150 High School Debate Topics To Build Critical Thinking Skills

• Debate Extension Exercise
• Faculty and Schooling Debate Subjects
• Authorities and Civics Debate Subjects
• Science and Know-how Debate Subjects
• Well being and Way of life Debate Subjects
• Social Justice and Moral Debate Subjects
• Leisure and Know-how Debate Subjects
• Enjoyable and Straightforward Debate Subjects

The power to debate and defend varied factors of view is a key life ability, one which’s extra necessary than ever. One method to train college students this worthwhile ability is thru debates. Highschool debate matters can fluctuate from lighthearted enjoyable (is a sizzling canine a sandwich?) to downright controversial, however all of them give college students an opportunity to construct real-world expertise in disagreeing constructively.

Why is debate necessary within the classroom?

Some lecturers draw back from debate within the classroom, afraid it should develop into too adversarial. However that’s the entire level! Folks have to study to disagree with each other with out devolving into yelling matches. Constructive debate helps us alternate concepts and factors of view rationally, shifting discussions ahead into progress.

Debates train college students to analysis their subject, make knowledgeable decisions, and argue successfully utilizing information as a substitute of emotion. These expertise assist college students in educational settings, however additionally they put together them for real-world communication and collaboration.

The truth is, collaborating in formal debate actions like teams or golf equipment has been proven to have actual educational advantages. Students who join debate teams are 12% more likely to graduate high school. One examine additionally confirmed that debate improved language arts achievement nearly three times more effectively than conventional studying interventions.

At what age ought to children study debate expertise?

It’s by no means too early to start instructing children to suppose critically and talk about their viewpoint with others. Simply select matters which are age-appropriate (see our selection of easy and fun debate topics).

“Even in a preschool classroom, debate is sweet,” says educator Mark Graham. “Debate is a means of studying extra.” He suggests utilizing a easy subject like whether or not it’s necessary to not litter, and asking follow-up questions like “Who does it harm if you litter? The place are you imagined to throw trash? How will you cease folks from littering?”

Urge college students to make use of information to again up their statements (“Throwing a plastic bag within the ocean can harm a sea turtle”) as a substitute of simply saying “it’s unhealthy to litter.” As college students become old, they’ll learn to analysis correctly and discover dependable sources to again up their aspect of the controversy.

How can lecturers assist put together college students to debate efficiently?

Profitable debaters rely closely on essential considering expertise. Start by teaching students to think critically, learning to sort fact from opinion. Assist them perceive dependable main sources, and methods to acknowledge bias and misinformation.

Then, assign or let college students select a subject that pursuits them. If it’s a problem that they’ve sturdy private opinions about, it may be actually useful to ask them to defend the alternative viewpoint. Positive, it’s arduous, however debate is all about acknowledging the legitimate opinions of others, even should you don’t agree. Our enormous record of highschool debate matters presents one thing for each sort of pupil and classroom.

Free Printable Debate Graphic Organizers

Every subject on the record under features a hyperlink to an article from a dependable supply that gives professionals and/or cons to provide college students a head begin on analysis. Use these hyperlinks along side our free printable debate graphic organizer instruments. They’ll assist college students put together their debates with information and dependable sources as a substitute of counting on emotion to influence the listener. The graphic organizers additionally embrace some useful guidelines to maintain debaters on-topic and centered.

Soar to:

Debate Extension Exercise

Debating is an effective way for college students to hone essential considering and communication expertise, but it surely doesn’t have to cease on the podium. Encourage your college students to show their debates into motion with The Edit, a digital storytelling problem from NBCU Academy and Adobe. This real-world utility encourages college students to plan, script, and produce their very own 90-second video information studies on necessary wellness matters. Plus, profitable school rooms can rating prizes like GoPros and Fandango reward playing cards!

Faculty and Schooling Debate Subjects

1. It’s better to be good at academics than to be good at sports.
2. Final exams should be abolished.
3. Students should be required to wear school uniforms.
4. Private schools are better than public schools.
5. Year-round school is better for students.
6. Standardized tests are effective.
7. Every student should have to participate in athletics.
8. Single-gender schools are better for students.
9. Schools should be allowed to teach critical race theory.
10. Math is the most important school subject.
11. Schools should teach sex ed instead of abstinence only.
12. Letter grades should be abolished.
13. Teachers should be replaced by computers.
14. People who get better grades in school will be more successful in life.
15. Sometimes it’s OK to cheat on homework or a test.
16. Students who fail a test should be given the chance to take it again.
17. Outdoor recess is important at every grade level.
18. Students should be allowed to grade teachers.
19. Everyone should be able to bring their pets to school.
20. Shorter school days are better for students.
21. Schools should eliminate dress codes.
22. Everyone should be required to go to college.
23. College should be free for everyone who wants to attend.
24. Schools should install safe rooms in case of mass shootings or natural disasters.
25. Schools should be allowed to ban some books from their libraries.
26. Book smarts are better than street smarts.
27. Schools should teach life skills like cooking and personal finance.
28. School vouchers benefit students and schools.
29. Religion has no place in schools.
30. In-person school is better than online school.
31. Traditional school is better than homeschooling.
32. Charter schools should receive public school funds.

