Lesson Eight Arguing to Learn

Teaching Point Today I want to teach you that it is important not just to learn to argue, but also to argue to learn.

Mock debate Chocolate milk should not be served in schools, because the students are all drinking flavored milk without their parents knowing, and their parent wouldn’t know if they came home and had a lot of sugar. This is too long! Parents won’t know how much sugar their children are consuming in school.

Reasons why chocolate milk shouldn’t be served in schools Parents won’t know how much sugar their children are consuming in school. Schools should be places where students can learn about healthy eating. Flavored milk is unhealthy for children.

Parents won’t know how much sugar their children are consuming in school Likely counterargument one The cafeteria serves dessert, too, like cookies. Parents won’t know how much sugar their children are eating with those things, either. How could we respond? Well, the school lunch menu online doesn’t show really sugary desserts. It shows strawberry fruit cup and animal crackers. But even if there were cookies, parents might expect the dessert to be sugary, but they probably do not expect the milk students drink at lunch to be unhealthy.

Your job today Get with the members of your group who are arguing the same position as you. Come up with arguments and counterarguments. Be prepared to respond to the counterarguments.