top of page

Class Structure

Three Part Structure ~

​​​

  • Regardless of what course the students may choose, however, we believe three skills are needed to master to acquire a knack for the subject. Thus we have divided the course into the following 3 (5-class) segments.

    1. Basic knowledge of the subject (how the events work) 

    2. Learn by doing (practice during intra-camp tournaments!)

    3. Microscopic Critique (work on the little details for a competitive edge) 

  • Students may (according to their level)  be given worksheets to complete both in and out of class and external assignments that may take up to 1-2 hours per week outside class. 

  • We expect students to be responsible and complete their work before coming to class in order to keep up with discussions and activities. 

In order to cater our courses to our students, we have split our classes into advanced and introductory courses which the students can choose between depending on their age group and experience level. We recommend the following: 

 

4th graders - 6th graders (with no prior experience) ........................Introductory Courses
6th graders (with prior experience) - 8th graders ...............................Advanced Courses 

 

The schedule is as follows: 

 

Saturdays 10:15 am - 11:45pm | Advanced Debate  

Saturdays 10:15 am - 11:45pm | Introductory Speech & Argumentation

Saturdays 12:15pm - 1:45pm | Introductory Debate

Saturdays 12:15pm - 1:45pm | Advanced Speech & Beginning Debate

Debate Curriculum

​

No matter how much time you have, there will always be something to learn when it comes to debate. Here at Illuminate SD we have tried to isolate the key strategies that make debaters successful.

 

 

We will primarily be looking to the style of Public Forum Debate. PF debate is a partner debate focusing on using logical and research-based appeals to prove one's side. Here is just some of what we will be covering: 

​​

  • Effective public speaking (word economy) 

  • Spontaneous speaking

  • Research

    • Recognizing important details

    • Research to prove one's thesis

  • Current events

  • Art of persuasion 

    • Appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) 

    • Logical fallacies

  • Managing prep time effectively 

  • Collaboration

  • Crossfire questioning

  • Developing rebuttals

  • Tournament Strategies

Speech Curriculum

The Speech curriculum will not only cover specific events but collective, essential skills necessary for becoming an expressive, confident speaker in the classroom, on stage, in interviews, and in daily interactions.

 

Events Taught:

​

Impromptu:

2-minute prep. 5-minute speeches. Topics ranging from hummus to Brexit to Maya Angelou quotes. Learn the magic of being a spontaneous speaker and being able to contextualize any topic to create a meaningful speech.

​

Original Oratory

10 minutes speeches on any problem in society written and performed by you! Speeches have been based on subjects such as Overthinking, Cultural Appropriation, Love versus Infatuation, and more! Fun Fact: Josh Gad, the famous actor who voiced Olaf from Frozen, was national champion of this event back in the 90s!

 

Interpretation:

We teach humorous, oratorical, and dramatic interpretation- three very different events that can either make the audience laugh, cry, or feel enlightened. Interpretation uses existing pieces for reenactment and imagination! This event focuses on theater skills, presentation, character development, and more!

bottom of page