33. The voting age should be lowered to 16.
34. Democracy is the best form of government.
35. All Americans should be required to vote.
36. The driving age should be raised to 18.
37. The drinking age should be lowered to 18.
38. Supreme Court judges should be appointed for fixed terms.
39. Parents should be punished for their children’s crimes.
40. A progressive income tax is better than a flat tax.
41. All students should be required to volunteer in their community.
42. The U.S. isn’t ready to accept a woman president yet.
43. Police funding should be redirected to social services.
44. The United States should implement a universal basic income.
45. We should require people of all genders to register for the draft.
46. Gun safety laws infringe on the Second Amendment.
47. Anyone over 12 should be tried as an adult in court.
48. We should require people to take drug tests before receiving government aid like welfare.
49. The government should provide funding for public art programs.
50. There are reasonable limits to freedom of speech.

Science and Know-how Debate Subjects

51. Plastic bottles should be banned.
52. It’s important to spend money exploring space.
53. Developing countries have to meet the same environmental standards as more developed nations.
54. GMOs are more helpful than harmful.
55. Human cloning should be legal.
56. We should ban fossil fuels.
57. Nuclear weapons should be banned worldwide.
58. Testing on animals should be illegal.
59. Macs are better than PCs.
60. Androids are better than iPhones.
61. We should replace all paper documents with electronic versions.
62. Parents should use their kids’ cell phones to track them.
63. There is intelligent life on other planets.
64. We should use stem cells from human embryos for scientific research.
65. People rely too much on technology.
66. Net neutrality should be mandatory for internet service providers.
67. Expanded use of artificial intelligence will be good for humanity.
68. Technology is creating more jobs than it eliminates.
69. Schools should have surveillance cameras in classrooms and hallways.
70. The United States should provide free internet access for everyone.
71. Cryptocurrencies should replace cash.
72. Scientists should try to develop a way for everyone to live forever.
73. Pluto should still be considered a planet.
74. Governments should subsidize technologies like electric cars and solar panels for houses.

Well being and Way of life Debate Subjects

75. Humans should not eat animals.
76. Cigarette smoking and vaping should be banned entirely.
77. Drug addicts should receive help instead of punishment.
78. Euthanasia should be legal.
79. Vaccines should be mandatory.
80. White-collar jobs are better than blue-collar jobs.
81. Abortion rights and other reproductive rights should be protected under the law.
82. Marijuana should be legal everywhere.
83. Junk food should be banned in school cafeterias.
84. Schools should provide free mental health services to students and teachers.
85. All drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed, like alcohol.
86. Healthcare should be universal.
87. Beauty pageants are sexist.
88. People should have to take a parenting class before having a child.
89. Doctors should not be allowed to prescribe psychiatric drugs like Ritalin or SSRIs to children.
90. Organ donation should be mandatory after death.

Social Justice and Moral Debate Subjects

91. Girls face more peer pressure than boys.
92. Giving is better than receiving.
93. Animals should not be kept in zoos.
94. Happiness is more important than success.
95. If you find money on the ground, it’s automatically yours to keep.
96. It is better to be kind than to be truthful.
97. We should do away with gender-specific public bathrooms.
98. Learning about history can stop us from repeating past mistakes.
99. Ethical hunting and fishing is possible.
100. Men should not be allowed to make laws that affect women’s bodies.
101. The death penalty should be abolished.
102. Security is more important than freedom.
103. The government should pay reparations to descendants of enslaved people.
104. Religion does more harm than good.
105. We will never achieve world peace.
106. We should make the path to American citizenship easier.
107. A strong middle class is vital to the economy.
108. Transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in sports according to their gender identity.
109. Criminal profiling is inherently racist.
110. We should return control of ancestral lands to Indigenous communities.
111. The American justice system is inherently racist.
112. Ageism is a major problem in our society.
113. Felons should be allowed to vote after serving their time in prison.
114. The UN should require all member countries to accept a minimum number of refugees each year.

Leisure and Know-how Debate Subjects

115. Reality television depicts real life.
116. Schools should allow students to use phones in class.
117. Social media is making us less social.
118. Social media does more harm than good.
119. Video games are better than board games.
120. Video gaming is a sport.
121. Reading books is better than watching TV.
122. The book is always better than the movie.
123. Playing video games makes you smarter.
124. Paper books are better than e-books.
125. All museums and zoos should be free to everyone.
126. Everyone should play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender.

Enjoyable and Straightforward Debate Subjects

127. Dogs are better pets than cats.
128. A taco is a sandwich.
129. Summer is better than winter.
130. Coke is better than Pepsi.
131. Pepperoni is the best pizza topping.
132. Fruit counts as dessert.
133. The number 13 is not unlucky.
134. People should eat to live, not live to eat.
135. Monday is the worst day of the week.
136. Clowns are more scary than funny.
137. Modern music is better than classical music.
138. Aliens live among us here on Earth.
139. It’s OK to put ketchup on a hot dog.
140. Was Robin Hood a thief or a rebel hero?
141. It would be better to be able to fly than to be able to turn invisible.
142. It’s better to be too hot than too cold.
143. We should allow people to go barefoot anywhere if they want to.
144. Fiction is better than non-fiction.
145. Using profanity is good for your mental health.
146. Leftover pizza is better cold than reheated.
147. It’s OK to wear socks with sandals.
148. Being famous is actually not all that great.
149. GIF should be pronounced “JIFF,” not “GIFF.”
150. People shouldn’t have to go to school or work on their birthdays.

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Don’t overlook to seize your free Debate Graphic Organizer printables

Simply fill click on the button under to fill out the shape on this web page to seize our free debate graphic organizers, and use them with the highschool debate matters above.