150 High School Debate Topics (Plus Free Printable Organizers!)

• Faculty and Schooling Debate Subjects
• Authorities and Civics Debate Subjects
• Science and Expertise Debate Subjects
• Well being and Life-style Debate Subjects
• Social Justice and Ethics Debate Subjects
• Leisure and Expertise Debate Subjects
• Enjoyable and Simple Debate Subjects
• Excessive Faculty Debate Subjects FAQs
• Seize your free Debate Graphic Organizer printables at present!

Debate is among the greatest methods to construct highschool college students’ communication and important pondering abilities. Highschool debate matters can range from lighthearted enjoyable (Is a scorching canine a sandwich?) to downright controversial (Ought to we abolish the demise penalty?), however all of them give college students an opportunity to construct real-world expertise in pondering critically, talking clearly, and disagreeing with respect.

Our wide-ranging record of debate matters for highschool college students ranges from lighthearted and enjoyable (good for brand new debaters) to advanced and moral (best for college students with expertise). The themes cowl concepts that basically attraction to college students this age, from college and schooling points to popular culture and know-how. You’ll additionally discover ideas for selecting matters, prepping college students for debate, and extra, plus free graphic organizers!

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Trainer Tip: Use our hyperlinks to provide college students a jump-start!

Every one among our debate matters for highschool college students features a hyperlink to a trusted, dependable supply that gives execs and/or cons on the subject, plus proof and knowledge for college students to think about. It will assist even reluctant college students make begin, particularly when paired with our free printables!

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Free Printable Gratitude Worksheets

Faculty and Schooling Debate Subjects

1. It’s better to be good at academics than to be good at sports.
2. Final exams should be abolished.
3. Students should be required to wear school uniforms.
4. Private schools are better than public schools.
5. Year-round school is better for students.
6. Standardized tests are effective.
7. Every student should have to participate in athletics.
8. Single-gender schools are better for students.
9. Schools should be allowed to teach critical race theory.
10. Math is the most important school subject.
11. Schools should teach sex ed instead of abstinence only.
12. Letter grades should be abolished.
13. Teachers should be replaced by computers.
14. People who get better grades in school will be more successful in life.
15. Sometimes it’s OK to cheat on homework or a test.
16. Students who fail a test should be given the chance to take it again.
17. Outdoor recess is important at every grade level.
18. Students should be allowed to grade teachers.
19. Everyone should be able to bring their pets to school.
20. Shorter school days are better for students.
21. Schools should eliminate dress codes.
22. Everyone should be required to go to college.
23. College should be free for everyone who wants to attend.
24. Schools should install safe rooms in case of mass shootings or natural disasters.
25. Schools should be allowed to ban some books from their libraries.
26. Book smarts are better than street smarts.
27. Schools should teach life skills like cooking and personal finance.
28. School vouchers benefit students and schools.
29. Religion has no place in schools.
30. In-person school is better than online school.
31. Traditional school is better than homeschooling.
32. Charter schools should receive public school funds.

Authorities and Civics Debate Subjects

33. The voting age should be lowered to 16.
34. Democracy is the best form of government.
35. All Americans should be required to vote.
36. The driving age should be raised to 18.
37. The drinking age should be lowered to 18.
38. Supreme Court judges should be appointed for fixed terms.
39. Parents should be punished for their children’s crimes.
40. A progressive income tax is better than a flat tax.
41. All students should be required to volunteer in their community.
42. The United States isn’t ready to accept a woman president yet.
43. Police funding should be redirected to social services.
44. The United States should implement a universal basic income.
45. We should require people of all genders to register for the draft.
46. Gun safety laws infringe on the Second Amendment.
47. Anyone over 12 should be tried as an adult in court.
48. We should require people to take drug tests before receiving government aid like welfare.
49. The government should provide funding for public art programs.
50. There are reasonable limits to freedom of speech.

Science and Expertise Debate Subjects

51. Plastic bottles should be banned.
52. It’s important to spend money exploring space.
53. Developing countries have to meet the same environmental standards as more developed nations.
54. GMOs are more helpful than harmful.
55. Human cloning should be legal.
56. We should ban fossil fuels.
57. Nuclear weapons should be banned worldwide.
58. Testing on animals should be illegal.
59. Macs are better than PCs.
60. Androids are better than iPhones.
61. We should replace all paper documents with electronic versions.
62. Parents should use their kids’ cell phones to track them.
63. There is intelligent life on other planets.
64. We should use stem cells from human embryos for scientific research.
65. People rely too much on technology.
66. Net neutrality should be mandatory for internet service providers.
67. Expanded use of artificial intelligence will be good for humanity.
68. Technology is creating more jobs than it eliminates.
69. Schools should have surveillance cameras in classrooms and hallways.
70. The United States should provide free internet access for everyone.
71. Cryptocurrencies should replace cash.
72. Scientists should try to develop a way for everyone to live forever.
73. Pluto should still be considered a planet.
74. Governments should subsidize technologies like electric cars and solar panels for houses.

Well being and Life-style Debate Subjects

75. Humans should not eat animals.
76. Cigarette smoking and vaping should be banned entirely.
77. Drug addicts should receive help instead of punishment.
78. Euthanasia should be legal.
79. Vaccines should be mandatory.
80. White-collar jobs are better than blue-collar jobs.
81. Abortion rights and other reproductive rights should be protected under the law.
82. Marijuana should be legal everywhere.
83. Junk food should be banned in school cafeterias.
84. Schools should provide free mental health services to students and teachers.
85. All drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed, like alcohol.
86. Healthcare should be universal.
87. Beauty pageants are sexist.
88. People should have to take a parenting class before having a child.
89. Doctors should not be allowed to prescribe psychiatric drugs like Ritalin or SSRIs to children.
90. Organ donation should be mandatory after death.

