Write 10 “problems” on 10 index cards, one problem per card. You get used to the sound of your voice and improve your work. By yourself, practice this exercise by audio recording your summary and listening back.The summary should be intriguing as well as clear and to the point. Skim the article and then summarize it out loud to someone in 1 minute without any preparation.

Similarly, this activity can be done individually by putting statements on index cards and responding to them as you draw them out of a hat.įind a random news article from your favorite periodical - this can be serious but can also easily be from a tabloid magazine.Practice coming up with counter-arguments off the top of your head.This is similar to “Justify It”, except that after one person makes a statement, the other person responds on the other side with an opposing statement, starting with “To play devil’s advocate…” For instance, if one person said “Gorillas would make great pets”, the other person would say, “To play devil’s advocate, gorillas would not make great pets because they are wild and unpredictable and could pose a great deal of danger.” This is a hard activity by yourself, but you can put statements on index cards and draw them out of a hat.For more difficulty, you can increase the number of reasons you have to give. Practice giving warrants and reasons for your arguments.One person says that a certain statement is true (they don’t have to believe it), such as “Gorillas would make great pets.” The other person has to respond by saying why this statement is true, such as “Totally! Gorillas can help you reach things up high and they always have bananas, which are a great source of potassium.” Switch roles with new statements each time. You can also do this in writing, but it is more difficult out loud, so it’s worth doing (even if it is a little weird). By yourself, you will have to talk to yourself (which is still okay!), stating a claim and then whittling it down to fewer words with a more powerful impact.In pairs, you can just go back and forth to practice.Construct more concise and powerful claims.“Schools are responsible for students’ mental health to prevent academic failure.”) Repeat until the claim is concise with powerful words and then have someone start a new claim. The next person builds on the new version but with more powerful words (i.e.

For instance, “Schools should increase funding for mental health services because dealing with stress helps students do better academically.” The next person in the circle then restates the claim, but with fewer words. In a circle, have one person state an argumentative claim in a complete sentence with reasoning.

Space counter 1 minute