Let your class voice their opinions with a group debate activity. Before reading John Milton's Paradise Lost, they work in small groups in assigned roles to form a position about authority and rebellion, comparing a teenager's punishment to Satan's banishment from heaven.

Concepts

debate, public speaking, oral presentations, john milton, paradise lost

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Introduce the way a debate goes with video of a political debate or speech
• Have kids choose a topic in the news that they are interested for a longer term debate project

Pros

• Debate format and group assignments would be helpful in any debate lesson, regardless of subject
• Provides a real-world example for kids to relate to
• Good introduction to Paradise Lost, or to any other debate topic
• Includes a graphic organizer to help kids keep track of others' positions

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.1.a SL.9-10.1.b SL.9-10.1.c SL.9-10.1.d SL.11-12.1.a SL.11-12.1.b SL.11-12.1.c SL.11-12.1.d