Social Justice and Ethics Debate Subjects

91. Girls face more peer pressure than boys.
92. Giving is better than receiving.
93. Animals should not be kept in zoos.
94. Happiness is more important than success.
95. If you find money on the ground, it’s automatically yours to keep.
96. It is better to be kind than to be truthful.
97. We should do away with gender-specific public bathrooms.
98. Learning about history can stop us from repeating past mistakes.
99. Ethical hunting and fishing is possible.
100. Men should not be allowed to make laws that affect women’s bodies.
101. The death penalty should be abolished.
102. Security is more important than freedom.
103. The government should pay reparations to descendants of enslaved people.
104. Religion does more harm than good.
105. We will never achieve world peace.
106. We should make the path to American citizenship easier.
107. A strong middle class is vital to the economy.
108. Transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in sports according to their gender identity.
109. Criminal profiling is inherently racist.
110. We should return control of ancestral lands to Indigenous communities.
111. The American justice system is inherently racist.
112. Ageism is a major problem in our society.
113. Felons should be allowed to vote after serving their time in prison.
114. The UN should require all member countries to accept a minimum number of refugees each year.

Leisure and Expertise Debate Subjects

115. Reality television depicts real life.
116. Schools should allow students to use phones in class.
117. Social media is making us less social.
118. Social media does more harm than good.
119. Video games are better than board games.
120. Video gaming is a sport.
121. Reading books is better than watching TV.
122. The book is always better than the movie.
123. Playing video games makes you smarter.
124. Paper books are better than e-books.
125. All museums and zoos should be free to everyone.
126. Everyone should play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender.

Enjoyable and Simple Debate Subjects

127. Dogs are better pets than cats.
128. A taco is a sandwich.
129. Summer is better than winter.
130. Coke is better than Pepsi.
131. Pepperoni is the best pizza topping.
132. Fruit counts as dessert.
133. The number 13 is not unlucky.
134. People should eat to live, not live to eat.
135. Monday is the worst day of the week.
136. Clowns are more scary than funny.
137. Modern music is better than classical music.
138. Aliens live among us here on Earth.
139. It’s OK to put ketchup on a hot dog.
140. Was Robin Hood a thief or a rebel hero?
141. It would be better to be able to fly than to be able to turn invisible.
142. It’s better to be too hot than too cold.
143. We should allow people to go barefoot anywhere if they want to.
144. Fiction is better than non-fiction.
145. Using profanity is good for your mental health.
146. Leftover pizza is better cold than reheated.
147. It’s OK to wear socks with sandals.
148. Being famous is actually not all that great.
149. GIF should be pronounced “JIFF,” not “GIFF.”
150. People shouldn’t have to go to school or work on their birthdays.

Excessive Faculty Debate Subjects FAQs

What tutorial abilities do highschool college students study from debating?

Debates educate college students to analysis their subject, make knowledgeable selections, and argue successfully utilizing details as an alternative of emotion. Taking part in formal debate actions like teams or golf equipment has been proven to have actual tutorial advantages. Students who join debate teams are 12% more likely to graduate high school. One examine additionally confirmed that debate improved language arts achievement nearly three times more effectively than conventional studying interventions.

How can debate educate college students to disagree respectfully?

Some lecturers draw back from debate within the classroom, afraid it would develop into too adversarial. However debates educate respectful communication, displaying college students learn how to disagree with concepts—not individuals. They follow utilizing important pondering to assist their viewpoints with details and proof, and construct listening abilities that encourage empathy and tolerance. Constructive debate helps us alternate concepts and factors of view rationally, shifting discussions ahead into progress.

How do I select the appropriate highschool debate subject for my class?

Contemplate your college students’ pursuits, background data, and talent degree. For brand new debaters, begin out with straightforward matters that may interact them proper off the bat—attempt foolish however controversial questions like “Does pineapple belong on a pizza?” As children achieve confidence, dig into matters related to their very own lives, equivalent to “Ought to faculties eradicate costume codes?” Skilled debaters are prepared for superior matters like “Ought to we make the trail to American citizenship simpler?”

What can lecturers do to assist college students who’re nervous about public talking?

Begin small, and construct confidence progressively. Start with staff debates, the place college students work collectively to organize and defend their viewpoint. Pair children with a associate for a debate-style non-public dialogue, quite than asking them to carry out in entrance of the complete class. Present them learn how to put together and rehearse their opening statements and key factors, utilizing notes to remain centered. Congratulate them for his or her efforts, and remind them that every thing (even public talking) will get simpler with follow.

How can lecturers assist put together college students to debate efficiently?

Profitable debaters rely closely on important pondering abilities. Start by teaching students to think critically, learning to sort fact from opinion. Assist them perceive dependable main sources and learn how to acknowledge bias and misinformation. Then, information them as they construct opening and shutting statements, put together to rebut counterarguments, and discover the appropriate rhetorical language to sway their viewers. If it looks as if loads, don’t fear! Our debate graphic organizers will information college students and lecturers alongside the best way.

Seize your free Debate Graphic Organizer printables at present!

These free organizers are the right approach to assist college students as they construct debate abilities! You’ll additionally get a useful record of guidelines to remind debaters of the most effective methods to argue an thought and disagree with respect.

Did we miss one among your favourite highschool debate matters? Come share your concepts and ask for recommendation within the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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