CMSDL Monday Memo — vol. I, no. 4 — July 30, 2012

Happy Monday.

1. Prepared Flow Rebuttal Exercise

This week a set of teachers are getting trained in the Coaching Debate at the Varsity Level course at Loyola Law School, 25 E. Pearson St. (we’re very grateful to Loyola University Chicago already for their generosity in donating such wonderful, well-equipped classroom space). Coaches are engaged in a full agenda, acquiring instructional and coaching capacities that will help enable their Varsity debaters to attain the Varsity-level (Year Two and Three/Four) Debater Development Benchmarks.

Today, we did a close study of the Prepared Flow Rebuttal Drill, exercising flow-based refutation and analysis of evidence, and practicing and developing the 1AR, 2NR, and 2AR.

The CMSDL has developed prepared flows on the following SY2013 Core Files arguments (be sure to download them, by clicking on the arrow pointed downward in the lower-right corner of the screen after clicking on the link to the document):

Elections Disadvantage, positing the Public Service Employment Affirmative Case

Elections Disadvantage portion of the 2012/13 Core Files

Topicality Violation (“Traffic Infrastructure”), positing the Port Security Affirmative Case

Topicality Violation (“Traffic Infrastructure”) portion of the SY2013 Core Files

2. SpAr Debate Drill

Last week, ten new and relatively new coaches took our four-day Fundamentals of Competitive Academic Debate Coaching course, also held at Loyola Law School. We followed a similarly ambitious agenda.

One of the activities we reviewed and put into practice was the Spontaneous Argumentation (or SpAr) Debate Drill. One of the most important features of this drill, and the one essential to its alignment with the refutation skill and learning objectives in the CMSDL, is the use of Affirmative Case and the Negative Case SpAr flow sheets. Each side makes their case for or against the resolution in their side’s first speech — a speech of three contentions thought through and assembled in advance of the speeches — then the subsequent speeches are all refutational, having to answer (on the appropriate flow sheet) the arguments of the opponent’s previous speech.

3. Last Chance to Register Students for the 2012 Pre-Season Workshops

You have about 48 hours now to get your final 7th and 8th grade student registrations in, along with the $15 per student registration fee, for the 2012 Pre-Season Student Workshops next week, August 6th – 8th. Details on another page of the CDL programming site.

4. SY2013 CMSDL Coaches Council

Congratulations to the SY2013 CMSDL Coaches Council representatives:

Lauren Mayes, Spencer Elementary (“AA”)
Chris McCabe, Zapata Academy (“A”)
Greg Thompson, Lincoln Elementary (“A”)
Brett Turpin, Kershaw Elementary (“AA”)

We’ll have our first meeting of the new school year, our Quarter One meeting, likely the week of August 27th.

5. SY2013 Core Files Update

For a variety of reasons we won’t bother you with, the SY2013 Core Files are a couple weeks behind schedule. As a result we will be posting draft portions of the Core Files — unofficial but largely complete sections of the files, e.g., the affirmative 1AC’s and affirmative case extension blocks — over the next two weeks. We will have a final published version of the SY2013 Core Files for the season posted here the week of August 20th, along with printing information, Core Files outlines, and Core Files labels. In the meantime, most of the arguments in close to final form will be posted in sections for you to use with your students in practice and preparation for the opening of the season.