Wikibible

Debate 101: Lesson 2 Lesson Plans

Goal: Research

I.                   What to research? ORIGINAL SOURCES

With help, my 7^th Graders read the US Constitution.
My 8^th Graders -Supreme Court cases and judgments.
With just a question or two, my 9^th Graders -Congressional Committees Reports
My 10^th – 12^th graders - United Nations Human Rights reports – which they explain to me 

My 12 – 18 year olds WATCH presidential speeches live and take notes. Believe me; I’ll know if they listened to the “summery” by FOX or CNN the morning after. FOX and CNN might give sound bites of the actual speech, but those bites taste very different. In fact, if you listen to two different news stations, you might think they are speaking about two different speeches. How is a 15 year old to know which report is “the truth” if they didn't listen to the actual speech?

Let’s not forget that debate is a competition. The surest way to get creamed in a round is to bring up Wikipedia or BBC news as a source. The judge can’t believe a student who says he knows the “truth” yet his “truth” come from an unreliable or bias source.

My debate students are smart. My church students are smart, too. The only difference is one is taught to go to the ORIGINAL SOURCE and the other is spoon fed second hand material that may or may not be true.

In 25 years of teaching youth, you can imagine the vast array of lessons I have taught. Because I've served at Biblical Churches under Biblical Pastors, most of the material has been Biblical – but the students may never know that. With the exception of the couple of years I taught Teen Precepts, Biblical youth lessons are broken down and spit out in topical sound bites for the students to chew on – too bad most don’t have much meat.

Students are rarely, if ever, taught how to read and study the Bible as it was written.

Life - PG18

Movies. Video Games. Television.  Music. Why not Life?

Hollywood is forced to admit that bad language, adult content, violence, and drug abuse is not appropriate “mind food” for teens. Music warns parents that lyrics may not be appropriate for growing brains. Parents are strongly cautioned against allowing their minor children to watch TV shows. And Video game designers warn that games are “too mature” for children under 17.

Life – PG18. Daily doses of “bad” language, sexual content, bullying, ungodly and/or unbiblical ideology require parental guidance until at least the age of 18.

Somehow, we have created an American Myth which says that small children need their parents and teens need their peers. I would like to interject a PG13 phrase here. TEENS NEED PARENTS.

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What Youth Ministry Can Learn from Debate (Into)

Yes - I love them!

I love teens. 

Other than being a mom, my passion in life is working with Christian teenagers. I have taught youth at church for 25 years and coached or taught Christian homeschool teens speech and debate for 15 years. 

Some of my greatest blessing in life have come from working with teenagers and being a part of their growing process. As my students move out of my hands and into the world, I see bright young people who love the Lord and are excited to conquer the world. Many ARE conquering the world. 

Three of my greatest blessings!

I tell you with great pride that I have influential students. I have students who are in full time ministry- locally and abroad.  I have many students who are involved in politics at some level. I have students who have written books, students who have produced movies, students who are national conference speakers, students on the radio and on TV, students who are working to end human trafficking, and students who are influencing the next generation by being stay at home moms and teachers like myself. In all these areas of influence these students are standing strong for the Lord and are society’s hope that we will continue to be a Christian nation. 

Some of my greatest disappointments have come from pouring my heart, soul and time into teens and seeing them live a life apart from God. These teens walked out the front door of the church when they were 18 and have not yet returned. Some of them are struggling and sad, but the majority, live what others call the “American Dream.” They may appear successful and happy, but their success will be burnt to ashes because it is not for the glory of God. 

From my 25 years of experience and from my observations, the first group of students who are living to make an impact on society were my debate students, the group which has fallen away is my church students.

From my experience I've found

ONLY

2 out of 10 Church Youth Group Students continue serving God after high school

BUT

9 out of 10 Debate Students continue serving the Lord!

                                   

My experience correlates with recent statistics on teens who drop out of church and walk away from their faith - I don't believe, however, any studies have been done on debate students
                                

This totally and completely breaks my heart.  I have cried out to God so many times, “What am I doing wrong? Why is the church failing to build a lasting faith in it's students?" Then I realized I was asking the wrong questions, "What is home school debate doing right? How are they building students who make a difference for Christ? What can the church learn from debate?"

 What's the difference?

There is not one answer, especially not a simple one. After much prayer and research I'd like to delve into these questions and discuss some of my answers in the next few blog posts.

101 in 101

Inspired by friends and bloggers, Victoria Strader: Happily Ever Strader (http://www.happilyeverstrader.com)  and Chelsea Wester: Going Wester (http://www.goingwester.com), I've written 101 Goals to accomplish in 1001 Days. It was more challenging than I thought. Hope it keeps me focused. (These are really goals for 101 days not 1001 - I think I'll make 3 halloween costumes in 1001 days - hehe)

1.       Daily Time with God (all 1001 days – be consistent)
2.       Finish my study of Hosea (1 week per chapter – read, outline, word studies, commentaries)
3.       Fine tune my 3 lessons for the Book of Hosea (45 min -1 hr lessons)
4.       Read: Redeeming Love: A Novel5.       Talk to Woman’s leadership about speaking for woman’s ministry
6.       Buy Bible for Trenten & Eliana
7.       Buy Bible Highlighters and Pens
8.       Write commentary in Grandkid’s Bibles (1 Child’s Bible per week)
9.       Read Stormie Omarian’s trilogy (The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of Praying Parent, and The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children)

10.   Have date Night every other week

11.   See Movie with Nelson
12.   Go to new place to eat with Nelson
13.   Go to a comedy club with Nelson
14.   Go to a piano bar with Nelson
15.   Go on a picnic with Nelson
16.   Set New Year goals with Nelson
17.   Attend Celebrate Recovery with Nelson
18.   Write encouraging notes and stick in Nelson’s suitcase
19.   Pray for Nelson daily
20.   Double date with Mark and Kim

21. Pray for Andres 

(Old Pic - but good one!)

