Thursday, September 22, 2011
First tournament - bam!
Last night we competed in our first meet of the year, a Discussion Tournament at Harford Tech. Adam, Martha, and Nandin did this last year, and were back again to do battle against every public school in Harford County. Thomas Gardner also jumped in, competing for the first time.
There were two rounds, and five topics per round. Martha and Adam each won their first round, both of them getting perfect scores. Adam actually took home a ribbon for Sixth Place overall, which is awesome considering there were 88 total competitors! Congratulations!
The next meet is on October 12. It is the "normal" kind of tournament, with all the individual events plus the debates. It is the kind of tournament that we were very good at last year. It would be fantastic if we ALL entered this one. We will get together next Wednesday after school in the TV Studio, but if you want to talk to me before then, I'm around.
I'm listing the rules for each event in the sidebar on the right of this screen, so you can get specific info about any event that interests you.
See you next Wednesday (or before) at 3:00!
There were two rounds, and five topics per round. Martha and Adam each won their first round, both of them getting perfect scores. Adam actually took home a ribbon for Sixth Place overall, which is awesome considering there were 88 total competitors! Congratulations!
The next meet is on October 12. It is the "normal" kind of tournament, with all the individual events plus the debates. It is the kind of tournament that we were very good at last year. It would be fantastic if we ALL entered this one. We will get together next Wednesday after school in the TV Studio, but if you want to talk to me before then, I'm around.
I'm listing the rules for each event in the sidebar on the right of this screen, so you can get specific info about any event that interests you.
See you next Wednesday (or before) at 3:00!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wow!
I am amazed and thrilled at the turnout for today's meeting! This should be an absolutely epic year for John Carroll Speech & Debate. We will meet again next Wednesday, but keep in mind that if you have questions, or if you want to discuss a piece you would like to do, or even if you want to sign up for two of the topics at the Discussion tournament on September 21, stop by the Studio or email me at rschick@johncarroll.org . Thanks for all the support!
In the meantime, here are the topics for the next meet. These are also posted on my door.
Harford County Speech and Debate League
Discussion Topics for 9/21
1. Over the past year or so, severe weather events have had significant impact on the students of Harford County Public Schools. We have experienced tropical storms and hurricanes, an earthquake, several episodes of flooding, and numerous tornadoes and tornado warnings. How prepared is the school system to ensure the safety of students and staff in the event of severe weather? How can safety measures be improved?
2. On Friday, September 2, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added no new jobs in August as the unemployment rate stayed steady at 9.1 percent. Meanwhile, corporate profits remain at pre-recession levels of strength. What can stakeholders (lawmakers, corporations, citizens) do to improve the economy?
3. Despite the best efforts of nutrition services personnel, the majority of school-prepared items consumed in school cafeteria are processed foods that include various preservatives, colors, and flavor enhancers. What can students, citizens, and local school systems do to improve the nutritional quality of cafeteria fare?
4. Congress recently approved budget cuts that will decrease federal funding of space exploration programs. What impact might these cuts have on American innovation? What alternative methods might stakeholders use to renew space exploration and research?
5. HOT TOPIC!!
T.H.E. Rules
This post has the rules for each of the events from the Harford County Speech and Debate League.
These are known as the IE events. IE means Individual Events, even though some, like Reader's Theater and Dramatic Interpretation, have two or more students. Click the name of the event to go to its Critique Sheet and ballot.
These are known as the IE events. IE means Individual Events, even though some, like Reader's Theater and Dramatic Interpretation, have two or more students. Click the name of the event to go to its Critique Sheet and ballot.
- Oral Interpretation of Poetry
- Oral Interp of Prose
- Children's Literature
- Original Oratory
- Dramatic Interpretation (monologue or duet)
- Extemporaneous Speaking (entering this event precludes double entering with another event)
- Declamation (5 to 10 minute limit)
- Reader's Theatre (two to ten people)
A word here about the Poetry category from Mrs. Burnett, who runs the Harford County tournaments: "Poetry programs can have as many pieces as the student wishes to meet the time limit. I coach my students by the rule that if you have more than 3, you should offer a "thematic" intro at the beginning of the piece. The intro is the speaker's own explanation of the piece(s) about to be read. Otherwise, have one intro for each piece. If the poem is very long, I have had students choose one cutting, paraphrase a section, and then conclude with another section of the poem. The aim should be for a smooth establishment of mood."
On to debate (discussion).
There are two debate events.
Here is a simplified explanation of Team and Lincoln Douglas (LD) debate. Debate ballots are produced on a national level, so they are not available online.
The biggest difference between Team and LD is the number of debaters. Team Debate has two students from the school debating two other students from another school (although sometimes teams from the same team compete against one another if the tournament is small). One round the team is affirmative, the next round the team is negative. The two students must keep their partners for the tournament. There is no rule about changing partners for each tournament. LD is one debater from each school. Each debater must argue affirmative one round and negative the next. Also, team debaters debate the same topic all year. LD debaters change topics every two months.
The biggest difference between Team and LD is the number of debaters. Team Debate has two students from the school debating two other students from another school (although sometimes teams from the same team compete against one another if the tournament is small). One round the team is affirmative, the next round the team is negative. The two students must keep their partners for the tournament. There is no rule about changing partners for each tournament. LD is one debater from each school. Each debater must argue affirmative one round and negative the next. Also, team debaters debate the same topic all year. LD debaters change topics every two months.
More info about these events can be found on the nfl.org website (National Forensics League).
Finally, a word about the Finals held at the end of the season. A student has to compete in 1 tournament over half, which would be 5 of the total of 9. Students can compete in any event they like for finals; they do not have to go to five tournaments in the same event.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)