the introduction I suggest reading it because there will be a few questions about it on the quiz! Good luck debaters, and havvvveeee fun! On your marks, get set, go! 1. What would be an appropriate ending transition for the last part of your speech? A. Next B. In conclusion C. First of all D. To begin with 2. What would be a transition showing contrast? A. Since B. For instance C. On the other hand D. Furthermore 3. What would be a transition illustrating agreement, addition, or similarity? 4. Check out the link from the introduction and find three words of your choice from the “Effect/Consequence/Result” section and write them here! 5. What did I say was an interesting but often forgotten thing in any well rounded argument? _ ________, _____, ___ ___. 6. I said transitions could be especially useful for ________ since you have a wide range of contrasting transition statements to choose from. 7. What is one transitional word or phrase you like to use in your writing or speeches? smart-words.org was used for the image and resource of this blog game.
On April 28, 2016 at 7:00 PM, Speech and Debate will be hosting a live debate on the environment! Come out and support your fellow debaters! You can also help pick the topic. Hop onto our polling tab and choose the topic you want to debate on! We look forward to hearing from you!
When Justin Bieber's 2015 hit "What do you Mean" came out, you had people singing about the meaning of words all over the place! Although most people lip syncing or belting out the chorus may not have stopped to think about it, there really is a lot of power to the words that you say... or sing. Let's talk about that in Round 2 of our interactive blog game: "Connotation VS Denotation: What do you mean?"! If you've never heard of the words "connotation" and "denotation" before, you're probably saying "What do you mean?" in your head right now, and I can tell you you're already on the right track. Denotation basically means the dictionary definition of a word. It takes into account only the basic information and doesn't go further than that. Connotation is like the response the word gets and its deeper meaning. It takes into account implied meanings, emotional feelings, and a more human level of the word. For example, take the word "limitless". Its definition is "without limit; boundless", and this is essentially the denotation of the world. Simple, standard, and technically completely correct. But, there's a lot more to the story, or in this case, the word, than meets the eye. When we consider connotation with "limitless", we likely think of very different things than just "without limit; boundless". Do you picture someone achieving great success? Do you think of endless possibilities? Do you imagine something or someone being totally free? Does the word make you feel inspired, or motivated? Do you feel happy or excited to read it? Is it a word that seems more positive and optimistic than most? As you can see, connotation makes quite a difference. This is something very important for us to remember in our debates. We need to make sure we think about implied meanings and emotional responses as they are typically key to getting our points across. When we use words we want them to strike a chord with the audience. We want listeners to feel something. We want people to really "get it". Connotation allows us to add a deeper power to our arguments and points. It gives us another layer of persuasion, another element we can use to convince. If we truly think not just about the actual words we're saying, but about the response they'll get and give, we'll be dramatically changing the way we debate or speak. This also relates to the buzzwords and sound-bites we talked about in our last blog game. Those words and phrases are powerful largely because of the connotation behind them. That extra, special little something that the dictionary just can't capture gives the things we say impact, power, and greater meaning. We can each use connotations to our advantage. You know what I mean? Here's how it's going to work: Below this introduction I'm going to post some special questions and activities for you to work on. After you've read the challenges you'll have to post your answers in the comments. Submissions will end at 7pm (so no posts after that will count) and the first person to get all of them right will get to choose their side at the next non-themed debate. The top three winners (the first three to get everything right) will be named at the meeting! Finally, if you've skipped the introduction I suggest reading it because there will be a few questions about it on the quiz! Good luck debaters, and havvvveeee fun! On your marks, get set, go! Written Questions for those who may not be able to see images: 1.Which of these words has a more negative connotation? Talk, Chat, Discuss, Gossip 2.Which of these words has a more positive connotation? Sad, Lonely, Joyful, Unhappy 3.How many total definitions are there for “correct” on dictionary.com (please answer with a number)? 4.How many total definitions are there for “emotion” on dictionary.com (please answer with a number)? ● 5.Fill in the blank: in my introduction I said “That extra, special little something that the dictionary just can’t _______” 6.In my introduction I mentioned which pop star (please put first and last name)? 7.True or false: connotation deals with the basic, dictionary definition of a word? 8.Fill in the blank: in my introduction I said “when we use words we want them to strike a _____ with the audience” 9 BONUS. What is one word that has a positive connotation for you?
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