Arabic١٢٣
Year 11Autumn TermAges 15-16

Lesson Plans

Debate and Discussion Skills

1

Building a Debate Vocabulary

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Use advanced debating vocabulary and phrases
  • Present a structured argument in a debate setting

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Rapid-fire opinions: teacher reads a statement — learners have 10 seconds to respond with agree or disagree and one reason in Arabic.

Main Activities

  1. 1Introduce debate vocabulary: أؤيد (I support), أعارض (I oppose), من وجهة نظري (from my point of view), دعني أوضح (let me clarify)
  2. 2Argument structure: claim (ادعاء), reason (سبب), evidence (دليل), conclusion (استنتاج)
  3. 3Practice: construct 4 structured arguments on given topics using the claim-reason-evidence model
  4. 4Mini-debate: 2-minute debates in pairs on simple topics using new vocabulary

Resources Needed

Debate vocabulary posterArgument structure templateWriting Practice Worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Prepare a 3-minute opening statement for a debate on "Technology is essential for education."

2

Counter-Arguments and Rebuttals

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Respond to counter-arguments with evidence and reasoning
  • Use concession and rebuttal phrases

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Counter-argument tennis: teacher makes a claim, learner counters, teacher counters back — see how long the rally lasts.

Main Activities

  1. 1Counter-argument phrases: على الرغم من ذلك (despite that), لكن يجب أن نأخذ بعين الاعتبار (but we must consider)
  2. 2Concession and rebuttal: صحيح أن... ولكن (it is true that... but), أفهم هذا الموقف ولكن (I understand this position but)
  3. 3Reading: analyse a debate transcript — identify arguments, counter-arguments, and rebuttals
  4. 4Create vocab cards for 12 debate and discussion phrases

Resources Needed

Debate transcriptCounter-argument phrases bankVocab cards worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Write a full debate script between two speakers with arguments, counter-arguments, and rebuttals.

3

Group Discussion Skills

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Moderate and participate in a group discussion in Arabic
  • Use turn-taking and facilitation language

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Discussion roles: assign roles (moderator, speaker, questioner) — practise opening phrases for each role.

Main Activities

  1. 1Discussion facilitation language: ما رأيك في (what do you think about), هل تتفق مع (do you agree with), أضيف إلى ذلك (I would add to that)
  2. 2Turn-taking phrases: إذا سمحت (if you allow me), أود أن أعلق على (I would like to comment on)
  3. 3Structured group discussion (groups of 4): debate a current topic with assigned roles
  4. 4Observation and feedback: groups watch each other and note effective use of discussion phrases

Resources Needed

Role cardsDiscussion phrases referenceObservation feedback sheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Record a 5-minute group discussion in Arabic and transcribe the key arguments.

4

Summarising a Debate in Writing

⏱ 65–70 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Summarise the key points of a debate in writing
  • Demonstrate debate vocabulary in written form

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Summary challenge: listen to a 2-minute debate — write a 3-sentence summary of the main arguments.

Main Activities

  1. 1Model text: read a written summary of a debate — identify structure and language features
  2. 2Extended writing: 200+ word summary of a class debate including both sides and a personal conclusion
  3. 3Tracing practice for debate and discussion vocabulary from this unit
  4. 4Peer assessment: evaluate summaries for balanced representation of both sides

Resources Needed

Model debate summaryTracing WorksheetPeer assessment checklist

⭐ Extension Challenge

Watch an Arabic debate clip online and write a 250-word summary and analysis.

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