1. The Breakdown of “Civil Disobedience”
Definition
Civil Disobedience-
Refusal to obey laws, or commands of the government
**Usually a peaceful protest
Think About It:
Is civil disobedience good for our society? Why or why not?
3 ways to protest
Legal process- court system/chain of command
Civil disobedience- peacefully protesting
Civil disobedience accompanied with violence
Let it sink in:
*Think about which type of protest would be more effective.

2. TIPS TO HELP YOU RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY
SHARE THE RESEARCH WITH YOUR TEAM
Tips to follow:
List the areas that you have good background knowledge on
List the areas that you do not know to well
Get a better understanding on information you do not know by researching the particular topic
Focus on areas of that you are already passionate about that pertains to the debate
Try to become subject matter experts: For instance, in a debate team or a debate club, each member could be instructed to be subject matter experts on a different country, a different international organization, a different technology, etc.
Focus on areas that help your speaking style: Look up funny jokes, memorable quotations, and interesting anecdotes (stories).
Why do you share research?
Debaters should always share information with their teammates. Research gathered is utilized in debates as much as possible. Sharing information between teammates helps generate new ideas and can help solve issues that may occur.
Things to remember:
Debaters should keep in mind- others may not be experts on the topic and the proper explanation of information is needed.
Great debaters keep a reference sheet of where they get their information from (Proof of evidence).

3. CREATING STRONG ARGUMENTS AVOID LOGICAL FALLACIES (ERRORS)
*argument-a reason or reasons given to persuade others that an idea is right or wrong.
Keep this in mind:
Know the facts about the topic. For example, “Elementary schools are eliminating gym from their curriculum”.
Conduct research using a variety of sources:
Newspaper articles, magazines, books, the Internet
After thoroughly researching:
How does the info make you think?
What do you want the audience to know about the topic based on the facts?
Example: Physical activity promotes physiological well-being, reduces stress and increases overall attention span in class.
Circular reasoning- reiterating a point that’s been made.
Example: Sarah lies because she’s a liar
Ad Hominem- refers to arguing against the opponent instead of against the issue.
Example: He can’t be elected to become the school superintendent. He wants all children to be fat.
Red Herring- uses irrelevant issues to distract the reader or audience.
Example: Why worry about physical education when we need to ban all fast food restaurants.
Hasty generalization- use of little to no evidence or biased evidence to prove a point.
Example: Only fat children need physical education.

4. How To Keep A Reference Sheet
Keep a log of where you get your information from- it’s vital. Your arguments are invalid without a reference sheet! ! Reference sheet is MANDATORY & will be apart of your grade. **3 references per team mate!!!
Follow each step:
Open Microsoft Word
Save the document as “REFERENCE SHEET”
File should be on your team captain’s account # and in the “My Documents” folder
Copy & paste links used off the internet into your word document
For articles, newspapers, or magazines (non-internet resources)
You need to type:
Name of the magazine or newspaper
Date the article was published
Article title & author
***References should be combined into 1 word document. It’s MANDATORY***