22.   Host Halloween Party With Andres
23.   Make Creepy Halloween Food
24.   Make cool and creepy dry ice punch
25.   Be in charge of will-call ticket sales for Andres’ play
26.   Do SAT prep with Andres
27.   Send away for Drivers Ed packet for Andres
28.   Get Andres’ learners permit
29.   Practice driving with Andres
30.   Research testing for Andres’ dysgraphia
31.   Take Andres to be tested for dysgraphia
32.   Take Andres to an Art Museum

33.   Pray for Kymee

34.   Make a Halloween Costume for Kymee
35.   Get all paperwork in for Kymee to start testing at NWISD
36.   Speech Testing for Kymee
37.   Reread “Phonics Rhyme Time” – after Kymee is tested for speech therapy, memorize poems with her that target speech hot spots
38.   Behavior Testing for Kymee
39.   Ear surgery & tubes for Kymee
40.   Read Psalm daily to Kymee at bedtime (1 per week)
41.   Incorporate Bible verses into daily routine  with Kymee
42.   Read & Implement dealing with sleep issues for Kymee
43.   Read & Implement dealing with anger issues for Kymee
44.   Start Kymee in Speech Therapy and Behavioral Therapy
45.   Bake Christmas Cookies with Kymee
46.   Make canapy bed for Kymee
47.   Make curtains for Kymee’s room
48.   Find Picture Frames for Kymee’s room
49.   Buy Dresser knobs for Kymee’s dresser
50.   Spend 1 hour outside with Kymee EVERY DAY
51.   Wash the “chalk-drawings” off all the walls in the house
52.   Make sandbox for outside (study, design, cut logs, build)
53.   Pray for my Mom and Dad

54.   Have lunch with mom without kids

55.   Go on a daughter-daddy date with my dad
56.   Visit train in Mineral Wells with Mom & Dad – have picnic
57.   Replace my mom’s camera I broke
58.   Visit Papi (father-in-law) every Thursday
59.   Take Papi out to eat
60.   Pray for Papi

61.   Pray for Eli, J, Trent & Ellie

62.   Nelson & I - Spend a day with 

Eli & J without Kymee (or anyone else)

63.   Record a DVD “Nana’s Sing Along”
with Kymee, Eli, J, and Eli
 to send to Trent for Christmas

64.   Make one Christmas present for Kymee
65.   Make Christmas present for Eli
66.   Make Christmas present for J
67.   Make Christmas present for Ellie
68.   Make 3 sets nativity blocks – for each set of grandkids
69.   Pray for Carlos, Lydia, Stephan, Emylee & Mandy
70.   Take Stephan & Emylee & Andres on Cruise with Nelson & I!
71.   Double Date with Carlos and Lydia

72. Take Mandy out

73.   Cut rose stem from Mami (my mother-in-laws) rose bushes and replant at my house
74.   Buy Ale Vera Plant & maintain it
75.   Have Fresh cut flowers in the house weekly
76.   Finish writing series of blogs (What church youth ministry can learn from debate) and post
77.   Have Andres take pictures for blog and stop plagiarizing goggle images on my blog
78.   Write and post blog 1X week (either)
79.   Buy ALL Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving
80.   Attend Gateway’s Christmas Musical
81.   Attend Messiah Sing-along
82.   Go to the Nutcracker Ballet
83.   Go to a Christmas tree farm for Christmas tree
84.   Do the North Pole Express (steam engine train ride) with kids
85.   Have Life Group girls over to the house for party
86.   Contact one Life Group girl a week – just because
87.   Plan and execute one service project with Life Group girls
88.   Host DNow 9^th – 10^th grade boys – plan & cook food, clean, etc.
89.   Find one person God wants me to mentor weekly (I’m open – youth, young married, young mom, new homeschool mom?)
90.   Read “Hope and Healing: Kids who Cut”

91.   Do something with Kim every other week 

(one week with Kymee, one week just us)

92.   Go to U Paint with Kim
93.   Go out with a friend once a week
94.   Prepare debate students for first debate tournament
95.   Write encouraging notes to each student before their first tournament
96.   Find all day babysitter and go to November Debate Round Robin
97.   Eat clean (1 exception per week)
98.   Get medical physical for myself
99.   Buy produce and local honey from Haslet farmers Market on Saturdays
100.   Get “caught up” on laundry
101.    Evaluate all clothes for everyone in house – get rid of & figure out need

What Goals do you have for the next 1001 Days?