Middle Schoolers' Debatabase: 75 Current Controversies for Debaters

An invaluable resource for middle school debaters, this book provides background, arguments and resources on 75 debate topics in areas as diverse as business, science and technology, environment, politics, religion, culture and education.

Topics include:

• Cell phones in schools
• Dress codes in schools
• Banning plastic bags
• Making cigarettes illegal
• Drilling for oil in national parks
• Banning factory farming
• Implementing a junk food tax
• Increasing the driving age
• Moving the United Nations headquarters
• Negotiating with terrorists
• Extending the school day
• Repealing the Second Amendment

Each entry presents: the topic; and introduction placing the question in context; notes about how to address the debate; arguments pro and con; sample motions; and web links for further research. Organized in a handy A-Z format, the book also includes a topical index for easy searching.

Rhiannon Bettivia began her debate career in England by starting a debate group in Cambridge that earned the right to debate at the famed Oxford Union. In college, she debated for the parliamentary team at Columbia University.  Ms. Bettivia carried her commitment to debate into her professional career, helping to start a middle school parliamentary debate league for which she has worked as both a tournament coordinator and expanded as the president.