How to use Scrible for Debate Prep

Students can use Scrible to collect, organize, and annotate evidence from text that supports their debate stance. 

Objective: Students will use Scrible to gather, organize, and analyze textual evidence to support their stance in a debate, fostering critical thinking and argumentation skills.

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to construct a coherent argument supported by organized evidence, enhancing their persuasive writing and speaking abilities.

Layer 1 - Research

Rationale: Use Scrible to research and annotate evidence supporting their debate stance. This step is crucial for developing strong, evidence-based arguments. Students actively engage with the material by annotating evidence as they research, enhancing their understanding and retention of the information. This process fosters critical thinking and information literacy skills, as students must discern and select the most compelling and reliable evidence to support their stance.

Activity:

• Students will start with a clear understanding of their debate stance or position. They'll then use Scrible to conduct targeted research, finding credible sources that provide evidence supporting their argument.

• While researching, students will use Scrible's annotation tools to highlight key pieces of evidence, make notes using Scrible's comment tool on how this evidence supports their stance, and even tag or color-code these annotations based on the aspect of the argument they support.

• Encourage students to evaluate the credibility of their sources, noting any potential biases or strengths in the evidence they choose to annotate.

Layer 2 - Organization

Rationale: Organizing and categorizing evidence into argument points is critical in preparing for a coherent and persuasive argument. This structured approach helps students see the big picture of their argument, ensuring that each point is well-supported and the evidence flows logically. It also aids in the efficiency and clarity of their argumentation, as well-organized evidence is more accessible to reference and incorporate into the debate.

Activity:

• Once students have a collection of annotated evidence, they'll use Scrible to organize these annotations effectively. This could involve grouping annotations by theme, argument point, or part of the debate (e.g., introduction, rebuttal, conclusion).

• Students can use Scrible's tagging or color-coding features to categorize their evidence, making retrieving and reviewing annotations related to specific argument points easy.

• This organization process should result in a structured outline or map of their argument, with each point supported by readily accessible evidence.

Layer 3 - Preparation

Rationale: Preparing debate arguments using organized, annotated evidence for support is the culmination of their research and organization efforts, allowing students to construct a well-supported and persuasive argument. Students can confidently present their arguments by relying on their organized, annotated evidence, knowing that each point is backed by solid evidence. This enhances their persuasive skills and demonstrates the importance of thorough preparation and the strategic use of evidence in debate.

Activity:

• Using Scrible’s Outline feature to organize their evidence, students will prepare their debate arguments, developing a clear, logical structure for their presentation. This includes crafting an introduction, outlining their main points, supporting each point with annotated evidence, and planning a conclusion.

• Students should consider how they will present their evidence, perhaps rehearsing how they will introduce and explain each piece of annotated evidence to make their argument compelling.

• They can also prepare for potential counterarguments by identifying evidence that can be used for rebuttals, ensuring they are ready to defend their stance effectively.

Standards Alignment:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Students should develop claims and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

*If your school or district references standards other than Common Core for writing, please reach out, and our team can provide the Scrible standard alignment for your set of standards.