A selection of English ESL debate printables

A worksheet to hold a debate class on the topic, Religion in Schools. In The United States there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. There are Americans who do not agree with this.

Religion in Schools Debate Worksheet

This contains a video lesson with vocab exercises, debate phrases, and comprehension and discussion questions. Students are asked to grapple with a difficult issue and to give their own opinion.

Heated Debate: Tyre Nichols Killing

Divide the class into groups of 3-4 (pairs will do as well). Give each group a pile of cards. Their task is to choose one of the alternatives given on the card and explain their choice, if possible to reassure  their opponents.

Hope you will enjoy it!

Crime and Punishment (debatable topics)

A 21 page action adventure role play set in a zombie apocalypse.

Students will need to use debate and conversation skills to navigate a town and hunt for supplies.  They will talk to random survivors and need to press them for information.  They will need to make informed decisions on tactics and above all STAY ALIVE!

Full solution with game rules, conversation cards, game tokens included.

Map for the game needs to be downloaded here:http://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables_page?id=55614

Zombie Apocalypse debate/conversation role play

An article adapted from the Guardian with a standard word transformation practice exercise included. This is followed by a controlled debate with personality cards. An answer key is included. It may even be OK to use for CAE preparation.

Recycling Article FCE Exercise and Debate

A amusing little story about the consequences of throwing a surprise party. Not really for children. You can use the agreement and disagreement cards that I have also posted along with this when you start the debate.

Worst Party Ever: Reading and Debate

Some (made-up) quotes about the pros and cons of school uniform lead to some questions.  There is space to make notes too.

Helps students begin to learn debate / group discussion tactics.

Beginners Debating and Discussion - School Uniform

A fun conversation-based lesson to get your students talking about which they like best: coffee or tea. 



This is just a teaser lesson with a few activities. For full access to this lesson and 500 more, sign up as a TeacherPro or for FREE access to more than 100 lessons sign up for our Freemium account: www.pocketpassport.com



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You can watch the video and see what the lesson is about here: https://youtu.be/RBJNzjYVWuQ



The Great Debate: Coffee vs. Tea

The story of Spring Heeled Jack penned by myself as there was just too much written about him. It´s done in the style of the Reading and Use of English part 2 section of the FCE exam. This is then followed by a fun role-play/debate where the students assume the roles of a board of directors for a highbrow Victorian newspaper. They need to make the decision as to whether to publish a story about Spring Heeled Jack or not. There are personality cards to help them make their decisions. Obviously, one of them has to be Spring Heeled Jack.



Spring Heeled Jack: Story and Debate

I´ve been using this debate for years and have been meaning to update it. Well, now there is a clearer context for it and also a mix-and-match exercise for phrasal verbs with after and by. Answer key provided. One of the character cards is a drug dealer, so caution if using with people below 16 or in a country where there is a harder attitude to narcotics.

Urban Regeneration Debate with Phrasal Verbs

This activity is geared towards C1 and C2 level students. Divide the class into two teams. Briefly go over all of the debate scenarios with them and tell them to consider both sides of the argument. Then decide on a scenario and choose which team is for and which is against by a coin toss. Give them time to prepare their arguments and then have at it! A more detailed description of a recommended debate format is on the second page. Enjoy!

Debate Scenarios Activity: Ethics and Technology

This is a lesson plan I prepared for our American Language Assistant to introduce the topic of sports as a means to foster diversity and tolerance. This is composed of a series of speaking activities to prepare a quick debate about the topic "Can sport bring people together?"

Debate Can sport bring people together

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

665 Debate English ESL worksheets pdf & doc