Today's class

Goals for Today's Class:

1. Each group identifies who is taking what role/order of debate (need to update the shared document)
2. Openers/Closers -- need to draft out opening/closing statement
3. Each member must build out their argument, making sure you are identifying specific evidence (statistics, facts, quotes) for both your position and to counter (oppose) what you know the other side is going to bring up.

Period 5 Day 1 Debate Research

Core question: Should the Electoral College be abolished?

Jessica, Sam, Jordan, Max, Erik, Benny

Core background reading. These 3sites give both sides of the argument, and provide statistics, quotes, and other very valuable resources.

You must focus on these three websites exclusively on Day 1 of research:

it’s not flashy, but a pretty basic and clear explanation of both sides of the issue.
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/electoralcoll.htm

This is a website that shows a debate that unfolded about this very issue. It has a solid collection of points for both sides AND importantly, can point to specific evidence/proof of their position.
http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/politics/house-would-abolish-us-electoral-college

Core question: Should the death penalty be allowed?

Grace, Shahen, Jeffrey, Kaylie, Tommy, Kyle

Core background reading. These 2 sites give both sides of the argument, and provide statistics, quotes, and other very valuable resources.

You must focus on these two website exclusively on Day 1 of research:
ProCon.org. This website is intended to give both sides of the issue, provide facts and lots of evidence for why some people support and others oppose this issue.
http://deathpenalty.procon.org/  

Pew Forum. This website does a nice job of showing both sides of the issue, with an emphasis on some of the recent Supreme Court cases that have involved the death penalty.
http://www.pewforum.org/topics/issues/Death-Penalty/

Core question: Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?

Catherine, Toby, Jamie, Clay, Sabrina, Blake

Core background reading. This sites gives a voice to both sides of the argument, and provides statistics, quotes, and other very valuable resources.
You must focus on these two website exclusively on Day 1 of research:
ProCon.org. This website is intended to give both sides of the issue, provide facts and lots of evidence for why some people support and others oppose this issue.
http://concealedguns.procon.org/

Period 2: Debate Research!

Core question: Should the death penalty be allowed?

Core background reading. These 2 sites give both sides of the argument, and provide statistics, quotes, and other very valuable resources.

You must focus on these two website exclusively on Day 1 of research:
ProCon.org. This website is intended to give both sides of the issue, provide facts and lots of evidence for why some people support and others oppose this issue.
http://deathpenalty.procon.org/  

Pew Forum. This website does a nice job of showing both sides of the issue, with an emphasis on some of the recent Supreme Court cases that have involved the death penalty.
http://www.pewforum.org/topics/issues/Death-Penalty/


Additional websites that you might look at later on in the research process:

Supports the death penalty:
This is a website that is organized by the lead prosecutor for Clark County, Indiana. This site is very well known and respected for containing a large amount of verifiable data related to the arguments in support of the death penalty.  (there is also a link off of his site that has a list of many additional pro-death penalty sites)
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/death.htm

Opposes to the death penalty:
American Civil Liberties Union: Clealy opposes the death penalty and has a lot of information to support their point of view.
http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment

Very cool website for both sides of the argument. This is how others have debated this topic, included the major reasons pro/con and the sources used to support their point of view:
http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/law-crime/house-supports-death-penalty