Bull Durham Speech and Debate League Teacher Workshop

1. Bull Durham Speech and Debate League Teacher Workshop Presented by: Dania Toth – Founder and Executive Director Todd Cobb – Logistics and Finance Director

2. Why we are here today Familiarize you with debate culture to cultivate interest at the middle level and generate enthusiasm for high school competition Illustrate the tremendous potential it has to be a positive influence for Durham area students Elaborate on the Bull Durham Debate Speech and Debate League’s partnership with the Durham Public School District (DPS) to found, strengthen and fund competitive clubs at local schools Our goals are yours, to promote a community of scholarship, integrity, and professionalism.

3. Who are we looking for? • Students who are • Intellectually curious • Creative • Strong analytical skills • Expressive • Student leaders • Teachers who are • Wanting to add depth to their curriculum • Excited about adding academic competition to their school • (add picture)

4. Presentation Overview Who we’re looking for What is debate? Debate as a national network Debate and University Admissions Debate as a skill Set The Bull Durham Speech and Debate League program Bringing Debate to middle schoolsWebsite: http://bulldurhamdebate.org

5. What is Debate? (Forensics) Speech and Debate Team Debate Interpretation Speech • Extemporaneous • Original Oratory • Oral Interpretation • Impromptu • Declamation • Poetry • Storytelling • Radio Speaking • etc • Public Forum • Lincoln-Douglas • Congressional • Policy • Humorous Interpretation • Dramatic Interpretation • Duo Interpretation

6. How does a forensics program work? • You have team of students competing in different events • Students learn in practices and compete at tournaments (similar to athletics) • Students do research and work at home to improve

7. Types of debate • Public Forum Debate • Students compete on teams of two people (2vs2) • Topics centered on current events and policy • Lincoln Douglas Debate • Students compete one on one • Students debate the value of broader philosophical topics • Congressional Debate • Students compete in a “chamber” of 30 members • Students debate over legislation in a manner that mirrors actual US congressional debate

8. Types of Speech • Extemporaneous Speaking • Students give a 5-7 minute speech on a domestic or international current event • Students receive their speech topic 30 minutes in advance and use pre-prepared files to develop their arguments (limited notes) • Original Oratory • Students develop an 8-10 minute speech on a topic of their choice and deliver to a judge (no notes) • Poetry Speaking • Storytelling • Additional events: (declamation, oral interpretation, impromptu speaking, etc)

9. Interpretation Events (Competitive Acting) • Humorous Interpretation • Students perform a humorous 8-10 minute scene derived from a published work • Students adhere to unique acting guidelines • Dramatic Interpretation • Students perform a dramatic 8-10 minute scene derived from a published work • Students adhere to unique acting guidelines • Duo Interpretation • Students perform an 8-10 minute scene derived from a published work • Students adhere to unique acting guidelines

10. Example of an Interp Speech VIDEO of Harry Potter Humorous interpretation: Pt 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKlMll9Rdw&feature=related Pt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ercgP8XOi4U&feature=related

11. Debate as a National Network • National Forensics League: upwards of 112,000 students at more than 2,800 schools nationwide. Tournament Locations: • Boston • Chicago • New Orleans • UC-Berkeley • Las Vegas • Philadelphia • South Florida • Harvard • Texas • Alabama • Duke

12. Debate as a Regional Framework • Tarheel Forensics League: A group of between 20 to 25 schools with several hundred student members • Regional league provides a framework of support for member programs • Schools host their own tournaments to raise funds and provide opportunities to compete • Member Schools: • Cary Academy* • Jack Britt High School* • NCSSM • Durham Academy • Asheville High School* • East Chapel Hill High* • Myers Par* • Cape Fear* • and others! (* schools that also host tournaments)

13. Awards • NFL Points • Scholarships! • Tournament trophies

14. Debate and University Admissions • 90% of NFL participants matriculate in a college or university. • Debate students are 30% more likely to get into their preferred college than their non-forensic colleagues. - Wall Street Journal

15. Debate as a Skill Set • Research • Critical thinking • Public speaking • Professional behavior

16. Debate as a Skill Set A study in Chicago schools1, published in October 2009, suggests that participation in competitive debate significantly improves educational outcomes for underperforming students in urban schools. Specifically, students who participated in at least 25 rounds of debate during their high school careers showed the following improvements: • Average graduation rate 40% higher than non-debating peers (77% compared to 55%); • African-American males had an average graduation rate 70% higher than non-debating peers (73% compared to 45%); • Average GPA of .20 points, or 20% of a letter grade, higher than non-debating peers; • African-American males had a GPA of .50, or 50% of a letter grade, higher than non-debating peers; • 50% more likely to reach the ACT’s college-ready benchmark on the English portion of the exam; • African-American males were 70% more likely than non-debating peers to score at or above the college-ready benchmarks on both the ACT English and Reading exams. -NFL

17. Bull Durham Speech and Debate League • We hire teams of qualified university students (debate alumni) to start competitive programs in Durham public high schools. • We link the schools together by hosting our own League tournaments and sharing financial resources. • We travel together to state and national tournaments.

18. Bull Durham Speech and Debate League: Pilot Project • Durham School of the Arts Speech and Debate Team first opened in fall, 2008. • The league was officially inaugurated with the opening of the Hillside New Tech Speech and Debate Team in fall, 2010.

19. Bull Durham Speech and Debate League: Today • Tournaments are free of charge to all students. Tournament Schedule: Feb. 12th-13th: Duke University Feb. 24th: Bull Durham Invitational II Mar. 5th: Southview High School (Hope Mills) Mar. 17th: Bull Durham Districts Qualifier Mar. 25th-26th: TFL East Districts Qualifier Apr 8th-9th: State Championships May 20th: League Tournament IV

20. Bull Durham Speech and Debate League: Future • We hope to triple in size by this time next year. • We are looking to host the TFL district or state championships in Durham. • We are looking to create a strong middle school division. • We are planning a college preparation program during our “down time” in May. • We are looking to bring in guest lecturers from local universities to further educate students on their topics: economics, history, law, political science, and more.

21. Bringing Debate to Middle Schools Curriculum Ideas: • Classroom mock debates • Current events discussions • Defending a paper or thesis in front of peers

22. Bringing Debate to Middle Schools • How to start your own program: • Develop a basic lesson plan to teach your event • Set a date for a tournament or competitive scrimmage • Generate enthusiasm and recruit students • Practice! (1~2 times a week) • Compete • Reach out to parents and other debate programs • Contact us

23. Q & A