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When I was a kid, my favorite units in school were about mythological creatures. Even today, I love a good fantasy book or a movie (or a TV show) about dragons. Tapping into that sense of wonder and adventure, debate activities like “Basilisk vs. Chimera” or “Zombies vs. Werewolves,” offers students an exciting and imaginative way to develop critical thinking and public speaking skills. In these creative debates, students are divided into teams, each representing one side of a mythical conflict. Whether defending Basilisks or Chimera, Dragons or Wizards, or even Werewolves or Zombies, students all have the same quest: to collaborate, analyze evidence, and formulate persuasive arguments.
Before each debate, the class is divided into teams—ideally with four students per team, though adjustments can be made for smaller groups. Each team is assigned a stance on the debate topic and given ten minutes to prepare using provided templates and fact sheets. An entire class can do one debate topic, or with this bundle, different groups of students can debate different topics.
During the debate, each student speaks twice: once to present a prepared argument and once to deliver a rebuttal. The structured format, where each speech lasts one minute, promotes clear, concise communication and allows every student to participate actively. Students have rebuttal and argument templates to guide them along the way. The debate is scored based on the quality of arguments, with no declared winners or losers, creating a low-pressure environment focused on learning and improvement.
These debate activities enhance students’ speaking and reasoning abilities and infuse the classroom with magical creativity and fun. Embark on a mythical debate adventure today!
