Should Schools Start Earlier in the Morning? | Debate class lesson

Intro
This debate lesson asks whether the school day should begin an hour later, and turns the answer into a lesson in careful language. Students read two opposing accounts, one from a head teacher who trialed a nine o’clock start and saw attendance rise, and one from a governor for three rural villages with buses, jobs and childcare to think about. Then they learn the skill that separates confident speakers from convincing ones: hedging. Inexperienced speakers say always, never and everyone, and a single exception is enough to destroy them. This is Lesson 13 in the Debate Class course.

Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, students can:

• Explain why an absolute claim is easy to defeat and a hedged one is taken more seriously
• Hedge a claim using modal verbs, softening openers and expressions that admit exceptions
• Spot hedged claims in a text and say what the writer is avoiding committing to
• Rewrite a hedged claim as an absolute one and judge which version is easier to attack
• Deliver a hedge quickly and lightly, so it sounds careful rather than uncertain
• Rebuild a weak argument so it survives challenge
• Answer a challenge in fifteen seconds with no notes
• Open, defend and close a position in a timed three-round debate

Key language
Vocabulary: circadian rhythm, alertness, disrupt, accommodate
Argument phrases: there’s little evidence that, run the risk of, have a significant impact on, in the long run
Hedging: It could be argued that…, This may not always be the case but…, in many cases, tends to, may, might, could

How the lesson runs
Warm-up and vocabulary, two opposing texts with discussion, the hedging technique with pronunciation practice, an argument ranking task, then a full three-round debate with role-played opening statements, challenges and a 30-second close.

FAQ
What level is this lesson? Upper-intermediate to advanced, B2 to C1.
How long does it take? One 50 to 60 minute lesson, online or in class.
Is it suitable for teenagers? Yes. The topic is their own school day, and the roles are a head teacher and a school governor.